
Patent US7779046 - Web server and method to provide web-pages to manage devices - toni
https://www.google.com/patents/US7779046
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vbo
Prior art much? It's fascinating how the system feeds on itself and frivolous
"inventions" are patented to protect companies from similarly frivolous claims
(and also that the patent office grants them). Of course, none of this is new,
but the issue continues to manifest itself and waste billions of dollars in
settlements to frivolous litigation threats and to support the whole legal
machinery associated with patents.

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sporkologist
> Prior art

I remember the good ole days, when that phrase had meaning.

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C1D
It's owned by Samsung but I don't think they'll use it. They've been in many
law suits and most if not all companies suing them are infringing this patent.
They could just counter-sue with this but they haven't. Even if they sue some
one for this I doubt a judge would take it seriously, but I don't live in the
US so I guess anythings possible.

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pawn
I read statements like this and imagine large companies playing a game like
Pokemon or Magic: The Gathering, but instead of monsters they have patents.

"I choose you Patent of Phone which uses Glass!"

"I'm going to counter with the Patent of Electronic Things"

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mitchty
That is sadly a very apt analogy for the current patent situation in software.

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jroseattle
The supporting graphics with the patent are ridiculously awesome. Nothing like
an image that refers to "RAM", "ROM" and "Web Browser" as equal parts of input
to clear things up.

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adlpz
Nice, every single network device _ever_ with a web interface (think of your
home's router) infringes this patent.

This is plainly bullshit.

PS: Of course also printers, but I feel like that is what they were actually
trying to patent. Which is bullshit too, though.

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atirip
Nope. All networking devices outside US are not infringing this patent.

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adlpz
Well, yes, you are right. Still, a patent war in the US can have worldwide
consequences.

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iampliny
My first summer job in 1990 was with a company than had then contract (then)
to digitizing all USPTO patent applications.

As a shipping clerk I got to see a lot of hair-brained patent apps. Picture a
diagram of a shoebox decorated to look like a mailbox and the words "KIDDIE
MAIL" scrawled on the side. Yeah, somebody was trying to patent that. Most
applications were like that one--complete wastes of everybody's time and
money.

Seems like we've replaced "Kiddie Mail" with "RAM" and "ROM" but not much else
has changed, except, presumably, the volume.

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nakedrobot2
I think you mean "hare-brained" although I admit, the patent we're talking
about now could also be called "hair-brained" :-)

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UberMouse
Was this Patent granted? Is that what the Publication Date specifies? I really
hope not, it's very generic and poorly written.

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fpgeek
Well, the Publication Type is Grant so...

At least the priority date only goes back to 2006, so hopefully there's plenty
of prior art.

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swapnilt
I wanna smoke whatever USPTO guys smoke

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brentoids
Patent US420420420: Water filled smoke cooling device. A storage device that
can hold water. A cylinder, square, or tube like structure that acts both as a
pipe and transmitter of smoke and air into the water storage device. Another
access/control point into the water storage for sucking. Storage device can be
any water storing devise : vase, hollowed out pumpkin, yard gnome, etc. Device
specialized for USPTO anxiety medication found in break room by Mario Cart.

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fchief
Even if this was granted, it would be easy enough to defeat with prior art
references from all over the place. Windows WMI management framework includes
transport over http for example.

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sporkologist
> it would be easy enough to defeat with prior art references

Yes in theory. In practice, it all depends on how much the parties want to
lawyer up, and not settle out of court.

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smrtinsert
Software is inherently modular - the whole point is to combine and produce
unique configurations that might produce business value. The USPTO likens this
to an invention, but its really more the like creating a unique looking house
- and obviously you can't patent the act of making a house.

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ronreiter
That's how companies work, you count the amount of patents you have, and
that's part of what you're worth. You can ignore this...

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sharemywin
This sounds alot like a client server architecture with the web as a business
object server.

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gauravm
Is it just me or does the abstract seems like it was written by some grammar
retard?

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sporkologist
Patents, and their abstracts, are written in very particular language, that
was originally meant for mechanical devices and configurations. It's law +
engineering, basically.

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riemannzeta
What's a workform? Look at the claims, people.

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ryanhuff
I tried to read the patent summary with an open mind, but that was some
convoluted phrasing. I have idea what claims they are making beyond that a web
server and terminal devices are involved, and some information is used to do
something.

[updated] BTW, reading the "getting started" doc for "SmarTrhu Workforms"
provides a clearer picture of what Wokforms are:

[http://www.samsung.com/au/newsletters/dealers/october08/pdfs...](http://www.samsung.com/au/newsletters/dealers/october08/pdfs/Getting%20Started%20with%20SmarThru%20Workflow%202.pdf)

