From: Dave Farber ubject: [INFO] 55 software patents in one week !!!! Subject: [INFO] 55 software patents in one week !!!! Date: 26 Jul 92 02:17:44 GMT Sender: news@cs.su.oz.au (News) Organization: Basser Dept of Computer Science, University of Sydney, Australia Approved: patents@cs.su.oz.au Apparently-To: farber The issue of software patents can be quite interesting. Consider, for example, the following list of 55 patents awarded by the Patent Office during just ONE WEEK of July '92. Of these, 13 (or 20%) were awarded to IBM. While both the total number, and the number awarded to IBM, are atypically high, they are symptomatic of the trend that the Patent Office is awarded more and more software patents, many of which have prior art, and that IBM is building up a tremendous body of software patents that they intend to exploit quite aggressively (they got $20 million out of Microsoft, who surprisingly has very few software patents). If you are afraid about the patenting of software, you have good grounds. If you like the game of patents and infringements, the software arena is the next big playground. SOFTWARE PATENTS AWARDED TO IBM Method for automatic generation of document history log exception reports in a data processing system Method and apparatus for modeling words with multi-arc Markov models Apparatus and method for loading a system reference diskette image from a system partition in a personal computer system Dynamic selection of recursively nested logical element data formats Performance improvement tool for rule based expert systems System and method for simulating the I/O of a processing system Method for presenting compressed electronic day calendar information in an interactive information handling system Method for cursor control of scrolling movements on certain computer workstations Specifying 3D reference points in 2D graphic displays Data processing method to create virtual disks from non-contiguous groups of logically contiguous addressable blocks of direct access storage devices Computer system and a method of monitoring transient data structures in a computer system System and method for intercommunicating between applications and a database manager Method and system increasing the operational availability of a system of computer programs operating in a distributed system of computers SOFTWARE PATENTS AWARDED TO OTHER COMPANIES Computer network with shared memory using bit maps including flags to indicate reserved memory areas and task status Object container transfer system and method in an object based computer operating system Conditional object creating system having different object pointers for accessing a set of data structure objects Method and apparatus for searching database component files to retrieve information from modified files System for processing data using logic language Method of using the memory in a information processing system of the virtual addressing type, and apparatus for performing the method Apparatus and method for interface register handshaking for controlling devices Word processor utilizing image inputting means Decomposition of arbitrary polygons into trapezoids Method for automatically converting a data flow description of a source program directly into a function design chart Recurrent neural network with variable size intermediate layer Neural network with selective error reduction to increase learning speed Neural network for performing beta-token partitioning in a Rete network Method of generating a numerical calculation program which simulates a physical phenomenon represented by a partial differential equation using discretization based upon a control volume finite differential method System for registration of documents Image registration Graphics image editor Detecting line segments and predetermined patterns in an optically scanned document Method and apparatus for retrieving image data Pattern recognition device Voice recognition method by analyzing syllables Symbol state trellis maximum likelihood detection method Traffic flow control and call set-up in multi-hop broadband networks Updating link state information in networks Method for estimating the location of a sensor relative to a seismic energy source Method for sharpening prestack depth migration images by removing residual moveout from common image point gathers before stacking Remote plotting of integrated circuit layout in a network computer aided design system Method of draw forming analytically determined binder wrap blank shape Apparatus and method for allocation of resources in programmable logic devices Automated high precision fabrication of objects of complex and unique geometry Method and apparatus for determining inclination angle of a borehole while drilling Pore pressure prediction method Method for determining the semantic relatedness of lexical items in a text Method for computing tomographic scans Inventory control method and system Manufacturing or service system allocating resources to associated demands by comparing time ordered arrays of data Electronic accident estimating system Prioritized image transmission system and method Dynamic predictive keyboard Selective call signalling system Search technique for identifying slaves devices connected to a serial bus Convolution filtering for decoding self-clocking glyph shape codes