asterisk users - Aug 2004 - Bogus patent applications (was: [RANT] ... Broadvoice)

Jayson Vantuyl wrote:
> Mmmmmm.  I'm should patent that.
> Something like "Patent for Using Spam
> Filters to Block Stuff That Isn't Spam" or
> something equally obvious.  I like it.
That won't make it even past the sloppiest examiner. You
would have to wrap it up nicely and present it as
something novel, like so ...

-------------------------
Method and apparatus for using an unsolicited email
filtering device for altered presentation of solicited
email according to user preference.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus
for using a filtering device intended for filtering and
ultimately blocking unsolicited email in a manner outside
of and foreign to the orginal purpose of such devices,
namely but not limited to altering the way in which
solicited email is presented, further assisted by
consulting a user preferences database.

While there are many prior art filtering devices for
filtering and blocking of unsolicited email, such as US
Pat. No. XXXXXXXXX and US Pat. No. YYYYYYYYY, the present
invention relates to a novel use of such devices in a way
which is not anticipated by prior art ....
-------------------------

Unfortunately, this kind of thing has become a sport to
greedy corporates and their patent attorneys. It is even
more unfortunate that patent offices are overwhelmed by
the increasing volume of applications and therefore unable
to spot many of those bogus applications during
examination. Too many times such applications slip through
and receive a grant, causing trouble many years later when
the patent is used as a strategic weapon against
competitors or even the open source community.

rgds
benjk


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Sunrise Telephone Systems Ltd
9F Shibuya Daikyo Bldg., 1-13-5 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan

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