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- HMTKSteve, on 10/12/2007, -0/+30Don't laugh. Barnes & Noble was forced to go to a "2 click" system over this...
- canadianguy33, on 10/12/2007, -5/+23What a BS patent!
- tony23, on 10/12/2007, -0/+17Here are some examples of the true worthlessness of a US patent anymore (links are to a site that lists absurd patents):
"Animal Toy": http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6360693.html - Basically, this guy patented a STICK
"Method of exercising a cat": http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5443036.html - move the spot from a laser pointer around so the cat will chase it
"Device for moistening the adhesive coating on postage stamps and envelopes": http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4300473.html - "The applicator may be in the form of a human tongue and the closure may be in the form of a human lip."
"Method of Swinging on a Swing": http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6368227.html - If you swing sideways, you're violating this one. - yppiz, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11Don't blame Digg, their hands are tied because of Amazon's zero-dupe patent.
- heymark, on 10/12/2007, -3/+11To recieve a U.S. Patent recently means nothing. To think, i've always dreamt of having a few patents under my name. Now, i'm not even sure that would mean anything. I could probably receive a patent for breathing air. Oh well.
- Steaminx, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8Apple's iTunes licesnses the 1 click buying model from Amazon. It's a ridiculous patent.
- ownedbytheman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6You didn't read the article, did you? It has 0 to do with "not using patents" and it was more than a simple complaint that caused the review.
- HMTKSteve, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6The patent system was screwed up in the 90's when they allowed patents to become so focused that you could patent the following (some exaggeration)
Use of a heavy object strike a sharp object to penetrate a third object in a gaseous enviorment
Use of a heavy object strike a sharp object to penetrate a third object in a liquid enviorment
Use of a very heavy object strike a sharp object to penetrate a third object in a gaseous enviorment
Use of a slightly heavy object strike a sharp object to penetrate a third object in a liquid enviorment
Use of a purple heavy object strike a sharp object to penetrate a third object in a gaseous enviorment
Use of a blue heavy object strike a sharp object to penetrate a third object in a natural enviorment
Use of a heavy object strike a small sharp object to penetrate a third object in a gaseous enviorment
For those who can not understand obfuscation, these would all be patents on hitting a nail with a hammer. Liquid enviorment could denote under water or a very humid day...
and each would pass muster... - levi, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6That's great, but until Digg has some way for us to group dupes into a single story so they share diggs and give credit to the person who posted it first yelling DUPE doesn't do any good.
- crilen007, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5My family's company has about 20-30 patents. They are all curcuit designs however, which are easier to say "you copied us" to, than say a 1 click system.
- NSMike, on 10/12/2007, -13/+16I have a patent on the 3-click payment system. And the 4-click. And the 5-click. And the Any-Multple-of-one-click. In fact, I've patented the "click" sound your mouse button makes when you press it. You owe me for every click. Or, I can offer you click-forgiveness and offer to sell the license for the click-sound to you, so you can click away!*
*License allots 300 clicks per day. Any clicks over the licensed amount will be subject to a penalty charge. - RyeBrye, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Don't try it yourself. I'm in the process of patenting a method whereby a consumer can seek revenge on an online retailer by means of patent lawsuits.
- carpespasm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3no, what's BS is that with people complaining since before the patent was granted, it has taken such a long time for it to go under review
- scepticus, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3What is really interesting is the fact the patent was ridiculous for years, there were many idiotic licensing and law suits. There were many requests from different people and organizations to reexamine it. And it did not to a damn thing. But some actor tells patent office that the patent ruins his experience and they jump. WTF?
- saska, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I'm starting to develop an involuntary right-eye-twitch whenever I read or hear the word "patent." I don't think this customer is ingenious. I think he is a barnacle on the scrotum of society perpetuating the most annoying form of fraud since domain-squatting was outlawed.
- bash, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@buttface: The patent reviewers aren't incompetent. They're just overworked and underpaid (making around $20k a year ish).
I don't think we should blame the patent reviewers; we should blame the government for not hiring more reviewers and not putting the due dilligence back in the patent review system. - Crossmenjeff, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2if you're upset about slow delivery from amazon. move from the island nation of new zealand. seems kind of simple to me. things take longer to get places not attached to other places.
- dclowd9901, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Hmmm. That so...
(devilish grin)
Cash cow, here I come... - plkrtn, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3How about they have a look at all of the frivilous, and frankly ridiculous patents that they've issued over the years which are doing nothing but stifiling innovasion.
Could you imagine a Tesco or Walmart sized supermarket company patenting the checkout process?! - macewan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2be careful, they also have a patent for filing 'click' patents ;-)
- rolypolyman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Last month I found that a monolithic corporation in my small scientific field had successfully filed a number of patents on simple mathematical algorithms -- basic things like plotting maps on a computer screen. This same company had strongarmed one of my competitors last year over some of these shenanigans. I'd like nothing more than to see a GAO audit of the U.S. Patent Office and a few overpaid department heads losing their jobs.
- buttface, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The fact that it was approved in the first place proves to me without a doubt there are incompetent people in charge of reviewing patents. I see no way that anyone who had any idea of how the web works would even consider passing it. Shouldn't they have certain specialists reviewing certain types of applications? Like EE, CE, CS, etc. for each category? You would think so but with all the stupid ones that get through it really can't be. For something that could be so easily exploited you would think they would spend some money to hire qualified people. But no, they would rather induce frivolous lawsuits and prevent legitimate businesses from operating normally. A patent on one-click buying, that's about as bad as it gets.
- pjh3000, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Live by the patent, die by the patent.
- pjh3000, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3By posting a link to dupicates of the same story here, you do know you're just sending people to those links to mark them as duplicates, right?
- minonda, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2It's interesting that everyone is focusing on the patent element of this story, whereas what I find interesting about it is that a frustrated customer found an ingenious way to get revenge on the website that so infuriated him. I've had frustrating experiences with these big sites -- eBay, Yahoo, Amazon, Buy.com -- and there never seems to be a way to make them care that you don't like how they've treated you. They're too big and they don't need you (they think). This guy has actually found a way to punish a website he's mad at! Wow!
- McG2k1, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3I just patented "a method for approving or disapproving of an item of interest so as to generate a ranking using 1-click"
Someone else can register the dupe patent. - Genma, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1they're obviously overworked but there's no way it's a valid excuse. the process should be review patent --> make informed decision because the fate of the marketplace hangs in the balance. not see stupid idea --> approve obvious exploit because we don't have the time to review it rationally.
- fatJohn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Because he sited a similar (earlier filed) patent on the same form of payment, called "digicash." Generally speaking, reading the article will answer the more obvious questions.
- RyeBrye, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1That method of excercising cat is a sweet patent. If you go to the real USPTO site you can view the images of the patent itself.
http://patft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=5443036.PN.&OS=PN/5443036&RS=PN/5443036
There's one image of a guy sitting on the ground with a giddy smile on his face - and a laser pointer in hand... and a cat jumping around. As if the idea wasn't obvious enough as it was! (Click on Images on that page) - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0So I am gonna patent 'Completing an Electric Circuit'. A method using ANY means to allow the flow of electrons from a point of higher potential to lower potential.
- cybershoplifter, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3fur ***** sake, 2 click 3 click get Gomer to make a citizens arrest...
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2damn they might catch my N^x patent that I was gonna file so I could sue everyone for every possible number of clicks it takes to do anything.
- samuraitux, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Wow that's pretty mess up. that's why the whole patent system should be reform. Next thing is going to be a patent that has an user click once while logged in a secured server.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Please support the effort to overturn this patent by making "one click" on the thumbs-up icon for this post!
- r0bm, on 10/12/2007, -8/+3All your patent are belong to me. My lawyer contact you too soon.
- rebz, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1well technically, that would be the poster's fault for not posting the correct title and description, wouldn't it?
- Brak710101, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1Since when is it that a conpany must actually use their' patents?
And how can someone complain about a service to get its patent reviewed? Next time my always sharp knife getsd dull, I'll be sure to complain to the patent office to make sure its patent gets pulled. - HMTKSteve, on 10/12/2007, -22/+15dupe alert:
http://digg.com/technology/USPTO_orders_reexamination_of_the_Amazon_One-Click_patent
http://digg.com/software/Amazon_s_1-click_patent_might_be_thrown_out
http://digg.com/technology/USPTO_re-examines_Amazon_s_1-click_patent
http://digg.com/links/Patent_Office_To_Review_Legitimacy_Of_Amazon_s_One-Click_Shopping_Patent
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