New Amazon Patent

[[silent:arts]]

I can't believe this is true: 

http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=08676045&idkey=NONE

 

[joaquins]

me neither...

 

[ruffrecords]

Bonkers!

Cheers

Ian

 

[L´Andratté]

Exactly like I learned in photography workshop... ;D

This is news in germany too. Let´s wait and see what scoop that is.

Get´s mentioned in context with this
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=11&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=6004596&OS=6004596&RS=6004596
???

 

[JohnRoberts]

That seems silly...

To bad they are serious.

JR

 

[usekgb]

Are they serious?  This would mean that every studio photographer in the world would have to pay Amazon in order to take a portrait!  How the hell did this one slip through.  There is nothing new or novel in this patent.

 

[zebra50]

If the technique is already widely known, then there is 'prior art', and the patent won't be enforceable.
Likewise, if it is obvious to someone skilled in the art.

 

[Script]

No problem gents

My attorneys just informed me that I own patents on:
(1) the name "Amazon"
(2) the term "studio arrangement"
(3) the technology of "image capturing" and
(4) the job of "primary examiner".

 

[SSLtech]

US patents are now a joke. They are essentially un-checked, I could file a patent for adding salt to water to make salty water, and if nobody challenges me, I get the patent.

Now how much money I want to throw at lawyers pursuing patent infringement and defending my patent claims is MY problem. -And it would cost me BILLIONS. -Thus, having the patent granted is only the first -and just about the easiest and least-expensive- step in the long process.

For god's sake, a patent was issued 3 years ago for "the thermal refreshing of bread"... -That's right, someone noticed that nobody had patented the idea of making TOAST. -So they did so. -Now they have a patent on making toast. -Fat lot of good it will do them though... since there isn't a hope in hell of them collecting dollar one from Mcdonalds or anyone else making money selling toasted muffins, bread, or anything else.

For more information on how completely screwed the US patent system has become, listen to this program and hopefully things will become clearer.

 

[pucho812]

keith are you referring to this patent for refreshing bread

http://www.google.com/patents/US6080436

 

[JohnRoberts]

US patents are now a joke. They are essentially un-checked, I could file a patent for adding salt to water to make salty water, and if nobody challenges me, I get the patent.

Not quite that bad but almost..  I have never found the experience level of patent examiners to be much at all. No different decades ago. At best they do literal "word" or word combination searches looking for similar "sounding" previous art.  One company got around my original simultaneous peak/ave (dot/bar) meter patent by calling the average display component on theirs "persistence". Different enough to fool the examiner and win another patent. 

One thing that changed in recent decades is efforts to reduce log jams and speed up patent issuance. We can't get both higher quality patents "and" more patents, choose one. I was talking with my patent lawyer about this a while back and he commented about how over worked and under paid the examiners already were. A better patent system would actually cost more money to hire more highly skilled people to vet the patents up front. For now the deep pocket companies and lawyers like it how it is.  When they fight it out in court both side's lawyers win.

Now how much money I want to throw at lawyers pursuing patent infringement and defending my patent claims is MY problem. -And it would cost me BILLIONS. -Thus, having the patent granted is only the first -and just about the easiest and least-expensive- step in the long process.

The cost to defend/prosecute patents in court cuts both ways. I know one guy running a small business who was literally sued out of business by a competitor with an IMO questionable patent, but my friend did not have the money to defend himself in court, so he forfeit his business. 

For god's sake, a patent was issued 3 years ago for "the thermal refreshing of bread"... -That's right, someone noticed that nobody had patented the idea of making TOAST. -So they did so. -Now they have a patent on making toast. -Fat lot of good it will do them though... since there isn't a hope in hell of them collecting dollar one from Mcdonalds or anyone else making money selling toasted muffins, bread, or anything else.

It seems like there needs to be a chief PTO director of common sense. Unfortunately the sillier the patent the less chance they will find an old patent or prior art in a simple search.

For more information on how completely screwed the US patent system has become, listen to this program and hopefully things will become clearer.

I already believe...

I have 9 patents but I like most of mine..  8)

JR