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GEN-ERIC Patent News Tuesday, October 21,
2003
================================================== Use Quick Links
to Access any Area of Interest Headlines News Patents of the Day Access Official Gazette and
Notices Patents Available for Licensing Patent Employment
Opportunities
Printer Friendly Version ================================================== HEADLINES (patents issued a few hours
ago..) The Friendly Skies Patent of the Day goes
to The Boeing Company of Chicago for an Airplane seat
computer connection
The Mobile 411 Patent of the Day goes
to Sun Microsystems, Inc. of California for Delivering
location-dependent services to automobiles
Index ================================================== NEWS Itron settles patent suit
for $7.9M http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2003/10/13/daily22.html Itron
Inc. of Spokane said it has agreed to pay $7.9 million to settle a
patent-infringement claim against it. The company maintains that its products do
not infringe on the patent in question, but said settling the matter "will allow
us to focus our efforts and resources in a positive direction for our customers,
employees and shareholders." Index PayPal, Bank One settle
lawsuits http://zdnet.com.com/2110-1104_2-5093745.html eBay, its PayPal
money transfer service, and Bank One agreed to settle two patent infringement
lawsuits, eBay and PayPal said Monday. Terms of the agreement were confidential.
Bank One Delaware had sued PayPal, the largest U.S. online payments service, on
Sept. 6 in federal district court in Delaware. PayPal filed a separate lawsuit
against Bank One in the same court on Sept. 29. PayPal, which is based in
Mountain View, Calif., said it and eBay do not expect the agreement to
materially affect operations or financial results. eBay, the online auctioneer,
is based in San Jose, Calif. Bank One, the No. 6 U.S. bank, is based in Chicago
Index Office 2003 may carry end-user risk, says inventor http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2003/10/prweb85470.htm Computer
users considering Microsoft Office 2003, to be released tomorrow, should be
informed of any potential risks associated with patents pending, says Eric
Wilson, inventor of 'Document Display System and Method' technology. Mr. Wilson
warns end-users will be pursued for additional royalties and special conditions,
if patent applications are granted and use of Office 2003 infringes. The
inventor cites concerns over features found in a trial version of Office known
as 'Beta 2', which was distributed to over 500,000 people.
Index ================================================== PATENTS OF THE DAY
6,632,180
Airplane seat computer connection
Abstract: A flexible
computer connection attaches to a passenger seat in an airplane to supply a
personal computer used by a passenger with electrical power and communications
with an external location such as a ground source for telecommunications and
connecting to the internet.
Summary: To overcome these
and other drawbacks, the present invention provides a personal computer
connecting device that has a combined reading light and PC connection port
especially adapted for use with an airplane seat on an airplane. The personal
computer connecting device comprises a PC connector forming a communications
port, a communication line connecting the PC connector to a transmission device
that transmits information to or from the personal computer with ground station
external to the airplane, and a flexible support structure supporting the
communication line and the PC connector. Accordingly, the present invention
provides a quick and efficient PC connection even in light of the small size
constraints in an airplane. Index
6,631,904
Delivering location-dependent
services to automobiles
Abstract: An
automobile equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and an
on-board computer is configured to transmit the automobile's location and
direction of motion to a central server. The central server is configured to
identify the automobile, the route taken by the automobile. The central server
obtains location information or geo-related information pertinent to the route
taken by the automobile, filters the data according to certain criteria, and
then delivers an audible version of the filtered data to an audio output device
such as a radio receiver located in the automobile.
Index ================================================== ACCESS OFFICIAL GAZETTE AND
NOTICES Access this week's Official
Gazette http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/patog/week42/OG/index2.htm
Excerpt
from OG Notices
Director Ordered Reexamination
Madrid Protocol Implementation Act
Index ================================================== PATENTS AVAILABLE FOR
LICENSING
to Learn More or to List a Patent
Plug-and-play smart data
cable The invention includes a smart, plug-and-play cable capable of
transparently translating between two different communication protocols. The
cables are "plug-and-play" such that two devices can be coupled together for
communication without the requirement that the user perform any special set-up
steps in order for it to work. To implement this plug-and-play functionality,
the smart cable of the present invention determines which communication
protocols are required at each of its ports, and selects, activates, enables, or
downloads the appropriate communication protocol drivers to enable proper
operation.
Electric shaver having orbitally moving blades An
electric shaver includes blades which while rotating around their own centers
also orbit around another axis, thus providing that the blades sweep a large
area.
Implantable fuel cell This invention makes use of an
electrostrictive material to increase the efficiency of a fuel cell as used
for the production of power within a human.
Index ================================================== PATENT EMPLOYMENT
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