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GEN-ERIC Patent News
Tuesday, November 11, 2003

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HEADLINES (patents issued a few hours ago..)
The Media Engine Patent of the Day goes to
3Com Corporation of Santa Clara for a
Search engine to verify streaming audio sources

The Metabolic Explosive Patent of the Day goes to
The Ensign-Bickford Company of Connecticut for
Method for bioremediating undetonated explosive device
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NEWS
Timeline Sues Cognos for Patent Infringement
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20031106005870&newsLang=en
Timeline Inc. announced an action against Cognos, Inc., a foreign company and its U.S.-based subsidiary, Cognos Corporation, in Federal District Court for Western Washington alleging patent infringement. This action seeks damages and to enjoin Cognos from any further licensing of certain Cognos software modules in the United States. Cognos is a provider of data base management systems and reporting and analytic solutions with trailing twelve month revenues of $600 million and a market cap of $3 billion. "Our patented technology for automation of design for data marts, OLAP cubes and other data enhancement technologies is proprietary. We have now been awarded five U.S. patents totaling 126 separate claims on this very significant technology. Our analysis of the Cognos product line for data management leads us to believe there are several areas of patent infringement," stated Charles R. Osenbaugh, President and CEO of Timeline.
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Playtex patent claim against Procter & Gamble dismissed
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/7192013.htm
A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a patent-infringement claim by Playtex Products Inc. against Procter & Gamble Co. over a tampon applicator. U.S. District Judge Thomas Rose said Procter & Gamble's Tampax Pearl Plastic tampon applicator does not violate the Playtex patent because the patent does not cover devices with entirely curved surfaces. Rose said the finger grip of the Playtex applicator has flat surfaces, while the Pearl Plastic applicator has curved, contoured surfaces. Rose granted Procter & Gamble's request to dismiss the lawsuit.
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Akamai, C&W Settle Patent Suits
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3106041
Two of the largest content delivery companies Friday made an announcement that ends years of legal feuding. San Francisco-based Cable & Wireless America agreed today to drop several patent infringement lawsuits it had brought against Boston-based Akamai Technologies. As part of the pact, Akamai agreed to dismiss two lawsuits it had brought against the U.S. subsidiary of the international high-tech firm Cable & Wireless as well. Both firms also vowed not to sue each other for a period of five years with respect to the patents and that had been at issue in these cases. As additional conditions of the agreement, no cash payments or compensation will be made, and each party may continue to offer its content delivery network (CDN) services.
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PATENTS OF THE DAY

6,647,389

Search engine to verify streaming audio sources

Abstract: An automated method for periodically evaluating media streams on a network of computers. The invention is used to determine the availability of various media streams and identify various characteristics of each stream. By repeatedly obtaining the addresses, attempting to establish communication with each media stream, and then reporting the results the system can verify that each media stream is accessible and report various characteristics of the stream.

Index

6,644,200

Method for bioremediating undetonated explosive device

Abstract: Technology for in situ remediation of undetonated explosive material. An explosive apparatus contains an explosive material in close proximity with microorganisms. An explosive mixture capable of self remediation in the form of an explosive material is intermixed with microorganisms. The microorganisms are either mobile or temporarily deactivated by freeze drying until rehydrated and remobilized. The microorganisms are capable of metabolizing the explosive material. Examples of such microorganisms include Pseudomonas spp., Escherichia spp., Morganella spp., Rhodococcus spp., Comamonas spp., and denitrifying microorganisms. A bioremediation apparatus that contains microorganisms and prevents contact between the microorganisms and explosive material is joined with an explosive apparatus that houses a charge of explosive material. A barrier is actuated by mechanical, electrical or chemical mechanisms to release the microorganisms into the explosive assembly to enable the microorganisms to begin metabolizing the explosive material, when the explosive apparatus is joined with the bioremediating apparatus. If the explosive material fails to detonate, the explosive is remediated by the action of the microorganisms. Remediation includes both disabling of the explosive material and detoxification of the resulting chemical compositions.