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GEN-ERIC Patent News
Tuesday, December 2, 2003

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HEADLINES (patents issued a few hours ago..)
The Jay Walker Patent of the Day goes to
Walker Digital, LLC of Connecticut for a
System and method for reselling a previously sold product

The Sound of Music Patent of the Day goes to
an Independent Inventor from California for
Note bending by neck pivoting
    Index
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NEWS
Analog Devices settles lawsuit over modem technology
http://www.infoworld.com/article/03/12/02/HNmodemlawsuit_1.html
A California inventor of a standard for dial-up modem technology has settled a patent infringement lawsuit with Analog Devices Inc. over charges that the company was improperly using patented technology. Brent Townshend and Analog Devices have agreed to a licensing program for technology patented by Townshend that Analog Devices has used in some of its products, Townshend said Tuesday. In 1994, Townshend obtained a patent for the technology that allows users of dial-up modems to download information from the Internet, he said. The patent covered an algorithm that allows an analog client to talk to a digital server, enabling the user to download data at 56Kbps. Uploads to the Internet are still restricted to 36.6Kbps, which was the previous limitation for downloads before Townshend's invention. The technology was originally licensed to US Robotics Corp., which is now owned by 3Com.
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ROMER CimCore Sues Faro for Patent Infringement
http://www.tenlinks.com/NEWS/PR/romer/120103_faro.htm
ROMER Inc. CimCore Corp. announced that it has filed suit against FARO Technologies Inc., for patent infringement in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. In the lawsuit, ROMER CimCore has asserted U.S. Patent No. 5,829,148, entitled "Spatial Measuring Device", issued on November 3, 1998 to Homer Eaton, chairman of ROMER CimCore. The Eaton patent is directed to a multiple-axis articulated coordinate measurement machine ("CMM") having joint assemblies with an unlimited range of rotation. "Our products are the most technologically advanced in the industry and our patent portfolio is a big part of that advantage. The ability for a measuring arm to have unlimited rotation seems to be clearly protected by our patent and we are prepared to defend our intellectual property to the fullest extent possible," stated Mr. Eaton, inventor of the first articulated CMM arm.
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Supreme Court bars drug makers' patent suit
http://www.detnews.com/2003/business/0312/02/c04-339686.htm
The Supreme Court dealt a blow to large drug manufacturers Monday, refusing to hear an appeal over patent rights for drugs that are prescribed for uses the Food and Drug Administration has not officially approved. The case involved the lucrative patents granted to a drug's original developer and competition from rival generic drug makers. Big drug companies that develop and sell drugs wanted the court to make it easier to protect patents for drugs that may be used "off-label."
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PATENTS OF THE DAY

6,658,390

System and method for reselling a previously sold product

Main Claim: A method for reselling a product, comprising:
selling a product to a first purchaser at a first price;
determining that the product can be resold at a second price that is higher than the first price;
responsive to the determining step, recalling the product from the first purchaser; and
reselling the recalled product to a second purchaser at the second price, in which the product includes at least one of an airline ticket and a hotel room reservation.

Index

6,657,112

Note bending by neck pivoting

Abstract: An improved stringed musical instrument with a neck which can be pivoted by wrist motion relative to the body. This action changes the length and therefore pitch of the strings. In addition, the pivot motion may also adjust various electronic controls to vary a variety of other effects commonly used in modern music. The operation leaving the musicians feet, hands, and fingers free to play in all other normal manners.