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GEN-ERIC Patent News Tuesday, September 28,
2004
================================================== 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 Related
Opportunities
Printer Friendly Version ================================================== HEADLINES (patents issued a few hours
ago..) The Video Alarm Patent of the Day goes
to Two Independent Inventors from Maryland for a Security
alarm system and method with realtime streaming video
The Auto
Grade Patent of the Day goes to an Educational Testing Service of New
Jersey for a Methods for automated essay analysis
Index ================================================== NEWS Sony Must Pay $82 Million to
Immersion for Infringement http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/news/36851.html A federal jury
in San Francisco has ordered Sony Computer Entertainment and its U.S. unit to
pay Immersion Corp., a leading developer and licensor of touch feedback
technology, $82 million in compensation for patent infringement , Immersion said
Wednesday. Immersion, which is based in San Jose, California, filed a lawsuit
against Sony Computer and Sony Computer Entertainment of America with the
district court in San Francisco, claiming that the Japanese company used its
game technology in the PlayStation game consoles without the company's approval.
Immersion has patents on the "vibro-tactile" technologies that can send
vibrations to video game players through game console controllers to make them
feel as if they are driving a real car. Index Applied Materials to Pay
Novellus $8M http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/9753765.htm Computer
chip equipment maker Applied Materials Inc. on Friday agreed to pay rival
Novellus Systems Inc. $8 million to settle a patent infringement lawsuit. Santa
Clara-based Applied Materials also agreed to waive a claim for $3.5 million in
unpaid royalties that it was asking San Jose-based Novellus as part of a 1997
settlement between the two companies. The settlement ends all pending lawsuits
between the two rivals. As part of the agreement, the companies also agreed not
to file any new patent lawsuits against each other in certain product areas for
at least two years. "This agreement produces a positive result for both
companies and demonstrates strong motivation not to infringe each other's
patents," said Joseph J. Sweeney, Applied Materials' group vice president of
legal affairs and intellectual property. Index IGT, Action Game Wins
Lawsuit http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040927/lam046_1.html IGT and Action
Gaming received a jury verdict in their favor in a patent infringement lawsuit
brought against Alliance Gaming and United Coin Machine. Alliance and United
Coin Machine were found to have infringed two patents through their Multi-Play
Poker(TM) games. IGT and Action were awarded damages in the amount of
$7,361,000. "We are very pleased with the jury's validation of our patents in
this case," said Dave Johnson, general counsel for IGT. "IGT has always
vigorously defended its intellectual property and will continue to do so against
any potential violators whenever it is appropriate." The patents cover
multi-hand games including Triple Play Poker(TM). They are U.S. Patent Nos.
5,823,873 and 6,007,066. The inventor was Ernie Moody, the founder
and president of Action Gaming. IGT recently purchased the rights to these
patents.
Index ================================================== PATENTS OF THE DAY
6,798,344
Security alarm system and method
with realtime streaming video
Abstract: A security
alarm system that provides secure, realtime video of a secured location to one
or more emergency response agencies over a high-speed communications link, such
as an Internet link. Realtime video information is therefore placed directly
into the hands of those who are called upon and trained to respond to a
potential emergency. As such, the emergency response agencies and their
personnel are better informed. This, in turn, allows the personnel to be better
prepared in their response to the potential emergency, saving manpower, money,
lives and reducing the number of false alarms.
Index
6,796,800
Methods for automated essay
analysis
Background: An essay
is analyzed automatically by accepting the essay and determining whether each of
a predetermined set of features is present or absent in each sentence of the
essay. For each sentence in the essay a probability that the sentence is a
member of a certain discourse element category is calculated. The probability is
based on the determinations of whether each feature in the set of features is
present or absent. Furthermore, based on the calculated probabilities, a
sentence is chosen as the choice for the discourse element category.
Index ================================================== ACCESS OFFICIAL GAZETTE AND
NOTICES Access this week's Official
Gazette http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/patog/week39/OG/index2.htm
Excerpt
from OG Notices
Reclassification Alert Report
Reissue Applications Filed
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 ================================================== EMPLOYMENT
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