PATENT BATTLES RAGE ON
Companies fight to claim double click ‘technology’
Amid increasing criticism of ambigous and, let’s face it, idotic software patents, Microsoft was granted a patent for the invention of the humble double click. Specifically, the patent awarded by the US Patent and Trademark office, designated as 6,727,830, outlines the behaviour of a ‘time based hardware button for the appliceation launch’.
The patent grants Microsoft ownership over the use of a button that is pressed for a normal amount of time; a long duration; or multiple clicks in a set amount of time, commonly known as a double click. Currently, the wording of the document refers to PDA technology, which uses a stylus to perform the ‘clicking’, but ambiguous wording like ‘this invention relates generally to computer systems…’ implies that it could pertain to desktops aswell.
this aticle was just talking about how the wording of the documentations on the patent makes it sound like it is talking about double clicking for everything instead of just on the palms.
at the end of the article it also talks about how PalmOne have retained the rights to use their Graffiti handwriting recognition system. Xerox took PalmOne to court in like 1997 believing Palm had violated its ‘unistroke’ input system. But Palm were cleared cos the court ruled that the patent was invalid due to the existence of prior inventions.
This is a really dumb question, but do any other OS’es use double click or is it all single click? I don’t remember consciously (or unconscioulsy for that matter…) whether I double clicked ever while using a Linux or a Mac
Xerox created the technology - but companies like Apple and MS made them popular
I played around with RedHat Linux for a while. I used 2 different Window Managers (but i don’t remember their names) and both of them used the double click to select icons on the desktop, or when viewing icons inside of the “explorer” window.
From seaching google - The Stanford Research Institute, where Doug Engelbart did his research first developed the mouse. After a while, several of the original designers went to Xerox and improved the mouse based on Engelbart’s patents. At one of the Xerox demonstrations, Steve Jobs liked it and wanted it used in the Apple computers. So the story goes at least
I think a swedish guy invented the mouse, and he’s been struggeling against huge companies and accusing them for patent intrution (sp?). Something like that.
And as for the mouse: Two people went into the Xerox warehouse to steal the mouse. When Bill Gates got there, he found that someone had already stolen it. That would be Steve Jobs.
edit: As the proud owner of a PDA, I can tell you that Double-clicks (or taps in this case) are highly uneconomical. Require too much energy.
That’s mhittymuckstuff. Patent the double click…gimme a break.
the double click is entertaining. A friend of mine was over the other week using my computer and he was double, triple, quadruple, clicking everything. I left hime to click to his hearts desire all the while chuckling to myself while watching tv in the next room. “click, click”…“click, click”…“click, click” “click, click”…“click, click”…“click, click”“click, click”“click, click”“click, click” :lol:
Also, the other side is that another company could sue MS for having double clicks on their PDA’s. MS has been sued for stupid software patents in the past, so they could be trying to run out the supply by patenting stuff themselves.