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Microsoft granted patent for double-click

Linko:

http://www.neowin.net/comments.php?i...&category=main

Microsoft has been granted a patent on the double-click by the US Patents and Trademark Office. The patent, number 6,727,830, was granted on April 27. An abstract of the application says: "A method and system are provided for extending the functionality of application buttons on a limited resource computing device. Alternative application functions are launched based on the length of time an application button is pressed. A default function for an application is launched if the button is pressed for a short, i.e., normal, period of time.

"An alternative function of the application is launched if the button is pressed for a long, (e.g., at least one second), period of time. Still another function can be launched if the application button is pressed multiple times within a short period of time, e.g., double click." The inventors have been cited as Charlton E. Lui and Jeffrey R. Blum and the assignee is Microsoft Corporation. The field of the invention "relates generally to computer systems, and more particularly to increasing the functionality of application buttons on a limited resource computing device", the patent application says.

Luckily Linux is primarily single-click...however they will prolly have to remove double click functionality from the distros to avoid M$ starting suits over it.

man...i should patent the single extended click. =P

Hold down an icon for a certain period of time to excecute an application. BAM!!!!! Im a genious :crazy:

Makes you wonder what other things can be patented. Soon enough you will have to pay me ten cents every time you cut your nails or wipe your ass.

Where's the triple click?

OR THE NO CLICK!!!!!

just hold the cursor over an icon

Microsoft should patent the crash or the Blue screen of death

While I do agree this patent is a terrible thing and an example of how broken the USPTO is, it should be said that this is NOT a patent on the mouse "double-click" as many have reported it to be. The patent is for PDA's and their buttons.

<a href="http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=109792&cid=9320840">An informative post about this on Slashdot:</a>

Quote:

Before I take my life into my hands and play devil’s advocate here:

<disclaimer>I think this is a stupid patent and is not sufficiently original to truly deserve protection</disclaimer>

That being said, those who read the patent application [uspto.gov] very carefully will notice that this patent isn’t for the general idea of double-clicking, but rather covers a much smaller range. Specifically, Microsoft has been granted a patent on a PDA-type device (“limited resource computing device”) that has physical buttons on the outside of the device (i.e. “Mail”, “Calendar”, “Contacts” etc) that cause different actions to occur based on how long or in which sequence they are pressed.

An example of the patented method in action would be if you created a device on which pressing the mail button once would open a list view of recent emails, pressing and holding it for 2 seconds might initiated a POP3 session to the server, “double-clicking” the button might bring you to a “new email” form, and pressing and holding the button longer than 3 secs would be assume to be accidental and would do nothing.

This does NOT appear to be relevant to any non-PDA device, nor does it appear to apply to any kind of buttons that do not physically exist on the outside of the device. I still think it’s pretty stupid and obvious, but it’s nearly so stupid as it would appear at first glance.

That being said, does anyone have any specific prior art to overturn this with?

wait...someone please correct me, if i am wrong, but didn't Apple's OS have icons with double clicking before Windows did?

i guess it didn't since Apple didn't combat this.. I figured they would have.

i guess i am glad that the windows managers I use dont use double clicking icons :) I hate icons on the desktop. However, what will this mean to programs that use icons using double clicking (e.g. zmud)?

I'd like a patent on room-clearing farts, one on banging my head on the tops of doorways, and, retroactively (I came up with the idea in sixth grade, friends can confirm this,) the soon-to-be-introduced self-cooling soda/beer can.

Quote:

Originally posted by ickma
Makes you wonder what other things can be patented. Soon enough you will have to pay me ten cents every time you cut your nails or wipe your ass.

That's why I never do those things. ;)

Quote:

Originally posted by primal
Microsoft should patent the crash or the Blue screen of death

no but some one should patent the error reporting screen, so every time windows has one some one gets a nickle.

I'm going to patent the usage of buttons on the mouse.

Quote:

Originally posted by Dilbert1234567
no but some one should patent the error reporting screen, so every time windows has one some one gets a nickle.

I want to patent the word nickel so people have to spell it wrong or give me one.

Looks like no one saw SecretMethod70's post..

Even if it's just for PDA's it's still stupid. Anyone have a link that explains the criteria for granting patents? Why can't I patent anal sex? Then porn studios would have to pay me eveytime they make a video.

i guess i really have no comments other than what has already been said

Good to know the patent office is at least consistant in their stupidity.

From Slashdot:

Microsoft Patents The Task List

'Better not get too fancy with your grocery list, now that Microsoft has <a href="http://news.com.com/Microsoft+checks+off+patent+win/2100-1008_3-5228693.html?tag=nefd.top">patented a glorified form of the to-do list.'</a> Issued Tuesday, <a href="http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?patentnumber=6,748,582">the patent</a> covers the use of a 'task list' generated from 'TODO' comments in source code.