IBM Patents Half-day Out of Office Notifications

[skymt]

If I'm reading it correctly, the patent covers a very specific implementation, even mentioning use of EJB. Presumably an implementation on a different stack couldn't infringe.

[abalone]

Not necessarily. Patents commonly discuss specific implementations but qualify them as just one of many possible "embodiments" of the invention.

[garbowza]

The key is to read the claims (particularly the independent ones) - that is the only part of a patent that holds water.

In this case, the first independent claim is seriously narrow. The OP's title is extremely misleading.

[acak]

This is what I read in the claims section:

"What is claimed is:

1. A system for generating an electronic notification containing a portion of a day out of office notice, ..." (and then goes on to explain its implementation).

Could you please tell me how the title is misleading?

[gerggerg]

"This invention relates in general to personal information management applications, and more particularly, to a system that generates an electronic notice that displays a portion of a day out of office notice."

Surely this quote is actually from a Monty Python sketch and not an official patent issued by the USA.

[noonespecial]

You haven't seen their "method and process for swinging a mackerel at high angular velocity in the direction of a colleague's face" yet then, have you?

[jroseattle]

I patent in your general direction.

[ThaddeusQuay2]

It's not, and don't call me "Shirley".

[chime]

Every patent application needs these three questions answered:

    1. What's novel about this?
    2. What's not obvious about this to an average professional in this field?
    3. What is useful about this?

In this case, 3 is a given but I can't seem to figure out 1 and 2.

[IanDrake]

Right, but money has a way of figuring out 1 and 2.

Seriously, if they get awarded this patent, I'm just going to go through everything I can think of and file patents for half. Apple patents "swipe", I'll patent the "half swipe". Microsoft patents "avoid Ghetto" GPS feature, I'll patent the "avoid areas near a Walmart" feature.

[mrlase]

I'd go as far as to add a "Why should we give this to you?" question, because honestly, why should IBM get a patent over this?

[bmelton]

I wrote code for an employer in 2000 or 2001 that checked against a user's availability, which could be as precise as a half hour, and sent out of office notifications back to the sender of an email that "While so and so will be happy to answer your question, please be aware that they are not on shift until later this afternoon. If your concern is immediate, please call the help desk at blah blah blah."

I wish I'd patented it then, cause I guess IBM would be infringing.

[funthree]

I think open sourcing this wouldnt take long. Basically a transaction-al email is sent based on data in a user system. The fact that the patent is for email communication that contains a "notification containing a portion of a da out of office notice. " ... is just ... ridiculous.

[lrizzo]

A very thorough examination: filed 2006 granted 2012. But i understand why it took so long, they also had to invent multi-base fractional numbers (days hours and minutes: "timestamp to-the-minute" is repeated eight times in the claim) to support the invention. Who had heard that before.

Coming next: a patent that supports notifications accurate "to the second".

[Roboprog]

My second thought was how I will be required to set this up anytime my schedule for a day is a bit unusual :-(

Method and device for making office life suck even more...

[esurc]

Sounds like the patent examiner was test-driving this invention himself.

Would explain quite a bit about PTO.

[ansonparker]

6 minute abs!

[a_a_r_o_n]

Exclamation. Adjective adjective noun, exclamation.