The 101 key keyboard

Last year, Microsoft patented the up/down page keys on your
101 key keyboard. They didn’t actually patent the keys, because of course they don’t
make the keyboards. They patented the  functionality of Page up and Page down,

 

This surprised me, because I remember in the years before
Microsoft, using both Unix (AT&T 3B2) and CPM (NEC APC-HO2) machines with
both page up and page down as an included functionality of most programs like Wordstar and Office Power.

 

I’m not sure how that patent works on a unix machine. In
fact, a Telex machine that I “rented” in 1982 had a page up and page down key,
as did the VT100 and VT220 DEC dumb terminals that I purchased in early 1983.

 

So it is totally outside my understanding how a corporation
can have a patent approved when there are clearly so many examples of physical
prior art.

Prior art that they themselves endorsed to “assist” users in
making the transformation from Wordstar to Word. ( Wordstar Keyboard Command add-in for
Microsoft Word.)

 

It would appear that if the name Microsoft is on a Patent
Application – then through it goes.

Microsoft have joined the BIG end of town in making an
intellectual property grab for everything in sight.

 

We have seen this in the extension of copyrights by the
content companies, the reissuing of movies by differnet countries only weeks before the original copyright expires and by the announcements of initiatives like the walled garden
of Newspaper content by Rupert
Murdoch.

 

Many would say that he is within his rights to wall in his scraped (AP supplied),
re-edited and published product.

 

How successful he will be without the artificially intelligent
(and constructed over 15 years) Google search engine, is anyones guess, I personally think he will fail, but time will tell.

 

In Australia,
we developed a new way of handling these types of “Patent” Grabs.

 

The Innovation Patent

The Australian Government in 2001 introduced the “Innovation
Patent”,

 

What is an innovation Patent?

 

I’m glad you asked…..

An innovation patent is a patent about the improvement to a
design or process that “substantially” increases it’s performance/ability to
carry out it’s patented task. (See references at end of article.)

 

What this means to industry is that genuine inventors are no longer locked
up and restricted by large companies with lots of money for legal suites. In
other words, if the innovation is genuine, a new business can be borne.

This is a good thing for everyone except the original patent holder; because it allows for improvements leading to a more robust and stronger economy.

 

The Internet also has its fair share of “innovative
improvements”

 

P2P file sharing forced the music and video companies to
deliver music and video on demand for download and it’s not only forcing
content companies to re-examine their distribution methods for  entertainment and news. The Internet is
redefining how we spend our days.  

 

Source:Farmville Game Statistics from Saturday, 29
August 2009 7:43 pm to Thursday, 3 September 2009 10:15 pm

 

Average time spent equals two hours and twenty-six minutes
per player. (Although the player on the extreme right appears to be a mother
and two daughters who all take turns to maximize the crop yield.)

 

Nevertheless, this is an increase on the 2007 Bureau of
Economic figures that calculated only 44 hours per month on computer games.

 

Seven out of the eighteen game players regularly play other
games and I would not hesitate at placing their involvement in those other
games at an equivalent time input.

 

Calculating only on the Farmville figures, we appear to have
increased non traditional media interactive game playing from 44.25 hours per
month to 68.82 hours per month and from 12% of the population to 19% of the online
population.

 

Are the games being used more because they are getting easier
to access because of their presence on Facebook – as opposed to being located
in a Shopping centre with a big sign saying “Computer Games Here”.

 

Are the alternative payment methods for commercialization leading
to wider adoption and higher profits for the game makers ?

 

I would put it to you dear reader that all of these factors
have a contributing influence in the uptake, the continuing use of and the absolute
virulent propagation that we are witnessing.

 

So, how is Copyright handled by the Geeks?

 

Well, it appears to be handled similar to the Australian innovation
patent model with a slight legal difference.

 

Live and let live. Copy, (scrape), alter (remix), publish
and may the best man win.

 

Just as Microsoft copied the functionality of WordStar by
inventing a better Word Processor with substantially increased throughput
capabilities, The Facebook developers appear to be copying the best ideas from
each other, with the clear benefit being:

 

Increased productivity.

More competition

More users leading to more subscribers – both direct and
indirect.

 

 

One of the answers lies in companies like Super Rewards (Adknowledge) who are thinking outside the square
to allow companies like Zynga to offer alternatives to users desiring to maximize
their playing experience.

 

As yet, the monetization side of thee Facebook games appears,
unfortunately, just a little bit “icky”. But is accepted by the users because
the options are reduced user experience, “icky” offers or crdit card.

Advertising has monetized each major new publishing medium
since the 1800’s.

 

Newspapers, periodicals, journals, radio, television, and
the Internet.

 

 With the rapid take-up
of Zyngas hot new game, we are seeing a new wave of consumer interest.

One well worth analyzing, nurturing and developing in this
era of “GFC” gloom and doom.

 

The Zynga Secret Formula for success – Free is available. It just take longer and is bloody frustrating. I guess that's a design feature to enhance subsciption acceptance.

Music guys – are you reading this ? 64 kbps free and 320 kbps paid is a pretty good idea….. one I've been mooting for a long time.

 

References:

Computer keyboard display device control – Patent 6853367

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6853367.html

 

Australia's
Innovation Patent

http://www.findlaw.com.au/article/12818.htm

 

Innovation Patent System

http://www.griffithhack.com.au/news/fs/patents%20-%20innovation%20system.pdf

 

IP Australia : Patents > What is a patent? > The Innovation
Patent

http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/patents/what_innovation.shtml

 

ChangeQuake

http://www.perceptric.com/blog/_archives/2005/11/27/1423073.html

 

Wall Street Journal
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/07/22/adknowledge-buys-virtual-currency-company/

 

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