Microsoft has been granted a patent on 'Page Up' and 'Page Down' keystrokes.
The software giant applied for the patent in 2005, and was granted it on 19 August. US patent number 7,415,666 describes "a method and system in a document viewer for scrolling a substantially exact increment in a document, such as one page, regardless of whether the zoom is such that some, all or one page is currently being viewed".
The patent's listed 'inventors' are Timothy Sellers, Heather Grantham and Joshua Dersch. However, Page Up and Page Down keyboard buttons have been in existence for at least quarter of a century, as evidenced by this image of a 1981 IBM PC keyboard.
"In one implementation, pressing a Page Down or Page Up keyboard key/button allows a user to begin at any starting vertical location within a page, and navigate to that same location on the next or previous page," reads the patent's summary.
"For example, if a user is viewing a page starting in a viewing area from the middle of that page and ending at the bottom, a Page Down command will cause the next page to be shown in the viewing area starting at the middle of the next page and ending at the bottom of the next page. Similar behaviour occurs when there is more than one column of pages being displayed in a row," states the summary.
Microsoft has a long history of applying for, and being granted patents for, inventions that many argue — and can sometimes demonstrate — were based on earlier work carried out by others, or based on a common, self-evident idea.
One example is the company's patent on a mouse wheel that can scroll up and down; another is its patent on double-clicking buttons. The company received its 5,000th patent from the US Patent and Trademark Office in March 2006, and is currently approaching the 10,000 mark.
Talkback
Do you think they employ people to continually check if a patent exists for some of the most common items in use these days?
What possible motivation is there to go seeking patents like this other than being able to sue over patent infringement.
So I guess i'll need to hold my breathe for/on the day a headline reads:
Microsoft to patent "breathing in" and "breathing out"
I always put my left shoe on first, maybe I should apply for a patent, oops Microsoft beat me to the punch. I recall MS applying for a patent, on a program, that a college professor wrote and spread it around to other colleges. It was blue something or other, anyhow MS didn't even change any of the code. The prof heard about it and had to spend time and money proving prior art. Should be a law against things of that nature, but then MS is immune to the law, so I guess it doesn't matter.
Microsoft wouldn't be granted a patent for "Breathing in" and "Breathing out". I'm sure the same semi-evolved simians at the US Patent Office who granted this would only allow them to patent ONE of those...
Damn, now they may not grant my two patents - for walking in a straight line and for walking not in a straight line..
You might want to check out groklaw.com by clicking on this link:
http://www.groklaw.net/articlebasic.php?story=20071011205044141
Acacia Research is one of the largest patent troll companies around and they have former Microsoft execs on board. Coincidence? I don't think so.
{clump}{clump}{clump}{creeeeeeak}{click}
Hmm dusty up here. {scuffle}{scuffle}
Thought so. Looking at my 1987 Acorn Archimedes I see it has Page Up and Page Down keys.
{scuffle}{scuffle}{click} {Burrrr - Beep}
It would appear that my 1984 copy of Interword on my trusty Model B has the Page Up and Page Down functions.
When you want to STOP Windows you have to push the Start button. Maybe somebody has already patented the STOP button.
One of these days Microsoft will be issued a patent for the software virus, the Trojan and the worm.
Oh I forgot, they wrote Internet Explorer! That's "prior art"!