Microsoft Patents Grouped Taskbar Buttons

I_am_Rambi writes "According to the US Patent office, patent #6,756,999 belongs to Microsoft. The patent this time is grouping taskbar icons processes. This is included in Windows XP, and some prior art in X. Looks like it was accepted two days ago."

*sigh* Here we go again...

[Anonymous Coward]

Cue the "We need to abolish the patent system" posts and just get it over with...

Wow..

[faldore]

I think M$ should pantent mouse clicking. After all, they invented it.

Microsoft Can't Patent the Internet Though...

[Anonymous Coward]

Everyone knows Al Gore invented that. ;-)

submit patent anonymously?

[Low Key]

If my name was on this patent, I would be embarrassed.

Re:*sigh* Here we go again...

[ScriptMonkey]

Don't worry, I patented posting about abolishing the patent system. Anyone making covered posts will be sent a bill to cover licensing costs.

Ok the way I see it

[Anonymous Coward]

Either the patent office is going to have to suddenly get its head bashed in by the Clue Stick. Or we are all fucked. Proper fucked. Like the rabbit in Snatch.

Re:BeOS had that in 1999

[Anonymous Coward]

Watch out! Next time they are going to patent tabbed web-browsers.

It's not funny any more....

[TastyWords]

...one of my .sigs used to say, "One day, we'll find Microsoft has patented the alphabet and we'll find ourselves paying royalties every time we sit down at the keyboard."

Now I'm waiting to see if it's a prophesy.

Re:Wow..

[System.out.println()]

We should award them a pantent for the spell checker as well.

Re:Wow..

[suso]

They should also patent rebooting.

I'm going to patent a patent...

[bobjohnson]

on patenting a patent that describes patenting a patent that has been patented by patenting a patent. Don't cry prior art either, because I've patented the patent on patenting a pantent on patenting a patent of refusing claims prior art, and I'll sue you!

Re:Patented Taskbar Grouping?

[OblongPlatypus]

Apparently it is.

Which makes me wonder.. is this comment funny?

Re:Another one for the EFF to bust.

[Anonymous Coward]

I guess I'm going to GNU/Hell, but I like taskbar grouping. It's sort of like MDI for the taskbar. That, and it hides my hamstersex.com taskbar entries among the work-related browsing, all without the tell-tale "auto-hide."

I've got prior art..

[oliverthered]

My bed room,
Every since I was a young child (25 odd years ago), i've been scattering things on the floor, and then when there's too many things I tity them up into groups, only to be scattered again when I have more space, ore some of them have been put away properly.

When I worked in a resturant we used to group meal tickets when there wasn't enough space on the 'task bar'

New Microsoft Slogan

[Another Voice]

What can we Patent Today!

Re:Wow..

[Walt Dismal]

In related news, Microsoft was awarded patent #2933,824,12 for 'DeadBob: a way of notifying users their system has crashed'.

A 13 year old girl?

[Blackbird_Highway]

Apparently this patent was wordsmithed by a thirteen year old girl: "displays a group button that contains the like application files and removes the like taskbar buttons from the taskbar"

Re:*sigh* Here we go again...

[BarryJacobsen]

Unfortunatly I patented posting about how you patented posting about abolishing the patent system...I think...that's a lot of patenting posted...potents pasted? Wait, now I'm really mixed up...

Re:*sigh* Here we go again...

[Anonymous Coward]

"But this one goes to eleven..."

Re:Flogging

[Anonymous Coward]

When a case such as this is won, and the patent is revoked, is there any funding that is returned to the side that won to recover litigation costs?

I'd be satisfied with public flogging of the USPTO employee(s) who issued this absurdity. Twenty lashes per lame, revoked patent ought to do.

BSOD

[Szentigrade]

M$ also owns the patent for the blue screen of death. Its got a hefty price tag for the right's, so we wont be seeing it on OS X or linux anytime soon.

the next microsoft patent is...

[moojin]

a patent for tabbed browsing in internet explorer. hey, wait a minute...

Re:I regret to inform you

[complete loony]

Curses, foiled again.

And I would have gotten away with it too if it wasn't for you meddling kids^H^H^H^H er Mods.

Re:A 13 year old girl?

[Anonymous Coward]

like totally

Re:Another one for the EFF to bust.

[samrolken]

TaskBar Grouping and Auto-Hide are the first to go, when working on someone's laptop. They are useless, and not terribly important.

Well, laptop computer repairman, I am sure your customers enjoy you messing with their settings, and making decisions as to what's important or useful for them.

Re:Famous words

[Bastian]

I didn't spring for the VGA graphics card just to waste it on drawing a GUI.

here's something MS could patent..

[rexguo]

How about patenting the BSOD? I'm sure there's no prior art involved...

Re:Another one for the EFF to bust.

[mriker]

See, this is why I could never be a computer repairman. I'd spend half my time getting rid of those stupid-ass Jungle cursor/sound themes alone.

Re:Another one for the EFF to bust.

[Anonymous Coward]

Think of MS as the (schoolyard bully), seriously, SCO but with $50Mus-$60Mus (probably considerably more by now cash [1], stuffed away in all of their employees' mattresses.

Just remember, "Soylent Green is made of Microsoft's Cash!"

[1] Remember, Microsoft doesn't pay dividends on their stock. Ralph Nader is about to pop a vein on it whenever it comes up in an interview.


It would appear the Lakers magic of a super-powered team is falling apart. Several players are up for free agency, including Kobe Bryant. When Cell Block D heard he was available, they offered three cartons of cigarettes, two bars of soap, and an inmate to be named later.

Re:A 13 year old girl?

[Anonymous Coward]

Apparently this patent was wordsmithed by a thirteen year old girl: "displays a group button that contains the like application files and removes the like taskbar buttons from the taskbar"

After the national publicity this girl got via the RIAA lawsuit ("like, free Britney Spears MP3s!"), it was only a matter of time before she got signed for a lucrative patent writing career. Word has it her Dad phones her at work every hour with a "new invention he just thought of".

Hamster sex?

[ag0ny]

[...] That, and it hides my hamstersex.com taskbar entries [...]

My hamster says he'll be happy if you could hide his porn photos too:

http://www.ag0ny.com/misc-20040513-hamster-porn.ph p [ag0ny.com]

Absurd-ESCque

[Anonymous Coward]

I might be patenting the ESC]ape key next week if you don't mod this post up, so you had all better be nice to me or you can't leave your apps anymore...

Re:Another one for the EFF to bust.

[tehcyder]

I'd spend half my time getting rid of those stupid-ass Jungle cursor/sound themes...

...and the other half copying all the pr0n off the hard disk. Oops.

In related news...

[kcurtis]

MS also patented the buffer overflow.

Scoffing at prior art claims, an MS spokesman stated "We'll protect our intellectual property and pursue legal action against anyone who uses this feature!"

Well...

[Cinquero]

... the patent does not show anything related to an invention. It is just a simple form of organizing task bar buttons.

Hell, on monday I'm going to get a patent for parking backwards into a parking lot. But wait, why not getting a patent for the complicated process of 'parking a vehicle' at all? I could describe it as an unbelievably efficient way to reduce maintenance costs for my car -- compared against those who are still employing drivers to keep their cars on track while shopping!

By the way: I HATE grouping task bar buttons. It makes them totally inaccessible. I should be gratious for not being forced to switch it off any more. *eg*