Sharing The Family PC Is Patent-Pending

theodp writes "While Mainframe and Unix users are unlikely to find it novel that Windows XP allows several family members to share a PC while enabling each to have personalized settings and folders, that's not stopping Microsoft from seeking a patent for Methods and arrangements for providing multiple concurrent desktops and workspaces in a shared computing environment, the USPTO disclosed Thursday."

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silly microsoft...
NOBODY, May 7th, 2004 @ 10:39am

So they're essentially seeking a patent on Unix style logins. They won't get it. AT&T had that patent. It expired five years ago. Sorry M$
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Re: silly microsoft...
aNonMooseCowherd, May 7th, 2004 @ 1:43pm

But the Patent Office doesn't seem to care whether a patent claim is really new. So most likely the patent will be granted and someone will have to go to court to fight it.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Public Review
Oliver Wendell Jones, May 7th, 2004 @ 3:02pm

Maybe we need a mandatory public review process during which time people can peruse the list of patents awaiting approval and submit prior art PRIOR to the patent being approved...
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Sharing The Family PC Is Patent-Pending
Ron Wilson, May 8th, 2004 @ 9:49pm

Given the currently blizard of Microsoft patent applications, I wonder if this, and many others, are "wild geese" designed to distract from something much more important?
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

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