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1.  

   

   Jesse McNelis, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 2:49am

   
   

   Been done

   ummm..irc clients have had this for decades.
   Prior art, pointless application.

    

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2.  

   

   Anonymous Coward, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 3:23am

   
   

   Keep walking... just another monopoly trying to gain an obscene patent so they can get more money...

    

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3.  

   

   Anon, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 3:55am

   
   

   buh-bye

   So let me see, this is a VERY obvious idea, it has prior art...Should get a patent no problem then.
   
   Problem is, I'm not joking.

    

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4.  

   

   Wolfger, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 4:48am

   
   

   the sad thing is...

   ...it took this long for an IM client to do something every IRC client I have ever used has always done.

    

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5.  

   

   Deirdre, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 5:20am

   
   

   Now to patent the next obvious idea...

   To really duplicate IRC, after the client says "goodbye," the receiving client should say, "would you please turn that stupid script off?"

    

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6.  

   

   Anonymous Coward, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 5:30am

   
   

   Re: Now to patent the next obvious idea...

   LOL. My feelings exactly. Nothing says 'I care' like a computer generated goodbye.

    

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7.  

   

   Steve R. (profile), Nov 7th, 2007 @ 5:39am

   
   

   Microsoft Deserves an Orwell Award for Newspeak

   Mr. Smith ("Microsoft Calls for Reforms to the U.S. Patent System") newspeak continues to further establish Microsoft's reputation for butchering the English language.

    

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8.  

   

   Anonymous Coward, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 5:39am

   
   

   Re: Re: Now to patent the next obvious idea...

   I own the patent for LOL you must cease and desist all usage, and pay me 1,000 for each infringing usage.

    

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9.  

   

   Commander Koen, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 6:48am

   
   

   Insult

   "Microsoft explains, one avoids insulting a converser with whom a conversation is ended. Hopefully the USPTO will give this one the quick buh-bye it deserves."

   An automatic bye would insult me more than no bye at all.

    

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10.  

    

    Adam, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 7:02am

    
    

    How companies come up with some of these patents

    Many of you wouldn't criticise Microsoft and other companies if you knew the delicate and timely process it takes to come up with these patents. *Take 2 college students (not necesarily particularly bright ones), *Provide them a writing pad, and 2 #2 pencils (Must be #2 pencils) *Give them a few joints, and allow 30 minutes to "Bake". *Ask them to write down 100 of the most obvious things that are done today. Company X then painstakinly goes over this list, looking for blatantly obvious statements that they do themselves. Search for an existing patent and if none exists, WAMO! They're in business. It sadens me that many of you mock the system and just don't full understand and appreciate this time tested complex method.

     

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11.  

    

    Jeff, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 7:09am

    
    

    Hello!

    They should add "Hello" to the patent list, since you obviously don't want to offend or upset anyone at the beginning of the IM session...

     

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12.  

    

    W.B. McNamara, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 7:13am

    
    

    The inevitable evolution of this technology...

    [22:11] foo: blah blah blah blah

    [22:11] bar: hey, I'm trying to get some work done here

    [22:12] foo: yeah, i know but blah blah blah blah

    [22:12] foo: i mean seriously, blah blah blah blah

    [22:12] bar: IM IN YR IM SESSION TERMINATING YR CONVERSATION

    [22:12] bar: KTHXBYE

     

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13.  

    

    Anonymous Coward, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 7:13am

    
    

    Re: Hello!

    Too late, I've already patented that.

     

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14.  

    

    Bald Pate-NT, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 7:31am

    
    

    Thomas Edison Never Got a Microsoft Goodbye

    These patents shouldn't be classified in the same legal structure as innovation. If a patent is hilarious, it should be put in a different stack.
    
    If anything, they could be allowed simply to prevent big corporate targets from massive, frivolous, infringement liability.
    
    Creatively-stoned college students just don't have the legal resources to file and defend their originality. Or the time--where does it go? Microsoft's crazy baldheads are getting chased out of town anyway.

     

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15.  

    

    byte^me, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 7:36am

    
    

    IRC already had, but.....

    While I agree that IRC has had this feature for years, you are missing one serious problem - who at the USPTO is going to have any clue what IRC *IS*, let alone that clients already offered this feature?
    
    Because of that, I would not be surprised if this is approved. It would be another example of the shining stupidity of government bureaucracy......

     

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16.  

    

    Chuck Norris' Enemy (deceased), Nov 7th, 2007 @ 8:30am

    
    

    Re: Insult

    Yeah! The folks on CSI:Miami don't seem to care if they get hung up on at the end of a call without a courteous farewell.

     

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17.  

    

    InkChemist, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 8:47am

    
    

    Re: Re: Re: Now to patent the next obvious idea...

    You want 1,000? How about 1,000 kicks to your pitiful posterior for be such an idiot?

     

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18.  

    

    Mystified Mind, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 8:53am

    
    

    Patent reform

    How about this? All patent applications must be published and made openly available to the public for at least 180 days prior to review by patent reviewers in order to provide an adequate exposure of prior art.
    
    Or, better yet, go back to requiring all applications to include a working model. No more theoretical crap. Prove your idea works.

     

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19.  

    

    Jon, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 9:29am

    
    

    Why they do this...

    Microsoft, and most big companies for that matter, don't file patents to make money off of royalties, or to sue people who infringe on them so they can make a pretty penny in settlements. They file as many patents as possible so that no other companies sue them. Basically, Microsoft, and IBM and Google, and Cisco and all other big companies have a truce of some sort, "we won't sue you, so you don't sue us since we all have technology that infringes on each other's patents."
    
    It's important for all of these companies to continually file new patents so that none of the companies get too far ahead of the other ones, and thus would have a leg up in a legal battle. Think of it like the cold war. And I'm serious -- this is why all these companies file for seemingly stupid patents all the time.

     

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20.  

    

    RichTreme, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 9:30am

    
    

    If they made a patent for sarcasm ....

    most you would be screwed.
    
    but then again sarcasm online doesnt work out as well.

     

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21.  

    

    Max Powers at http://ConsumerFight.com, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 10:55am

    
    

    Wrong Career

    I new I should of grown up to be a Patent Attorney.

     

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22.  

    

    Anonymous Coward, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 12:25pm

    
    

    Re: Wrong Career

    >>I new I should of grown up to be a Patent Attorney.
    
    Nah, because as horrible as they may be, even the new ones knew which words to use get that far...

     

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23.  

    

    DMan, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 12:29pm

    
    

    SYNOPSIS

    ...Hello and Goodbye....nuff said!

     

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24.  

    

    Buzz, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 3:08pm

    
    

    wow

    I am going to patent "void main". Everyone else is screwed.

     

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25.  

    

    Anonymous Asian, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 3:48pm

    
    

    Re: If they made a patent for sarcasm ....

    sorry ... you have to pay me $1000 for sarcasm .. i own the patent on that

     

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26.  

    

    Anonymous Coward, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 3:55pm

    
    

    Re: Why they do this...

    Microsoft, and most big companies for that matter, don't file patents to make money off of royalties, or to sue people who infringe on them so they can make a pretty penny in settlements. They file as many patents as possible so that no other companies sue them.

    You've never heard of SCO?

     

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27.  

    

    ipanema, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 4:04pm

    
    

    funny

    lol...Don't they have more important things to do at Microsoft than think about these ridiculous words to be patented? I guess we just have to make do with an emoticon with a hand wave if this will push through.
    
    What's next on their agenda?

     

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28.  

    

    Scott, Nov 7th, 2007 @ 5:16pm

    
    

    Common Sense

    I'm really amazed at how many people have their head up thier ass!

     

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29.  

    

    matt, Nov 8th, 2007 @ 1:55pm

    
    

    Umm... can anyone say "AOL"???

    Though it's been a dozen or more years since I used AOL to connect to the internet, something in the back of my mind keeps saying ..... 'goodbye.'

     

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30.  

    

    MSfun, Nov 12th, 2007 @ 1:39am

    
    

    Proposed Solution

    I think Bill needs another pie on his face...He is looking so old these days...

     

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