Posted on 12/31/2009 7:48:14 AM PST by Gomez
theodp writes "The USPTO has granted IBM a patent covering the Resolution of Abbreviated Text in an Electronic Communications System, lawyer-speak for translating "IMHO" to "In My Humble Opinion" and vice versa. From the patent: "One particularly useful application of the invention is to interpret the meaning of shorthand terms...For example, one database may define the shorthand term 'LOL' to mean 'laughing out loud.'" So much for Big Blue's professed aim of stopping "bad behavior" by companies who seek patents for unoriginal work!"
They can suck my bells.
WTF? (patent pending)
*ping*
So now they have to enforce their patent. Once they fail to enforce it then don’t they essentially lose it?
ping
YGTBFKM
IBM can KMA (kiss my aspirin).
That's right - after six months, we can tell them to ESAD.
IBMCSIWTSDS
I wonder if anyone has a trademark on TM.
Must have a really good patent reward system for employees at IBM Rochester.
The scope of the patent is defined by its claims. Here is the main claim. Every element must be infringed as defined - otherwise there is no infringement. There is nothing strange about this kind of patents, adding minor improvements to a known concept.
“1. A computer-implemented method of automatically determining the meaning of a shorthand notation in an electronic communication, the method comprising:
receiving, on a recipient messaging device, a text communication sent from a sender messaging device, wherein the text communication comprises at least one shorthand term; automatically analyzing, on the recipient messaging device, the context of the text communication to automatically select one or more shorthand target terms from the text communication;
searching one or more databases from a plurality of databases to obtain one or more longhand terms for the one or more shorthand target terms, wherein the one or more longhand terms are defined with respect to the one or more shorthand target terms and wherein the one or more databases are selected from the group consisting of a personal database, a general purpose database, and a specialty database;
automatically evaluating the one or more longhand terms to determine whether the one or more shorthand target terms is ambiguous in the context of the communication, wherein the evaluating comprises determining a number of matching longhand terms to identify one or more unambiguous alternative longhand terms; and automatically displaying, on the recipient messaging device, one or more of the unambiguous longhand terms proximate to, or within, the original text communication, wherein the displaying further comprises ranking the unambiguous longhand terms obtained from the one or more databases according to at least one of a sender identity and a recipient identity”
Bunch cork suckers. Bastages!
WOOT
IBM? Is that Involuntary Bowel Movement?
This is farging war!
LOL!
IMHO that is
That would be the Transcendental Meditation folks...
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