Netflix Suing Blockbuster for Patent Infringement

["Richard M. Smith" <rms () bsf-llc com>]

Netflix Suing Blockbuster for Patent Infringement 
Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday April 05, @07:59AM
from the there-can-be-only-one dept. 
 <http://slashdot.org/search.pl?tid=155>  
grouchomarxist writes "Netflix is suing Blockbuster
<http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/060404/netflix_blockbuster.html> for Patent
Infringement. From the article: 'Netflix holds two U.S. patents for its
business methodology, which calls for subscribers to pay a monthly fee to
select and rent DVDs from the company's Web site and to maintain a list of
titles telling Netflix in which order to ship the films, according to the
patents, which were included as exhibits in the lawsuit. The first patent,
granted in 2003, covers the method by which Netflix customers select and
receive a certain number of movies at a time, and return them for more
titles. The second patent, issued on Tuesday, "covers a method for
subscription-based online rental that allows subscribers to keep the DVDs
they rent for as long as they wish without incurring any late fees, to
obtain new DVDs without incurring additional charges and to prioritize and
reprioritize their own personal dynamic queue -- of DVDs to be rented," the
lawsuit said.'" 

*        <http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/06/04/05/0210213.shtml> Read More... 

  _____  

 
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2
<http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=/ne
tahtml/search-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=ptxt&s1=Netflix&OS=Netflix&RS
=Netflix>
&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=/netahtml/search-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=ptxt&s
1=Netflix&OS=Netflix&RS=Netflix
 
United States Patent    7,024,381       
Hastings ,   et al.     April 4, 2006   
 
Approach for renting items to customers 


Abstract

According to a computer-implemented approach for renting items to customers,
customers specify what items to rent using item selection criteria separate
from deciding when to receive the specified items. According to the
approach, customers provide item selection criteria to a provider provides
the items indicated by the item selection criteria to customer over a
delivery channel. The provider may be either centralized or distributed
depending upon the requirements of a particular application. A "Max Out"
approach allows up to a specified number of items to be rented
simultaneously to customers. A "Max Turns" approach allows up to a specified
number of item exchanges to occur during a specified period of time. The
"Max Out" and "Max Turns" approaches may be used together or separately with
a variety of subscription methodologies. 

 
Inventors:      Hastings; W. Reed (Santa Cruz, CA); Randolph; Marc B. (Santa
Cruz, CA); Hunt; Neil Duncan (Mountain View, CA)        
Assignee:       Netflix, Inc. (Los Gatos, CA)   
Appl. No.:      438727  
Filed:  
May 14, 2003
 

  _____  

 
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2
<http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=/ne
tahtml/search-bool.html&r=2&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=ptxt&s1=Netflix&OS=Netflix&RS
=Netflix>
&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=/netahtml/search-bool.html&r=2&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=ptxt&s
1=Netflix&OS=Netflix&RS=Netflix
 
United States Patent 
6,966,484       
Calonje ,   et al.      November 22, 2005       
Mailing and response envelope 


Abstract

A mailing and response envelope for conveying an item from a sender to a
recipient and back is disclosed. The envelope comprises a base panel, a
sender address panel, and a recipient address panel. The sender address
panel is affixed to the base panel by an adhesive region. The sender address
panel and adhesive region define a pocket sized to accept an item. The
adhesive region extends laterally on the base panel in an amount selected to
ensure that a postal cancellation is not applied to an area overlying the
item. The recipient address panel is joined to the base panel by a
detachable joint. In this configuration, a fragile item may be conveyed from
the sender to the recipient and from the recipient back to the sender
without damage to the item. 

Inventors:      Calonje; Ligia S. (Los Gatos, CA); Carrillo; Roy (Los Gatos,
CA); Dillon; Thomas R. (Los Gatos, CA); Hastings; W. Reed (Los Gatos, CA);
Stahl; Gregory K. (Los Gatos, CA); Strabel; W. Douglas (Los Gatos, CA);
Rosete; Gordon P. (Los Gatos, CA)       
Assignee:       Netflix, Inc. (Los Gatos, CA)   
Appl. No.:      245777  
Filed:  September 16, 2002      

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