Re: Multimedia has been patented [a bit more]

[David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

Posted-Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1993 14:51:22 -0500
From: tenney () netcom com (Glenn S. Tenney)


I received the following info from srctran () world std com (Gregory
Aharonian).  This is the basic information on this patent (including the
first claim).


If you don't understand the code letters, don't worry.  The key ones are PN
for patent number, AP is date of application, AB for abstract, and MCLM is
the first claim.  Actually, it should be self-explanatory.


IMHO (speaking for myself -- I'm not an attorney, but having been on the
IEEE Intellectual Property Committee for about a dozen years, I have much
more than a casual exposure to patent law), the first claim is a very good
description of level 3 videodiscs (to name just one example) which was
published and in use years before this patent application.  This is
significant, well known, well published prior art.  Again, IMHO, issuing
such a patent is pure and utter crap.



---
Glenn Tenney
tenney () netcom com            Amateur radio: AA6ER
Voice: (415) 574-3420        Fax: (415) 574-0546


--------------- forwarded message follows ---------------------


PN  - 5241671
TI  - Multimedia search system using a plurality of entry path means which
      indicate interrelatedness of information
IN  - Reed, Michael,  Chicago; Bestick, Greg,  Lacosta  (CA) US;
      Greenhalgh, Carol,  Austin  (TX) US; Bastin, Norman J.,  Chicago
      Carlton, Ron,  San Marcos  (CA) US; Frank, Stanley D.,  Chicago
      Good, Dale,  Evanston  (IL) US; Holman, Neil,  Buffalo Grove IL
      Holzman, Carl,  Chicago  (IL) US; Jensen, Ann,  Austin  (TX)
PA  - Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., Chicago, IL, US
PD  - 93.08.31
AP  - 89.10.26  89US-426917
NO  - 41 CLAIMS, EXEMPLARY CLAIM 1, 20 DRAWINGS, 23 FIGURES
      EXAMINER: Lee, Thomas C.; Von Buhr, Maria N.
      ATTY/AGENT: Dickstein, Shapiro & Morin
PCL - 395600000, CROSS REFS: 364282100, 364282400, 364283300, 364283400,
      364DIG100
IC  - G06F-015/40
FLD - 364/200, 364/900, 364/DIG.100, 364/DIG.200, 395/600,
      358/342
DT  - INVENTION PATENT
FS  - TO US COMPANY OR CORPORATION
CT  - 4422158, 12/1983, Galie, 364/900.
      4587635, 5/1986, Hashimoto et al., 364/900.
      4685001, 8/1987, Martin, 358/342.
      4717971, 1/1988, Sawyer, 358/342.
      4729043, 3/1988, Worth, 358/342.
      4757302, 7/1988, Hatakeyama et al., 340/407.
      4758955, 7/1988, Chen, 364/419.
      4774596, 9/1988, Hashimoto, 358/335.
      4779080, 10/1988, Coughlin et al., 340/712.
      4805134, 2/1989, Calo et al., 364/900.
      4811217, 3/1989, Tokizane et al., 364/300.
      4814972, 3/1989, Winter et al., 364/200.
      4829169, 5/1989, Watanabe, 235/492.
      4829423, 5/1989, Tennant et al., 364/200.
      4831610, 5/1989, Hoda et al., 369/48.
      4914586, 4/1990, Swinehart et al., 395/600.
      4916655, 4/1990, Ohsone et al., 364/900.
      4923314, 5/1990, Blanchard, Jr. et al., 400/63.
      4931950, 6/1990, Isle et al., 364/513.
      4939689, 7/1990, Davis et al., 395/600.
      4945476, 7/1990, Bodick et al., 364/413.02.
      4982344, 1/1991, Jordan, 364/521.
      4998248, 3/1991, Matsuzaki, 370/110.1.
      5065345, 11/1991, Knowles et al., 395/154.
      5159669, 10/1992, Trigg et al., 395/159.
      EP172357, 2/1986.
      EP272158, 6/1988.
      The APS Text Search and Retrieval, classroom Manual, Planning Research
      Corporation, Nov. 1987, pp. 1-5 to 1-12, 2-3 to 2-32.
      Aigrain, "Organizing Image Banks for Visual Access: Model and
      Techniques", Optica 87, Proceedings of the International Meeting for
      Optical Publishing and Storage, pp. 257-270, Apr. 14-16, 1987.
      Barney, "Getting It All on Disc", CD ROM Review Oct., 1986, pp. 26-27.
      Batley, "Visual Information Retrieval: Browsing Strategies in Pictorial
      Databases", vol. 1, Online 88 Information, 12th International Online
      Information Meeting Dec. 6-8, 1988, pp. 373-382.
      Cohen et al., "Video Disc Dictionary System", IBM Technical Disclosure
      Bulletin, vol. 25, No. 8, p. 4209, Jan. 1983.
      Crawford et al., Crawford et al., "Toward the Development of Interfaces
      for Untrained Users", vol. 22, Proceedings of the Forty-eight American
      Society for Information Science (ASIS) Annual Meeting, 1985, pp. 236-239.
      Dureau et al., "Videralp, An optical Analog Disk Planned In the Rhone
      Alpes Region", Optica 87, Proceedings of the International Meeting for
      Optical Publishing and Storage , Apr. 14-16, 1987, pp. 249-256.
      Field, "Where the Heck I", Oct. 1989, pp. 48-53.
      Lewis, "Planetarium on a Screen", The New York Times, Sep. 12, 1989.
      McGlen, "Connecting an Optical Disc Archive with a Relational Data Base
      Catalogue".
      McGraw Hill CD-ROM (an advertisement letter and flyer).
      O'Connor, "Integrating Optical VideoDisc and CD/ROM Technology to Teach
      Art History", J. Educational Technology Systems vol. 17(1), pp. 27-32,
      1988-1989.
      Schafer et al., "CD-ROM Arrives in the Library: Powerful Data bases
      Marketed", Information Retrieval & Library Automation, vol. 21, No. 10,
      Mar. 1986, pp. 1-5.
      "The New Electronic Encyclopedia", Reference Books Bulletin, Booklist,
      Jul. 1989, pp. 1878-1879.
      Veith, "Information Retrieval and Spatial Orientation", ASIS Proceedings
      1985, pp. 250-254.


AB  - A database search system that retrieves multimedia information in a
      flexible, user friendly system. The search system uses a multimedia
      database consisting of text, picture, audio and animated data. That
      database is searched through multiple graphical and textual entry paths.
      Those entry paths include an idea search, a title finder search, a topic
      tree search, a picture explorer search, a history timeline search, a
      world atlas search, a researcher's assistant search, and a feature
      articles search.


MCLM- We claim: 1. A computer search system for retrieving information,
      comprising:
            means for storing interrelated textual information and graphical
      information;
            means for interrelating said textual and graphical information;
            a plurality of entry path means for searching said stored
      interrelated textual and graphical information, said entry path means
      comprising:
            textual search entry path means for searching said textual
      information and for retrieving interrelated graphical information to said
      searched text;
            graphics entry path means for searching said graphical information
      and for retrieving interrelated textual information to said searched
      graphical information;
            selecting means for providing a menu of said plurality of entry
      path means for selection;
            processing means for executing inquiries provided by a user in
      order to search said textual and graphical information through said
      selected entry path means;
            indicating means for indicating a pathway that accesses information
      related in one of said entry path means to information accessible in
      another one of said entry path means;
            accessing means for providing access to said related information in
      said another entry path means; and
            output means for receiving search results from said processing
      means and said related information from said accessing means and for
      providing said search results and received information to such user.