Shoutbox

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Microsoft has been granted a patent on 'Page Up' and 'Page Down' keystrokes.

The software giant applied for the patent in 2005, and was granted it on August 19, 2008. US patent number 7,415,666 describes "a method and system in a document viewer for scrolling a substantially exact increment in a document, such as one page, regardless of whether the zoom is such that some, all or one page is currently being viewed".

The patent's listed 'inventors' are Timothy Sellers, Heather Grantham and Joshua Dersch. However, Page Up and Page Down keyboard buttons have been in existence for at least quarter of a century, as evidenced by this image of a 1981 IBM PC keyboard.

"In one implementation, pressing a Page Down or Page Up keyboard key/button allows a user to begin at any starting vertical location within a page, and navigate to that same location on the next or previous page," reads the patent's summary.

"For example, if a user is viewing a page starting in a viewing area from the middle of that page and ending at the bottom, a Page Down command will cause the next page to be shown in the viewing area starting at the middle of the next page and ending at the bottom of the next page. Similar behavior occurs when there is more than one column of pages being displayed in a row," states the summary.

Microsoft has a long history of applying for, and being granted patents for, inventions that many argue--and can sometimes demonstrate--were based on earlier work carried out by others, or based on a common, self-evident idea.

One example is the company's patent on a mouse wheel that can scroll up and down; another is its patent on double-clicking buttons. The company received its 5,000th patent from the US Patent and Trademark Office in March 2006, and is currently approaching the 10,000 mark.

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From http://news.zdnet.com/2424-9595_22-218626.html

Why do this? They really must be bored up there. Does anyone really care is it's theres?

What do you have to saY?

Sorry, but stuff like this interests me. I'm not sure what good a patent is in this situation. Is it going to stop Apple from scrolling pages an exact measurement in one keystroke? Will it stop non-Microsoft keyboards from carrying these buttons? I'm sure there is some really business savvy reason for doing it that saves them, or earns them, money =/

IT'S OVER 9000!!!!!11

But on a serious note; the more patents you have the more likely to succeed in world domination you are.

surely IBM shits all over them. i heard ages ago that they file around 5-30 patents... a day. beat that M$.

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Originally posted by icd*
surely IBM shits all over them. i heard ages ago that they file around 5-30 patents... a day. beat that M$.

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Just because you file for a patent doesn't mean you'll be granted it . There's plenty that Microsoft has been turned down.

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Originally posted by Patent 7,415,666
A method and system in a document viewer for scrolling a substantially exact increment in a document, such as one page, regardless of whether the zoom is such that some, all or one page is currently being viewed. In one implementation, pressing a Page Down or Page Up keyboard key/button allows a user to begin at any starting vertical location within a page, and navigate to that same location on the next or previous page. For example, if a user is viewing a page starting in a viewing area from the middle of that page and ending at the bottom, a Page Down command will cause the next page to be shown in the viewing area starting at the middle of the next page and ending at the bottom of the next page. Similar behavior occurs when there is more than one column of pages being displayed in a row.

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At no point does it claim it's about the buttons.

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Originally posted by Patent 7,415,666
In one implementation, pressing a Page Down or Page Up keyboard key/button

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So the patent doesn't cover the buttons, just the actual act of paging up and down.

Which is just as bad tbh.

Edit: Anyone find it odd the patent number ends in 666?

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Originally posted by SpunkyLoveMuff
Sorry, but stuff like this interests me. I'm not sure what good a patent is in this situation. Is it going to stop Apple from scrolling pages an exact measurement in one keystroke? Will it stop non-Microsoft keyboards from carrying these buttons? I'm sure there is some really business savvy reason for doing it that saves them, or earns them, money =/

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They are simply being smart (and a pain in the behind) if you ask me....

There wasn't a patent for it yet, so they applied for one (IIRC you don't need to be the inventer to apply for a patent, you simply need to be the first one to apply (together with some other conditions of course) or something like that).

Reason: now they can ask for a small amount of money, each time a 3rd party makes a keyboard (or software?) with the PageUp, PageDn functions described in the patent.

Maybe as a result of this, we might see keyboards (and software?) with PageUp, PageDn keys which do a bit more than what is exactly described in the patent. eg: you can set the amount of lines to jump or something like that. As long as the patent doesn't describe these 'new' PageUp, PageDn buttons exactly, the 3rd party can get away with it (and if they are smart, they ask for a new patent before MS does ).

Something like that, I'm no expert in all of this...

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Originally posted by vaccination
IT'S OVER 9000!!!!!11

But on a serious note; the more patents you have the more likely to succeed in world domination you are.

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maybe, but it is not because you have a patent on almost everything that you dominate the world though. Other people can still use that patented stuff... the only drawback, they have to pay for it.

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Originally posted by CookieRevised
maybe, but it is not because you have a patent on almost everything that you dominate the world though. Other people can still use that patented stuff... the only drawback, they have to pay for it.

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But with all that money you can dominate the world

* MC Inferno claims patient for "page left / page right"

As RaceProUK said, the interpretation of the patent is being twisted in the news excerpt. The patent which they have registered isn't even in most software including their own Office applications and the browser which I'm using to post this. It's not going to have much of an effect on most modern software.
Besides, if Microsoft invented it then they have the right to be rewarded with exclusivity for their innovation. If they didn't then that's what the courts are for...