In November, Twitter disclosed in an amendment to its S1 filing that IBM was demanding licenses for three patents issued in 2006 that it claimed that Twitter was infringing upon. As far as we know, IBM didn’t file a lawsuit against Twitter, and this took place shortly before Twitter held its initial public offering.
This dispute appears to have been resolved, but we don’t know all of the details, and it’s questionable if we will ever learn about them. Here’s what the amendment said about the matter:
From time to time we receive claims from third parties which allege that we have infringed upon their intellectual property rights. In this regard, we recently received a letter from International Business Machines Corporation, or IBM, alleging that we infringe on at least three U.S. patents held by IBM, and inviting us to negotiate a business resolution of the allegations.
The three patents specifically identified by IBM in the letter were U.S. Patent No. 6,957,224*: Efficient retrieval of uniform resource locators, U.S. Patent No. 7,072,849*: Method for presenting advertising in an interactive service and U.S. Patent No. 7,099,862*: Programmatic discovery of common contacts.
Based upon our preliminary review of these patents, we believe we have meritorious defenses to IBM’s allegations, although there can be no assurance that we will be successful in defending against these allegations or reaching a business resolution that is satisfactory to us.
Twitter didn’t have many patents assigned to it at the time – much less than many technology companies often do when filing an initial public offering. Somehow, between the time that Twitter filed the amendment to the S1 (a form that companies going public are required to file by the SEC), and now, the relationship between Twitter and IBM changed. As Eweek told us yesterday, Twitter Buys 900 IBM Patents in Cross-License Agreement. It appears that the transaction may have been discovered after IBM issued a press release, IBM and Twitter Announce Patent and Cross-License Agreement.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office patent assignment database lists a patent assignment from IBM to Twitter covering 943 granted patents, shown as being executed on December 30, 2013, and recorded on January 16th, 2014. The USPTO assignment database doesn’t include the terms of the transaction, and neither does the press release or the EWeek article (nor any of the other media sites that I saw reporting upon the transaction).
Of the 3 patents listed in Twitter’s amendment to their S1, only one of them is among the patents that were assigned to Twitter, 6,957,224- Efficient retrieval of uniform resource locators. Many other patents may have been licensed to Twitter, but we don’t know how many or which.
None of the sources that I visited to see discussion on the transaction provided a list of the patents that were purchased by Twitter, so I thought I would provide a list of those. I broke that up into three lists. We don’t know if Twitter agreed to buy patents from IBM as if it were some type of settlement for the infringement that IBM was claiming. Or if the discussion between the two companies brought Twitter an awareness that they needed a beefier patent portfolio to help protect them from infringement claims.
Either way, I wanted to see what was included in the assignment (which is listed at the USPTO), though we don’t know what was covered in the licensing agreement. Both the assignment and the licensing deal should help Twitter stave off patent infringement cases, even if none of the patents involved are directly on point with any potential infringement cases since the broad ownership may provide fuel for a lawsuit in response that might cover practices used by a company complaining of infringement.
Do any of the patents acquired help Twitter?
Are any of them head-scratching in terms of what they do cover?
There seemed to be some patents that fit into both categories, and I’m going to provide links to those so that you can take a closer look at yourself. I’m also listing the other patents, along with their patent numbers, and you can cut and paste the patent number into the USPTO’s patent search to look those up if you would like.
These are patents that involve the Web, and looked like they could possibly be useful to Twitter in the future based on their titles, though many are older. Looking at the descriptions and claims for these patents at a deeper level of scrutiny left me wondering how many of these, if any, are patents that someone at Twitter might have selected. I hope for Twitter’s sake that unnamed patents that might have been part of the licensing agreement might prove to be more useful:
Patents from the bigger list below may also describe processes and technology that could directly benefit Twitter as well.
There were a few that did cause me to wonder how useful they might be to Twitter, and there are more in the list below, but these stood out to me on a pass through the titles of the patents in the assignment:
Here are the remainder of the patents assigned by IBM to Twitter. Again, to see the actual patents, paste the patent number into the USPTO’s patent search:
Search Parameters (US Patent # 6347320)
Thermal Transfer Hinge For Hinged Mobile Computing Device And Method Of Heat Transfer (US Patent # 6341062)
Apparatus For Increasing Pulldown Rate Of A Bitline In A Memory Device During A Read Operation (US Patent # 6341095)
Method And Apparatus For Exhaustive Enumeration Of Correspondence In A Set Of Descriptors (US Patent # 6341284)
System For I/O Path Load Balancing And Failure Which Can Be Ported To A Plurality Of Operating Environments (US Patent # 6341356)
Apparatus For Inspecting Elements On Transport Device (US Patent # 6341726)
Integrated Circuit Having Air Gaps Between Dielectric And Conducting Lines (US Patent # 6342722)
A Method And System For Controlling Access Share Storage Devices In A Network Environment By Configuring Host-To-Volume Mapping Data Structures In The Controller Memory For Granting And Denying Access To The Devices (US Patent # 6343324)
Method And Apparatus For Electroplating Alloy Films (US Patent # 6344123)
Increased And Randomized Output Sampling To Reduce Positioning Noise In A Data Storage System (US Patent # 6344943)
Gang Scheduling For Resource Allocation In A Cluster Computing Environment (US Patent # 6345287)
Address Protection Using A Hardware-Defined Application Key (US Patent # 6345347)
Upgradeable Highly Integrated Embedded Cpu System (US Patent # 6347294)
Dynamic Selective Distribution Of Events To Server Receivers (US Patent # 6347330)
Method And Apparatus To Update A Windows Registry From A Hetrogeneous Server (US Patent # 6347331)
Security Rule Database Searching In A Network Security Environment (US Patent # 6347376)
Method And System For Address Trace Compression Through Loop Detection And Reduction (US Patent # 6347383)
In Situ Formation Of Protective Layer On Silsesquioxane Dielectric For Dual Damascene Process (US Patent # 6348736)
Filter Circuit Including System For Tuning Resonant Structures To Change Resonant Frequencies Thereof (US Patent # 6348846)
Scheme To Partition A Large Lookaside Buffer Into An L2 Cache Array (US Patent # 6349362)
Signal Busses On Printed Board Structures Mounting Asic Chips With Signal Termination Resistor Devices Using Planar Signal Terminating Devices (US Patent # 6351391)
Circuit Arrangement And Method Of Maintaining Cache Coherence Utilizing Snoop Response Collection Logic That Disregards Extraneous Retry Responses (US Patent # 6351791)
Heterogeneous System Enclosure Services Connection (US Patent # 6351819)
Process Of Forming A Capacitor On A Substrate (US Patent # 6352902)
Reduction Of Reverse Short Channel Effects By Deep Implantation Of Neutral Dopants (US Patent # 6352912)
Method For Filtering Dislocation In Mergerd Soi/Dram Chips (US Patent # 6353246)
Input/Output Circuit Having Up-Shifting Circuitry For Accommodating Different Voltage Signals (US Patent # 6353524)
Method And Apparatus For Writing To Memory Cells (US Patent # 6353558)
Method And Apparatus For Implementing Error Correction Coding (Ecc) In A Dynamic Random Access Memory Utilizing Vertical Ecc Storage (US Patent # 6353910)
High Speed Receiver With Integrated Cmos And Pecl Capability (US Patent # 6356114)
System And Method For Fast Polyhedral Cell Sorting (US Patent # 6356262)
User-Interactive Computer Display Interface With A Tree Having A Plurality Of User Selectable Nodes Representing A Pluralty Of Search Queries To A Tabular Database (US Patent # 6356286)
Framework For Progressive Hierarchial And Adaptive Delivery Rich Media Presentations And Associated Meta Data (US Patent # 6356921)
Configurable Disablement Of Display Objects In A Browser (US Patent # 6356924)
Set-Associative Cache Memory Having A Built-In Set Prediction Array (US Patent # 6356990)
Ecc Block Format For Storage Device (US Patent # 6357030)
Method For Increasing The Capacitance Of A Semiconductor Capacitor (US Patent # 6358813)
High Aspect Ratio Deep Trench Capacitor Having Void-Free Fill (US Patent # 6359300)
Generic Execution Model For Isolating Applications From Underlying Databases (US Patent # 6360229)
Disaster Recovery Method For A Removable Media Library (US Patent # 6360232)
Ultrasonic Method An Actuator For Inducing Motion Of An Object (US Patent # 6362557)
High Voltage Tolerant Receivers (US Patent # 6362653)
Active Filter For Computer, Filter Module, Power Module And Computer (US Patent # 6362980)
Method And System For Non-Disruptive Addition And Deletion Of Logical Devices (US Patent # 6363457)
Thumbscrew With Automatic Torque-Limiting Feature (US Patent # 6364688)
Nitrogen Co-Implantation To Form Shallow Junction-Extensions Of P-Type Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (US Patent # 6369434)
Voltage Controlled Transmission Line With Real-Time Adaptive Control (US Patent # 6369671)
Low Voltage Single-Input Dram Current-Sensing Amplifier (US Patent # 6370072)
Method And Computer Program Product For Automatic Conversion Of Data Based On Information Specified By A Conversion Extension To A Name In A Universal Namming Convertion (US Patent # 6370531)
Substrate Surface Analysis (US Patent # 6370947)
Nvram Cell Having Increased Coupling Ratio Between A Control Gate And Floating Gate Without An Increase In Cell Area (US Patent # 6373095)
Structure And Method For Probing Wiring Bond Pads (US Patent # 6373143)
Apparatus For Cooling A Computer System (US Patent # 6373698)
Method And Apparatus For Pattern Discovery In Protein Sequences (US Patent # 6373971)
System And Method For Differential Compression Of Data From A Plurality Of Binary Sources (US Patent # 6374250)
Redundant Database Recovery Through Concurrent Update And Copy Procedures (US Patent # 6377959)
Write-Twice Method Of Fail-Safe Write Caching (US Patent # 6378037)
Method And System For Recovering A Computer System From A Loadsource Located At A Remote Location (US Patent # 6378086)
Technique For Creating A Unique Item Identification Number In A Multi-Threaded/Multi-Process Environment (US Patent # 6381629)
Address Mapping For System Memory (US Patent # 6381668)
Method Of Forming A Crack Stop Structure And Diffusion Barrier In Integrated Circuits (US Patent # 6383893)
Antifuse Latch Device With Controlled Current Programming And Variable Trip Point (US Patent # 6384666)
System And Method For The Automatic Mining Of Acronym-Expansion Pairs Patterns And Formation Rules (US Patent # 6385629)
Handling Of Asynchronous Message Packet In A Multi-Node Threaded Computing Environment (US Patent # 6385659)
Fan With Self Closing Blades (US Patent # 6386826)
Post-Processing A Completed Semiconductor Device (US Patent # 6388337)
Method And System For Filter Type Approximation In Computer Graphics Processing (US Patent # 6388673)
Method And Apparatus For Ram Built-In Self Test (Bist) Address Generation Using Bit-Wise Masking Of Counters (US Patent # 6388930)
Variable Speed Cursor Movement (US Patent # 6392675)
High Performance Memory Architecture (US Patent # 6392949)
Method For Entering Bidirectional And Dbcs Languages In Tier-O Devices (US Patent # 6393416)
Method And Means For Evaluating The Performance Of A Database System Referencing Files External To The Database System (US Patent # 6393435)
Document Format Transformations For Converting Plurality Of Documents Which Are Consistent With Each (US Patent # 6393442)
Method And Driver For Sequential Operation Caching (US Patent # 6393524)
Fully Amorphized Source/Drain For Leaky Junctions (US Patent # 6395587)
Partially-Overlapped Interconnect Structure And Method Of Making (US Patent # 6396151)
Clock System For An Embedded Semiconductor Memory Unit (US Patent # 6396324)
Apparatus, Method, And Computer Program Product For High-Availability Multi-Agent Cryptographic Key Recovery (US Patent # 6396929)
Optimizing Fixed, Static Query Or Service Selection And Execution Based On Working Set Hints And Query Signatrues (US Patent # 6397206)
Method And Apparatus For Rapid Data Restoration Including On-Demand Output Of Sorted Logged Changes (US Patent # 6397351)
Reduced-Pin Integrated Circuit I/0 Test (US Patent # 6397361)
Volumetric Pump (US Patent # 6398081)
Microcell Redundancy Scheme For High Performance Edram (US Patent # 6400619)
Simulation Of Telephone Handset (US Patent # 6400807)
Resynchronization Of Mirrored Logical Data Volumes Subsequent To A Failure In Data Processor Storage Systems With Access To Physical Volume From Multi-Initiators At A Plurality Of Nodes (US Patent # 6401215)
System Of Performing Checkpoint/Restart Of A Parallel Program (US Patent # 6401216)
Class Casting Support For Run-Time Extensible Items In An Object Oriented Framework (US Patent # 6405363)
Easy Load Cartridge For Carrying And Inserting Cards Into Printed Circuit Boards (US Patent # 6406322)
Multi-Thickness, Multi-Layer Green Sheet Lamination And Method Thereof (US Patent # 6406778)
Integrated Circuit With In Situ Circuit Arrangement For Testing Integrity Of Differential Receiver Inputs (US Patent # 6407569)
Method And System For Utilizing Hostile-Switching Neighbors To Improve Interconnect Speed For High Performance Processors (US Patent # 6407574)
Mechanism For Managing The Locking And Unlocking Of Objects In Java (US Patent # 6411983)
System And Method For Controlling A Memory Array In An Information Handling System (US Patent # 6412051)
Method Of Forming A Solute-Enriched Layer In A Substrate Surface (US Patent # 6413866)
Repair Of Phase Shift Materials To Enhance Adhesion (US Patent # 6415431)
Process For Producing Metal Interconnections And Product Produced Thereby (US Patent # 6417572)
Power Source Connection Controller And Power Source Connection Controlling Method (US Patent # 6417657)
Method And Means For Decoupling A Printed Circuit Board (US Patent # 6418031)
Method, System, Apparatus, And Article Of Manufacture For User Scheduling Of Data Transformation Opertion In A Data Warehouse (US Patent # 6418450)
Buffer Re-Ordering System (US Patent # 6418503)
Apparatus And Method For Controlling An Optical Transceiver (US Patent # 6987932)
Method And Apparatus To Move An Accessor Within A Data Storage And Retrieval System (US Patent # 6988020)
Method, System, And Computer Program Product For Providing An Extensible File System For Accessing A Foreign File System From A Local Data Processing System (US Patent # 6988101)
Method, System, And Program For Managing Client Access To A Shared Resource (US Patent # 6988145)
System And Method For Enhancing Authorization Request In A Computing Device (US Patent # 6988280)
Method For Reducing Shallow Trench Isolation Consumption In Semiconductor Devices (US Patent # 6989318)
Method And System For Maintaining Uniform Module Junction Temperature During Burn-In (US Patent # 6989685)
Cmos Low Voltage High-Speed Differential Amplifier (US Patent # 6989709)
Method And Apparatus For Etch Rate Uniformity Control (US Patent # 6992014)
Via And Via Landing Structures For Smoothing Transitions In Multi-Layer Substrates (US Patent # 6992255)
System For Routing Data Packets Through A Crossbar Switch In Expansion Mode (US Patent # 6993035)
Automatic Method Of Detection Of Incorrectly Oriented Text Blocks Using Results From Character Recognition (US Patent # 6993205)
Power Conservation In A Server Cluster (US Patent # 6993571)
Automated Test Generation (US Patent # 6993682)
Method, System And Apparatus For Aggregating Failures Across Multiple Memories And Applying A Common Defect Repair Solution To All Of The Multiple Memories (US Patent # 6993692)
Frame Rearrangement To Support Bidirectional Languages In A Web Application (US Patent # 6993716)
Design Of A Pointerless Bdd Package (US Patent # 6993732)
Technique For Scheduling Execution Of Jobs For Or By Network-Connected Devices (US Patent # 6993763)
Hybrid Substrate And Method For Fabricating The Same (US Patent # 6994903)
System And Method For Implementing Self-Timed Decoded Data Paths In Integrated Circuits (US Patent # 6995585)
Command List Controller For Controlling Hardware Based On An Instruction Received From A Central Processing Unit (US Patent # 6995770)
Methods Of Reducing Unbalanced Dc Voltage Between Two Electrodes Of Reflective Liquid Crystal Display By Thin Film Passivation (US Patent # 6995821)
Switching Nodes And Interface Modules For Data Networks (US Patent # 6996116)
Systems And Methods For Discovering Partially Periodic Event Patterns (US Patent # 6996551)
Method Of Optimizing Sql Queries Where A Predicate Matches Nullable Operands (US Patent # 6996557)
Method And System For The Garbage Collection Of Shared Data (US Patent # 6996590)
Resource Allocation In Data Processing Systems (US Patent # 6996614)
Token Swapping For Hot Spot Management (US Patent # 6996647)
Storage Area Network Methods And Apparatus With File System Extension (US Patent # 6996670)
Cache Allocation Mechanism For Saving Multiple Elected Unworthy Members Via Substitute Victimization And Imputed Worthiness Of Multiple Substitute Victim Members (US Patent # 6996679)
Electronic Publishing System And Method Of Operation Generating Web Pages Personalized To A User’S Optimum Learning Mode (US Patent # 6996768)
Enhanced Sampling Methodology For Semiconductor Processing (US Patent # 6998867)
Computer Generated Report Printing Method And System (US Patent # 6999193)
Programmable Driver/Equalizer With Alterable Anlog Finite Impulse Response (Fir) Filter Having Low Intersymbol Interference & Constant Peak Amplitude Independent Of Coefficient Settings (US Patent # 6999540)
Apparatus And Method For Oversampling With Evenly Spaced Samples (US Patent # 6999544)
Apparatus And Method To Coordinate Requests Provided To A Data Storage And Retrieval System (US Patent # 6999960)
A System For Providing Gracefully Degraded Services On The Internet Under Overloaded Conditions Responsive To Http Cookies Of User Requests (US Patent # 7000013)
System And Method For Knowledgeable Node Initiated Tcp Splicing (US Patent # 7000027)
Address Assignment To Transaction For Serialization (US Patent # 7000089)
Script Evaluator (US Patent # 7000221)
Remote Lamp Status Display Via Fiber Optic System (US Patent # 7002453)
Gripper Mechanism For Tape Cartridges (US Patent # 7002772)
Multilevel Register-File Bit-Read Method And Apparatus (US Patent # 7002860)
Method, System, And Program, For Encoding And Decoding Input Data (US Patent # 7003111)
Apparatus And Method For Accessing Request Header Information Using A Transcoding Filter Servlet (US Patent # 7003584)
Method For Operating Proactively Secured Applications On An Insecure System (US Patent # 7003677)
Method And An Apparatus To Extend The Logic Volume Manager Model To Allow Device Management Plug-Ins (US Patent # 7003780)
Utilizing Clock Shield As Defect Monitor (US Patent # 7005874)
Method And System For Data Hiding And Authentication Via Halftoning And Coordinate Projection (US Patent # 7006254)
Self Timed Bit And Read/Write Pulse Stretchers (US Patent # 7006403)
System And Method For Efficient Analysis Of Transmission Lines (US Patent # 7006931)
System And Method For Relocating Pages Pinned In A Buffer Pool Of A Database System (US Patent # 7007146)
Scheduling Of Transactions In System-Level Test Program Generation (US Patent # 7007207)
Diagnosable Scan Chain (US Patent # 7007214)
Selective Capping Of Copper Wiring (US Patent # 7008871)
Methods And Arrangements For Multicasting A Data Stream At Different Data Rates To Groups Of Subscribers (US Patent # 7009971)
Method, System, And Storage Medium For Facilitating A Transport Scheme In An Automated Material Handling System Environment (US Patent # 7010377)
Method And System Of Audio File Searching (US Patent # 7010485)
Organization Of Sql Working Memory In A Transaction-Bounded Processing Environment (US Patent # 7010517)
Optimizing Command Execution In Database Systems That Provide Support For Updatable Scrollable Cursors (US Patent # 7010552)
Apparatus, System And Method For Controlling Access To Facilities Based On Usage Classes (US Patent # 7010633)
External Storage Device Capable Of Selectively Storing Data In A Semiconductor Memory Or A Hard Disk (US Patent # 7010719)
File System Journal Management (US Patent # 7010721)
Method And Apparatus For Saving Data Used In Error Analysis (US Patent # 7010726)
Method And Structure For Efficiently Retrieving Status For Scsi Accessed Fault-Tolerant Enclosure (Saf-Te) Systems (US Patent # 7013336)
Massively Computational Parallizable Optimization Management System And Method (US Patent # 7013344)
Electronic Substrae With Inboard Terminal Array, Perimeter Terminal Array And Exterior Terminal Array On A Second Surface And Module And System Including The Substrate (US Patent # 7015570)
Power Optimized Request Response Communication Protocol With Timer Mechanism To Enforce Client To Generate Request (US Patent # 7016710)
Authentication Referral Search For Ldap (US Patent # 7016897)
Translation And Substitution Of Transmitted Environmental Data (US Patent # 7016933)
Ultra-Thin Si Channel Cmos With Improved Series Resistance (US Patent # 7018891)
Apparatus And Method To Read Information From A Tape Storage Medium (US Patent # 7019922)
Method And System For Processing Data Packets (US Patent # 7020153)
System And Method For Identifying And Utilizing A Secondary Index To Access A Database Using A Management System Without An Internal Catalogue Of Online Metadata (US Patent # 7020648)
System And Method For Utilizing Spare Bandwidth To Provide Data Integrity Over A Bus (US Patent # 7020809)
Dielectrics With Improved Leakage Characteristics (US Patent # 7022626)
Hybrid Electronic Mask (US Patent # 7023528)
Balancing The Comprehensive Health Of A User (US Patent # 7024369)
Method Of Externalizing Legacy Database In Asn.1-Formatted Data Into Xml Format (US Patent # 7024413)
Estimation Of Clustering For Access Planning (US Patent # 7024422)
Method, System, And Program For Establishing And Using A Point-In-Time Copy Relationship (US Patent # 7024530)
Transmission Error Checking In Result Forwarding (US Patent # 7024618)
Computer With Security Function And Method Therefor (US Patent # 7024700)
Method Of Polishing C4 Molybdenum Masks To Remove Molybdenum Peaks (US Patent # 7025891)
Liquid-Filled Balloons For Immersion Lithography (US Patent # 7026259)
Virtual Cameras For Digital Imaging (US Patent # 7027073)
Method Of Updating Network Information Addresses (US Patent # 7028032)
Generation Of Mask-Constrained Floating-Point Addition And Substraction Test Cases, And Method And System Therefor (US Patent # 7028067)
Tokens Utilized In A Server System That Have Different Access Permissions At Different Access Times And Method Of Use (US Patent # 7028090)
Method And System For Designing A Theme And Associating It With A Collaboration Space User Interface (US Patent # 7028262)
Data Display System, Data Display Method, Computer System And Computer Program Product (US Patent # 7030889)
Encoding Of Messages Onto Strobe Signals (US Patent # 7032056)
Method And Apparatus For Prioritized Instruction Issue Queue In A Processor (US Patent # 7032101)
Mapping A Stack In A Stack Machine Environment (US Patent # 7032221)
Object-Oriented Framework For Document Routing Service In A Content Management System (US Patent # 7032225)
Identifying Potential Intruders On A Server (US Patent # 7032244)
Apparatus And Method For Thermal Isolation, Circuit Cooling And Electromagnetic Shielding Of A Wafer (US Patent # 7033927)
Method And System For Intra-Table Referential Integrity For Relational Database Systems (US Patent # 7035859)
System And Method For Simultaneous Access Of The Same Line In Cache Storage (US Patent # 7035986)
Percolating Hot Function Store/Restores To Colder Calling Functions (US Patent # 7036116)
Eliminating Memory Corruption When Performing Tree Functions On Multiple Threads (US Patent # 7036125)
Active-Matrix Light Emitting Display And Method For Obtaining Threshold Voltage Compensation For Same (US Patent # 7038392)
Method And Apparatus For Electrical Commoning Of Circuits (US Patent # 7038462)
Apparatus, System, And Method For Arraying Electrical Devices In A Cabinet (US Patent # 7038915)
Programming Means For Dynamic Specifications Of Cache Management Preferences (US Patent # 7039760)
Prescheduling Sequential Data Prefetches In A Preexisting Lru Cache (US Patent # 7039766)
Cache Predictor For Simultaneous Multi-Threaded Processor System Supporting Multiple Translations (US Patent # 7039768)
Method And System To Integrate Existing User And Group Definitions In A Database Server With Heterogeneous Application Servers (US Patent # 7039804)
Method For Detecting And Powering Off Unused I/O Slots In A Computer System (US Patent # 7039820)
Method For Enabling A Network-Addressable Device To Detect Use Of Its Identity By A Spoofer (US Patent # 7039954)
Web Browser-Based Object Oriented Application Component Test Client (US Patent # 7043460)
Method And System For Slow Materialization Of Scrollable Cursor Result Sets (US Patent # 7043469)
Method For Controlling Group Membership In A Distributed Multinode Data Processing System To Assure Mutually Symmetric Liveness Status Indications (US Patent # 7043550)
Method To Calibrate A Chip With Multiple Temperature Sensitive Ring Oscillators By Calibrating Only Tsro (US Patent # 7044633)
Method And Apparatus For Selectively Altering Dielectric Properties Of Localized Semiconductor Device Regions (US Patent # 7045472)
Apparatus And Method For Direct Manipulation Of Electronic Information (US Patent # 7046213)
Storage Cell Mounting And Alignment For Cartridge System Libraries (US Patent # 7047106)
System And Method For Enabling A Collision-Free Protocol Over Ethernet (US Patent # 7047319)
Methods For Formatting Electronic Documents (US Patent # 7047487)
Method To Identify Geometrically Non-Overlapping Optimization Partitions For Parallel Timing Closure (US Patent # 7047506)
Method And System For Cross Platform, Parallel Processing (US Patent # 7047530)
Manufacturing Method And Boding Apparatus With Vacuum Chuck With Independent Retaining Portions For Liquid Crystal (Lcd) Device (US Patent # 7050141)
System And Method For Distributing Management Events To External Processes (US Patent # 7051105)
Securing Cached Data In Enterprise Environments (US Patent # 7051201)
System,Apparatus, And Method For Limiting Non-Volatile Memory (US Patent # 7051223)
System And Method For Handling Out-Of-Order Data Supplied By A Real-Time Feed (US Patent # 7051245)
Method, System, And Product For A Java-Based Desktop To Provide Window Manager Services On Unix (US Patent # 7051288)
Window Display Device And Method, And A Recording Medium Recording A Window Display Control Program (US Patent # 7051289)
Code Image Distribution In A Multi-Node Network Of Processors (US Patent # 7051326)
Methods And Apparatus For Monitoring A Lower Priority Process By A Higher Priority Process (US Patent # 7051331)
Method, System, And Program For Implementing A Remote Method Call (US Patent # 7051341)
Method For Manufacturing Self-Compensating Resistors Within An Integrated Circuit (US Patent # 7052925)
Program Compilation And Optimization (US Patent # 7058935)
Method And Apparatus For Hardware Optimization Of Graphics Pipeline Functions (US Patent # 7061494)
Memory And Refresh Method For Memory (US Patent # 7061818)
Method And Apparatus For A Scalable Parallel Computer Based On Optical Fiber Broadcast (US Patent # 7062121)
Method And System For Tracking Computer Hardware And Software Assets By Allocating And Tagging The Asset With An Asset Tag Barcode Having A Software Distribution System (Sds) Number And Verifying The Asset Tag Barcode Upon Entry Of The Asset At A Destination Site (US Patent # 7062455)
Automatic Data Abstraction Generation Using Database Schema And Related Objects (US Patent # 7062496)
Method And Apparatus For Controlling The Performance Of A File System Mount Operation By A User Lacking Superuser Authority (US Patent # 7062660)
Method And System For Obtaining A Feasible Integer Solution From A Half-Integer Solution In Hierarchical Circuit Layout Optimization (US Patent # 7062729)
Light Source Device, Display Device And Reflection Sheets For Use Therewith (US Patent # 7064741)
Method And Apparatus For Implementing Multiple Column Redundancy For Memory (US Patent # 7064990)
Modification Of Bus Protocol Packet For Serial Data Synchronization (US Patent # 7065101)
Database Migration (US Patent # 7065541)
Method And System For Providing An Event Driven Image For A Boot Record (US Patent # 7065627)
Apparatus And Method For Keeping Aggregated Portions Of Multiple Web Sites Simultaneously Displayed And Updated (US Patent # 7065713)
Apparatus And Method For Caching Analyzed Program Information (US Patent # 7065743)
Reconfiguring A Network By Utilizing A Predetermined Length Quiescent State. (US Patent # 7069320)
Topology For Shared Memory Computer System (US Patent # 7069362)
System And Method For Handling Resource Transaction Requests (US Patent # 7069366)
Method And Apparatus For Obtaining Diagnostic Data For A Device Attached To A Computer System (US Patent # 7069479)
Conversion Processing For Xml To Xml Document Transformation (US Patent # 7069504)
Method And Apparatus For Determining Characteristics Of Mos Devices (US Patent # 7069525)
Delegation-Based Class Loading Of Cyclically Dependent Components (US Patent # 7069550)
Clock Signal Distribution Utilizing Differential Sinusoidal Signal Pair (US Patent # 7071757)
Deploying Multiple Enterprise Planning Models Across Clusters Of Application Servers (US Patent # 7072822)
Methods And Structure For Forming Self-Aligned Borderless Contacts For Strain Engineered Logic Devices (US Patent # 7659171)
Method For Distributed Sound Collection And Event Triggering (US Patent # 7659814)
Removable Cooling Duct With Interlocking Dovetail Connections For An Air Tight Thermal Seal (US Patent # 7660111)
Method And Apparatus For Scaling Input Bandwidth For Bandwidth Allocation Technology (US Patent # 7660246)
System And Method For Routing Ip Datagrams (US Patent # 7660255)
Network Packet Inspection And Forwarding (US Patent # 7660265)
System, Graphical User Interface (Gui), Method And Program Product For Configuring An Assembly Line (US Patent # 7660641)
Monitor For An Information Technology System (US Patent # 7660702)
System And Method For Providing A Secure Contact Management System (US Patent # 7660770)
Method And Apparatus For Querying Program Design Models (US Patent # 7660818)
Implementing Adaptive Buffer Management On Network Fetches Of Directory Contents And Object Attributes (US Patent # 7660826)
System And Method For Performing Decimal To Binary Conversion (US Patent # 7660838)
Network Service System And Program Using Data Processing (US Patent # 7660844)
Apparatus, System, And Method For Generating A Resource Utilization Description For A Parallel Data Processing System (US Patent # 7660884)
Indicating Network Resource Availability Methods, System And Program Product (US Patent # 7660888)
Method And System For Monitoring And Instantly Identifying Faults In Data Communication Cables (US Patent # 7660893)
Method, System, And Program For Distributing Application Transactions Among Work Servers (US Patent # 7660897)
Implementing Virtual Packet Storage Via Packet Work Area (US Patent # 7660908)
Node Polling In Consistency Group Formation (US Patent # 7660955)
Use Of Memory Compression Algorithm To Assess Efficiency Of Memory Usage (US Patent # 7660962)
System And Method To Provide Device Unique Diagnostic Support With A Single Generic Command (US Patent # 7660978)
Method, Apparatus And Program Storage Device For Providing Automatic Recovery From Premature Reboot Of A System During A Concurrent Upgrade (US Patent # 7661018)
Access By Distributed Computers To A Same Hardware Resource (US Patent # 7661026)
Correlating Macro And Error Data For Debugging Program Error Event (US Patent # 7661031)
Multilayered Architecture For Storage Protocol Conformance Testing Of Storage Devices (US Patent # 7661034)
Method And System For Enterprise Memory Management Of Memory Modules (US Patent # 7661045)
Method And System For Formal Verification Of Partial Good Self Test Fencing Structures (US Patent # 7661050)
Visualization Of Collaborative Portlet Sequences (US Patent # 7661061)
Method For Providing Quick Responses In Instant Messaging Conversations (US Patent # 7661067)
Computer Program Optimization In A Dynamic Compilation Environment (US Patent # 7661098)
Method For Assuring Event Record Integrity (US Patent # 7661111)
Method, Apparatus And Program Storage Device For Preserving Locked Pages In Memory When In User Mode (US Patent # 7661115)
System And Method For Detecting Invalid Access To Computer Network (US Patent # 7661139)
User Prompt For Loading Sound In A Computer Resource (US Patent # 7664755)
Rfid Wireless Control Of Instant Messaging (US Patent # 7664820)
Method And Apparatus For Activating/Deactivating Run-Time Determined Software Routines In Java Compiled Bytecode Applications (US Patent # 7665076)
Cmos Structure Including Dual Metal Containing Composite Gates (US Patent # 7666774)
Deep Trench Inter-Well Isolation Structure (US Patent # 7667255)
System, Computer Program Product And Method Of Preventing Recordation Of True Keyboard Acoustic Emanations (US Patent # 7667691)
Hard Drive Data Platter Impairment Tool (US Patent # 7667923)
Acoustically Absorptive Anti-Recirculation Panel For One Or More Electronics Racks Of A Data Center (US Patent # 7667965)
Dynamic Random Access Memory Circuit, Design Structure And Method (US Patent # 7668003)
Hybrid Static And Dynamic Sensing For Memory Arrays (US Patent # 7668024)
Memory Circuits With Reduced Leakage Power And Design Structures For Same (US Patent # 7668035)
Numerical Test Data Reporting In An Image File And Subsequent Analysis (US Patent # 7668683)
Managing Compliance With Service Level Agreements In A Grid Environment (US Patent # 7668741)
System And Method For Managing Query Access To Information (US Patent # 7668805)
Query Rebinding For High-Availability Database Systems (US Patent # 7668807)
Controlling Consistency Of Data Storage Copies (US Patent # 7668810)
Involving Participants In A Distributed Transaction (US Patent # 7668833)
Meta-Data Tags Used To Describe Data Behaviors (US Patent # 7668857)
Digital Library System With Customizable Workflow (US Patent # 7668864)
Method, System And Computer Program For Providing Web Pages Based On Client State (US Patent # 7668905)
Master-Slave Adapter (US Patent # 7668923)
Web Service Distribution System Over The World Wide Web Using Web Services Description Language (Wsdl) Standard Including Implementation For Uniformly Generating All Fault Conditions In Wsdl Message Format (US Patent # 7668930)
Apparatus, System, And Method For Controlling A Processing System (US Patent # 7668952)
Optimizing Data Bandwidth Across A Variable Asynchronous Clock Domain (US Patent # 7669028)
Reducing Likelihood Of Data Loss During Failovers In High-Availability Systems (US Patent # 7669080)
System And Method For Re-Shuffling Test Case Instruction Orders For Processor Design Verification And Validation (US Patent # 7669083)
Method And Apparatus For Automated Risk Assessment In Software Projects (US Patent # 7669180)
Method To Find A Violation Of A Coding Rule In Program (US Patent # 7669192)
On-Demand Translator For Localized Operating Systems (US Patent # 7669198)
Resizing An Install Image (US Patent # 7669200)
Autonomic Smt System Tuning (US Patent # 7669204)
Apparatus, Method And Program To Detect And Control Deleterious Code (Virus) In Computer Network (US Patent # 7669240)
Embedded Trench Capacitor Having A High-K Node Dielectric And A Metallic Inner Electrode (US Patent # 7671394)
Empty Vias For Electromigration During Electronic-Fuse Re-Programming (US Patent # 7671444)
Method And System For Comparing Micro-Electronic Devices Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (US Patent # 7671591)
System For Blocking Multiple Memory Read Port Activation (US Patent # 7672188)
Method And System For Dynamically Initializing A View For A Streaming Data Base System (US Patent # 7672964)
Transmitting Common And Unique Information Selectively To Different Recipients (US Patent # 7672999)
Retrieving Lock Attention Data Using An Attention Connection Path Selected From A Group Of Attention Connection Paths Associated With A Host (US Patent # 7673086)
Apparatus And Method To Locate A Failed Device In A Data Storage System (US Patent # 7673176)
Technique For Mapping Goal Violations To Anamolies Within A System (US Patent # 7673189)
Method Using Non-Linear Compression To Generate A Set Of Test Vectors For Use In Scan Testing An Integrated Circuit (US Patent # 7673204)
Apparatus And Method For A Web Browser To Select A Home Page Upon Activation Based On A Scheduler Or Network Connection (US Patent # 7673243)
Method And System For Improved Modeling Language Profile (US Patent # 7673283)
Auto Conversion Of Tests Between Different Functional Testing Tools (US Patent # 7673292)
Managing Transactions In A Messaging System (US Patent # 7673307)
Back Emf Reduction In A Storage Drive Using Pulse Width Modulation In A Closed Loop Motor Control System (US Patent # 7675255)
Trace Information Queuing System (US Patent # 7675927)
On-Chip Detection And Measurement Of Data Lock In A High Speed Serial Data Link (US Patent # 7675966)
Enhanced Chinese Character/Pin Yin/English Translator (US Patent # 7676357)
System And Method For Synchronizing Languages And Data Elements (US Patent # 7676359)
System And Method For Controlling Database Access (US Patent # 7676456)
Self Discovering Adaptive Security System And Method (US Patent # 7676470)
Migration Of Database Using Serialized Objects (US Patent # 7676492)
Method And Data Processing System For Managing User Roles (US Patent # 7676498)
System, Method And Computer Program Product For Shared User Tailoring Of Websites (US Patent # 7676505)
Methods, Apparatus And Computer Programs For Automated Problem Solving In A Distributed, Collaborative Environment (US Patent # 7676539)
Automatic Provisioning Of Services Based On A High Level Description And An Infrastructure Description (US Patent # 7676552)
Automatic Generation Of Portlets For Visualizing Data By Exploiting Object Relationships (US Patent # 7676589)
System And Method For Improved Bus Communication (US Patent # 7676622)
System And Method For Processing Of Markup Language Information (US Patent # 7676742)
Logic Block Timing Estimation Using Conesize (US Patent # 7676779)
Apparatus, System, And Method For A High Efficiency Redundant Power System (US Patent # 7679217)
Multiphase Signal Generator (US Patent # 7679459)
Method And Apparatus For Constructing Efficient Slepian-Wolf Codes With Mismatched Decoding (US Patent # 7679536)
Write Transducer And System Implementing Same (US Patent # 7679855)
Method And Apparatus For Duplicating Secure Documents (US Patent # 7680447)
Method For Associating Objects In A Manufacturing Process (US Patent # 7680554)
Method, System And Program Product For Assessing A Product Development Project Employing A Computer-Implemented Evaluation Tool (US Patent # 7680682)
Resourcing Of Staff For Events (US Patent # 7680684)
Method Of Creating A Database And Search Keys And For Searching The Database (US Patent # 7680769)
Apparatus, System, And Method For Database Provisioning (US Patent # 7680771)
Techniques For Processing Data From A Multilingual Database (US Patent # 7680780)
Database Query Generation Method And System (US Patent # 7680787)
Algorithm To Marshal/Unmarshal Xml Schema Annotations To Sdo Dataobjects (US Patent # 7680800)
Custom Report Generation (US Patent # 7680823)
Determining Whether Data Written To Source Storage Locations According To A Write Order Is Copied To Corresponding Target Storage Locations In The Write Order (US Patent # 7680841)
Method For Implementing Electronic Mail Dictionary Transporter (US Patent # 7680893)
Process For Managing Complex Pre-Wired Net Segments In A Vlsi Design (US Patent # 7681169)
Including Function Call Graphs (Fcg) Generated From Trace Analysis Data Within A Searchable Problem Determination Knowledge Base (US Patent # 7681182)
Method And Apparatus For Providing Alternative Installation Structures For Deployment Of Software Applications (US Patent # 7681193)
Process For Making A Mcsfet (US Patent # 7682913)
Method To Visualize Performance Data Of A Multi-Layered State Diagram (US Patent # 7683902)
Determining Angular Position Of A Tape Reel Using Timing Based Servo Format (US Patent # 7684140)
Determining A Reel Motor Angle Using An Estimated Interval To Degrees Translation Factor (US Patent # 7684141)
Apparatus, System, And Method For Limiting Frame Spacing Error During Timing-Based Servo Pattern Fabrication (US Patent # 7684143)
Systems And Methods For Cooling An Electronic Device (US Patent # 7684194)
Method And System For Transparently Controlling The Behavior Of Service Methods In A Service Oriented Architecture (US Patent # 7684349)
Method For Remotely Connecting To A Secure Telephone Network (US Patent # 7688959)
System And Method For Application Balanced Scorecard Optimizer (US Patent # 7689529)
Autonomic Recommendation And Placement Of Materialized Query Tables For Load Distribution (US Patent # 7689538)
Uddi Metadata Query Development (US Patent # 7689552)
Execution Cost Reduction Of Sampled Queries In A Database (US Patent # 7689553)
Dilation Of Sub-Flow Operators In A Data Flow (US Patent # 7689576)
Dealing With Annotation Versioning Through Multiple Versioning Policies And Management Thereof (US Patent # 7689578)
Data Flow System And Method For Heterogeneous Data Integration Environments (US Patent # 7689582)
Method, System And Program Product For Determining Objective Function Coefficients Of A Mathematical Programming Model (US Patent # 7689592)
Apparatus And Method Controlling Use Of Individual Segments Of Instant Messaging Content (US Patent # 7689653)
Multiple-Application Transaction Monitoring Facility For Debugging And Performance Tuning (US Patent # 7689688)
System And Method For Distributed Utility Optimization In A Messaging Infrastructure (US Patent # 7689695)
Method For Automatically Configuring Additional Component To A Storage Subsystem (US Patent # 7689797)
Efficient And Flexible Trace Trigger Handling For Non-Concurrent Events (US Patent # 7689870)
Containment Of Terminal Application Run-Time Data For Viewing When Disconnected From A Host Server (US Patent # 7689905)
Open Multi-Processing Reduction Implementation In Cell Broadband Engine (Cbe) Single Source Compiler (US Patent # 7689977)
Method, System And Program For Managing Executable Tasks (US Patent # 7689990)
Assigning Tasks To Processors Based At Least On Resident Set Sizes Of The Tasks (US Patent # 7689993)
Self-Compensating Connector Support Method And Apparatus (US Patent # 7690108)
Semiconductor Device Structures Incorporating Voids And Methods Of Fabricating Such Structures (US Patent # 7691712)
Multilayer Storage Class Memory Using Externally Heated Phase Change Material (US Patent # 7692959)
On Demand Accrual System And Method (US Patent # 7693759)
Automatic Subscriptions To Documents Based On User Navigation Behavior (US Patent # 7693815)
Masking Object Data Based On User Authorization (US Patent # 7693849)
System, Method And Program To Synchronize Files In Distributed Computer System (US Patent # 7693873)
Method And System For Conversation Detection In Email Systems (US Patent # 7693940)
Classification Of Electronic Mail Into Multiple Directories Based Upon Their Spam-Like Properties (US Patent # 7693943)
Virtual Clustering And Load Balancing Servers (US Patent # 7693991)
Context Sensitive Portlets (US Patent # 7694000)
Detecting Miscabling In A Storage Area Network (US Patent # 7694029)
Computer Program Product And Method For Managing Resources In A Distributed Storage System (US Patent # 7694082)
Systems And Methods For Self-Tuning Memory (US Patent # 7694102)
Hashing Method And System (US Patent # 7694147)
Assisted Problem Remediation (US Patent # 7694192)
Automatic Assignment Of Field Labels (US Patent # 7694216)
Selection And Deselection Of Objects At Multiple Levels Of A Hierarchy (US Patent # 7694239)
Method For Optimization Of Optical Proximity Correction (US Patent # 7694268)
System And Method For Controlling The Scope Of Script Library Code (US Patent # 7694275)
Apparatus And Method For Detecting Base-Register Usage Conflicts In Computer Code (US Patent # 7694286)
Method For Implementing Mpi-2 One Sided Communication (US Patent # 7694310)
Grammar-Based Task Analysis Of Web Logs (US Patent # 7694311)
Attachment Of A Qfn To A Pcb (US Patent # 7696594)
Self-Centering Nest For Electronics Testing (US Patent # 7696770)
Method And System For Disabling An Electronic Device Upon Theft (US Patent # 7696857)
Apparatus, System, And Method For Interchange Testing (US Patent # 7697228)
Cellphone Usage And Mode Detection And Automatic Speakerphone Toggle (US Patent # 7697962)
Method And Apparatus For Trading Digital Items In A Network Data Processing System (US Patent # 7698229)
System And Method For Optimal And Adaptive Process Unification Of Decision Support Functions Associated With Managing A Chaotic Event (US Patent # 7698246)
System And Method For Predicting Hardware And/Or Software Metrics In A Computer System Using Models (US Patent # 7698249)
Finding Anomalous Values For Logical Fields With Temporal Autocorrelation Conditions (US Patent # 7698265)
Compression Of Multidimensional Datasets (US Patent # 7698285)
Information Collecting System For Providing Connection Information To An Application In An Ip Network (US Patent # 7698384)
Circuit And Related Method For Synchronizing Data Signals To A Core Clock (US Patent # 7698588)
Method And Apparatus For Ensuring Data Integrity In Redundant Mass Storage Systems (US Patent # 7698591)
Method Of Isolating Erroneous Software Program Components (US Patent # 7698597)
Method And Computer Program Product For Determining A Minimally Degraded Configuration When Failures Occur Along Connections (US Patent # 7698601)
Method, Program, And Device For Analyzing Document Structure (US Patent # 7698627)
Method For Automating An Internationalization Test In A Multilingual Web Application (US Patent # 7698688)
System And Method To Improve Service In A Group Of Servers (US Patent # 7698710)
Method And Apparatus For Exchanging Information Between Computer Systems From Different Computer Networks (US Patent # 7698732)
Tunneling Effect Transistor With Self-Aligned Gate (US Patent # 7700466)
Nanoelectromechanical Transistors And Methods Of Forming Same (US Patent # 7701013)
Undoped Polysilicon Metal Silicide Wiring (US Patent # 7701058)
Wireless Display Panel Having Light Status Indicators (US Patent # 7701327)
Intelligent Sensor Network (US Patent # 7701874)
Heterogeneous, Role Based Enterprise Priority Manager (US Patent # 7701950)
Protocol Negotiation For A Group Communication System (US Patent # 7701970)
System And Method For Securing Genomic Information (US Patent # 7702104)
Generation Of Schedule By Which Physical Items To Be Manufactured Are Assigned Into Production Slots Via Reducing Non-Zero Factors Within Coefficient Matrix Clusters (US Patent # 7702410)
Integration Of Job Shop Scheduling With Discrete Event Simulation For Manufacturing Facilities (US Patent # 7702411)
Payment Control To Inventors In Patent Tracking System (US Patent # 7702516)
Active And Contextual Risk Management Using Risk Software Objects (US Patent # 7702517)
Method For Assisting Selection Of A Build Ahead Configuration For Use In Supplying An Ordered Product (US Patent # 7702544)
Recommending Solutions With An Expert System (US Patent # 7702601)
Creation And Aggregation Of Predicted Data (US Patent # 7702615)
Building A Unified Query That Spans Heterogeneous Environments (US Patent # 7702625)
Breaking Read Barrier To Apply Optimizations (US Patent # 7702663)
Method And System For Controlling Delivery Of Information In A Forum (US Patent # 7702735)
Monitoring Method, System, And Computer Program Based On Severity And Persistence Of Problems (US Patent # 7702780)
Intelligent Performance Monitoring Of A Clustered Environment (US Patent # 7702783)
Taking A Resource Offline In A Storage Network (US Patent # 7702786)
Recovering A Pool Of Connections (US Patent # 7702796)
Method And Apparatus For Configuration Space Extension Bus (US Patent # 7702838)
Adjusting Parameters Used To Prefetch Data From Storage Into Cache (US Patent # 7702857)
Method And Apparatus For Sram Macro Sparing In Computer Chips (US Patent # 7702972)
Managing Flexible Events Within An Electronic Calendar (US Patent # 7703048)
Regional Pattern Density Determination Method And System (US Patent # 7703053)
Method And System For Assessing A Software Generation Environment (US Patent # 7703070)
Method For Modeling Business Transformation (US Patent # 7703071)
Controlling User Intervention In A Multi-Processing Computer System (US Patent # 7703082)
Auto-Commit Processing In An Ims Batch Application (US Patent # 7703097)
Autonomic Workload Classification Using Predictive Assertion For Wait Queue And Thread Pool Selection (US Patent # 7703101)
Method, Apparatus, And Program To Post Process Applications Encrypting Sensitive Objects That Are Logged (US Patent # 7703144)
Method Of Embedding Tamper Proof Layers And Discrete Components Into Printed Circuit Board Stack-Up (US Patent # 7703201)
Metal Plating Process (US Patent # 7704365)
Method Of Forming A Crack Stop Laser Fuse With Fixed Passivation Layer Coverage (US Patent # 7704804)
Common-Mode Feedback Method Using A Current Starved Replica Biasing (US Patent # 7705640)
Integrated Tunneling And Network Address Translation: Performance Improvement For An Interception Proxy Server (US Patent # 7706367)
System And Method For Collapsing Voq’S Of A Packet Switch Fabric (US Patent # 7706394)
System And Method For Parsing, Filtering, And Computing The Checksum In A Host Ethernet Adapter (Hea) (US Patent # 7706409)
Computer-Based Onboard Noise Suppression Devices With Remote Web-Based Management Features (US Patent # 7706546)
System And Method For Context-Aware Unified Communications (US Patent # 7706785)
Selective Muting Of Applications (US Patent # 7706903)
System Modeling Facilitating Method And Apparatus (US Patent # 7707017)
Method Of Generatiing Business Intelligence Incorporated Business Process Activity Forms (US Patent # 7707040)
Automatic Collection And Dissemination Of Product Usage Information (US Patent # 7707060)
Resource Usage Metering Of Network Services (US Patent # 7707080)
Identifying Columns For Row Based Operations (US Patent # 7707138)
Delegation Object As A First-Class Business Modeling Object (US Patent # 7707156)
Method And Computer Program Product For Enabling Dynamic And Adaptive Business Processes Through An Ontological Data Model (US Patent # 7707158)
Selection Of Web Services By Service Providers (US Patent # 7707173)
Method And System For Propagating Annotations Using Pattern Matching (US Patent # 7707212)
System And Method For Transforming A Thread Of Email Messages Into A Real-Time Meeting (US Patent # 7707257)
Automatically Building A Locally Managed Virtual Node Grouping To Handle A Grid Job Requiring A Degree Of Resource Parallelism Within A Grid Environment (US Patent # 7707288)
Methods And Apparatus For Managing Deadtime In Feedback Control Queuing System (US Patent # 7707345)
Source Code Interface (US Patent # 7707546)
Apparatus, System, And Method For Converting Data (US Patent # 7707561)
Method And Apparatus For Customizing Model To Code Transformations (US Patent # 7707569)
Method And System For Managing Server Load To Execute Transactions Of An Application Program On Multiple Servers (US Patent # 7707581)
Check Valve (US Patent # 7708031)
Mastery-Based Drill And Practice Algorithm (US Patent # 7708562)
Replacement Clip And Method For Repairing A Modular Cable Connector Having A Broken Locking Clip (US Patent # 7708581)
Bicmos Devices With A Self-Aligned Emitter And Methods Of Fabricating Such Bicmos Devices (US Patent # 7709338)
Integrated Circuit Fabrication Process Using Gas Cluster Ion Beam Etching (US Patent # 7709344)
Electromigration Fuse And Method Of Fabricating Same (US Patent # 7709928)
Controlling For Variable Impedance And Voltage In A Memory System (US Patent # 7710144)
Assembly And Method For Enhancing Structural Integrity And Improving Serviceability Of Electronic Card Disposed In A Computing Environment (US Patent # 7710715)
System And Method For Automatic Management Of Many Computer Data Processing System Pipes (US Patent # 7710874)
Apparatus For Scalable Reliable Group Communication (US Patent # 7710881)
Methods And System For Dynamic Reallocation Of Data Processing Resources For Efficient Processing Of Sensor Data In A Distributed Network (US Patent # 7710884)
Method And Structures To Enable National Language Support For Dynamic Data (US Patent # 7711548)
Method And System For Generating A Value Proposition For A Company In An Industry (US Patent # 7711595)
Method, System And Program Product For Rewriting View Statements In Structured Query Language (Sql) Statements (US Patent # 7711692)
Method For Synchronizing And Updating Bookmarks On Multiple Computer Devices (US Patent # 7711707)
System For Deterministic Database Recovery Time (US Patent # 7711713)
Apparatus, System, And Method For Suspending A Request During File Server Serialization Reinitialization (US Patent # 7711721)
Method Of Returning Data During Insert Statement Processing (US Patent # 7711730)
Intelligent Data Query Builder (US Patent # 7711742)
Method And System For Managing A Remote Control Session (US Patent # 7711777)
Adjusting Timing Between Automatic, Non-User-Initiated Pollings Of Server To Download Data Therefrom (US Patent # 7711794)
Method, System, And Computer Program Product For Activating Non-Sms Device Using Chat Protocol (US Patent # 7711802)
Dynamic Category Compression In A Data Storage Library (US Patent # 7711876)
Method, System And Program Product For Equitable Sharing Of A Cam Table In A Network Switch In An On-Demand Environment (US Patent # 7711900)
Method And System For Dynamically Managing Storage Of Data Objects Generated During Execution Of A Computer Program (US Patent # 7711920)
Method And System For Encoding Signatures To Authenticate Files (US Patent # 7711958)
Methodology And System To Set Jtag Interface (US Patent # 7712003)
System And Method For Managing Messages And Annotations Presented In A User Interface (US Patent # 7712030)
Range Condition Managing System And User Interface Thereof (US Patent # 7712032)
Visualization Of Stereotype Element Instances Within A Unified Modeling Language Model (US Patent # 7712075)
Program Editing Apparatus, Program Editing Method, And Program For Splitting A Program File (US Patent # 7712079)
Fuse Structure Including Monocrystalline Semiconductor Material Layer And Gap (US Patent # 7713792)
Preventing Damage To Metal Using Clustered Processing And At Least Partially Sacrificial Encapsulation (US Patent # 7713865)
Electrical Antifuse With Integrated Sensor (US Patent # 7714326)
Cmos Transistor With A Polysilicon Gate Electrode Having Varying Grain Size (US Patent # 7714366)
Coined-Sheet-Metal Heatsinks For Closely Packaged Heat-Producing Devices Such As Dual In-Line Memory Modules (Dimms) (US Patent # 7715197)
Control Of An Ac-To-Dc Power Supply Assembly Fed By A Three-Phase Ac Source (US Patent # 7715215)
Power-Aware On-Chip Memory Management For Video Coding Algorithms (US Patent # 7715479)
Detecting Hazardous Conditions In Underground Environments (US Patent # 7715983)
Incremental Compliance Environment, An Enterprise-Wide System For Detecting Fraud (US Patent # 7716135)
Methods And Apparatus For Generating Decision Trees With Discriminants And Employing Same In Data Classification (US Patent # 7716154)
Xcap And Sip Filter Chain State Transforms Via Dynamic Helper Functions For Internet Multimedia Subsystems (US Patent # 7716197)
Method And Apparatus For Xml Query Evaluation Using Early-Outs And Multiple Passes (US Patent # 7716210)
Query Framework System And Method (US Patent # 7716212)
Apparatus, System, And Method For Efficiently Supporting Generic Sql Data Manipulation Statements (US Patent # 7716213)
Multi-Dimensional Serial Containment Process (US Patent # 7716230)
A Scalable Method And System For Providing Real Time Indications Of Currently Open Documents (US Patent # 7716263)
Determining The Configuration Of A Data Processing System Existing At The Time A Transaction Was Processed (US Patent # 7716299)
Apparatus, System, And Method For Preserving Cluster Level Serialization During File Server Serialization Reinitialization (US Patent # 7716305)
Data Caching Based On Data Contents (US Patent # 7716306)
Consistent Data Storage Subsystem Configuration Replication (US Patent # 7716309)
Dynamically Determining And Managing A Set Of Target Volumes For Snapshot Operation (US Patent # 7716433)
System And Method For Improved Lbist Power And Run Time (US Patent # 7716546)
Method And System For Broadly Sharing Uml-Based Models (US Patent # 7716573)
Dynamic Input Field Protection (US Patent # 7716596)
Configurable Importers And Resource Writers For Converting Data Into Another Format (US Patent # 7716653)
Compiler Optimization With Privatizing Of A Non-Final Object (US Patent # 7716657)
Method And System For Offloading Real-Time Virus Scanning During Data Transfer To Storage Peripherals (US Patent # 7716741)
Sensor, Method, And Design Structure For A Low-K Delamination Sensor (US Patent # 7716992)
276-Pin Buffered Memory Module With Enhanced Memory System Interconnect And Features (US Patent # 7717752)
Modulation Coding (US Patent # 7719444)
Cmos Storage Devices Configurable In High Performance Mode Or Radiation Tolerant Mode (US Patent # 7719887)
Method And System For Channel Management In A Voice Response System (US Patent # 7720087)
System And Method For Scheduling Token Arrival In A Business Process Simulation (US Patent # 7720668)
Reclaiming Resident Buffers When A Reclaim Threshold Has Been Exceeded By Swapping The Oldest In Use Buffer And A New Buffer, And Referencing The New Buffer Via An Updated Set Of Read And Write Pointers (US Patent # 7720802)
Method Of Generating And Maintaining A Data Warehouse (US Patent # 7720804)
System And Method For Enabling Records Management (US Patent # 7720825)
Method Applying Transitive Closure To Group By And Order By Clauses (US Patent # 7720840)
Dynamically Allocating Space For A Fixed Length Part Of A Variable Length Field In A Database Table (US Patent # 7720874)
System And Method Of Remotely Managing And Loading Artifacts (US Patent # 7720931)
Method And System Of Generically Specifying Packet Classification Behavior (US Patent # 7720948)
Method, System, And Product For Alleviating Router Congestion (US Patent # 7720951)
Method And Apparatus For Handling Service Requests In A Data Processing System (US Patent # 7720990)
System And Method To Synchronize Osgi Bundle Inventories Between An Osgi Bundle Server And A Client (US Patent # 7721003)
Method, Apparatus, And Computer Program Product For Managing Data In A Browser-Based Application (US Patent # 7721139)
I2C Failure Detection, Correction, And Masking (US Patent # 7721155)
Selective Logging Of Computer Activity (US Patent # 7721156)
Method And Apparatus For Improved Storage Area Network Link Integrity Testing (US Patent # 7721164)
Scheme To Optimize Scan Chain Ordering In Designs (US Patent # 7721171)
Method, System, And Computer Program Product For Integrated Circuit Recovery Testing Using Simulation Checkpoints (US Patent # 7721176)
Computer-Implemented Method, System And Program Product For Comparing Application Program Interfaces (Apis) Between Java Byte Code Releases (US Patent # 7721276)
Packaging Information Integration Applications (US Patent # 7721279)
Apparatus, System, And Method For Automatically Minimizing Real-Time Task Latency And Maximizing Non-Real Time Task Throughput (US Patent # 7721291)
System And Device For Thinning Wafers That Have Contact Bumps (US Patent # 7722446)
Structure And Method For Making On-Chip Capacitors With Various Capacitances (US Patent # 7723201)
Method And System For Servo Stripe Width Detection And Compensation (US Patent # 7724466)
Network-Based Autodiscovery System For Mac Forwarding Dispatcher (US Patent # 7724659)
System And Method For Classifying Data Streams Using High-Order Models (US Patent # 7724784)
Communication Device Having Advanced And Pluggable Telephony Features (US Patent # 7724881)
System, Computer Program Product And Method Of Correlating Safety Solutions With Business Climate (US Patent # 7725325)
Method, Computer Program Product, And Data Processing System For Estimating A Number Of Attendees Of A Scheduled Event In An Electronic Calendar System (US Patent # 7725342)
Method And Computer Program Product For Predicting Sales From Online Public Discussions (US Patent # 7725346)
Handling Column Renaming As Part Of Schema Evolution In A Data Archiving Tool (US Patent # 7725439)
Commitment Of Transactions In A Distributed System (US Patent # 7725446)
Method And System For Disjunctive Single Index Access (US Patent # 7725448)
Method And Apparatus For Manipulating Data Within A Remote Database In A Multiple Tier Environment (US Patent # 7725459)
Techniques For Identifying Mergeable Data (US Patent # 7725498)
Method And Apparatus For Helping User Form Structured Diagram From Unstructured Information Source (US Patent # 7725504)
Liquid And Plate-Based Random Number Generator (US Patent # 7725514)
System And Method For Hunting Out Mail Recipients In Order To Obtain A Response (US Patent # 7725549)
Web Browser-Based Programming Language Error Determination And Reporting (US Patent # 7725574)
Enhanced Failure Data Collection System Apparatus And Method (US Patent # 7725770)
Generating A Parser And Parsing A Document (US Patent # 7725817)
Parallel Composition Of Electronic Responses To Electronic Requests (US Patent # 7725818)
Methods For Design Rule Checking With Abstracted Via Obstructions (US Patent # 7725850)
Method For Optimizing Organizational Floor Layout And Operations (US Patent # 7725857)
Method And Apparatus For Acoustic Noise Reduction In A Computer System Having A Vented Door Including A Pivotable Vented Base And A Pivotable Outer Door (US Patent # 7727059)
Soi Cmos Compatible Multiplanar Capacitor (US Patent # 7728371)
Low Latency Video Decoder With High-Quality, Variable Scaling And Minimal Frame Buffer Memory (US Patent # 7729421)
Efficient Key Updates In Encrypted Database Systems (US Patent # 7729496)
Decision Support Activation And Management In Product Life Cycles Using A Context Pyramid Structure (US Patent # 7729933)
Issue Tracking System Using A Criteria Rating Matrix And Workflow Notification (US Patent # 7730005)
Method, System And Program Product For Managing A File System That Includes An Archive (US Patent # 7730035)
Computer Data Systems Implemented Using A Virtual Solution Architecture (US Patent # 7730057)
Interfacing Objects And Markup Language Messages (US Patent # 7730162)
Load Management To Reduce Communication Signaling Latency In A Virtual Machine Environment (US Patent # 7730269)
Apparatus And Method For Disk Read Checking (US Patent # 7730370)
Software Tool Configured To Generate Test Cases Characterized By A Linear Range Of Integral Values (US Patent # 7730461)
Method, System, And Computer Program Product For Limiting Authorization Of An Executable Action To An Application Session (US Patent # 7730525)
Interactive Physical Mail Content Management (US Patent # 7731089)
Extending Markup Of A Browser Using A Plug-In Framework (US Patent # 7739589)
Delivery, Organization, And Management Of Data Capture Elements (US Patent # 7739592)
Method, System And Program Product For Validating A Runtime Environment (US Patent # 7739663)
Collection And Detection Of Differences Of Values Of Expressions/Variables When Debugging A Computer Process (US Patent # 7739664)
Dynamically Computing A Degradation Analysis Of Waiting Threads In A Virtual Machine (US Patent # 7739675)
Decoupling A Central Processing Unit From Its Tasks (US Patent # 7739685)
Multiplatform Api Usage Tool (US Patent # 7739698)
Methods Of Forming Mixed Gate Cmos With Single Poly Deposition (US Patent # 7741181)
Deep Trench (Dt) Metal-Insulator-Metal (Mim) Capacitor (US Patent # 7741188)
Apparatus, System, And Method For Controlling Recording Head Substrate Bias Voltage (US Patent # 7742252)
Servo Channel For Tape Drive Systems (US Patent # 7742254)
Distributed Message Routing In A Virtualized Messaging System Using Recursive Least Squares Links Cost Estimation With Choke Points (US Patent # 7742422)
Method And System For Administering Compliance With International Shipping Requirements (US Patent # 7742998)
Automatic Instance Data Mapping Generation (US Patent # 7743020)
Meeting Invitation Processing In A Calendaring System (US Patent # 7743098)
Exposing Logic Flows Of Web Services And Permitting Logic Flow Modifications (US Patent # 7743130)
Killing Login-Based Sessions With A Single Action (US Patent # 7743153)
Method And Apparatus For Obtaining Trace Information Of Multiple Processors On An Soc Using A Segmented Trace Ring Bus To Enable A Flexible Trace Output Configuration (US Patent # 7743199)
Administering Correlated Error Logs In A Computer System (US Patent # 7743274)
Method, System And Program Product For Analyzing Demographical Factors Of A Computer System To Address Error Conditions (US Patent # 7743286)
Method And Apparatus For Managing Software Catalog And Providing Configuration For Installation (US Patent # 7743373)
Variable Resource Sets (US Patent # 7743379)
System And Method For Validating A Computer Platform When Booting From An External Device (US Patent # 7743422)
Customer Preference Elicitation Based On A Web-Enabled Betting Game (US Patent # 7744461)
Single Crystal Fuse On Air In Bulk Silicon (US Patent # 7745855)
Scannable Latch (US Patent # 7746140)
Substrate Triggering For Esd Protection In Soi (US Patent # 7746607)
Method, System And Telephone Answering Device For Processing Control Scripts Attached To Voice Messages (US Patent # 7746988)
Integrating Enterprise And Provider Contact Center Resources To Handle Workload On-Demand (US Patent # 7746998)
Real Time Analytics That Accounts For Shifts (US Patent # 7747413)
Rule Set Partitioning Based Packet Classification Method For Internet (US Patent # 7747553)
Virtual Multidimensional Datasets For Enterprise Software Systems (US Patent # 7747562)
Comparative Analysis Of Business Intelligence Data (US Patent # 7747564)
Incremental Update Control For Remote Copy (US Patent # 7747576)
Apparatus And Method To Map And Copy Computer Files (US Patent # 7747586)
Method For Regenerating Selected Rows For An Otherwise Static Result Set (US Patent # 7747640)
Metadata Modelling For Reporting (US Patent # 7747651)
Summarizing Application Performance In A Large System From A Components Perspective (US Patent # 7747653)
Mapping Hierarchical Data From A Query Result Into A Tabular Format With Jagged Rows (US Patent # 7747657)
Method For Automatic Detection Of Display Sharing And Alert Generation In Instant Messaging (US Patent # 7747685)
Method And Apparatus For Estimating A Local Performance Index To Measure The Performance Contribution Of A Single Server In A Multi-Tiered Environment (US Patent # 7747726)
Near Real-Time Data Center Switching For Client Requests (US Patent # 7747760)
Device, System, And Method Of Handling Delayed Transactions (US Patent # 7747803)
System And Method For Creating Different Start Cache And Bus States Using Multiple Test Patterns For Processor Design Verification And Validation (US Patent # 7747908)
Data Validation Rules For Acord Documents (US Patent # 7747945)
System And Method For Composing An Electronic Document From Physical Documents (US Patent # 7747949)
Filtering A List Of Available Install Items For An Install Program Based On A Consumer’S Install Policy (US Patent # 7748000)
Method Of Forming A Resistor And An Fet From The Metal Portion Of A Mosfet Metal Gate Stack (US Patent # 7749822)
Protection Of Polymer Surfaces During Micro-Fabrication (US Patent # 7749915)
Phase Change Material Structure And Related Method (US Patent # 7750335)
Structure And Method For Reducing Threshold Voltage Variation (US Patent # 7750414)
Single Coil Pair, Multiple Axis Inductive Power Coupling Apparatus And Method (US Patent # 7750507)
Method To Quickly Estimate Inductance For Timing Models (US Patent # 7750648)
System And Method For Packet Switch Cards Re-Synchronization (US Patent # 7751312)
Systems And Methods For Transmitting Data (US Patent # 7751486)
Trend Groups And Running Profiles In Real Time Analytics (US Patent # 7751909)
Inventory Management Of Resources (US Patent # 7752076)
System And Computer Program For Compressing Multi-Field Classification Rules (US Patent # 7752155)
Analysis Of Olap Data To Determine User-Relevant Information (US Patent # 7752162)
Method, System And Program Product For Centrally Managing Computer Backups (US Patent # 7752169)
Sql Query Construction Using Durable Query Components (US Patent # 7752197)
System And Method For Look Ahead Caching Of Personalized Web Content For Portals (US Patent # 7752203)
System And Method For Protecting Sensitive Data (US Patent # 7752215)
Methods And Apparatus For Views Of Input Specialized References (US Patent # 7752223)
Real-Time Identification Of Sub-Assemblies Containing Nested Parts (US Patent # 7752229)
Rounding Floating Point Division Results (US Patent # 7752250)
Apparatus And Method For Filtering And Selectively Inspecting E-Mail (US Patent # 7752274)
Methods, Systems, And Computer Program Products For Automatically Generating Best Practices For Configuring A Networked System (US Patent # 7752287)
Automatically Determining Management Information Base Modules For A Device (US Patent # 7752300)
Technique Of Analyzing An Information System State (US Patent # 7752307)
Method For Extending The Use Of Sip (Session Initiated Protocol) For Providing Debug Services (US Patent # 7752315)
Auxiliary Mechanism To Manage Instruction Restart And Restart Coming In A Lookahead Processor (US Patent # 7752354)
Parallel-Prefix Broadcast For A Parallel-Prefix Operation On A Parallel Computer (US Patent # 7752421)
Method And System For Virtual Removal Of Physical Field Replaceable Units (US Patent # 7752485)
Recovery From Failures In A Computing Environment (US Patent # 7752486)
System And Method For Using Resource Pools And Instruction Pools For Processor Design Verification And Validation (US Patent # 7752499)
Dynamic Generation And Implementation Of Globalization Verification Testing For User Interface Controls (US Patent # 7752501)
Method And Apparatus For Testing Software (US Patent # 7752502)
Method And Apparatus For Detection Of Data Errors In Tag Arrays (US Patent # 7752505)
Method, System, And Apparatus For Remote Interactions (US Patent # 7752544)
Method And System For Analyzing An Integrated Circuit Based On Sample Windows Selected Using An Open Deterministic Sequencing Technique (US Patent # 7752580)
Method, Apparatus, And Computer Program Product For Stale Ndr Detection (US Patent # 7752585)
Scheduler Design To Optimize System Performance Using Configurable Acceleration Engines (US Patent # 7752592)
Method, Apparatus And Program Stroage Device For Determining An Optimal Number Of Tasks During Reorganization Of A Database System With Memory And Processor Constraints (US Patent # 7752612)
Apparatus, System, And Method For Updating An Embedded Code Image (US Patent # 7752617)
Caching Resources Requested By Applications (US Patent # 7752625)
Apparatus, System, And Method For A Programming Model For Accessing Eis Systems As Services (US Patent # 7752639)
Transistor Structure With Recessed Source/Drain And Buried Etch Stop Layer And Related Method (US Patent # 7755171)
Pad Structure To Provide Improved Stress Relief (US Patent # 7755206)
3-D Sram Array To Improve Stability And Performance (US Patent # 7755926)
Provisioning Bandwidth For A Digital Media Stream (US Patent # 7756157)
Method And Apparatus For Reducing Reference Character Dictionary Comparisons During Handwriting Recognition (US Patent # 7756337)
Observation Apparatus, Observation Method And Program (US Patent # 7756655)
Accelerated Simulation And Verification Of A System Under Test (Sut) Using Cache And Replacement Management Tables (US Patent # 7756695)
Architecture For Business Process Integration (US Patent # 7756751)
Minimization Of Calculation Retrieval In A Multidimensional Database (US Patent # 7756854)
Advanced Handling Of Multiple Form Fields Based On Recent Behavior (US Patent # 7756860)
Methods And Apparatus For Efficiently Placing Stream Transforms Among Broker Machines Comprising An Overlay Network In A Publish-Subscribe Messaging System (US Patent # 7756925)
Eliminating Redundancy Of Attachments In Email Responses (US Patent # 7756938)
Identifying A Configuration For An Application In A Production Environment (US Patent # 7756973)
Device, Method And Computer Program Product Readable Medium For Determining The Identity Of A Component (US Patent # 7757015)
Adjusting Direction Of Data Flow Between I/O Bridges And I/O Hubs Based On Real Time Traffic Levels (US Patent # 7757017)
Method And System For Insuring Data Integrity In Anticipation Of A Disaster (US Patent # 7757111)
Method And Apparatus For Testing Of Enterprise Systems (US Patent # 7757117)
Inherited Transactions In Asynchronous Messaging (US Patent # 7757119)
Ignoring Redundant Symptoms In Modular Self-Healing Systems (US Patent # 7757120)
Debugging An Application Process At Runtime (US Patent # 7757217)
Reflective, Xml-Based Framework For The Construction Of Common Application Launchers (US Patent # 7757229)
Apparatus, System, And Method For Asynchronous Outbound Transaction Event Processing Into An Sap Application Using Service Oriented Architecture (US Patent # 7757242)
System Configured For Complex Determination Of A User’S Busy State And For Assigning An Organic “Do Not Disturb” Filter (US Patent # 7769039)
11 thoughts on “Twitter’s New Patent Trove (943 Patents) from IBM”
Hi Rick,
Thanks. Those were the three patents that IBM had informed Twitter that it was infringing, though only one of the (the first you listed) was included in the patents that Twitter had acquired, and I didn’t look very closely at any of those to see how good a match for Twitter or any other social networks they might be.
IBM has sold patents to Yahoo, Google, and Facebook in the past, so I’m not sure if the sale of the patents themselves is a sign of any next steps between Twitter and IBM. I just don’t see IBM offering any services in the near future that involve interactions with consumers, so some kind of joint venture along those lines seems unlikely. But it is unusual for a newly public company that seems so vulnerable in terms of a very small patent portfolio making a deal like this with such a patent rich company, in terms of both a patent acquisition, and a licensing of patents that might potentially protect Twitter from other companies that might claim infringement.
Interesting post Bill. Based on some of the titles, it would appear that these patents would be relevant to other social networking sites such as Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn just to name a few.
Specifically:
“U.S. Patent No. 6,957,224*: Efficient retrieval of uniform resource locators, U.S. Patent No. 7,072,849*: Method for presenting advertising in an interactive service and U.S. Patent No. 7,099,862*: Programmatic discovery of common contacts.”
What if anything, do you predict are the next steps by IBM and Twitter?
Twitter has always been vocal in debates over software patent protection. However, its intellectual-property strategy is quite unusual and as such it has scanty number of patents in its name. On the other hand, IBM stands out as a patent leader since 19 years in US by extensively filing patents. Considering the two companies contrasting views on patent protection and IP strategies, it is quite difficult to propose that how the two of them will negotiate a business resolution. However, in my view, Twitter, if it takes cues from Facebook (sued by Yahoo just before its IPO), might also ramp up a patent-buying spree to fight the might of IBM.
Bill – very interesting. I think that some of the patent numbers don’t match the titles, for example 7657401 is actually “Systems And Methods For Predicting Load Test Resource Requirements”. If you look at my initials and then look at the patent you might be able to figure out why I noticed that.
Thanks, BMG.
I’m going to have to check out how I mismatched those. I may have sorted them wrong in Excel as I was working through them. 🙁
I did make a concatenation error when using excel to format those, which is why those numbers were off.
Wow thanks Bill for such an extensive article. Twitter is finally waking up to the patents . Good to hear this as i am sure in the long run it is going to be a force to reckon with. thanks again.
Great work as always Bill!
The inclusion of semiconductor patents is the real head scratcher here I think, but they could potentially be helpful in horsetrading down the road with Google (Motorola) or Apple.
My guess is IBM probably put together a big bundle of patents, shopped it around, and took a “buy the whole set or leave it” approach, just part of their IP curation process.
An extensive article indeed! Great stuff, thank you. It’s not unusual for a company as big as Twitter to pursue so many patents – I read about Apple’s vast amount of ventures recently (including 3D printing and other such gadgets). It’ll be interesting to see if any of this lot comes to fruition. Personally I’d like to see an app which blocks out all Selfies.
Hi Dan,
Thanks. I suspect that they will be adding more patents to their portfolio in the future as well. It seems like good insurance against other companies that might be tempted to challenge them and the processes they follow.
Hi Ted.
Thank you. I just couldn’t help but take a closer look at what was included in the patent acquisition.
There were some surprises there, but I get the same sense that IBM put together a package in a bundle, after going through those and deciding through some kind of curation process. Given their extreme wealth of patents, and a culture that appears to encourage them, that type of process being a normal part of how they do business makes some sort of sense.
Hi Rick,
Thanks. Those were the three patents that IBM had informed Twitter that it was infringing, though only one of the (the first you listed) was included in the patents that Twitter had acquired, and I didn’t look very closely at any of those to see how good a match for Twitter or any other social networks they might be.
IBM has sold patents to Yahoo, Google, and Facebook in the past, so I’m not sure if the sale of the patents themselves is a sign of any next steps between Twitter and IBM. I just don’t see IBM offering any services in the near future that involve interactions with consumers, so some kind of joint venture along those lines seems unlikely. But it is unusual for a newly public company that seems so vulnerable in terms of a very small patent portfolio making a deal like this with such a patent rich company, in terms of both a patent acquisition, and a licensing of patents that might potentially protect Twitter from other companies that might claim infringement.
Interesting post Bill. Based on some of the titles, it would appear that these patents would be relevant to other social networking sites such as Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn just to name a few.
Specifically:
“U.S. Patent No. 6,957,224*: Efficient retrieval of uniform resource locators, U.S. Patent No. 7,072,849*: Method for presenting advertising in an interactive service and U.S. Patent No. 7,099,862*: Programmatic discovery of common contacts.”
What if anything, do you predict are the next steps by IBM and Twitter?
Twitter has always been vocal in debates over software patent protection. However, its intellectual-property strategy is quite unusual and as such it has scanty number of patents in its name. On the other hand, IBM stands out as a patent leader since 19 years in US by extensively filing patents. Considering the two companies contrasting views on patent protection and IP strategies, it is quite difficult to propose that how the two of them will negotiate a business resolution. However, in my view, Twitter, if it takes cues from Facebook (sued by Yahoo just before its IPO), might also ramp up a patent-buying spree to fight the might of IBM.
Bill – very interesting. I think that some of the patent numbers don’t match the titles, for example 7657401 is actually “Systems And Methods For Predicting Load Test Resource Requirements”. If you look at my initials and then look at the patent you might be able to figure out why I noticed that.
Thanks, BMG.
I’m going to have to check out how I mismatched those. I may have sorted them wrong in Excel as I was working through them. 🙁
I did make a concatenation error when using excel to format those, which is why those numbers were off.
Wow thanks Bill for such an extensive article. Twitter is finally waking up to the patents . Good to hear this as i am sure in the long run it is going to be a force to reckon with. thanks again.
Great work as always Bill!
The inclusion of semiconductor patents is the real head scratcher here I think, but they could potentially be helpful in horsetrading down the road with Google (Motorola) or Apple.
My guess is IBM probably put together a big bundle of patents, shopped it around, and took a “buy the whole set or leave it” approach, just part of their IP curation process.
An extensive article indeed! Great stuff, thank you. It’s not unusual for a company as big as Twitter to pursue so many patents – I read about Apple’s vast amount of ventures recently (including 3D printing and other such gadgets). It’ll be interesting to see if any of this lot comes to fruition. Personally I’d like to see an app which blocks out all Selfies.
Hi Dan,
Thanks. I suspect that they will be adding more patents to their portfolio in the future as well. It seems like good insurance against other companies that might be tempted to challenge them and the processes they follow.
Hi Ted.
Thank you. I just couldn’t help but take a closer look at what was included in the patent acquisition.
There were some surprises there, but I get the same sense that IBM put together a package in a bundle, after going through those and deciding through some kind of curation process. Given their extreme wealth of patents, and a culture that appears to encourage them, that type of process being a normal part of how they do business makes some sort of sense.
Have you checked out Google’s Patent Search Index Lately. I did a search for “twitter” and this is what came up: https://www.google.com/search?site=&tbm=pts&source=hp&q=twitter&oq=twitter
Position URL Title
1 https://www.google.com/patents/US20130103667?dq=twitter&hl=en&sa=X&ei=TSz9UrLjMsnOyQGu44CICg&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAA Sentiment and Influence Analysis of Twitter Tweets
2 https://www.google.com/patents/WO2013059290A1?cl=en&dq=twitter&hl=en&sa=X&ei=TSz9UrLjMsnOyQGu44CICg&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAQ Sentiment and influence analysis of twitter tweets
3 https://www.google.com/patents/CN101582691B?cl=en&dq=twitter&hl=en&sa=X&ei=TSz9UrLjMsnOyQGu44CICg&ved=0CEMQ6AEwAg De-twitter circuit based on fully digital phase-locked loop
4 https://www.google.com/patents/US8433815?dq=twitter&hl=en&sa=X&ei=TSz9UrLjMsnOyQGu44CICg&ved=0CEwQ6AEwAw Method and apparatus for collaborative upload of content
5 https://www.google.com/patents/US8463765?dq=twitter&hl=en&sa=X&ei=TSz9UrLjMsnOyQGu44CICg&ved=0CFMQ6AEwBA Method and system for creating vertical search engines with cloud …
6 https://www.google.com/patents/US8606792?dq=twitter&hl=en&sa=X&ei=TSz9UrLjMsnOyQGu44CICg&ved=0CFoQ6AEwBQ Scoring authors of posts
7 https://www.google.com/patents/US8521811?dq=twitter&hl=en&sa=X&ei=TSz9UrLjMsnOyQGu44CICg&ved=0CGEQ6AEwBg Device for presenting interactive content
8 https://www.google.com/patents/US8416806?dq=twitter&hl=en&sa=X&ei=TSz9UrLjMsnOyQGu44CICg&ved=0CGgQ6AEwBw Variable bandwidth communication systems and methods
9 https://www.google.com/patents/US8577350?dq=twitter&hl=en&sa=X&ei=TSz9UrLjMsnOyQGu44CICg&ved=0CG8Q6AEwCA Managing communications utilizing communication categories
10 https://www.google.com/patents/US8423424?dq=twitter&hl=en&sa=X&ei=TSz9UrLjMsnOyQGu44CICg&ved=0CHYQ6AEwCQ Web page fact checking system and method