Amazon Patents Catching Customers' Mistakes

from the everyone-else-must-leave-errors-alone dept

Tue, Jan 8th 2008 11:53pm — Mike Masnick

theodp writes "In a timely follow-up to the Did Amazon Cash In Big On Oprah Viewers' Confusion? item, the USPTO granted Amazon a patent Tuesday for Automatically Identifying Erroneous Orders, which means that trying to stop your customers from placing an incorrect order now constitutes patent infringement." Can someone please explain to me why this deserves a monopoly?

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Filed Under: customer mistakes, obviousness, patents
Companies: amazon

11 Comments

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julian fifield, 9 Jan 2008 @ 12:19am

Amazon patent
Well the short answer the question you pose is- it doesn't!
The patent office sysetm is f****. and until its sorted companies will pay the system to hell. Stupid.
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Brian, 9 Jan 2008 @ 4:39am

If only it worked
It doesn't even seem to do what claims all that well. I got two copies of a DVD from my father for Christmas by mistake (his, apparently). Since they were gifts, selected from my wishlist, and sent to me, that would seem like a perfect test for whether this even works.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Jan 2008 @ 6:33am

This is the kind of patent I love to see. I have this fantasy that if enough of these absolutely absurd patents make it through the system then the courts and/or Congress will wake up and outlaw all business and software patents. The doctor keeps increasing my medication, but I still keep having these fantasies.
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James, 9 Jan 2008 @ 6:39am

Because...
...Amazon is retarded. Just like that bs with "one glick", give me a fk'n break, and its not even "one" click you still have to click place order after you click that, so its technically TWO clicks ..need help? Thats 3... rediculous.
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Amanya Wannahearfrom, 9 Jan 2008 @ 6:42am

Feedback- dont worry about it. how about Johnny Le
As long as a given, new, means of suchlike detection can be demonstrated, it can have a patent without the problems your article presumes. There are countless methodologies to attain this goal.
How about some TECH DIRT. Example:

Johnny Lee and his 40 dollar Wii virtual desktop

(with a Wii-mote he demos a HDTV apparently projecting an image (that is how it appears)three feet in FRONT OF THE TV and far behind it also.

Mr Lee explains how this tech can be used TODAY for 40 bucks as a virtual whiteboard, a virtual game display system.
Mr Lee presents two of many variations of this tech.

Final: This is the future of TV, Computer, Fitness, Gaming, and nobody is even whispering about it?

What am I missing?

An informant is no good without my own dirt:

Please see Johnny Lee VR Wii and CMU (carnegie mellon univ) on youtube for the video demos.

Now that is Tech! and I want the Dirt on it!

Thanks
Mike Mech
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- Chuck Norris' Enemy (deceased), 9 Jan 2008 @ 7:14am
  
  Re: Feedback- dont worry about it. how about Johnn
  Do you know you can submit stories to the Techdirt Blog? That would be better than complaining...off topic.
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  - Chuck Norris' Enemy (deceased), 9 Jan 2008 @ 7:20am
    
    Re: Re: Feedback- dont worry about it. how about J
    Sorry...here is the correct submit link. Unless you really want to go to microsoft.com.
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  - Anonymous Coward, 9 Jan 2008 @ 7:22am
    
    Re: Re: Feedback- dont worry about it. how about J
    Ow! point taken!
    
    Can you do that for me with the provided info?
    
    Thanks for the tactful correction
    
    Mike Mech
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Jason, 9 Jan 2008 @ 7:04am

Patent App
I think I'll apply for a patent on apply broad patents. Then pretty much anyone who files a patent will owe me money. I think this is the new business model that'll make the most money.
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- Jason, 9 Jan 2008 @ 7:05am
  
  Re: Patent App
  It should read "I think I'll apply for a patent on applying for broad patents." Sorry about that.
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John, 9 Jan 2008 @ 10:33pm

Amazon Patents Catching Customers' Mistakes
We need to separate the WHAT from the HOW.
A patent contains specific details on HOW the invention works.
The title states WHAT the invention is.
I could file a patent for a "Personal Non-spill Gasoline Transportation Device", a.k.a. a gas can. I would have to describe in detail how it works. My patent prevents others from making a gas can that WORKS THE SAME WAY as mine does, because they would have to copy/use my idea and are making money off of it. My patent does NOT prevent others from making gas cans, just not like mine.

In this case, the patent covers HOW Amazon prevents customers mistakes, not WHAT it does. This would not prevent me from writing a program that did THE SAME THING, but in a DIFFERENT WAY.
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