Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!usc!apple!north
From: north@Apple.COM (Don North)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Software Patents (Was: Re: Reserve engineering stuff,.....)
Message-ID: <42490@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 29 Jun 90 18:37:17 GMT
References: <1990Jun19.184347.11429@midway.uchicago.edu> <12863@cbmvax.commodore.com> <1990Jun27.135727.17779@siia.mv.com>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Apple Computer, Inc.
Lines: 56

In article <1990Jun27.135727.17779@siia.mv.com> drd@siia.mv.com (David Dick) writes:
>In <12863@cbmvax.commodore.com> daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie) writes:
>
>>In article <1990Jun19.184347.11429@midway.uchicago.edu> gft_robert@gsbacd.uchicago.edu writes:
>
>>>There are indeed patents on some of the material in the Mac ROM.  The only one
>>>I know about specifically is "Regions".
>
>I remember there was some talk of Apple trying to patent the region
>implementation, but I never heard that it worked.  Does anyone actually
>know the patent number?  (Lots of times the trade press will talk about
>patents, but *very* seldom list the number.  The inclusion of those
>numbers would actually allow people to go look up the patent and
>see the real truth instead of some vague notions passed along by the
>writers.)

Here's a short list of some of Apple's H/W and S/W related patents:

4,136,359, Jan 23, 1979, Microcomputer For Use With Video Display (Apple ][)

4,210,959, Jul  1, 1980, Controller For Magnetic Disc, Recorder, or the like

4,278,972, Jul 14, 1981, Digitally-Controlled Color Signal Generation Means
                         for Use With Display (Apple ][ color)

4,464,652, Aug  7, 1984, Cursor Control Device For Use With Display Systems

4,466,033, Aug 14, 1984, Disk Drive With Automatic Disc Clamping And Ejecting

4,622,545, Nov 11, 1986, Method And Apparatus For Image Compression
                         And Manipulation (ie, Regions)

4,661,902, Apr 28, 1987, Local Area Network With Carrier Sense Collision
                         Avoidance (Appletalk/Localtalk)

4,689,786, Aug 25, 1987, Local Area Network With Self Assigned Address Method

4,742,448, May  3, 1988, Integrated Floppy Disk Drive Controller

4,884,069, Nov 28, 1989, Video Apparatus Employing VRAMS (MacII video card)

4,910,670, Mar 20, 1990, Sound Generation and Disk Speed Control Apparatus
                         for use with Computer Systems (original Mac sound)

4,916,556, Apr 10, 1990, Disk Drive Controller (SWIM floppy controller)

4,931,783, Jun  5, 1990, Method and Apparatus for Removable Menu Window

-- 

Don North   -----   Apple Computer, Inc.   -----   Advanced Technology Group

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{{ Facts are facts,  but any opinions expressed are my own,  and *do not* }}
{{ represent any viewpoint, official or otherwise, of Apple Computer, Inc.}}