Questionable Business Method Claims
“YOU’RE KIDDING, RIGHT?” PATENTS, 2006 (Beginning August)
August 1, 2006PATENT / COMMENTS
Method and System for Conducting a Transaction Over a Network; US 7,085,744 B2; August 1, 2006; Class 705/71; 33 claims; Assigned to IBM / A method for conducting a transaction between a first computer system and a second computer system, involving in part several encryption steps
August 22, 2006
PATENT / COMMENTS
Method for Enhancing the Equity of a Business Entity; US 7,096,195 B1; August 22, 2006; Class 705/36; 11 claims / A debt instrument is secured by the written unconditional promise to pay of the business entity and assets of the business entity; the debt instrument is issued to an equity share of the business; the business pays the principal and interest from the debt instrument to the shareholder of record of the equity share
September 5, 2006
PATENT / COMMENTS
System and Method for Aggregate Portfolio Client Support; US 7,103,556 B2; September 5, 2006; Class 705/1; 18 claims; Assigned to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. / Information and data is exchanged electronically between a client and an investment advisor or broker
September 12, 2006
PATENT / COMMENTS
Death Care Merchandising System; US 7,107,222 B1; September 12, 2006; Class 705/1; 19 claims / A system of display shelves or holders to display caskets.
September 26, 2006
PATENT / COMMENTS
Method and System for Providing Insurance Protection Against Loss of Retirement Accumulations in a Tax Favored Define Contribution Plan in the Event of a Participant’s Disability; US 7,113,913 B1; September 26, 2006; Class 705/4; 34 claims / The use of a disability insurance policy to continue making, for an employee who becomes disable, payments into a retirement plan
October 3, 2006
PATENT / COMMENTS
System and Method for Providing Financial Services to Children and Teenagers; US 7,117,173 B1; October 3, 2005; Class 705/35; 19 claims / A financial account statement that includes images representing various types of accounts and that can connect with the various providers of the accounts
Method and Apparatus for Managing a Virtual Mutual Fund; US 7,117,175 B2; October 3, 2006; Class 705/36R; 32 claims; assigned to Research Affiliates, LLC / A virtual mutual fund comprising a collection of assets traded separately but managed collectively, and taking tax rules into consideration
October 10, 2006
PATENT / COMMENTS
Systems and Methods for Improving Investment Performance; US 7,120,600 B2; October 10, 2006; Class 705/36R; 18 claims / Investment allocations allegedly removed from the influence of money mangers
October 24, 2006
PATENT / COMMENTS
System and Method for Creating and Administering an Investment Instrument; US 7,127,423 B2; October 24, 2006; Class 705/36; 76 claims; Ameriprise Financial Inc. / Investment transaction enabling a participant to participate in a market index and preserve principal
October 31, 2006
PATENT / COMMENTS
Systems and Methods for Facilitating Research and Development; US 7,130,802 B1; October 31, 2006; Class 705/1; 13 claims; assigned to NineSigma, Inc. / An attempt to keep secret a firm’s interest in an R&D project by selectively seeking the support of R&D sellers
Method and Apparatus for Generating Progressive Inquiries and Models for Decision Support; US 7,130,805 B2; October 31, 2006; Class 705/1; 10 claims; assigned to International Business Machines Corporation / An alleged next generation support system that includes highly adaptive sensors, transport, and models to enable time critical decision making; progressive data representation, progressive transmission, and progressive modeling are the three elements integrated together.
Electronic Gift Linking; US 7,130,817 B2; October 31, 2006; Class 705/26; 20 claims; assigned to First Data Corporation / A method for creating an electronic greeting card that references a gift
Method and Computer Readable Medium for Search Scoring; US 7,130,819 B2; October 31, 2006; Class 705/26; 33 claims; assigned to Yahoo! Inc. / Method for arranging search results
November 7, 2006
PATENT / COMMENTS
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol Workflow Management System; US 7,133,833 B1; November 7, 2006; Class 705/7; 27 claims; assigned to Netscape Communications Corporation / A process for converting a logical process into a reusable directory protocol in a computer environment; sounds suspiciously like nothing more than a computer program
November 14, 2006
PATENT / COMMENTS
Business Method for Quality Assurance of Services; US 7,136,823 B2; November 14, 2006; Class 705/7; 20 claims; assigned to International Business Machines Corporation / A process of arriving at an information technology services solution for a customer, seemingly consisting of nothing more than analyzing the customer’s needs and proposing a solution
November 21, 2006
PATENT / COMMENTS
Method of Offering Free Products or Services Over the Internet; US 7,139,725 B1; November 21, 2006; Class 705/14; 3 claims / Using a random number generator to give a purchaser of a product over the Internet a chance to receive the product free
November 28, 2006
PATENT / COMMENTS
Medical Facility Building Structure; US 7,143,050 B2; November 28, 2006; Class 705/2; 12 claims / Numbering rooms in a medical facility, providing a patient with a card by which his or her location can be monitored, and giving patients directions as to which room to go to
Assessment of Communication Strengths of Individuals from Electronic Messages; US 7,143,054 B2; November 28, 2006; Class 705/10; 18 claims; assigned to The Procter & Gamble Company / Analyzing emails to determine who are talkers and who are listeners
Method for Maintaining an Absolute Risk Level for an Investment Portfolio; US 7,143,061 B2; November 28, 2006; Class 705/36R; 12 claims / Balancing funds between short and long stock portfolios in an effort to keep the level of risk constant
December 5, 2006
PATENT / COMMENTS
Method and Apparatus for Negotiating a Contract over a Computer Network; US 7,146,343 B2; December 5, 2006; Class 705/80; 17 claims; assigned to J.J. Donahue & Company / Negotiating a contract over the Internet by indicating agree or disagree to proposed clauses
December 12, 2006
PATENT / COMMENTS
Method for Financing Future Needs; US 7,149,712 B2; December 12, 2006; Class 705/35; 14 claims / In essence, a life insurance contract that involves a variable annuity
Automated Targeted and Proportional Investment Management Systems and Methods; US 7,149,714 B1; December 12, 2006; Class 705/36R; 11 claims / Monitoring an investment in relation to a target value, and adding to or reducing the investment depending on movement in the relationship
December 19, 2006
PATENT / COMMENTS
Method and Apparatus for Matching Pets to Appropriate Pet Products and Supplies; US 7,152,036 B2; December 19, 2006; Class 705/1; 2 claims / Matching pets and the foods they should eat by assigning breed codes
Derivatives Trading Methods that Use a Variable Order Price; US 7,152,041 B2; December 19, 2006; Class 705/36R; 16 claims; assigned to Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Inc. / Dynamically determining a price for a derivative product by, in part, monitoring changes in the derivative’s underlying product
December 26, 2006
PATENT / COMMENTS
Method and Apparatus for Managing Information and Communications Related to Municipal Bonds and Other Securities; US 7,155,408 B2; December 26, 2006; Class 705/35; 53 claims; assigned to Digital Assurance Certification L.L.C. / Receiving, forwarding, and monitoring required disclosure documents for bonds and other securities
Trade Financing Method, Instruments and Systems; US 7,155,409 B1; December 26, 2006; Class 705/37; 56 claims; assigned to Trade Finance Service Corporation / In essence, a contractual system for trade financing
Agreement Management System and Method; US 7,155,419 B2; December 26, 2006; Class 705/80; 41 claims; assigned to AgreeNet / In essence, keeping track of an agreement and related documents by assigning them a unique ID