Re: Is b-tree index patented?

"Alfredo Novoa" <alfredo_at_ncs.es> wrote in message news:e4330f45.0310191552.4122e4a8_at_posting.google.com...
> "Mikito Harakiri" <mikharakiri_at_iahu.com> wrote in message
news:<V2Hjb.53$wP6.76_at_news.oracle.com>...
> > What is going on with patents in software?
>
> This is about Europe:
>
> http://swpat.ffii.org/journal/news/index.en.html#aipla0310
>
> >Not to point fingers, but any
> > randomly selected patent like this
> >
> >

http://164.195.100.11/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fne
> >

tahtml%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&d=PALL&RefSrch=yes&Query=PN%2F5884309
> >
> > just looks silly.
>
> It is not the silliest I have seen (by far).
>
> What do you think about this?
>
>
http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2F netahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=McGoveran.I N.&OS=IN/McGoveran&RS=IN/McGoveran
>

Thanks for the links. Certainly, it's much harder to figure D&McGoveran view update method from that patent description, than from the articles;-)

> > It's more reasonable to
> > search for an opposite case, great inventions that haven't been
patented.
> > Was b-tree patented, for example?
>
> Imagine I have a better algorithm which I can not found on any book or
> patent. Should I try to patent it, or it does not deserve the effort?

Some bitmap index compression algorithms are patented. The problem is that if one particular compression method is unavaiable to the competitor as patented, I guess it's comparatively easy to invent a new one.

I'm not sure about software, but algorithms should be patentable. Why new algorithm is not an invention? On the other hand, how can one verify patent violation without the access to the source code? Received on Mon Oct 20 2003 - 22:37:15 CEST