Wednesday, December 18, 2002
AOL Patents IM Technologies
Posted by Janak Parekh in "NEWS" @ 07:12 AM
A Pocket PC Thoughts reader noted that AOL has been granted a patent on various network-based messaging ideas, including the ideas of a network-based chat environment with buddy lists and notification.
It's not clear whether AOL will ever enforce this patent (as it is, they've been in hot water keeping their IM networks closed), and the enforceability of it is in question, but as we move to more and more connected devices (be it a PPCPE, Palm, RIM, etc.), the claims are going to cover a broader array of devices and technologies.
If you're curious, here's the actual patent.
It's not clear whether AOL will ever enforce this patent (as it is, they've been in hot water keeping their IM networks closed), and the enforceability of it is in question, but as we move to more and more connected devices (be it a PPCPE, Palm, RIM, etc.), the claims are going to cover a broader array of devices and technologies.
If you're curious, here's the actual patent.
