Another amazing internet patent

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [CYBERIA] Another amazing internet patent
Date: Tue, 07 Mar 2006 16:27:48 -0500
From: Stephen T. Middlebrook <Stephen.Middlebrook () FMS TREAS GOV>
Reply-To: Law & Policy of Computer Communications
<CYBERIA-L () LISTSERV AOL COM>
To: CYBERIA-L () LISTSERV AOL COM

Don't send an email confirming an electronic transaction -- that's now
patented.  How does this stuff get through?

stm

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 28 -- Stephane H. Maes of Danbury, Conn., has
developed systems and methods for confirming electronic transactions.

According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, the invention relates to
"systems and methods for providing user-confirmation of an electronic
transaction and in particular, protocols for enabling electronic
signatures and confirmation of electronic documents and transactions such
as electronic financial transactions and credit card payment."

An abstract of the invention, released by the Patent Office, said: "In one
aspect, a method for confirming an electronic transaction, comprises the
steps of: performing an electronic transaction between a first party and a
second party; sending, by the second party, a request for confirmation of
the electronic transaction to a predetermined, private mailbox associated
with the first party; accessing the private mailbox by the first party;
and sending, by the first party, a reply message to the request for
confirmation to thereby confirm authorization of the electronic
transaction."

The inventor was issued U.S. Patent No. 7,003,497 on Feb. 21.

The patent has been assigned to International Business Machines Corp.,
Armonk, N.Y.

The original application was filed on Dec. 31, 2001, and is available
at:
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=/netahtml/search-adv.htm&r=302&f=G&l=50&d=PTXT&s1=ISYMD-20060221&p=7&OS=ISD/02/21/2006&RS=ISD/02/21/2006.


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