From phm@a2e.de  Thu Jan 25 15:13:44 2001
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 16:13:44 +0100 (CET)
From: PILCH Hartmut phm@a2e.de
Subject: [Patents] Sun patent on using search string in hyperlinks

Sun owns the concept of bringing the web browser not only to a document
but to a certain place in the document where a search string is found.
This is causing headaches at the W3C.

Already in the horror gallery, see

        http://swpat.ffii.org/vreji/pikta/xrani/xpointer/

It has been impossible for me to find out, whether this patent has also
been gratend by the EPO.  The

        EPO's patent search mask
        http://ep.espacenet.com

seems to be broken.  It reports that it found some patents and tells me to
click on them to get further info, but it doesn't present anything to
click on.

The Espacenet system has always been horribly obscure, apparently designed
by the EPO to withhold its data and thus be able to commercialise
them while still pretending to be giving them to the public.

-phm





