USPTO partially confirms validity of Amazon “1-click patent”

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Today, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued an office action, which confirmed the patentability of claims 6 to 10 of the Amazon 1-Click patent, US 5,960,411. The patent examiner, however, rejected claims 1 to 5 and 11 to 15. Amazon now has up to six months to amend the rejected claims to overcome the examiner’s rejection, provide arguments to demonstrate that the examiner is in error and/or provide evidence to demonstrate the patentability of their claims. During this period, the entire patent is still considered valid under US patent law.

The USPTO is reconsidering the patentability of the claims due to a request for reexamination filed by New Zealander Peter Calveley. Mr. Calveley used internet archives to show that defunct company Digi Cash used a similar technique prior to Amazon. Despite costing a substantial sum of cash and requiring donations to prepare and file the request for reexamination, Calveley said he did it as a game and hopes that his success inspires others to play the same game.

“One Click” shopping is an ecommerce technique, which allows a customer to purchase products via the Internet without repeatedly entering personal information such as name and address. At the time it was introduced it eased the frustration of on-line shopping.

Amazon filed the patent application for 1-click shopping in early 1997 and was granted the patent in September 1999. 23 days later Amazon sued rival Barnes & Noble for alleged infringement by its “Express Lane” ordering which was introduced in 1998. In December 1999 Amazon won an interim injunction against Barnes & Noble but the USA Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit lifted this injunction in February 2001. The parties then settled their dispute for undisclosed terms. Amazon has since successfully licensed the technique to other e-sellers such as Apple.

Britain’s top traffic cop faces driving ban

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

United Kingdom’s most senior traffic police officer faces charges of speeding at 90 mph in a 60 mph speed limit zone (the equivalent of speeding at 144 km/h in a 96 km/h zone). The Chief Constable of the South Yorkshire Police, Meredydd Hughes was allegedly caught speeding on the A5 road near Chirk in north Wales.

Hughes was caught by a camera that takes photographs of speeding cars. He is known as one of the main advocates for nationwide installation of such cameras.

Hughes is set to appear at Wrexham Magistrates Court on November 21, 2007. He faces a £1000 fine and a driving ban if convicted.

As the head of road policing within the Association of Chief Police Officers, Hughes can be considered the top traffic cop in the UK.

US strikes suspected Iraqi insurgents

Sunday, April 8, 2007

U.S. warplanes bombed suspected Iraqi insurgents in the Iraqi city of Diwaniya on Saturday. The reports from the United States military stated that the insurgents were armed with rocket propelled grenades and were a danger to their forces in the southern city of Diwaniya, 110 miles (177 kilometres) south of Baghdad.

The United States military said that residents in the predominantly Shi’ite city tipped them off to the arrival of insurgents carrying rocket propelled grenades in the area. “The troops made positive identification of the militiamen and called for the air strike,” a military statement said.

A U.S. military spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Scott Bleichwehl, said:

“ One person [sic] had been killed when a warplane fired on gunmen carrying rocket-propelled grenade launchers. The engagement was initiated by a tip that was called in by a local citizen. We had visual confirmation that there was a hostile target. There was no collateral damage. ”

In a statement the Iraqi police informed The Associated Press that one civilian was killed and five seriously injured when a U.S. tank fired upon a house in Diwaniya. The air strike was a part of a military program on insurgents located in the city of Diwaniya, which is widely known to be the home of Shi’ite insurgents. It is spearheaded by the new Iraqi army and is supported by soldiers and paratroopers within the coalition.

U.S. troops and Iraqi soldiers stormed the city before dawn on Friday the 6th of April, killing three insurgents and capturing 27 people, the U.S. military said. Code named Operation Black Eagle, the operation is targeting insurgents loyal to anti-American Shi’ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Among the discoveries and captures the assault force in Diwaniya came upon a site where powerful explosives were being assembled.

A spokesman for al-Sadr stated that on Saturday militia fighters in Diwaniya had destroyed three American vehicles and captured a robot used to detonate roadside bombs.

What Can Be Done About Holiday Stress And Special Occasions With Autistic Children? Find Out}

What Can Be Done About Holiday Stress and Special Occasions With Autistic Children? Find Out

by

Bonita Darula

If you have a child or relative with autism, you may be familiar with the difficulties of autistic children and holiday stress. Around the calendar holidays, or other events such as birthdays, anniversaries, graduations,special occasions, or “just because” special days, the stress level is increased to get everything done. Children with autism, can make these joyous times seem difficult, because they may have trouble communicating and understanding what the holidays are for and about.

Autistic children, can be extremely intelligent, but it is often difficult for them to express their needs. They sometimes struggle to control their emotional responses and even as they age, they are constantly having to be aware of the communication. This is due to the fact, that most autistic children do not do well with changes and stress.

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Children with autism are easily over stimulated, and the emotion and chaos of holidays or special events can set their limits to an extreme. Holidays usually include seeing relatives and large groups of people that they may not be used to. Autistic children like being in their comfort zone and usually have a difficult time opening up to new people. So being around large groups and crowds at holiday time can often be very difficult for autistic children.

It is important for the parents not to get upset if a child does not have an interest in parties, or the opening of presents. Children may be more content sitting in the corner alone, and that needs to be respected, nothing to be upset by. The child is most likely taking in all of the excitement in his or her own way. If you put pressure on children with autism to join in with the festivities, this will add more stress, and may cause a tantrum or break down. If interested in the presents or other festivities, he or she may jump in when they feel most comfortable. Allow your child to do this on their own terms, and when he or she has built up confidence to join in with the group. Your child may also prefer to open their presents alone or with you, after the craziness has died down, which is a challenge to accept and support.

Specifically, at the holidays try to avoid loud noises, a large amount of visitors to your home at the same time, being forced to do things, such as, eat with a group or open presents in a group, or forcing them to “behave” and engage with others when they are not ready to do so. If the child goes off on his own to play alone, let him do so, because he is doing that to cope with the overwhelming stress of the environment. Keep individuals who are not familiar with autism informed about the behavior of the child so they do not take offense to any behaviors or try to force the child to interact.

There is a lot of guidance and information from other parents who have lived through the difficulty of autistic children and holiday stress, so it is important to have a support structure in place to help you get through the holidays with joy, peace and fun.

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Article Source:

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}

British FTSE index reaches one-year high, other European markets rise

Monday, October 12, 2009

The British stock index FTSE 100 closed at its highest levels in over a year on Monday, following news of stronger commodity prices.

The share index increased by 48.3 points, or 0.9% to finish the day at a level of 5,210.17, a figure not seen since last September.

The best performer was the Old Mutual insurance company, reaching a sixteen-month high after gaining 4.6%.

Some economic analysts think that the FTSE index could continue to gain for the remainder of the week. David Jones, the chief market strategist at IG Index, said that “the next FTSE target traders are eyeing in the short term is the 5,350 high hit in September last year and the way sentiment is going it would not be a surprise to see that hit this week.”

Other European markets also posted gains on Monday. The German DAX index gained 71.35 points to a level of 5,783.23, while the French CAC 40 increased 46.19 points to 3,845.8.

Undermount Kitchen Sink Find The Best Suitable Undermount Kitchen Sink For Your Kitchen}

Undermount Kitchen Sink Find The Best Suitable Undermount Kitchen Sink For Your Kitchen

by

Lena Kavhovsky

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This is one of the most promising benefits that this modern Undermount kitchen sinks offers! Akin like any other kitchen sinks, this Undermount sinks features with incomparable functionality including all good special functions. Fixed below the countertop, they give an excellent finishing to your kitchenette. Clean finishing gives professional look to your interiors and also they remain to be neat for years. With compact size, they make your kitchenette wider and leave enough space empty.

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Stainless steel Undermount kitchen sinks are resistant rich and has excelling durability ratio, which finally makes them as the right choice. They come with varying shapes including oval, rectangular, round and elongated pattern. With good resistant quotient, the stainless sink remains repellent to stains, dents, and scratches. On considering the ceramic kitchen sinks, they come out with white finishing. They look simply great and they fit in well with your kitchen decors. If your expectation is new and desire to have unique theme, placing a customized order is also possible. As per your request, you can find the most impressive variety of sinks that complements your kitchen in all possible means. The solid ceramic kitchen sinks will be the right choice, if your little pastoral and simple. The advantageous of the durable Undermount kitchen sinks will include the following:

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Theresa May’s Conservative Party wins UK election but loses majority, leaving Brexit plan in question

Sunday, June 11, 2017

While Theresa May remains Prime Minister of Britain, her party, the Conservative Party, won Thursday’s general election but lost its majority in Parliament.

The next scheduled general election was not until 2020. May requested this general election, called a snap election, in April, when polls indicated it would strengthen the then-slight majority the Conservatives held in Parliament. Talks to establish the specifics of Britain’s departure from the European Union are set to begin June 19. Last year, British voters decided to leave the EU, but many of the specifics of the United Kingdom’s new relationship with the rest of Europe have yet to be established. May and the other Conservatives favor a “hard Brexit”, in which Britain would lose its current level of access to Europe’s single market and have to deal with higher tariffs and more complicated customs processes but it would regain full control of its borders with respect to trade and immigration. An increase in the number of Conservative Parliamentary seats would have supported this plan.

“Officially Theresa May is still the partner in Brexit negotiations,” said senior German MP Stephan Meyer, “but the political reality is different after this disastrous defeat. I can’t imagine that May will be able to remain prime minister.”

Jean-Claude Juncker of the European Commission said, “As far as the Commission is concerned we can open negotiations tomorrow morning at half past nine […] First we have to agree on the divorce and exit modalities, and then we have to envisage the architecture of our future relations. I do hope that the result of the elections will have no major impact on the negotiations we are desperately waiting for.”

A Parliamentary majority requires 326 of the organisation’s 650 seats. The Conservative Party holds 318 outright, including May’s own seat in Maidenhead, and the Labour Party holds 262, having gained about 30 in this election. In Britain, the leader of whichever political party has the most seats becomes Prime Minister, though they are also formally appointed by the monarch. Theresa May became leader of the Conservative Party on July 11 of last year and was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II two days later. Cases in which no political party wins outright are called a hung Parliament, and then two or more parties rule together in coalition. Britain had a coalition government from 2010 to 2015. Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party has pledged an unofficial alliance with the Conservatives, which would bring them up to 328.

This would make May the second Prime Minister in a row to call an election with unexpected results. David Cameron called for a referendum on Britain’s EU membership, not expecting the voters would reject it.

May’s current ministry said most of her senior officials, including Treasurer Philip Hammond, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, and Home Secretary Amber Rudd, will remain in the Cabinet.

May met with Queen Elizabeth II yesterday to request her permission to form a government in her name, a traditional formality.

Woman in Buffalo, New York accidentally sets herself on fire

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Buffalo, New York — A woman in Buffalo, New York in the United States is in critical condition tonight at Sisters Of Charity Hospital after she accidentally set herself on fire.

The unnamed elderly woman was receiving oxygen for medical problems in her home and lit a cigarette, and the oxygen coming from her mask facilitated the ignition of her clothing, setting her on fire.

Despite her “severe” burns as described by firefighters on radio communications, she was still able to dial the emergency line in the U.S., 911.

In the U.S. only 4% of all residential fires were reportedly caused by smoking materials in 2002. These fires, however, were responsible for 19% of residential fire fatalities and 9% of injuries. The fatality rate due to smoking is nearly four times higher than the overall residential fire rate; injuries are more than twice as likely. Forty percent of all smoking fires start in the bedroom or living room/family room; in 35% of these fires, bedding or upholstered furniture are the items first ignited.

New York court rules in favor of same-sex marriage

Friday, February 4, 2005

New York, New York – Five same-sex couples won a major victory Friday as a New York State court ruled that gay couples must be allowed to marry.

Doris Ling-Cohan, a New York state Supreme Court justice, said New York’s state constitution guarantees lesbian and gay people equal access to marriage rights that are violated when same-sex couples are not allowed to marry.

“This is a historic ruling that delivers the state Constitution’s promise of equality to all New Yorkers,” Susan Sommer, Supervising Attorney at Lambda Legal Defense Fund, said in a statement to reporters.

In the New York State justice system, the Supreme Court is court in which cases originate, and is not the highest court. Decisions from the Supreme Court may, with reason, be appealed to the Appellate Division, and possibly beyond that to the Court of Appeals, the highest court in the New York State justice system.

Justice Ling-Cohan ordered the New York City Clerk’s office to start issuing marriage licences to same-sex couple within 30 days. An appeal is expected.

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