PWG> FYI: MIB Patent Issue

PWG> FYI: MIB Patent Issue

Randy Turner rturner at sharplabs.com
Sat May 9 21:23:03 EDT 1998


With all of the prior art concerning MIBs and device management via SNMP,
if this patent is allowed by any patent office, then I am going to submit a
patent for "independent heuristic thought". That way, any idea or product
that is ever conceived from now on would have to be licensed from me.....;) 


Randy




At 02:48 PM 5/8/98 -0700, Stuart Rowley wrote:
>PWG Members,
>
>It has come to my attention that on Feb 3, 1997, Canon filed Japanese 
>patent number 10-74132 (translated title is "Image Creation Method and its 
>Device").  On Mar 17, 1998 the Japanese patent office opened this proposed 
>patent for public comment. This is a very broad patent which includes the 
>use of SNMP and an extended MIB to configure or acquire status information 
>from an imaging device such as a printer.  The patent text does not clarify 
>the meaning of "extended MIB" and uses such basic examples as setting a 
>device's copy count.
>
>It is Kyocera's concern that if this patent is not challenged, any use of a 
>MIB for device configuration or status feedback could be covered by Canon's 
>patent. Our understanding is that if there is no similar patent covering 
>the issue in the U.S. then the Japanese patent would also apply in the U.S. 
>
>It is our hope that other companies review Canon's proposed patent, and if 
>they share Kyocera's concerns regarding the implications of this patent, to 
>voice their concerns to the Japanese patent authorities.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Stuart
>
>--------------------------------------------------------------------- 
>Stuart Rowley                              Kyocera Electronics, Inc. 
>Network Product Development Mgr.           3675 Mt. Diablo Blvd. #105 
>stuart.rowley at kyocera.com                  Lafayette, CA 94549
>510 299-7206                               Fax: 510 299-2489 
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