Some good folks from Microsoft applied to patent C's 
 !=
operator on pointers, this time for "basic like languages" (a very broad category it seems since they mentioned DelphiLanguage, a direct Pascal derivative). 

http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220040230959%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20040230959&RS=DN/20040230959

The new operator is called IsNot and operates on "objects" aka references aka pointers. Actually I am thoroughly surprised that they mention DelPhi since everybody and their grandma's used the 
 <>
Pascal operator at least once in their lifetime. As in
 while (ptr <> nil) do 
 begin
 {....}
 ptr:=ptr^.next;
 end; 
For iterating over a linked list.

In the argument the authors discuss that the typical code would look like
 If Not (ref1 = ref2) Then ....
and this generates one more machine code than necessary, while the new optimized code would be:
 If (ref1 IsNot ref2) Then ....
a novel and interesting variation on JZ versus JNZ assembly optimization. 


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''Actually, it's not quite that bad.  The above is a patent '''application''', not an issued patent.  Not to defend the patent office, which is well-known for its incompetence.  But given the public outcry, I doubt this application will see the light of day.''

''If there were any justice, Microsoft would be fined for filing a frivolous patent application such as this.  But the law doesn't provide for that.''

''The "inventor" named on the patent application has gone on record as not being proud of this...apparently, MS required him to participate in the patent application.  (Many employers "encourage" their employees to patent anything they can)''

Thanks for the correction. In any case, it is a testimony to USPTO's reliability in promoting patents that the authors and their project manager and patent committee (or whatever mechanism) decided to go ahead and spend the non-trivial legal fees in the hope that the patent will be granted.

''Amen.  Even the most trivial of concepts can be made to sound original by obfuscating it in legalese.''

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'''HAH!'''  There was massive public outcry at the use of XOR for rubber-banding and other reversible graphics operations too, but the patent was still issued.  If this patent gets approved, I claim that a lynching of every employee of the patent office is not only highly desired, but ''necessary.''  This bull@@@@ has gone on entirely too long.  --SamuelFalvo

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CategoryLegal CategoryStupid