Microsoft patents Page Up / Page Down functionality, April 1st seen lingering in the distance

Here's one straight from the far left corner of left field. Microsoft has not only filed for, but actually received a patent that essentially amounts to Page Up / Page Down functionality. More specifically, the patent covers a "method and system for navigating paginated content in page-based increments," and it goes on to cite an example of "pressing a Page Down or Page Up keyboard key / button [that] allows a user to begin at any starting vertical location within a page, and navigate to that same location on the next or previous page." Brilliant, or just plain spiteful?

[Via GigaOm]

[Ramin @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:05AM]

Just stupid...

[From My Cube @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:16AM]

not really, If I would have thought of this I would be typing this from a solid gold keyboard after I sued everyone back to the Apple IIc days

[Knives_Out @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:21AM]

In quake 2 I had my railgun bound to PgDn.

... fyi

[High Ranks make you sterile @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:27AM]

I patented "Alt+Tab" so I could name my first born that and make her/him feel special.

Use it and die.

[PCIV @ Sep 2nd 2008 10:04AM]

Sorry. on a mac, i'll command-tab all i want!

[Quix @ Sep 2nd 2008 10:34AM]

Microsoft: The Freedom To Innovate (TM)

[dan2600 @ Sep 2nd 2008 12:52PM]

Actually this isn't stupid at all, MS really deserves this after putting up with all the BS patents that apple has been awarded that they have had to work around.

Way to go MS...this makes me happy.

[BigD145 @ Sep 2nd 2008 2:06PM]

They should patent the letter "Q" just so nobody can use it ever again. Damn annoying Q. Always stumping me in Scrabble.

[ntlam @ Sep 2nd 2008 7:22PM]

er.... later there will be news about: XXXX company patents all the alphabet on the keyboard...

[Chris @ Sep 3rd 2008 5:26AM]

if you are reading my comment you owe Microsoft some cash money

[Chris Macdonald @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:05AM]

this is so interesting

[mackid105 @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:06AM]

lol i love how they use the macbook pro page up and page down buttons in a story about microsoft. i saw the pic looked down at my keyboard and loled

[Adderz @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:15AM]

i did the exact same thing. I looked at the bottoms, and thought hey that looks familiar....

i loled at that and your comment.

[Adderz @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:16AM]

*buttons

lol, why cant you edit posts argh

[Ed @ Sep 2nd 2008 11:52AM]

I don't get it... my 15" Macbook Pro doesn't have Page Up/Down buttons. Have I been ripped off?!

[Joseph @ Sep 2nd 2008 12:06PM]

might be a powerbook w/ backlit keys. I think the MBP doesnt have those.

Guy who can't page up/down. Use the Fn button + up or down

[Vince @ Sep 2nd 2008 12:22PM]

It's the Up/Down keys. And yeah, that's as funny as M$ putting a Mac on it's Windows Office page. Hilarious.

*has a MacBook Pro*

[HunterXI @ Sep 2nd 2008 3:42PM]

I was about to say the same thing... Oh, the irony!

FYI, I believe it's the MacBook/MacBook Pro revised keyboard (which started appearing at the beginning of this year) which doesn't have the page up/down labels on it. That's definitely an MBP; looks exactly like mine (MBP 3,1 – when keyboard backlight is on).

[Chris Macdonald @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:06AM]

DFTT

[shanoboy @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:07AM]

I think it's just another patent to throw in the closet. In the future some poor keyboard maker will include the functionality on one of their products, not realizing it's been patented then MS will sue them into oblivion and swallow all their assets whole!

[dervheid @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:07AM]

FUCKING
ARSEHOLES!

Enough with the 'patents' shite!

[dan2600 @ Sep 2nd 2008 12:52PM]

agreed

apple should stop patenting everything so other companies don't have to either.


the majority of companies these days have to patent everything so apple doesn't first.

[JJV @ Sep 2nd 2008 2:53PM]

But see that is different, if you come up with the idea to implement multi touch on a phone and you develop all the software to make it amazing then you should be able to do it. but if it isnt your idea such as the pgUP and pgDOWN buttons then you shouldnt be able to. I mean you might as well patent a letter saying "a way of fixating the character "x" in an operating system and while typing..." i mean that is just ridiculous.

As long as you have come up with the idea, and apple has come up with most of theirs, then it is fine.

[Muhammed @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:07AM]

I can't remember the last time I pressed one of those keys.

[Scythe @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:12AM]

Become a software developer, and you'll love it. I'd die if I lost page up/down.

[Meridimus @ Sep 2nd 2008 10:07AM]

I prefer Space, Shift+Space nowadays. Pg Up and Pg Dn — who cares

[chefgon_ign @ Sep 2nd 2008 10:23AM]

I'm a C# software developer and I never use the page up or page down keys. I think they're worthless. Maybe they're handy for people stuck in Java hell.

[Mile @ Sep 2nd 2008 1:05PM]

Well, the next time you do press one of those keys, please send .001 cents to MS.

[water.and.sand @ Sep 2nd 2008 3:11PM]

omg Meridimus... I never knew about space, space + shift functionality.
That's awesome. Thank you.

[elloh7 @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:07AM]

Hasn't Page up/down functionality been around alot longer than microsoft? Need research..!!!

[Todd @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:10AM]

Main Entry: desperate
adjective

1 a: having lost hope b: giving no ground for hope
2 a: moved by despair b: involving or employing extreme measures in an attempt to escape defeat or frustration
3: suffering extreme need or anxiety
4: Makers of the biggest product failure in history. See Microsoft. Windows Vista.

[Todd @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:10AM]

Main Entry: desperate
adjective

1 a: having lost hope b: giving no ground for hope
2 a: moved by despair b: involving or employing extreme measures in an attempt to escape defeat or frustration
3: suffering extreme need or anxiety
4: Makers of the biggest product failure in history. See Microsoft. Windows Vista.

[Chanzo @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:18AM]

Main Entry:
1du·pli·cate Listen to the pronunciation of 1duplicate
Pronunciation:
\ˈdü-pli-kət also ˈdyü-\
Function:
adjective

1 : consisting of or existing in two corresponding or identical parts or examples
2 : being the same as another

[Josh @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:20AM]

I wouldn't consider a product that made me $5+ billion profit a failure. What the hell do you consider a success?

[Tarnation @ Sep 2nd 2008 2:31PM]

Vista is already more successful than XP at this juncture, ergo it will be more successful overall. You are just one of the many sheep who don't know what they are talking about. Someone who actually knows a thing or two about computers would realize that Vista is better than XP. #Blue Screens with Vista: 0 Viruses and Spyware with Vista: 0. I make good money cleaning up people overly infected XP machines.

[Derek @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:11AM]

Wow. Just... wow.

[avester @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:13AM]

I wish that they would patent capslock too, and send a legion of apes armed with un-conventional weapons against everyone using it.

[sinjinn @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:14AM]

stupid

[farfisa @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:16AM]

Hmm, this seems to infringe upon my patent on "just plain hitting keys on a keyboard."

[Law @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:16AM]

If you read the patent, and not the dodgy summaries of the patent then you'd realise they're not patenting the Page Down/Page Up keys. They wouldn't get a patent for that as the idea has been around for ages. The patent relates to moving to the exact same place on the next page including the zoom level which page up/page down keys dont do.

[Rocketboy @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:48AM]

Yes, but that would require something other than a quick reaction so you can use your $ key again to spell Microsoft.

But it is sad that Engadget would write up something like this after this take on the story had already been shown to be wrong on other sites.

[Ray-- @ Sep 2nd 2008 10:16AM]

I wish engadget would let us rate the actual articles... so we could all low rank this one..

[Vidikron (FU) @ Sep 2nd 2008 11:34AM]

It's still an utterly stupid patent. All they're patenting is the ability to go up/down exactly one page. And maintaining zoom levels? Maybe the Pg Up/Pg Dn buttons don't do that, but a thousand buttons within various programs do that already. Go set your zoom in Adobe and hit the next page button... the zoom level is magically maintained. Wow! I can't even think of a program that doesn't do that. Should something like this really be protected by a patent?

[atlasfugged @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:16AM]

Hasn't anyone at the Patent Office used a keyboard before?

[Ollie @ Sep 2nd 2008 1:08PM]

The real question is if anyone at the U.S. patent office has any common sense... or at least just sense.

[Ike Turner @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:19AM]

Didn't Apple get a patent for inventing the "FANBOY" and "DOUCHEBAG" ?
IIRC Jobs was the mastermind behind the web's downfall.

[Quix @ Sep 2nd 2008 10:07AM]

And it appears you're infringing on their patents by being both. Particularly the latter.

[Eric @ Sep 2nd 2008 11:13AM]

Apple tried to get a patent for Douchbag, but it was already give to Microsoft, right after they stabbed IBM in the back over OS/2 and turned the code into Windows NT.

As a matter of fact, the WWW was created on Jobs second machine - the NeXT.

Someone needs a patent on trolls, so we can sue them into silence.

[Knives_Out @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:20AM]

I'm filing a patent for the tab and esc key right now ...

[willy the impeached @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:24AM]

Ok Balmer, we'll see who laughs last when I patent the letters m,i,c,r,o,s,f and t.