大鯨魚輸了、小蝦米贏了

Apple輸了與Mirror Worlds的官司，並被判賠償$625.5百萬美元
updated on Apr. 8, 2011, 法院撤銷此賠償金額，原因是沒有證據顯示有此損害（之前陪審團認為Apple有故意侵害）
updated on Sep. 6, 2012, 法院（U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington）認定Apple勝訴，無侵權事實

Mirror Worlds是一個由耶魯大學教授David Gelernter建立的公司，顯然相對Apple，MW是個小蝦米
這個官司是有關三件有關Apple電腦螢幕顯示方法，與相關檔案封面流（cover flow，檔案icon呈現一頁頁可掀的頁面內容）與時間機器（Time Machine，恢復先前系統的功能）

先看看陪審團裁定書，認定是故意侵權與三件高額的賠償


（畫面摘自http://www.patentlyapple.com/網站）

侵權案判定是根據三的美國專利，分別是US6,006,227, US6,638,313, US6,725,427（在最早地方法院提出的訴訟則還包括US6,768,999）
訴狀中認為Apple電腦產品中的MAC電腦, iPhone, iPods, MAC OSX中根據時間戳記管理檔案的方式侵害US6,006,227的專利範圍；Apple電腦中的MAC電腦、MAC OSX中顯示多種檔案的時間指標（time-based indicator）侵害US6,638,313專利範圍；認為Apple電腦的MAC電腦、iPods, iPhones,與MAC OSX中顯示檔案內容的方式侵害US6,725,427專利，也就是icon上顯示檔案內容的樣子

US6,006,227揭露一種文件流（document stream）作業系統，初看還看不太懂，從摘要來看，這種作業系統的文件儲存在依照時間順序排列的「流」裡面；此儲存體對使用者是透明的，也就是不會感覺到它的存在；用資訊（information）管理文件取代文件建立時的時間；使用者可透過複雜的邏輯來概括整個文件群；自動歸檔！

看過這些，對這個發明還是只有一點點瞭解，就是文件是依照時間戳記來儲存，且文件不僅只除在一個stream裡，而可以存在在多個stream中，並且這些儲存動作對於使用者來說並無負擔，是默默在背後運算的。由圖來理解，

這張圖是說，使用者可以利用滑鼠拖拉來看到每個文件的封面預覽，利用顏色區分文件的狀態，能隨時選擇其中之一文件來編輯、觀看。參考Apple電腦對time machine的說明，可利用外部儲存體自動備份整個電腦內容，使用者並不會感到它的存在，而且需要時，可以用cover flow瀏覽檔案

這些依照時間順序除存在stream的文件與支援的作業系統，並可隨時瀏覽其中文件，這樣的範圍如以下主要範圍的內容：

1. A computer system which organizes each data unit received by or generated by the computer system, comprising:

means for generating a main stream of data units and at least one substream, the main stream for receiving each data unit received by or generated by the computer system, and each substream for containing data units only from the main stream;

means for receiving data units from other computer systems;

means for generating data units by the computer system;

means for selecting a timestamp to identify each data unit;

means for associating each data unit with at least one chronological indicator having the respective timestamp;

means for including each data unit according to the timestamp in the respective chronological indicator in the main stream; and

means for maintaining the main stream and the substreams as persistent streams.

US6,638,313這件的專利範圍好讀一些，包括接收檔案、連結時間指標、自動存檔、自動建立掃視預覽、選擇、使用、顯示相互覆蓋堆疊的檔案（這個動作描述的維妙維肖）

1. A method of utilizing a document stream operating system that in turn utilizes subsystems from at least one other operating system, comprising:

receiving documents from diverse applications in formats that are specific to the respective applications and differ as between at least some of said applications;

automatically associating time-based indicators with the documents received in the receiving step from the diverse applications;

automatically archiving the received documents;

automatically creating glance views that are abbreviated versions of respective ones of said documents;

selectively displaying at least some of said documents as a receding, foreshortened stack of partly overlapping documents so that only a part of each of said documents in the displayed stack, after the first document in the stack, is visible to the user;

said displaying further including displaying a cursor or pointer and responding to a user sliding the cursor or pointer over said displayed stack to display the glance view of the document in the stack that is currently touched by the cursor or pointer, without requiring clicking on the document; and

utilizing, in said document stream operating system, subsystems from said at least one other operating system for operations including writing documents to storage media, interrupt handling and input/output.

US6,725,427，這權利範圍顯然是針對裝置而言，而方法更是傳神地描述瀏覽檔案的畫面，但此三案顯然是一個技術的衍生，變成三件侵權案，有點鼓勵申請人用多案多方向申請專利的意外，誰叫Apple算是準確對上這幾個專利1. A stream-based operating system utilizing subsystems from another operating system running a computer, comprising:

a document organizing facility receiving documents created by diverse applications in diverse formats specific to the respective applications;

said document organizing facility automatically associating respective selected indicators with the received documents, automatically archiving the documents and indicators in consistent format for selective retrieval, and automatically creating information specifying respective glance views of said documents and respective document representations of said documents;

a display facility displaying at least selected document representations as a receding, foreshortened stack of partly overlapping document representations such that only a part of each displayed document representation, after the first in the stack, is visible to the user;

said display facility further displaying a cursor or pointer and responding to user-controlled sliding without clicking of the cursor over said displayed stack to display a glance view of a document whose document representation is currently touched by the cursor or pointer; and

said stream-based operating system utilizing subsystems from said another operating system for operations including writing documents to storage media, interrupt handling and input/output.

mac osx overflow browsing:



Ron