[Fedora-legal-list] avant-window-navigitor patents?

[Matt McCutchen]

On Sat, 2010-08-07 at 16:55 -0600, Kevin Fenzi wrote:
> Some folks were telling me that they thought that our
> avant-window-navigator package might be infringing on: 
> 
> US patent 7434177
> 
> http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?patentnumber=7,434,177
> http://www.wikipatents.com/US-Patent-7434177/user-interface-for-providing-consolidation-and-access
> 
> Any thoughts on this? I don't see mention of it in the review for the
> package: 
> 
> https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=238863
> 
> Does the patent only deal with the "Zoom" functionality? 
> Or is there just anything that lists a bunch of icons?

It looks like each of the independent claims refers to either
magification or movement of icons in response to the mouse.  A simple
row of icons does not appear to be covered, and if it were, I am
guessing Active Desktop toolbars in Windows 95 would be prior art.  But
IANAL.

-- 
Matt