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From: Jeff Edwards <vtailjeff@aol.com>
Subject: Re: [LML] Runwayfinder
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Bob

Thanks for the facts. Patents are granted and defended for a reason in this c=
ountry. Some folks think patents don't matter.=20

Jeff


AvSafe=20
Jeff Edwards
314.308.6719 mobile
636.532.5638 office
Jeff.edwards@avsafe.com

On Dec 16, 2010, at 5:34 PM, bob mackey <n103md@yahoo.com> wrote:

>> Is anyone else disturbed by the activities of FlightPrep against Runwayfi=
nder.com,
>> a little free online flight planner? They also went after Jepp/AOPA and o=
ther flight planners.
>=20
> DISCLAIMER
> I do not use FlightPrep or RunwayFinder.com. I have no opinion or judgment=

> on whether they are good, bad, or ugly. I am not an attorney or patent
> examiner.
> But I do have some familiarity with patents.
>=20
> There is one US patent issued to Stenbrock and Everson, US patent number
> 7,640,098, Filed 25 September 2005 and issued 29December 2009.
> http://www.pat2pdf.org/pat2pdf/foo.pl?number=3D7640098
> The '098 patent has three independent claims and 20 dependent. The
> independents are reprinted here:
>=20
> 1) 1. A process for generating a flight plan for preflight use by a
> pilot, comprising: accessing over a computer network from a client
> computer a Web page having a housekeeping frame and a selected
> composite travel navigation chart from among plural selected composite
> travel navigation charts stored at a server computer, each selected
> composite travel navigation chart including a travel chart merged with
> travel navigation waypoints, the travel navigation waypoints including
> radio navigation aids; downloading the Web page with the selected
> composite travel navigation chart from the server computer to the
> client computer as a two-dimensional array of map tiles that include
> up-to-date navigation data and cover an area over which a flight is to
> be planned; indicating X, Y coordinates of each of a plurality of
> navigation waypoints on the selected composite travel navigation chart
> at the client computer; sending the X, Y coordinates of each
> navigation waypoint to the housekeeping frame of the Web page; and
> drawing over the selected composite travel navigation chart on the
> client computer route line segments according to the X, Y coordinates,
> as instructed by housekeeping frame of the Web page, to generate a
> flight plan for preflight use by a pilot.
>=20
> 11. A process for generating a flight plan for preflight use by a
> pilot, comprising: accessing over a computer network from a client
> computer a Web page having a housekeeping frame and a selected
> composite travel navigation chart from among plural selected composite
> travel navigation charts stored at a server computer, each selected
> composite travel navigation chart including a travel chart merged with
> travel navigation waypoints, the travel navigation waypoints including
> radio navigation aids; downloading the Web page with the selected
> composite travel navigation chart from the server computer to the
> client computer as a two-dimensional array of map tiles that include
> up-to-date navigation data and cover an area over which a flight is to
> be planned; indicating X, Y coordinates of each of a plurality of
> navigation waypoints on the selected composite travel navigation chart
> at the client computer; sending the X, Y coordinates of each
> navigation waypoint to the housekeeping frame of the Web page; drawing
> over the selected composite travel navigation chart on the client
> computer route line segments according to the X, Y coordinates, as
> instructed by housekeeping frame of the Web page, to generate a flight
> plan for preflight use by a pilot; displaying on the client computer
> less than all of the selected composite travel navigation chart that
> is downloaded from the server computer; and scrolling across the
> selected composite travel navigation chart at the client computer to
> display a portion of the selected composite travel navigation chart
> that was not previously displayed, without downloading from the server
> computer as part of the scrolling the portion of the selected
> composite travel navigation chart that was not previously displayed.
>=20
> 21. A flight plan generating method, comprising: providing a Web page
> having a housekeeping frame and a selected composite travel navigation
> chart over a computer network to a browser on client computer, the
> selected composite travel navigation chart including a selected travel
> chart merged with travel navigation waypoints, the travel navigation
> waypoints including radio navigation aids; displaying at least a
> portion of selected composite travel navigation chart in the browser
> on the client computer as a two-dimensional array of map tiles that
> include up-to-date navigation data and cover an area over which a
> flight is to be planned; indicating X, Y coordinates of each of a
> plurality of navigation waypoints on the selected composite travel
> navigation chart displayed in the browser on the client computer;
> sending the X, Y coordinates of each navigation waypoint to the
> housekeeping frame of the Web page; and drawing over the selected
> composite travel navigation chart in the browser on the client
> computer route line segments according to the X, Y coordinates, as
> instructed by housekeeping frame of the Web page, to generate a flight
> plan for preflight use by a pilot.
>=20
> ------------------------------
>=20
> In other words, the patent claims some specific methods of using a web bro=
wser
> and web server to deliver and display flight planning information. I
> am not an expert
> if flight planning software, but it would appear to me that there are
> numerous ways
> to work around the '098 claims.
>=20
> If a competitor were using a method that might be considered to infringe, t=
hen
> it might be a prudent business decision to stop doing it that way. They mi=
ght
> take their website down and redesign it so that it served the same purpose=
s
> without infringing. If they were just running a website for fun, it
> might not be
> fun anymore. Or they may wish to assert their rights to continue running
> their website if they doubt the validity of the patent or the will of
> the enforcer.
> It is up to the involved parties to choose their actions.
>=20
> -bob
>=20
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