Re: Corpora: US company claims patent on common machine translation

Patrick Juola (patrick.juola@psy.ox.ac.uk)
Mon, 13 Oct 97 10:59:00 +0100

Paul Rayson <paul@comp.lancs.ac.uk> wrote:

> Before becoming seriously alarmed I should like to know whether
> >U.S. Patent No. 4,864,503
> really exists and is of the wording cited.

You can check this on the US government Patent Office site at
http://www.uspto.gov/

The patent number can be searched for - I found the results at:

http://patents.uspto.gov/cgi-bin/ifetch4?INDEX+PATBIB-76-97+0+29357+0+2+3258
79+OF+1+1+1+PN%2f4864503

which says:

Method of using a created international language as an intermediate pathway
in
translation between two national
languages

Inventors:
Tolin; Bruce G. (Lisle, IL).
Assignee:
Toltran, Ltd. (Barrington, IL).
Appl. No.:
10,989
Filed:
Feb. 5, 1987

Abstract:

A method of using a created international language as an intermediate pathwa
y
in translation between two national languages, wherein the first language is
translated into the created international language, the latter serving as a
bridge, which is then translated into the second language. In the present
method there are interpretive steps rather than a strict word for word
translation, without interpretation, which has proven falacious in the past.


On the other hand, either it's prima-facie invalid, or the claims
made have been so hedged as to be meaningless. Hell, I can demonstrate
"prior art" in my own publications; the method that they use was
publically demonstrated by CETA in 1961.

Someone should suggest to their lawyers that barratry is a disbarring
offense.

-kitten