Hello George,
When I read your in-depth research on BCB's patent protection,
someting about it seemed to convey a misunderstanding, so I
went to Ken Murton for verification. Here's his explanation of the
patent:
First, the patent was applied for in the 1980's, when DOS was the
operating system of choice. The key part of the patent is the way in
which we handle data traffic, voice included, as well as how we
operate on any network (incl NT. Novell, LANtastic, Banyan Vines) and how we minimize the impact of transferring voice files over
the network using compression. We are compatible with all these
networks so we don't require the end user to be constrained to only
one network when installing a BCB system.
The key to the patent is based on unique packet-streaming, which allows BCB to capture and digitize speech, and then move these voice
files through a small buffer. As the buffer is filled, the voice data is broken down into small "packets" which are carried through thte
network to the server and from there to the designated workstation. The breakthrough here (protected by patent) is that the process does not interfere with other data moving through the network - competitors
who do not employ a packet streaming process like this have to dedicate most of the network's resources to the dictation system
causing a serious risk of crippling the network.
That's Ken's explanation, and a very logical one. Also, the DOS horror you express is probably not well grounded, as Windows 95 and 98 run on top of DOS.
INteresting that you have access to the patent office and that you
would spend the time researching this...
Flora |
