Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's Interval Licensing is suing11 companies, including tech giants Apple and Google, alleging patent infringement. Below, a look at the patents in the lawsuit.

Browser for Use in Navigating a Body of Information, With Particular Application to Browsing Information Represented by Audiovisual Data

What It Is:Obviously, it's a browser for use in navigating a body of information, with particular application for browsing information represented by audiovisual data. Duh.

What it looks like, in the patent, is a news aggregator. In fact, the original 2001 document calls one potential use of the invention a "news browser." Among other things, it allows users to quickly see related stories, whether the medium is text, audio or something else.

What the Images Show: Art accompanying the filing shows something that looks a lot like a Web page dedicated to gathering news from many different sources -- text and video, world and international news, and so on. There's also a flow chart showing the gathering and storage of information and the systems that are used to decide what to display to the user.

What the Implications Are:The specific example in the patent might be for a news aggregator, but the patent could have applications far beyond news. The suit says the defendants are infringing the patent "by making and using websites, hardware and software to categorize, compare and display segments of a body of information." That quote describes a lotof websites.

Attention Manager for Occupying the Peripheral Attention of a Person in the Vicinity of a Display Device



What It Is:The patentdescribes a tool that gives people news, stock quotes, ads and other information, peripherally to their main activity. One version of the tool makes use of the "unused capacity" of the screen and specifically mentions screen savers and wallpaper as areas where information could be displayed. Another displays content even when the user is busy but does so in an unobtrusive way. There are two patents with the same title listed in the suit, and one is a continuation of the other application.

What the Images Show:There's a somewhat awkward rendering of a computer desktop with an alert telling the user about some news and giving options to see more, cancel, go on to the next news item, etc. Also included are plenty of flow charts. The tool evaluates whether the user is "idle" or busy and whether there is any information available that might be of interest. It also looks for new information to be displayed from content providers.

What the Implications Are: AOL, Apple, Google and Yahoo are the only companies alleged in the suit to have violated these patents. But again, the patent is for a tool that is ubiquitous online, particularly on websites that give users real-time news updates.

Alerting Users to Items of Current Interest

What It Is:The writers of this patentshould be congratulated for coming up with a title that really does succinctly describe what the patent is for. Basically, it's a system for sifting through information, evaluating what the user would want to see and then giving an alert when such information pops up.

The patent's best example of why the invention is necessary describes a webcam of a watering hole in Africa. "There would be many periods during which nothing of particular interest (e.g., no animals, etc.) would be happening at the watering hole." Sometimes, though, there would be something awesome, like lions, and people would want to know. That's where the invention comes in. It would tell you the animals are there (hopefully with a helpful alert like "Oh my God! Lions!").

What the Images Show:More flow charts! Plus schematics. A user indicates things like interests and URLs they want to monitor. The tool queries a database to see when such items are available and then alerts the user.

What the Implications Are:Theoretically it could apply to anything that uses technology to alert you to something you're interested in. It's important not only for news but for e-commerce -- think about notices when an item you like is on sale or when a bid has been placed on something you're watching. This patent is the only one in the suit that all the companies are alleged to have violated.

Follow Jennifer Valentino-DeVries on Twitter @jenvalentino.