一招半式走天下

通常一個專利只會被應用在某一個特定領域中，今天來介紹一家公司，以一個專利告遍各行各業。
德州的TQP Development公司自2008年起，以其US5,412,730號專利，至2012.4.5.即提出42件訴訟案，目前己有6件訴訟案和解。被告遍及各行各業，包括：Dell、Hewlett-Packard、 RIM、Deutsche Telekom AG、T-Mobile、United Air、Lowe’s、United Continental、Discover、Chevron、Costco...等，行業別包含：ITC、電信、航空、家俱、批發、能源、財務管理...。
系爭專利係描述在一套資訊傳遞或資料傳遞的過程，經由加密的方式能夠連接資料提供端至消費者端，原來專利所描述的方法係以電話作為例子，使用一些外部的裝置或是處理器來做為一個語音加密的演算法，使建立消費者與賣方之間安全溝通管道，TQP後來又將該技術衍伸至網路應用環境。

TQP Development, LLC
TQP係由US5,412,730專利發明人Michael Jones所創立的專利授權公司，目前在USPTO共有8件專利，都是很久以前申請的專利，其中1件申請日在1988年，已過保護期限，2件申請在1992年(包含本案的系爭專利)，專利即將到期，4件在1996年申請，最新的專利是在2006年所申請的1件，且只有這一件專利的發明人沒有Jones。而奇怪的是Jones在2002、2004及2005年各有1件專利的專利權人是Credence Systems Corporation，倒是值得了解的。

US5,412,730
Title : Encrypted data transmission system employing means for randomly altering the encryption keys
Filing Date : 1992.4.23.
Issue Date : 1995.5.2.
Abstract :
A modem suitable for transmitting encrypted data over voice-grade telephone line. The modem is implemented by the combination of integrated circuit components including a microprocessor, a serial communications controller which communicates with connected data terminal equipment, and a modulator/demodulator for translating between voice band tone signals and digital data. Pseudo random number generators are employed at both the transmitting and receiving stations to supply identical sequences of encryption keys to a transmitting encoder and a receiving decoder. An initial random number seed value is made available to both stations. The random number generators are advanced at times determined by predetermined characteristics of the data being transmitted so that, after transmission has taken place, the common encryption key can be known only to the transmitting and receiving stations.