For Software, Cracks in the Patent System - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com
►http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/10/07/business/patents.html
During a patent lawsuit, judges and juries sometimes turn to a patent’s path through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to be sure that it was new, useful and not obvious at the time it was invented. A look at the history of three Apple patents involved in recent lawsuits shows some of the challenges faced by the patent office.