This is getting out of hand fast.

United States Patent: 6,785,865 (http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6,785,865.WKU.&OS=PN/6,785,865&RS=PN/6,785,865)
Discoverability and navigation of hyperlinks via tabs

Abstract

A user may discover and navigate among hyperlinks through the use of a keyboard. For example, a user may press a tab key to discover and navigate to a first hyperlink that is part of a hypertext document. The first hyperlink is, in response, given focus and a focus shape is drawn around the text or graphics for the hot region of the hyperlink. If the user again presses the tab key, the next hyperlink is given focus and a focus shape (i.e., an outline that surrounds the next hyperlink) is drawn around the next hyperlink. A user may also tab to a placeholder for an image in order to make a decision whether the image should be downloaded or not.

Inventors: Cote; Joseph Paul-Emile Pierre (Issaquah, WA); Cordell; John P. (Seattle, WA); Brown; Christopher R. (Seattle, WA)
Assignee: Microsoft Corporation (Redmond, WA)

Every browser I know has this feature, even Lynx. I just can't believe what these patent officers are doing, and can these inventors really prove they invented it?

:blackeye:

Maybe they also have a patent for the CTL+ALT+DEL key combination, or even the the dreaded BSOD. At least in the second example, they can be certain that others are not trying to copy them :=).

I believe the only criteria for a US patent is that they don't have the exact thing already patented :p

It is up to other people to prove that the "invention" has already been around for some time and was actually thought up someone else.