Juno Secures Patent for Core Internet Access Technology World's Second
Largest Online Service Patents "Offline" Access Model
(Business Wire; 11/10/98)
NEW YORK (Nov. 10) BUSINESS WIRE -Nov. 10, 1998--Juno Online Services, the
second largest provider of dial-up Internet services in the world, announced
today that it has been awarded a U.S. patent that covers key components of its
Internet business model.
Patent No. 5,809,242, issued on Sept. 15, 1998, grants Juno a patent on
certain fundamental information processing technologies used to enable Juno's
subscribers to read and write e-mail and interact with advertisements while
they are not connected to Juno's central computers ("offline"). The patent
covers the operation of a system which displays interactive advertisements or
other digital information to a remote user after that user has terminated his
or her Internet access connection. The advertising or other digital information
to be shown is downloaded to the user while he or she is connected to an
Internet access provider's computers and is then stored ("cached") on the
user's computer for later display. With the issuance of the patent, the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office has granted Juno a U.S. monopoly on this invention
until 2016.
Juno provides U.S. consumers with a full range of Internet services, ranging
from basic dial-up Internet e-mail, which it provides completely free, to full
Internet access. All of Juno's service levels use the patented technology.
"Juno is dedicated to innovating in ways that improve users' experience of the
Internet. Our members often cite our offline model as one of the things they
most value," said Charles Ardai, Juno's president and one of the team of
inventors responsible for developing the patented technology. "Additionally,
the patented offline model gives Juno a substantial competitive advantage over
other Internet access providers who have to bear the cost of much longer user
connections."
"With this patent, Juno joins the ranks of major technology companies who have
secured patent protection for critical Internet-related applications over the
past year," notes Richard Buchband, Juno senior vice president and general
counsel. "This patent forms a key element in Juno's portfolio of intellectual
property, and one that we envision will grow in significance and value over
time. We expect companion patents to issue within the next few months,
including one later in November." Juno has already held discussions with a
number of other companies about licensing key pieces of Juno's proprietary
technology. About Juno Online Services, L.P.
Launched on April 22, 1996, Juno is the world's second largest provider (after
America Online) of dial-up Internet services, with more than six million Juno
accounts created since its launch. Juno has won several industry awards for its
software, including a five-star rating from PC Computing Online (May 23, 1997).
Juno was also honored by FORTUNE (July 9, 1997) as one of the "25 Cool
Technology Companies of 1997." Juno was organized and financed by D. E. Shaw &
Co., L.P.--a global investment bank whose activities center on various aspects
of the intersection between technology and finance--and its affiliates.
More than 150 advertisers have purchased advertising on Juno since the
service's launch, including such major firms as Allstate, American Express,
Bristol-Myers Squibb, Citicorp, Chrysler, Delta Airlines, the Ford Motor
Company, IBM, Intel, Merrill Lynch, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, and Travelers
Group. Additionally, Juno has recently announced a number of major strategic
marketing alliances, including exclusive multi-year relationships with Bank of
America (involving the marketing of credit cards and related services) and
Qwest/LCI (for the marketing of long distance and other telecommunications
services). An abstract of Juno's patent (No. 5,809,242) may be found at
http://aids.uspto.gov/. Juno's software may be downloaded over the Internet
from its Web site at http://www.juno.com/.
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