By changing the word 'a' to 'the' and adding the phrase 'purchasable through a shopping cart model,' lawyers for Amazon.com have apparently managed to reinstate two of CEO Jeff Bezos' 1-Click Patent claims that were rejected a month earlier. 'Patent Owner's Rep was informed that the proposed addition to the claims appear to place the claims in condition of patentability,' writes the USPTO in its Ex Parte Reexamination Interview Summary of the 11-15 conference call that was held with five representatives of the USPTO and patent reformer Amazon.

from Slashdot wasn't the most promising start of Thanksgiving. But appearances can be deceiving. Peter Calveley, the New Zealander who filed the patent challenge (with our support I might add), writes in to call attention to a post on his blog explaining why this is defeat for Amazon - or what is more salient, victory for the rest of us. The key point is the blocking technology point. Amazon's original claims were so broad they blocked the use of one-click for practically anything to do with making a purchase. The revised claims are specifically in the context of the shopping cart model - Peter points out that in the future innovation in payments systems will not be in the context of a shopping cart model.