September 7, 2006 IBM files United States Patent: 8095941. This patent was for:
A system for generating an electronic notification containing a portion of a day out of office notice, comprising: an application server node operably associated with a database server having an application data supporting personal information management (PIM) system, the application server node configured to execute a personal information management application, the application server node further configured to store the personal information management application…
Yes, they applied for a patent for the Out of Office notification! This is only a piece of the “claim” in what has to be one of the longest run-on sentences I have ever read.