MS receives a patent on spreadsheet objects

How about this patent, filed two years ago and granted to Microsoft on August
26, 2006 : 7,099,890

"Storing objects in a spreadsheet

Abstract

A spreadsheet application provides a rich programming and modeling
environment. The spreadsheet application of the present invention does this
by recognizing a new "object" data type in addition to the conventional
spreadsheet data types: numbers, text, date, Boolean, and error. The object
data type can be used to create an instance of an external object and store
the object in a cell of a spreadsheet. Once an object has been created in a
spreadsheet, the object can be invoked or accessed from any other cell or
formula in the spreadsheet. The spreadsheet application of the present
invention provides several special object functions that operate to enable a
user to create and invoke an object. A user can directly call functions from
objects that are installed on a local or remote machine, by integrating an
object function within a spreadsheet formula. Thus, the user is provided with
a tool for integrating outside data services into a spreadsheet and may take
advantage of pre-existing objects. "

An examination of the claims and methods will show that this patent IS
protecting the process.

IF upheld against a contest this patent alone will destroy OOo, and probably
GNUMERIC and KSpread too.