Could this have been a joke by the patent examiner who handled the document?

If you look very closely at this Microsoft patent document (http://www.google.co.uk/patents/US8181265?printsec=abstract#...), on page 2, you'll see that the reference to the swing patent has an asterisk next to it.

The document says, specifically, on page 2: … 6,368,227 B1* 4/2002 Olson…472/118 … * cited by examiner

A handful of other the "cited by examiner" references are to apparently useful references (other patents that cover antipiracy stuff). Dunno why the examiner would add the swing patent unless perhaps they thought their system was a joke? Or am I misreading what the asterisk means? (The examiner also cited the "method of exercising a cat" patent in this document.)

I love the fact that this same MS patent also references "Method of exercising a cat" http://www.google.co.uk/patents/US5443036.

Also seems to reference 'Method of exercising a cat', http://www.google.co.uk/patents/US5443036

I went through both Samsung and MSFT patents that 'refer' to this patents. This patent, in both cases, is cited by the examiner. So, my idea behind that is the examiner either didn't like his job or had a good sense of humor about whole patent process!

Or it was a form of protest. Those patents are now tied to absurdist humor forever.

Passive-aggressive gesture by the engineers after being strong-armed into working through the application?

Perhaps human error with the USPTO data entry system. Or, as others have said, as a joke.