Deferred pattern isn't from jQuery. It's from Twisted and the first JavaScript library to use it was MochiKit. A nitpick I know, but I think it's good to know where things really come from ;-)
He didn't say it originated from jQuery. The question is solid, because jQuery is probably the most used implementation.
Same basic principle, it's a Promise library, but this one is by wycats.
I'd be curious to know if jQuery Deferred object passes the same promise test that RSVP.js mentions. (Not quite curious enough to run the test myself though, work is a bit to crazy today. Wait, what am I still doing on HN!)