Microsoft Patents Way to Avoid Walking into Sketchy Areas

[JMcEntegart]

Microsoft has obtained a patent for producing walking directions based on several varying factors depending on the time of day, weather and even crime rates.

Microsoft Patents Way to Avoid Walking into Sketchy Areas : Read more

 

[iLLz]

People have been doing this for years, how is this patentable?

 

[maximus81]

This would be funny. Your phone starts blinking with a huge RUN on the screen. lol

 

[willard]

In the same way that people have been giving directions for years, but GPS technologies are patented.

 

[classzero]

Planning your walk to avoid the ghetto now entails paying Micro$oft a license.

 

[lamorpa]

Can there at least be a new designation: Obvious Concept Patent?

 

[digitalzom-b]

Wow, sounds like an advanced gather component... it can tell which neighborhoods are owned by the bloods and crips, and to stay of 3rd street after 9pm, the hookers there can be violent -- according to police reports.

Yeah, I don't see this working :|

 

[jamie_1318]

This is hardly patent trolling at all. Compared to patenting a gesture, patenting software that automatically creates pedestrian routes by combining local data sources almost looks commendable. Especially considering that automobile route planning using software is already patented.

Although a patent shouldn't be the method of competition with an obvious idea like this. What they should really do is make better software and databases than everyone else in order to beat out the competition.

 

[freggo]

Sounds to be it is an 'just in case we will ever use it' patent.
I live in southern Florida; love to ride my bicycle for errands. I practically never encounter 'walkers' except those going from the super market to the car. American's just don't walk (NYC does not count).

 

[digitalzom-b]

[citation][nom]jamie_1318[/nom]This is hardly patent trolling at all. Compared to patenting a gesture, patenting software that automatically creates pedestrian routes by combining local data sources almost looks commendable. Especially considering that automobile route planning using software is already patented.Although a patent shouldn't be the method of competition with an obvious idea like this. What they should really do is make better software and databases than everyone else in order to beat out the competition.[/citation]

Why? So some company who don't even try to make or research the software makes a patent for it to sue companies when it's finally made?

 

[classzero]

[citation][nom]digitalzom-b[/nom]... Yeah, I don't see this working :|[/citation]

Crime information has been available in Microsoft Map Point for at least a decade.

 

[willwayne]

This would be especially useful for tourists.

How long until the criminals start using this to find "untapped" resources?

 

[iam2thecrowe]

I think they did this to see how much of a rediculous patent they could get away with, just to poke fun at the patent system. They figured, if apple can patent random crap, we can too.

 

[Delengowski]

I guess people getting that reliant on technology that they can't tell when they're walking into the bad part of town. Common sense was just patented

 

[wiyosaya]

[citation][nom]lamorpa[/nom]Can there at least be a new designation: Obvious Concept Patent?[/citation]
There already is an exclusion on getting a patent on an "obvious" invention. The definition of "obvious," though, seems to be something patent examiners (at least in the US) do not understand. I expect that patents that are disallowed under the "obvious" rule have to be fought in court after the patent is granted.

 

[iamtheking123]

"Avoid Black Neighborhoods"

Yeah I tick that box on my GPS.

 

[John1969]

people still walk?

 

[lathe26]

What are the odds that Microsoft will have a snappy answer to walking into Mordor? Sadly, unlike Google, not much.

 

[Gulli]

[citation][nom]jamie_1318[/nom]This is hardly patent trolling at all. Compared to patenting a gesture, patenting software that automatically creates pedestrian routes by combining local data sources almost looks commendable. Especially considering that automobile route planning using software is already patented.Although a patent shouldn't be the method of competition with an obvious idea like this. What they should really do is make better software and databases than everyone else in order to beat out the competition.[/citation]

I disagree. A specific algorithm is worthy of a patent, not the general concept the algorithm is supposed to be used for.

If I develop a new type of car engine I can patent that specific type of car engine, but I shouldn't be able to patent the concept of a car engine.

This kind of patent trolling is outlawed in most countries, as it should be, unfortunately the United States is not one of those countries.

 

[11796pcs]

[citation][nom]John1969[/nom]people still walk?[/citation]
[citation][nom]iamtheking123[/nom]"Avoid Black Neighborhoods"Yeah I tick that box on my GPS.[/citation]
+1 to both of you. I am actually suprised someone didn't think of this earlier though. You would think Google would have thought of something like this for their Android phone users in New York City. Good idea Microsoft, now just don't mess up the implementation.

 

[rasagul]

I'm against this, how else are we going to thin the heard?

 

[funguseater]

Funny, I wonder how many cities/towns will threaten to sue Microsoft for claiming they are too dangerous to walk in. This reminds me of Air Canada telling its employees not to stay in downtown Winnipeg because it was too dangerous... And what happens when you live in one of these zones, will it tell you to just circle the block???

 

[ikyung]

If there is a 3 year old baby standing on the corner of the street.. that is probably the direction to avoid.

 

[viciouz2000]

apple will sue, because none can get directions to apple store.

 

[twelch82]

How did patents ever get so screwed up that you can patent something that you haven't made, and haven't even delivered a blueprint for how to make? If you can't create the thing in question just from the patent alone, then that patent shouldn't exist.