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| 7/9 |
| 2004/6/24 [Science/Electric, Computer/SW/OS/Windows] UID:30988 Activity:very high |
6/24 Your body belongs to Bill Gates:
http://news.com.com/2100-1014_3-5244766.html
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,116655,00.asp
\_ All your skin are belong to us.
\_ "Since last year, Microsoft has been on a campaign to
generate more money from its intellectual property, and in
recent weeks the company has obtained patents for
double-clicking, XML-scripting methods and a system for
generating a to-do list from source code."
\_ Double-click? I guess they are more evil than Apple trying
to patent the GUI.
\_ I don't think it's evil for microsoft or apple to try to
patent stupid stuff; I think it's evil for the patent office
to let them get away with it.
\_ No. The rights to produce products that uses your skin as an
electrical conduit to power Windows powered wearable computing
devices belongs to Microsoft in certain parts of the world for
the next few years. But that isn't as exciting as claiming BG
owns your skin.
\_ I thought the agents in the Matrix already has this technology. |
| 7/9 |
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| news.com.com/2100-1014_3-5244766.html In its filing, Microsoft cites the proliferation of wearable electronic devices, such as wristwatches, pagers, PDAs (worn on people's belts) and small displays that can now be mounted on headgear. "As a result of carrying multiple portable electronic devices, there is often a significant amount of redundancy in terms of input/output devices included in the portable devices used by a single person," says the filing. "For example, a watch, pager, PDA and radio may all include a speaker." To reduce the redundancy of input/output devices, Microsoft's patent proposes a personal area network that allows a single data input or output device to be used by multiple portable devices. Some, such as Bluetooth, use radio signals, while others use infrared. Some work has been done on near-field intrabody communications--most notably by IBM's Almaden Research Labs, which at Comdex 1996 demonstrated a prototype device, which was about the size of a pack of playing cards, that let two people exchange electronic business cards by shaking hands. In its filing, Microsoft says its work addresses wearable devices that are too small to have any kind of interface or even a battery, such as earrings. The company proposes using pulsed AC or DC signals to power the devices. A 100Hz signal could be used to power one device, while a 150Hz signal could be used to power another, the company said, and data signals can be modulated on top of these power signals. Furthermore, Microsoft said, the physical resistance offered by the human body could be used to create a virtual keyboard on a patch of skin. And just to make sure it has covered all its bases, the filing concludes with a reference for Fido. "It will be apparent," it says, "that the body may be that of a wide variety of living animals and need not be limited to being a body of a human being." The new patent is just one of many for the software giant. |
| www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,116655,00.asp Microsoft Patents Body-As-Network A human conduit could distribute power across wearable devices, developer says. Stephen Lawson, IDG News Service Wednesday, June 23, 2004 Microsoft has a patent on a new kind of network: Your body. The software giant has received a US patent for a "method and apparatus for transmitting power and data using the human body." such as watches, keyboards, displays, and speakers using the conductivity of "a body of a living creature." Powering Devices A variety of devices could be powered selectively from a single power source carried on the body, via multiple power supply signals at different frequencies, according to the patent abstract. In addition, data and audio signals could be transmitted over that same power signal. The power source and devices would be connected to the body via electrodes. wearable devices with redundant parts for input and output of data, such as separate speakers in a watch, a radio, and a personal digital assistant. If all those devices were networked, they could all share one speaker, the company suggests. Personal wireless networks have potential problems involving power consumption, interference and security, and batteries add weight and are inconvenient to replace or recharge, according to Microsoft. A Microsoft spokesperson on Wednesday confirmed the company has been awarded the patent. Microsoft did not immediately provide any details of product plans for the technology. Practical Uses The idea of using the body to transmit power among devices is not new, according to Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney. "Think about the problems of always having to have things touching your body," Dulaney says. "I think this could be one of those technologies that's interesting but not practical in the long run." One area in which the body could be useful as a network conduit might be useful is with medical devices, he adds. |