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Microsoft Patents Timed Button Presses

Posted by timothy on from the lieutenant-obvious dept.

ScooterB writes "According to TechDirt, Microsoft has patented having the action of a button determined by how long the button was pressed. From the patent listing, it seems to be targeted towards PDA's and other handhelds." Whether patents like this are the chicken or the egg, this relates to an MSNBC article submitted by prostoalex which says "United States Patent and Trademark Office is overwhelmed with incoming requests," and that "Unless the budgeting increases, the review process for a patent could double to 5 years."

11 of 552 comments (clear)

  1. As an aside... by Mr.+Darl+McBride · · Score: 5, Funny
    Could the slash editors post these stories in a larger font on the lynx & mobile devices page format? I'm reading these on a ten year old Palm Pilot, and it's hard to read the tiny fonts when it's dark. I had to hold down the power button for three seconds to turn on the backlight so I could read this.

    Oh, wait...

    1. Re:As an aside... by Feanturi · · Score: 5, Funny

      Well done! With one single post, I believe this whole conversation is finished. Everyone else just be quiet, this article is done. :)

    2. Re:As an aside... by ikkonoishi · · Score: 4, Funny

      Hah!

      I have a 30 year old piano that plays notes at different volumes depending on how long you hold the key.

    3. Re:As an aside... by gantrep · · Score: 5, Funny

      I don't think that's how pianos work.

    4. Re:As an aside... by Sloppy · · Score: 4, Funny
      Damn ethics -- why was I cursed with honest parents!!!
      Because dishonest parents sneak their babies into the homes of honest couples, tricking them into raising the baby much like a cuckoo bird. Everybody has honest parents.

      Hey, wait a minute... Mom, is there something I should know?

      --
      As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
  2. Where by thpdg · · Score: 5, Funny

    Wow, that's actually a cool idea. Does anyone have any prior art they could show me? I'm not sure I've seen it before.

    --

    -Patrick

    "They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."

  3. Christ, they'll take my car... by Aquitaine · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...hope they don't discover that infringing gas pedal it has!

  4. Prior Art by Ichijo · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's like your ignition key. If you keep it turned for about a second, it starts the car. If you keep it turned for 10 minutes, it burns out the starter.

    And there's also auto-repeat.

    --
    Any sufficiently unpopular but cohesive argument is indistinguishable from trolling.
  5. Re:uh? by hak1du · · Score: 5, Funny

    This patent is on long button presses on "limited power computing devices". Are you saying your Mac qualifies? :-)

  6. Re:uh? by PhrackCreak · · Score: 4, Funny

    That would look great in a trial as you forced a microsoft exec to admit that a mac is a computing device of infinite power.

    --
    - You don't know how to maintain a station wagon either!
  7. Re:Prior art by stonedyak · · Score: 4, Funny

    When I press it for more than 1 second, the radio tunes me

    But only when you're in Soviet Russia, right?