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Microsoft Patents The Body Bus
Mz6 writes "Microsoft has been awarded a patent for using
human skin as a power conduit and data bus. Patent No.
6,754,472, which was published Tuesday, describes a method for transmitting power and data to devices worn on the body and for communication of data between those devices. 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." (What about DoCoMo's research in this area?)
DoCoMo's research is to transfer data via the body, which IBM also has done research (and most likely has some patents on). The MS patent is to power non-powered devices by having a power supply somewhere else that transmits the current through the skin. Similar, but different.
A personal area network (PAN) is a technology that could enable wearable computer devices to communicate with other nearby computers and exchange digital information using the electrical conductivity of the human body as a data network. For example, two people each wearing business card-size transmitters and receivers conceivably could exchange information by shaking hands. The transference of data through intra-body contact, such as handshakes, is known as linkup. The human body's natural salinity makes it a good conductor of electricity. An electric field passes tiny currents, known as Pico amps, through the body when the two people shake hands. The handshake completes an electric circuit and each person's data, such as e-mail addresses and phone numbers, are transferred to the other person's laptop computer or a similar device. A person's clothing also could act as a mechanism for transferring this data.
The concept of a PAN first was developed by Thomas Zimmerman and other researchers at M.I.T.'s Media Lab and later supported by IBM's Almaden research lab.
sorry but MIT and IBM is way ahead of Microsoft in this with prior art.
hell I made a example prototype from the information I recieved from mister Zimmerman back in 1997 for playing around with PAN's when i was heavy into the wearable computing research.
Microsoft, what Idea can we steal today?
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
I remember IBM had a demo product that would exchange virtual business cards via a handshake - it might well have been a plug-in to a Palm Pilot They theorized max xfer at 2400bps at the time - this was 1996-7 or so. Still looking for the link.
'ARRGH! Pirate Designers of the Internet, we be!'
I guess Kevin Warwick will enjoy the prospect of the Personal Area Network as described above, though. Now if only we could find a way to embed these devices directly into the skin and/or find a way to connect the input jacks directly into our brains...
(For those who don't know, Kevin Warwick is Professor of Cybernetics at Reading University, and performed an experiment on himself by implanting a tracking device into his arm, which allowed computers to determine which room he was in, and make judgements based on his position).
Brandon Glass's personal site.
RTFA, the DoCoMo technology said they can exchange data between people at up to 10 meg. The DoCoMo tech lets users exchange email address and "buisness card" data with a handshake. Cool stuff.
Saying Java is nice because it works on all OS's is like saying that anal sex is nice because it works on all genders.
Several years ago there was someone that created this technology. When two people with PDAs using this technology shook hands, the PDAs used the "circuit" to exchange contact information. The logic went something like, if you shake their hand, you want to share and collect their information. Unlike wireless, you didn't just blindly share your info with everyone in close proximity.
. 62,400 repetitions make one truth -- Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
Microsoft filed their patent (which is titled a "Method and apparatus for transmitting power and data using the human body") on April 27, 2000.
Yet at this web site, http://www.almaden.ibm.com/cs/user/pan/pan.html, there is a white paper (dated November 18-19, 1996) where IBM demonstrates their "new Personal Area Network technology that uses the natural electrical conductivity of the human body to transmit electronic data".
So, IBM demonstrated similar techniques back in 1996 that used the natural electrical conductivity to transmit data.
However, Microsoft's claims focus on power, and frequency adjustments, this is basis for their ability to send data.
One of Microsoft's claims states "modulating an information signal transmitted" using this signal; yet, in the IBM white paper it states that "The natural salinity of the human body makes it an excellent conductor of electrical current. PAN technology takes advantage of this conductivity by creating an external electric field that passes an incredibly tiny current through the body, over which data is carried."
My gut says that many of MS's claims are voided by prior art -- but one would need to study the MS claims in detail, and compare it to DoCoMo's and IBM's research on the subject, to make a truly educated rebuttal.
I survived the Dick Cheney Presidency 7 to 9 AM 7-21-07
http://www.almaden.ibm.com/cs/user/pan/pan. html
My Blog Sucks.
The Body Bus
Tom Zimmerman has shown that the noncontact coupling between your body and weak electric fields can be used to create and sense tiny nano-amp currents in your body. Modulating these signals creates Body Net, a personal-area network that communicates through your skin.
I just read an article about a company researching how the human body can actually create small amounts of electricity itself. This would be used to power things like, say, a pace maker. But I'm not sure if this is the same idea that M$ is going for. Anybody know what I'm talking about?
Those who are defending this patent argue the MS is trying to patent power transfer more so than data transfer might wanna think about the fact that transfer power over your skin is extremely obvious. If the patent office were properly staffed with competent individuals these things would not happen. I mean anyone who has ever been shocked has discovered prior art for power tranfer over human skin.
I don't know, I found this that talks about PAN(personal area netowrk) from 1995
Same joke nearly 20 minutes before this comment.
9 50 7861
(-1 Redundant)
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=112081&cid=
In this case, it looks like this one was 2002 (the other option is an unlikely 1996), which is 2 years after MS filed their patent.
I'm lazy.. I hate having to use cal(1) to figure this out.
Free Software: Like love, it grows best when given away.
prior art? http://www.almaden.ibm.com/cs/user/pan/pan.html
Almost.
It would be R=E/I
where
(R)esistance is expressed in Ohms
(E)lectrical Potential is expressed in Volts
(I)Current is expressed in Amperes
Don't apply the units until you actually make the calculation.
At least, that's what they taught me in my military electronics training, way back when.
Well, in my physics class we always use V. E is too abigous. It could easily mean (E)lectircal current or (E)lectrical resistance or (E)nergy...
I have (at home, unfortunately or I could give a hard refrence) a copy of the IBM Systems Journal from about 1997, which was a focus on the MIT Media Lab (remember Nicholas Negroponte?)
In that issue, this very idea was the focal point of an entire article, and it showed pictures of working prototypes, including the exhange of electronic "busines cards" via the bioelectic fields of two people shaking hands.
I find it very hard to believe that neither of MIT or IBM have not already patented this, and if they haven't, there is definite, published even, prior art.
Did the Patent office not even bother doing a literature search?
IBM has done this sort of research many years ago. Knowing how IBM is on the ball with patent law, I doubt they didnt patent this before.
http://www.almaden.ibm.com/cs/user/pan/pan.html
see for yourself, this type of thing is old hat.