Microsoft Seeks Latitude/Longitude Patent

theodp writes "Q. What does Microsoft feel is unpatentable? A. Apparently nothing! On Thursday, the USPTO published Microsoft's patent application for the Compact text encoding of latitude/longitude coordinates, in which the software giant explains how a floating-point number can also be represented as a less-precise integer that's displayed in base-30 notation!" If ever I have seen a silly patent, this is it.

Comments

Re:The Point: URLs

[Jeff DeMaagd]

It's 10 digits and 26 letters, minus 6 vowels "to avoid the possibility of the algorithm inadvertently generating real words that could be offensive". Funny.
B00BZB4BY.

Re:Is it entirely MS's fault?

[RootsLINUX]

"Pretty sure the US Patent Office has a say in what is and isn't patentable."

Oh really? I beg to differ. I've come across a couple fun examples recently

Method of Swinging on a Swing.
Gee, I wouldn't have thought of that one! I think I heard somewhere that this patent was granted to a 5-year-old? 0_o

Method of Exercising a Cat (with a laser pointer...)

Here's a nice little read on the US Patent System that was in IEEE Spectrum a couple months ago. The US Patent System sucks ass

So you see, the US Patenting Office appears to patent just about everything. Oh no, I hope they haven't patented my favorite peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches...!

Patent 5,567,454
Patent 5,855,939
Patent RE37,275

OH NOES!!!!

Re:As Well, M$ is Not Stupid

[Hognoxious]

because you can represent it with 30 symbols - i.e., 10 digits + 26 letters.

In what number base does 26 + 10 = 30?

Re:Don't be a fool

[lottameez]

I would like to know of a single instance where a patented "truly useful novel algorthim" was a boon for the software industry.

Every patent I am aware of has only been used for litigation.

(oh, you must mean for the legal industry)

Where do you want to go today?

[Quill345]

Come on, it's legitimate, it is innovation that supports their trademarked slogan. ;)

Re:Is it entirely MS's fault?

[David Rolfe]

4. Nice link to IEEE - they're clearly legal experts. Oh wait, they know about technology, not law. Patents are legal animals that have technology as content. With my thinking cap on, I declare that IEEE does NOT possess patent law expertise.

Since you can't read:

ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Adam B. Jaffe is the Fred C. Hecht Professor in Economics and Dean of Arts and Sciences at Brandeis University, in Waltham, Mass. Josh Lerner is the Jacob H. Schiff Professor of Investment Banking at Harvard Business School in Cambridge, Mass. They cowrote Innovation and Its Discontents: How Our Broken Patent System Is Endangering Innovation and Progress, and What to Do About It, which was published in November by Princeton University Press.

Holy shit "black pages" I didn't know you were a higher authority than both a published Dean and a published Professor at Harvard. I'm totally putting you on my "friends list" because you are the obvious expert when it comes to patent law and its intersection with Economics and Business.

While we're giving full disclosure, what are your credentials? They don't appear to be listed on your user profile.