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Microsoft [to patent] Verb Conjugation

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the [to-give]-me-a-break dept.

streepje writes "Here [to be] the latest egregious patent application. Microsoft [to be] [to apply] for a patent for [to conjugate] verbs. Future postings [to look] like this."

3 of 382 comments (clear)

  1. Already been invented. by sporkme · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It's called a language-to-language dictionary, or a stack of them in this case. Futhermore, many websites and applications already offer complete translation, from single words to long texts (clearly not a secret) and the conjugation of verbs is intrinsic to this type of software so that context is preserved. All that the patent seems to offer is comprehension of strings like "present indicative of [verb]".

    From the article:
    For example, the user may input "present indicative of sein," "prasens indikativ von sein," "1st person plural of sein," and "erste Person Plural von sein".

    I think this is a nonstarter.

    --
    FairTax baby!
  2. Oh please by Grym · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I dislike Microsoft's business practices as much as the next guy, but give me a break. If you actually read the linked patent, it isn't a patent on conjugating words. It's a patent on automatically providing all of the different possible conjugation forms of any verb on the fly, which is something I, for one, haven't seen before and think could be pretty useful...

    -Grym

    1. Re:Oh please by shreevatsa · · Score: 5, Interesting
      It's a patent on automatically providing all of the different possible conjugation forms of any verb on the fly, which is something I, for one, haven't seen before and think could be pretty useful...
      Have you looked at a (good) dictionary?

      Of course it is pretty useful. In fact, it is something fundamental to language. Which is why it is reprehensible that some company should have a patent on it. It is like giving them a patent on changing sentences from passive to active... no, it's worse.

      (This Onion article might not be too far from reality, after all. :-)