Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

IBM Wants To Patent Restaurant Waits

Posted by kdawson on from the no-rewards-or-we'll-sue dept.

theodp writes "If all goes IBM's way, it'll soon constitute patent infringement if Bennigan's gives you a free lunch for being inconvenienced by a long wait for your meal. Big Blue is seeking a patent for its Method and Structure for Automated Crediting to Customers for Waiting, the purported 'invention' of three IBM researchers, which IBM notes, 'could be implemented completely devoid of computerization or automation of any kind.' Can we count on IBM to withdraw this patent claim, or will Big Blue weasel out of its patent reform pledge again?"

6 of 154 comments (clear)

  1. The old saying must be true. by palegray.net · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now there's really no such thing as a free lunch...

    --
    512 MB RAM, 20 GB disk, 200 GB transfer, five datacenters. $19.95/month.
  2. Re:quick by Vombatus · · Score: 5, Funny
    rewards such as free beer for long bathroom waits

    Leading to even more trips to the bathroom, longer waits and more free beer.

    --
    This sig is intentionally blank
  3. My patent by Boyceterous · · Score: 4, Funny

    A system whereby a user shall be charged a fee based on the actual volume of excrement deposited into a dedicated porcelain facility. The system shall be called "Pay As You Go"

  4. As you so ably demonstrate... by caitsith01 · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...courtesy certainly is a novel invention in the US of A.*

    Now if IBM could just patent a method for pumping it into the tubes of the intarweb, we'd really be getting somewhere.

    * I'm kidding - I've met plenty of polite Americans, like the nice policeman who asked me to "please step out of the car" and the nice TSA lady who told me that without even asking I'd been placed on some kind of list that got me extra special treatment at the airport.

    --
    Read Pynchon.
  5. Re:Prior art by britneys+9th+husband · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now we just need someone at the patent office to examine this POS patent application and reject it.

    --
    Hear recorded Slashdot headlines on your phone! New service beta testing. Just call (248) 434-5508
  6. Brilliant Strategy by PPH · · Score: 4, Funny

    It appears that IBM is seeking to force patent reform by clogging the system with so many useless applications that soon it will be impossible to swing a dead cat without hitting a patent claim.

    Sorry. That should read 'Method for controlling the trajectory of a deceased feline to avoid impact with preexisting intellectual property'.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.