Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Microsoft Applies For "Digital Manners" Patent

Posted by samzenpus on from the what-mouse-do-you-use-for-salad dept.

SirLurksAlot writes "Ars Technica reports that Microsoft has recently applied for a patent for a technology which would attempt to enforce manners in the use of cell phones, digital cameras, DVRs and other digital devices. According to the article, the technology could be used to bring common social conventions such as 'No flash photography' and 'No talking out loud' to these devices by disabling features or disabling the device entirely. The article also points out that the technology could be implemented in situations involving sensitive equipment, such as in airplanes or hospitals. The patent application itself is also an interesting read, as it describes a number of possible uses for the technology, including 'in particular zones to limit the speed and/or acceleration of vehicles, to require the use of lights, to verify an indication of insurance coverage and/or current registration, or the like.' While this technology could certainly be of interest to any number of organizations one has to wonder how the individuals who own devices which obey so-called 'Digital Manners Policies' would feel about it."

13 of 289 comments (clear)

  1. Stupid idea. by The+Master+Control+P · · Score: 5, Insightful

    'in particular zones to limit the speed and/or acceleration of vehicles, to require the use of lights, to verify an indication of insurance coverage and/or current registration, or the like.'


    And I, the consumer, would buy a new device that is explicitly less functional than existing devices... why?
    1. Re:Stupid idea. by Clockwork+Apple · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Expect this to me misused. Like police cars or police radios that will kill your video/photo ability on phones while they are in the area. Cops hate to be captured on film/video that they do not control. Or stoping photography/video in areas that would usually be legal, but due to actions that might be questionable like protest(riot) control where excessive force might be applied "don't tase me bro". Or where known/sanctioned violations are happening "terrorist detention/interogation centers", so that whitleblowers would have less evidence of the incident they need to document.

      This is like a proactive confiscation of your electronics, without having to ask for it.

      C.

      --
      "Doctor, it's not the voices I hear in MY head, but the voices I hear in YOUR head that really frighten me."
  2. Good job by Hal_Porter · · Score: 5, Funny

    this technology is not already in Windows say I can still say what a bunch of

    [Bad manners deleted]

    --
    echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
  3. It's a feature not a bug by mrbluze · · Score: 5, Funny

    So this is "innovation", eh? It will result in The Most Broken Windows Yet(TM) once people get frustrated enough with devices that refuse to work.
    --
    Do it yourself, because no one else will do it yourself. [beta blockade 10-17 Feb]
  4. manners by alxtoth · · Score: 5, Funny

    ..No Windows at MacWorld/Linux conferences

    --
    http://revj.sourceforge.net
  5. Bank robbers cheers by Pofy · · Score: 5, Funny

    In other news, bank robbers cheers at their new tool to bring along that will disable all cameras when performing robberies.

    Cell phone users are also wondering why their phones tend to stop working every other minute. Investigation shows one out of five person in the public carrying their own "no phone calls here" devices arround.

    Finally paparazzis express no worries. They will just keep a slightly longer distance to their targets and thus avoid any "no photos here" devices carried arround by most celebrities.

  6. if this is ever released as described by aeiah · · Score: 5, Insightful

    i give it one month until someone gets around the restrictions, and two months until someone makes a transmitter and shuts off all mobiles (or cars) in the area

  7. Prior Art ? by DrYak · · Score: 5, Informative

    This patent has just been filed, not just granted.

    Details of similar systems have been recently described, including a summer of code project for OpenMoko (that wasn't accepted) which wanted to put a dbus architecture to let the user add conditions which cause profile to switch, for example: going to "silent mode" whenever the phone's gps detects it has entered into a meeting room.

    The summer of code project wasn't accepted, thus this system isn't currently implemented. Never the less, it's described on the OpenMoko wiki, and similar strategies have regularly been described on the web, including here on /. each time some company tries to market a GSM signal jammer, where approach similar to openmoko and microsoft have been said to be safer.

    To what extent can these description without implementation represent Prior Art ?

    I also fail to understand why microsoft is trying to patent this. For this to work, it must reach widespread usage, which means it must be an open standard (a real one, not an OOXML-like one), so that both all constructor can implement it easily, and some places or legislation can require it, without those requirement forcing people to give cash to a particular private company.

    --
    "Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
    1. Re:Prior Art ? by cas2000 · · Score: 5, Informative

      > To what extent can these description without implementation represent Prior Art ?

      legally? a written description is certainly adequate prior art.

      the classic example is that of the waterbed. which was unable to be patented in 1968 because Robert Heinlein had described it in three of his novels: _Beyond This Horizon_ (1942), _Double Star_ (1956), and _Stranger in a Strange Land_ (1961)

      practically? you can patent whatever you want in the US these days. all your idea are belong to US.

    2. Re:Prior Art ? by zappepcs · · Score: 5, Informative

      And it sounds like MS has found a stack of Popular Science magazines in a second had book store in Redmond somewhere.

      Digital Manners? hahahahahahahahaha So much has been written that could be prior art for this in science fiction that it's not even funny. Since the first brick with an antenna on it, people have wanted to control when cell phones could be used. Enforcing driving habits? SciFi has it covered. In fact, I'm not certain, but I don't think there is anything you can call novel or non-obvious about it. It's just always been impractical or unpopular. Getting a patent on it won't make either of it.

      Imagine a person at the movies. The theater forces phones to be shut off. The email from someone's alarm system saying there is a fire is never received. When they get home the fire and police departments take them to the hospital so they can watch their two small children die of burns. Yeah, that will work out nicely in the papers.

      Say you try to control these things anywhere, there is a scenario not unlike that which could happen. Controlling speed of vehicles? Good fucking luck with that one pal. The remote kill switch functions some people have tried for stolen vehicles have NEVER passed muster for insurance companies. Why would MS get to do it?
      All it would take is one fatality and the class action law suit begins.

      In fact, where ever there is a human involved in controlling a machine or gadget there has never been any successful method to wrest control from the human in favor of a machine as far as I know. The cruise control is the best attempt that I know and that is a simple assistive technology.

      Sure, alarm system replaces security guard, but does not take control from a human over a machine. There are gray area examples, but you see what I mean. Getting a patent for doing so is like trying to get a patent on breathing air.

      If MS tries for the breathing air patent, I give up.

      --
      Support NYCountryLawyer RIAA vs People
    3. Re:Prior Art ? by lolop · · Score: 5, Interesting

      The PhD student who was in my room one year ago (Cyril Rousseau) already worked on context adaptation of devices communication modalities.

      See:
      http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1148558
      http://www.limsi.fr/Individu/rousseau/most/index

      He wrote a phone-like prototype and used his software in an industrial project.

      Where is Microsoft innovation ?

      --
      -- Laurent Pointal
    4. Re:Prior Art ? by silent_artichoke · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Imagine a person at the movies. The theater forces phones to be shut off. The email from someone's alarm system saying there is a fire is never received. When they get home the fire and police departments take them to the hospital so they can watch their two small children die of burns. Yeah, that will work out nicely in the papers. Yet millions of people enjoyed movies without email alerts on their cell phone for decades. Why aren't they at home watching their kids anyway? Were they really stupid enough to hire a babysitter that can't even manage to get the kids out of the house before they got burned? Or did they abandon their children to go see a movie? Sounds like the parents are the villains here, not the movie theater. Just turn off your phone, dude. The rest of us paid to watch the movie, not hear your phone call.
  8. Re:Innovation by Undead+NDR · · Score: 5, Funny

    So this is "innovation", eh?

    dgtlmnrs.exe: WARNING: No Microsoft bashing.