IBM's But-I-Only-Got-The-Soup Patent

theodp writes "In an Onion-worthy move, the USPTO has decided that IBM inventors deserve a patent for splitting a restaurant bill. Ending an 8+ year battle with the USPTO, self-anointed patent system savior IBM got a less-than-impressed USPTO Examiner's final rejection overruled in June and snagged US Patent No. 7,457,767 Tuesday for its Pay at the Table System. From the patent: 'Though US Pat. No. 5,933,812 to Meyer, et al. discussed previously provides for an entire table of patrons to pay the total bill using a credit card, including the gratuity, it does not provide an ability for the check to be split among the various patrons, and for those individual patrons to then pay their desired portion of the bill. This deficiency is addressed by the present invention.'"

Comments

Go to restaurant

[Colourspace]

1. Eat food.. 2. Split bill.. 3. ??? 4. IBM Profits!!!

Bistromathics

[McWilde]

Sure, you people can laugh at it now, but someday this patent will make interstellar travel possible.

Re:NO IT'S NOT!!!! Damn...

[CaymanIslandCarpedie]

If IBM hasn't already patented the below, I sure plan to!

private decimal IBMPatentValue()
{
   Patent newPatent;

   foreach (Patent oldPatent in PatentOffice.Patents)
   {
      newPatent = oldPatent.Clone();

      //here is the inovative part!!!!!!
      newPatent.Text += " with a computer.";

      newPatent.Submit();
   }

   return decimal.MaxValue;
}