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Microsoft Applies For Patent On Tufte's Sparklines

Posted by timothy on from the audacity-of-patents dept.

jenkin sear writes "Data visualization guru Edward Tufte developed Sparklines, a great way to display condensed data as an inline graphic. Excel's new version has incorporated the design element — and Microsoft has applied for a patent on them — without so much as a by-your-leave from Tufte."

3 of 175 comments (clear)

  1. Opposing patents by StreetStealth · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This is one of those issues I'd love to hear a real patent attorney weigh in on: If someone files a patent on something you can prove you demonstrated publicly at an earlier date, what are your options? Can you file an opposition to the patent? How does it work?

    --
    Your mind is clear / The things that you fear / Will fade with how much you / Believe what you hear
  2. Re:A Few Points by dbIII · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Finally, I'll just tack on that if sparklines are so great and this is all so obvious, then surely there's an open source version that predates this application.

    The wikipedia article lists several, but for all I know they may have appeared there after your post.
    As for the patent being of restricted use that is true but ultimately somewhat petty. It is like appending "on a plane" onto a mention of anything.

  3. Do you know who Tufte is? by Kupfernigk · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Obviously not. If you did you would know he always credits his sources in depth and explains the historical development of his thinking. He often draws out features of graphical presentation of data and gives them simplifying names to provide a framework, but he does not claim originality.

    He is not suing Microsoft, and has done absolutely nothing wrong, And your post is a simple troll.

    --
    From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."