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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. I'm trying to figure out who's more ridiculous... by rtilghman · · Score: -1, Troll

    Microsoft for trying to patent anything related to this or Tufte for putting a name on and claiming to "create" something as laughably simple as a miniature graph line...

    Bad Tufte! Baaaaaad *hits with paper* Now, if I can just patent that really small pie chart idea I've been playing with.

    -rt

  2. Re:Obvious bad patent by timmarhy · · Score: 1, Troll

    you want to imprison people filing a patent which has prior art? fuck you in the neck.

    --
    If you mod me down, I will become more powerful than you can imagine....
  3. Re:Obvious bad patent by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Too bad people aren't imprisoned for excessively ignorant posts on slashdot. You might enjoy being raped by niggers and mexicans.