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Amazon Seeks 1-Nod Ordering Patent
theodp writes "Amazon.com is famous for its patented 1-Click ordering system. But what about 1-Nod ordering? Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is seeking a patent on a system that would let people make purchases with a nod, a smile, or even a raise of the eyebrow. Bezos' invention — 'Movement Recognition as Input Mechanism' — envisions a computing device that could interpret certain facial expressions and enhance or potentially replace conventional input devices such as keypads and touch screens."
I thought that simply automating a non-automated process is not sufficient to obtain a patent. At many auctions one can bid simply with a nod.
I'd like to see that... Now where is that patent application form?
Meus subcriptio est nocens Latin quoniam bardus populus reputo is sanus callidus
He wants a patent on a centuries old auction bid technique? But on a computer? Whateva... besides, there must be plenty of published techniques for more generic movement-as-input already - it's been a popular research topic.
Forget thrust, drag, lift and weight. Airplanes fly because of money.
I want to buy when I touch my balls.
And if I have an erection I want to buy with fastest shipping method.
If this gets granted, the 1-click example shows that even if it's invalid, the review process is sometimes completely useful because takes so many years and often just results in narrowing the patent.
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The patent office will rubber-stamp anything obvious if it is done on a computer. The one-click patent is a wonderful example: for decades, bartenders have been taking a patron's credit card and setting it aside. This allows the patron to simply "run a tab" and order a beer with just one click of the finger. This can't be patented because it is obvious to everyone.
But, if you do it on a computer, you can patent it for some reason. The mind boggles.
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SOLD!
Thanks to file sharing, I purchase more CDs
Thanks to the RIAA, I buy them used...
To quote Douglas Adams from one of the HHGTTG books (forget which one; it's the one involving the Krikkit):
"Let us bow our heads in payment."
We're geeks... We're the sorcerers of the modern-day world. --
. . . was bothering me the other night "with a nod, a smile or even a raise of the eyebrow." And his inquiries if my wife was interested in "candid photography."
Was he infringing on Amazon's patent?"
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
I want to bet this system will be so sensitive it will lead to a lot of 'purchases', which will be defended in court with reasoning along the lines of: "our patented method can even detect the body language of subconscious wants and needs with over 99% accuracy, which is a higher success rate than our patented 'one click buy' button which has a slightly higher error rate because of accidental clicks."
>>> FAST FORWARD >>>
Year 2042 history books describing the rise of the Amazon mega-conglomerate identify this patent as the most important one in Amazon's history:
This of course would lead to the infamous landmark lawsuit of Amazon VS Stephen Hawking who had an Amazon pop-up on his wheelchair-computer and accidentally ordered everything on Amazon.com by staring blankly at the screen...
The argument of SWH's lawyers that he could not possibly operate a Segway for lack of motor control and thus had no use for it - and did not want to order it - was refuted by the Amazon legal team because, according to them, "the lack of motor control gave him the strong subconscious urge to walk an do all the things a walking man can do, and thus order a Segway".
After losing this exhausting case Stephen commented: "One cannot really argue with a mathematical theorem, but it is clear that intelligence has no long-term survival value.".
This legal tactic that set a precedent causing a new advertising phenomenon called 'drive by shopping'. Every pop-up ad from Amazon now has a mandatory purchase when you look at it, because they can prove 'without a doubt' you *want* to purchase the items they sell using their unique patented method...
Introducing Opera Face Gestures
Seriously, what's the point of this? Ordering things online is already easy. Does Bezos really think there's a whole untapped market out there of people who would like to buy something but find clicking links too exhausting? I wonder how those customers managed to navigate his website in the first place.
"A week in the lab saves an hour in the library"
We see by your expression that you really like this Swedish made penis enlarger. One has been ordered in your name. Additionally, we have posted a "like" on your Facebook page as well as posting a Twitpic on your twitter account. Please smile again if you would like to cancel this operation.
Remember, You are unique...just like everyone else.
You are sipping a delicious coffee, sitting outside your favorite cafe. "Man," you say to yourself, "who would buy a set of bleachers on Amazon? $10,000! Hah!"
Presently, your friend Bob comes walking down the street. "Hey Bob!" you say, waving and nodding. Your browser starts loading a new page. "Purchase confirmed." DOH!!
I wonder if it would be possible to mount a class action lawsuit against the Patent Office, listing a volume of inappropriate software patents, and challenging them all based on the same allegation of incorrect application of patent case law. The plaintiffs could be the industry of software authors who are prevented from using the "methods" in these specious patents.
i always wondered why amazon didn't patent a 2-click and 3-click ordering system to really stick it to barnes and noble
In patents, it's just the claims that count (that's what the monopoly is on).
For most of the claims, the "Mind Reading Machines" display at the Royal Society Summer Exhibition 2006, and associated papers from University of Cambridge, seems like prior art. It analysed facial expressions to infer affective state, charting estimates (on the user interface) of how likely it was that the user was expressing interest, confusion, etc. (So, lots of changing the UI based on analysing video images and motion of parts of someone's face, threshholds, etc)
Various eye-tracking devices seem like prior art for other claims. For instance, there are plenty of applications for controlling a mouse or selecting text via eye-tracking.
A publication from Japan, which detected a user moving his gaze from one screen to another and highlighted the mouse location on the destination screen, seems to be prior art for a few of the ones that use the orientation with respect to the device.
It's quite possible that later "dependent claims" down the list might get through -- but they are likely to be so constrained as to have little effect.
In other news... Michael J. Fox has declared bankruptcy.
there should be ... for this patent thing is really going towards that way.
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