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Wait, I thought you couldn't patent abstract ideas. This is a big bummer for more than just the businesses that will be routed around. The patent is essentially

Wait, I thought you couldn't patent abstract ideas. This is a big bummer for more than just the businesses that will be routed around. The patent is essentially on just the thought of delivering a route based on anything other than shortest or fastest. No novel or non obvious inventions are described. In fact, no inventions are described at all. This is saddening.

monochromatic 15y ago
Did you read the claims?
- gerggerg 15y ago
  They're comprised of a bunch of abstract ways of getting a route other than fastest or shortest to a pedestrian. States no inventions. Just the concept of route finding based on criteria other than shortest or fastest.
  - monochromatic 15y ago
    They seem relatively concrete to me.
    - gerggerg 15y ago
      Care to elaborate?
      - monochromatic 15y ago
        Claim 1. Computer storage media having embodied thereon computer-useable instructions that, when executed, implement a system, the system comprising: a search component that locates at least one information source, retains pedestrian history from a plurality of pedestrians and addresses of at least one information source that has a history of providing reliable information, identifies low quality information sources that do not provide information used in route generation, and blocks information obtainment for the low quality information sources; a gather component that obtains information related to pedestrian travel including security information, weather information, and terrain information, wherein the gather component obtains the information from the at least one located information source; an artificial intelligence component that makes at least one inference regarding a route based on a previous pedestrian behavior; a filter component that determines, based on the at least one inference, the information that is likely relevant and deletes information that is commonly of little value in part through examination of previously produced routes; an analysis component that determines an importance of the information to a user, estimates how likely the information is to change, and chooses if the user should reach a destination through a pedestrian route and/or through a conventional route; a generation component that obtains the information from the gather component and produces a direction set for use by a pedestrian based at least part upon the obtained information; and a resolution component that resolves a conflict between an information source with a financial interest and an information source without a financial interest and instructs the generation component to produce the direction set based upon the information source that does not have a financial interest in providing the direction set. That sure seems like an awful lot of structure and detail for a vague, abstract idea.
        wisty 15y ago
        tl;dr: "A database of relevant information with a quality / spam filter, stuff which pulls in more information, some AI, a filter that throws out useless data, corrects itself based on previous performance, a bit which personalises the results based on the user, a bit which puts the data together in a useful format, and a bit that identifies and blocks SEO." Reddit and google are both prior art, I think. But they forgot to mention that you are applying this general approach to pedestrians.
        fierarul 15y ago
        It has as much structure as a boring Sci-Fi book. I find it baffling that they accept patents where I just add "an artificial intelligence component" until I present something that might or might not actually exist but I get a chance to derive future revenues on it.
        monochromatic 15y ago
        They're not supposed to. If the examiner has reason to believe that the patent's specification doesn't provide enough detail to allow a person of ordinary skill to make and use the invention, he should issue an "enablement" rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112. Note that I haven't read the specification of this patent, and have no opinion on its enablement or lack thereof.
        guard-of-terra 15y ago
        The only non-obvious idea there is "a gather component..." and it's pretty abstract. Everything else is straightforward.
        ajross 15y ago
        Paragraphs are not "structure" and words are not "detail".
        gerggerg 15y ago
        Every one of those is an abstract component. Making up an abstract system. There are no algorithms, no methods, no inventions. It's a collection of abstract ideas. The purpose of patents is to give incentive for the inventors to publish their inventions publicly. So that after the patents expire the public can benefit from the knowledge contained in the patents. This patent circumvents that by only stating a collection of abstract ideas. Then they can actually invent something and have the best of both worlds. They get a legal monopoly on the concept as well as obscurity from the public of the actual invention.

monochromatic 15y ago

Did you read the claims?

gerggerg 15y ago
They're comprised of a bunch of abstract ways of getting a route other than fastest or shortest to a pedestrian. States no inventions. Just the concept of route finding based on criteria other than shortest or fastest.
- monochromatic 15y ago
  They seem relatively concrete to me.
  - gerggerg 15y ago
    Care to elaborate?
    - monochromatic 15y ago
      Claim 1. Computer storage media having embodied thereon computer-useable instructions that, when executed, implement a system, the system comprising: a search component that locates at least one information source, retains pedestrian history from a plurality of pedestrians and addresses of at least one information source that has a history of providing reliable information, identifies low quality information sources that do not provide information used in route generation, and blocks information obtainment for the low quality information sources; a gather component that obtains information related to pedestrian travel including security information, weather information, and terrain information, wherein the gather component obtains the information from the at least one located information source; an artificial intelligence component that makes at least one inference regarding a route based on a previous pedestrian behavior; a filter component that determines, based on the at least one inference, the information that is likely relevant and deletes information that is commonly of little value in part through examination of previously produced routes; an analysis component that determines an importance of the information to a user, estimates how likely the information is to change, and chooses if the user should reach a destination through a pedestrian route and/or through a conventional route; a generation component that obtains the information from the gather component and produces a direction set for use by a pedestrian based at least part upon the obtained information; and a resolution component that resolves a conflict between an information source with a financial interest and an information source without a financial interest and instructs the generation component to produce the direction set based upon the information source that does not have a financial interest in providing the direction set. That sure seems like an awful lot of structure and detail for a vague, abstract idea.
      - wisty 15y ago
        tl;dr: "A database of relevant information with a quality / spam filter, stuff which pulls in more information, some AI, a filter that throws out useless data, corrects itself based on previous performance, a bit which personalises the results based on the user, a bit which puts the data together in a useful format, and a bit that identifies and blocks SEO." Reddit and google are both prior art, I think. But they forgot to mention that you are applying this general approach to pedestrians.
      - fierarul 15y ago
        It has as much structure as a boring Sci-Fi book. I find it baffling that they accept patents where I just add "an artificial intelligence component" until I present something that might or might not actually exist but I get a chance to derive future revenues on it.
        monochromatic 15y ago
        They're not supposed to. If the examiner has reason to believe that the patent's specification doesn't provide enough detail to allow a person of ordinary skill to make and use the invention, he should issue an "enablement" rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112. Note that I haven't read the specification of this patent, and have no opinion on its enablement or lack thereof.
      - guard-of-terra 15y ago
        The only non-obvious idea there is "a gather component..." and it's pretty abstract. Everything else is straightforward.
      - ajross 15y ago
        Paragraphs are not "structure" and words are not "detail".
      - gerggerg 15y ago
        Every one of those is an abstract component. Making up an abstract system. There are no algorithms, no methods, no inventions. It's a collection of abstract ideas. The purpose of patents is to give incentive for the inventors to publish their inventions publicly. So that after the patents expire the public can benefit from the knowledge contained in the patents. This patent circumvents that by only stating a collection of abstract ideas. Then they can actually invent something and have the best of both worlds. They get a legal monopoly on the concept as well as obscurity from the public of the actual invention.