3 ms·

In broad terms for a patent to be granted an invention must be unique, innovative and non-obvious. I am not sure if f.lux is entirely non-obvious...

Cthulhu_ 13y ago
I would say that changing color temperature based on time of day (and location on the planet) as a means to reduce late-night eyestrain and fatigue is something non-obvious, yes. I never even thought about color temperature and the influence of it on your sleeping patterns (esp. late at night) until the guy behind f.lux came by.
- polymatter 13y ago
  is it so non-obvious that it requires the state guarantee decades-long monopoly to ensure f.lux can make a return on the significant research & development costs? could we expect no more non-obvious apps like f.lux get made if the state doesn't guarantee decades-long monopoly?
  - mdkess 13y ago
    You've changed the question from "is the invention non-obvious, in the sense that current law requires to grand a patent?" to "do you agree with current patent laws and the value of patents?"
  - intelliot 13y ago
    interestingly, f.lux is also free, at least for me. i use it yet haven't paid a dime. so it doesn't exactly look like they're trying to make a profit.. and i'm glad for that.
- sorbits 13y ago
  > […] changing color temperature based on time of day […] to reduce late-night eyestrain and fatigue is something non-obvious There are themes for text editors which have both a day and night version (and some users will without a doubt have setup cron to switch automatically). There are also blue-blocking filters recommended to wear at night for improving your sleep rhythm. Of course none of this means that the f.lux author can’t obtain a patent on something related to his software. The question is if it will hold up if later disputed.
danudey 13y ago
f.lux is less obvious than 'click a button to buy/ship something automatically', but Amazon's one-click patent has been around since 1999.

Cthulhu_ 13y ago

I would say that changing color temperature based on time of day (and location on the planet) as a means to reduce late-night eyestrain and fatigue is something non-obvious, yes. I never even thought about color temperature and the influence of it on your sleeping patterns (esp. late at night) until the guy behind f.lux came by.

polymatter 13y ago
is it so non-obvious that it requires the state guarantee decades-long monopoly to ensure f.lux can make a return on the significant research & development costs? could we expect no more non-obvious apps like f.lux get made if the state doesn't guarantee decades-long monopoly?
- mdkess 13y ago
  You've changed the question from "is the invention non-obvious, in the sense that current law requires to grand a patent?" to "do you agree with current patent laws and the value of patents?"
- intelliot 13y ago
  interestingly, f.lux is also free, at least for me. i use it yet haven't paid a dime. so it doesn't exactly look like they're trying to make a profit.. and i'm glad for that.
sorbits 13y ago
> […] changing color temperature based on time of day […] to reduce late-night eyestrain and fatigue is something non-obvious There are themes for text editors which have both a day and night version (and some users will without a doubt have setup cron to switch automatically). There are also blue-blocking filters recommended to wear at night for improving your sleep rhythm. Of course none of this means that the f.lux author can’t obtain a patent on something related to his software. The question is if it will hold up if later disputed.

danudey 13y ago

f.lux is less obvious than 'click a button to buy/ship something automatically', but Amazon's one-click patent has been around since 1999.