Microsoft gets into the game

Posted by: petteri

Microsoft gets into the game - 29/05/2007 23:52

Hmm, I wonder if this will turn into anything?

MS files for patent
Posted by: LittleBlueThing

Re: Microsoft gets into the game - 30/05/2007 07:30

A lawsuit?
Posted by: Taym

Re: Microsoft gets into the game - 04/06/2007 11:45

Quote:

This patent however details a "car stereo including a docking station into which an off-the-shelf handheld computer can be docked," and additionally, it hints towards support for a multitude of devices.



This feature alone makes it extremely interesting to me. And, I have not heard of anything like that so far, but I may simply be not too well informed.
Posted by: schofiel

Re: Microsoft gets into the game - 06/06/2007 21:26

Not sure how they can be awarded this - there was prior art.

But then, there's no-one around to sue any more...
Posted by: wfaulk

Re: Microsoft gets into the game - 07/06/2007 12:00

I think the innovation is the ability to dock a "handheld computer" into it.
Posted by: larry818

Re: Microsoft gets into the game - 07/06/2007 13:32

I had read in a magazine about industrial patents that MS has a team of lawyers & engineers whose sole purpose is to patent anything they can think of. The reasoning is, that if they own the silly patents, they won't have to defend against them later. Given the insanity of the US patent office, it seems a reasonable course. This just may be one of those patents...

I designed the first "dry deck" fountain (the kind kids play in) over 20 years ago. I found out recently that one of my competitors patented it two years later... it never occured to me to patent it...
Posted by: wfaulk

Re: Microsoft gets into the game - 07/06/2007 14:34

Oh, cool. Yours was the fountain featured heavily in the last few episodes of Heroes -- the orange helix-y staircase one.

Somewhat on topic, though. If you installed one or advertised one or something, you should contest his patent based on evidence of prior art.
Posted by: peter

Re: Microsoft gets into the game - 07/06/2007 15:03

Quote:
I designed the first "dry deck" fountain (the kind kids play in) over 20 years ago. I found out recently that one of my competitors patented it two years later... it never occured to me to patent it...

Not knowing what a "dry deck" fountain was, I typed it into Google, and the first link says "This dry-deck fountain dates back to the early 1600s"...

Don't suppose you did the one in Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester? That's a really nice fountain.

Peter
Posted by: schofiel

Re: Microsoft gets into the game - 11/06/2007 19:32

So an empeg isn't hand held?
Posted by: andy

Re: Microsoft gets into the game - 11/06/2007 20:09

It is, but the car battery you would need to carry around with you to use it wouldn't really be
Posted by: larry818

Re: Microsoft gets into the game - 12/06/2007 02:46

Quote:
Not knowing what a "dry deck" fountain was, I typed it into Google, and the first link says "This dry-deck fountain dates back to the early 1600s"...

Don't suppose you did the one in Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester? That's a really nice fountain.


No, I didn't do that one.

I love the internet. 20 years ago I was certain that it was the first, now it seems I was 300 years too late....

That drydeck is at :
http://www.hellbrunn.at/hellbrunn/english/trickfountains/mechanical_theatre.asp

Well worth a look around that site. They also have a musical, animated fountain from the same period. Both still work.

The musical fountain was patented by the same dude...

L
Posted by: larry818

Re: Microsoft gets into the game - 12/06/2007 02:52

I never hijacked a thread before...

I sent one of my empegs off to a show control company to play with. I've asked them to look at it with an eye of building something similar, but for show (fountain) control. Essentally the same thing but with DMX out and time clocks coded in. The stuff available now is all overly big or complicated... The empeg seems almost ideally suited for such a use...
Posted by: altman

Re: Microsoft gets into the game - 18/08/2007 03:18

ISTR One of the ex-Rio germany guys, Martin Moerz, made an Xscale-powered linux running, DMX lighting system a few years after the Rio Central (he does freelance design for people). I remember thinking it looked pretty cool - think it had two Xscales actually, one to do the hard real-time stuff.

If you're interested pm me and I'll send you his email addr.... he could point you at who sold it in the end I'm sure.

Hugo