Smart Parts and Microsoft, 2 Peas in a pod?

[Cyberious]

Looks like Microsoft is filing some vague ones too:

"A patent recently obtained by Microsoft for its Palm-sized PC product line is raising concerns among intellectual property experts who say it could be used to demand licensing fees from other mobile-device makers.

The patent, issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on April 27, covers what Microsoft calls a "time-based hardware button for application launch." Microsoft said the technology was developed for use in handheld computers, such as its Palm-size PC, which use buttons to open files and start programs."

The whole story can be found here as well as a link to a group called fight the patent that opposes patents like this (not just software):

http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,63707,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_4

Of course this was happily posted from my Macintosh :-D

[jayloo]

I would expect nothing less from micro$oft.

[adam shannon]

microsoft is devious. for years the have held the patent on the "fat" file system that is used in compact flash cards for digital cameras. they never wanted to get royalties from it..." so as not to stiffle the development of equipment that can use the system". so because of that everybody was using it for their memory cards...instead of developing a new system that wasnt owned by MS.

now that flash cards are widespread and popular MS announced a while ago that they will now collect royalties from makers of cards based on the capacity of the cards. i think it was $.25 per GB, and now with millions of cards some as big as 8GB they stand to rake in the $.

[Dryden]

I don't know that equating Smart Parts to Microsoft is particularly fair as (1) Smart Parts hasn't enjoyed de facto monopoly power on the sport for 15 years and (2) Smart Parts has never attempted anything as devious as what Microsoft is doing.

Here's the abstract of the patent

A method and system are provided for extending the functionality of application buttons on a limited resource computing device. Alternative application functions are launched based on the length of time an application button is pressed. A default function for an application is launched if the button is pressed for a short, i.e., normal, period of time. An alternative function of the application is launched if the button is pressed for a long, (e.g., at least one second), period of time. Still another function can be launched if the application button is pressed multiple times within a short period of time, e.g., double click.

So, Microsoft has patented the single click, double click, triple click, click and hold, etc for the hardware buttons normally found on PDAs. At least that is what it appears they should have been awarded a patent for, except for the facts that (1) the patent terms are far too broad and (2) these features have been available in the original PalmPilots and Apple Newtons for more than a decade. Microsoft's patent applies to "a limited resource computing device," which, when you think about it, really could be considered anything, including your cellphone, PlayStation, or even desktop PC.

I'm not going to go into this in further detail, since everytime I start thinking about Microsoft the veins in my forehead pop out and things on my desk wind up broken. Plus it's not particularly relevent to paintball.

But what it did get me thinking is, as such a patent applies to paintball, has any company thought to or successfully patented the methods by which a lot of electros are programmed, such as timed trigger pulls, dip switches, rear grip mounted buttons, etc?

[ilikePB]

I am a Microsoft Minion, we will rule the world. [evil laugh]hahahahahahaha[/evil laugh] Seriously. Bow down you lowly Mac users.

[DiRTyBuNNy]

Of course this was happily posted from my Macintosh :-D

you do understand that Microsoft owns roughly 40% of Apple, right?