Microsoft's 911 Patent 391
The register is reporting "'Microsoft was today granted a patent for accessing data used by the emergency services.' They quote from the application 'In sum, what is needed is a way to provide users with access to needed emergency information. This should be simple from the user's perspective, so that even very emotional users can find what is needed in a straightforward, yet comprehensive process.' Apparently the patent was filed one month after 9/11."
Hold on, I need to type a message to 911... (Score:5, Insightful)
Good and bad (Score:3, Insightful)
Wow (Score:5, Insightful)
Oh my sweet lord, when will the madness end. (Score:4, Insightful)
Jeesh.
Makes sense. (Score:5, Insightful)
My question: How, exactly, is a PocketPC application going to help with this? I mean, really - do they expect us to all rush out and buy one so that we can have access to emergency information? How would putting it in a rental car be of any use to the people who own the car they're driving when an emergency occurs?
I think the timing is pretty distasteful as well - almost as if they're saying "We could have done it better, and here's how!"
I'm confused kinda (Score:5, Insightful)
Yano.. (Score:5, Insightful)
I think, in that case, it would crack the whole controversy wide open. Think about the field day the media would have the first time a county commissioner or a mayor gets on the national news and says that they have to spend ridiculous amounts of money, or forego upgrading at all because some private firm isn't allowing them to without first paying them extortion money.
And don't even start about if those systems were to fail at a critical time such as during a disaster. The fallout would be hugely destructive to MS.
Microsoft would be foolish to try to enforce this...but a certain part of me wants them to deny reason and try, if for nothing else but the huge media circus that would ensue.
Re:Good and bad (Score:5, Insightful)
If Microsoft DIDN'T make money off of this, the terrorists would be winning!!
Oh holy stupidity (Score:5, Insightful)
What is claimed is:
1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
maintaining a plurality of records in an emergency data store, each record comprising emergency data and having type of emergency information associated therewith that classifies the record as corresponding to at least one type of emergency;
providing an emergency page, the emergency page including a plurality of emergency type links, each emergency type link corresponding to a particular type of emergency;
receiving an indication that an emergency type link was actuated, and in response,
accessing the emergency data store to locate at least two records that are each associated with the type of emergency that corresponds to the actuated link;
aggregating the data from each located record into aggregated emergency data; and
providing an emergency sub-page based on the aggregated emergency data.
The abstract is even more vague. So, I don't see any invention here, nor any innovation. It sounds like a database with a simple user interface. I'm working on such a system right now. Am I violating Miscrosoft's patent? Sure, my system deals with proletariat efficiencies, but it's basically the same idea.
I don't see how a patent can be granted for this. Emergency services have been doing this for years, just on paper and with log books. Sure, it's good to have needed information in one convenient place, with a simple interface, but I fail to see any innovation or invention. How can one patent something that is simply logic? Can logic really be patented? I know it has been, but that doesn't mean it's not asinine. Maybe I read the patent wrong, but I just see this as simple logic.
Potential abuse of emergency calls (Score:5, Insightful)
1. Immature person tries out the emergency call just to see what happens or if it really works.
2. Creative but malicious person writes virus that triggers this technology.
3. Someone triggers the emergency call in one place, using this as a distraction away from where a real emergency (burglary, for example) is taking place.
4. Creative but malicious person writes program that blocks this technology.
These are just a few random things that come to mind. Numbers 1 and 3 can be done today using a regular phone, but numbers 2 and 4 are what concern me--the idea that someone could potentially make it look like you or I were "prank-calliing" the police or fire station, or interfere with a real-life emergency.
This is all hypothetical, of course.
Mod parent insightful (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:New product in the works? (Score:5, Insightful)
Or did they file to patent to blackmail^Wpersuade the Government into buying their products because theirs is the only chip on the block?
Re-Register... (Score:2, Insightful)
Please, at least change the alarmist title... come on
Re:Oh holy stupidity (Score:5, Insightful)
maintaining a plurality of records in an emergency data store, each record comprising emergency data and having type of emergency information associated therewith that classifies the record as corresponding to at least one type of emergency;
And this one:
maintaining a plurality of records in a data store, each record comprising data and having type of information associated therewith that classifies the record as corresponding to at least one type of event;
I chose the word "event" but you could probably substitute any number of words there. Either way, removing all the extra "emergency"s exposes this thing as a very transparent attempt, as you said, to patent a database with a user interface. (Is "emergency" even defined in the patent claim?)
And the USPTO bought it.
Sheesh.
Re:Good and bad (Score:3, Insightful)
Hideous interface (Score:5, Insightful)
I was a 911 dispatcher in L.A. (including during the riots) and I can tell you that in an emergency the average person sometimes forgets basic information such as: their address, vehicle type, child's name, etc.
If such a tool could ever be made to work it would need as few buttons as possible, as large as possible, with as few words as possible.
Maybe if you hit the good sized emergency button you immediately get two big buttons that almost fill the screen.
(POLICE)
(FIRE/AMBULANCE)
In a decent dispatch environment if someone hits the wrong one they can quickly be routed to the right one.
Anything else is basically not an emergency and doesn't belong on the tool.
Huh? (Score:4, Insightful)
Either way it sounds much more cumbersome, error-prone, and generally distressing than "seize a telephone; press 9, 1, 1; tell the dispatcher what your problem is."
Re:New product in the works? (Score:5, Insightful)
We recently had a tax levi on the ballot were i live and it failed. The schools started canceling certian popular after school activities like football and such (that or requiring outragious fees to participate). Some book keeper requested budget and expense information for the previous several years and pointed out that in the last fiscal quarter of each year, the schools were spending on average of 25% more money on supplies and other stuff that doesn't need approval for purchasing then the previous 3 quarters. Then in the begining of the next quarter they would respend on much of the same items. It apears that when school is being let out for the year, they go thru more supplies then when it is in session and they use all those supplies up while the children are on break. Some of the expenses appeared to be obvious budget burning too.
Its no wonder the government costs so much to run. Our local police and fire have threatened to strike for more pay and some idiot made the fire contract's payroll contingent on the police's pay so an increase in one automaticaly increases the other. We waist so much money that it isn't right.
so to sum up your post (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Good and bad (Score:3, Insightful)
You are right, if a municipality wants a police cruiser or ambulance they have to pay for it. What they are paying for is the metal and labor that went into producing that vehicle. But what if the idea behind a police cruiser was patented as microsoft plans to patent this. Then a municipality that wants a police cruiser would need to pay microsoft in addition to paying for the item itself. Lets say the muicipality can't/won't pay the licensing. Well, the police would have to make due without sirens or lights or 4 tires or some change that would exclude them from the patent.
"Corporate" isn't the best term to use in this situation as there are perfectly moral corporations out there. But the reality is that most are out to make a buck before all else; and I don't trust microsoft to put my personal safety (911) above their own profits.
Re:Mod parent insightful (Score:3, Insightful)
In fact, I was just fooling around with the concept, but yeah, in the back of my mind what I wrote is the type of scenario I could foresee happening someday if patent rights holders get as greedy as copyright holders have in recent years. I mean, who'd have thought back in the day when we were making cassette tapes of our favorite songs to play for our friends that one day we'd see record companies suing 8-year-olds? Or that a Russian programmer would be locked up for copyright violation when he came to the U.S. to give a speech? Or a teen in Norway would be sued for making a contraption that let him watch his own movie on his own computer?
Greed unchecked can lead to all sorts of Huh? moments in life. My little joke (now totally ruined by this serious discussion ) was not meant to be taken literally of what I think will happen one day, but you never know...
Re:New product in the works? (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Hold on, I need to type a message to 911... (Score:3, Insightful)
I commute in 5-point harnesses every day (and I've removed the 1st gen. airbag). There are submarining problems with 4-pts, but that's a different discussion.
I had exactly the blind spot problem you discussed until I adjusted my mirrors out a little bit more. Most people set up their mirrors with too much of their own car in view. I don't need a mirror to tell me my rear fenders are still there...I think there would be other cues if those suddenly went missing.
When you open up the mirrors a bit, then your blind spot is only a small area right next to your car, and you can turn your head to see that.
In fact, you should be doing that anyway...there's no reason to move your body out of position when driving, except to look out the back window while in reverse.
But the real issue has nothing to do with the number of points, it has to do with inertia reels. Any "mainstream" 4 or 5pt system would include inertia reels, rather than manual adjustments like a proper race harness. And it's those reels that give you the freedom of movement.
Re:New product in the works? (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:New product in the works? (Score:1, Insightful)
Do us all a favor and call OPM up and find out what government employees get in the way of benefits. There is no reason for you to comment on the out of control spending of benefits for Federal, Judicial, and Military employees if you have no clue about what benefits they get, how lame the benefits are, the personal cost each employee gets by enrolling in a benefit program, or have an idea of how much of a discount the government gets with insurance and other benefit providers because its one of the largest employers in the world.
Because of people like you who think they have a clue as to what government employees and how the government works, budgets keep getting cut to make it appear like there is less spending going on. The problem is that people are getting eliminated or laid off and valuable programs are being cut. I've seen so many people complain that NASA is cutting its programs, look at the budget your congressmen gave to them. Let's talk about the budget cutting across the board for every agency in the US government except for military. Some agencies, mine included, have been crippled. Do you know what its like to have to buy your own pens so you can do your job even though you only get a 0.5% raise this year and may not get one next year when you're already working at 10k below the normal salary of someone in the private sector doing your same job? I don't work for the government to make money; I do it because I make a difference when I got to work. I know that every time I step into my building that I have the potential to make life better for someone, somewhere. Can you say that?
I've worked in the private and public sectors for quite some time now and I've seen waste of all kind in each environments. Simply because you fund the government doesn't mean that every paper clip can be accounted for. Ideally, it would be but the reason its not is sheer cost. Waste management costs money. Accountants cost money. Managers and trainers cost money. People don't volunteer to come in and balance the books for the government; they get paid to do it. And they usually get paid less than if they were to go and work for a company like D&T. I'm sure if you wanted to come in and act as waste manager or football couch for you local elementary school or janitor, they would be more than happy to accept your services free of charge.
As for the topic at hand, have you ever looked at our patent and trademark laws? met a patent attorney? or talked to a patent lawyer? When was the last time you wrote a letter to your Senator asking for better, easier to understand, harder to abuse patent laws? When was the last time YOU made it a platform issue? When was the last time you didn't vote for someone because they don't believe in a fair and equal patent reform? If you are a US citizen, you have the power to vote, speak your mind, and change your world so I suggest you step away from your terminal and start doing something about it.
Thank you for your time now get stuffed.
Re:New product in the works? (Score:2, Insightful)
If you don't spend your budget, whoever controls it will cut it down. If it gets cut, it is extremely hard (next to impossible) to get it increased when you really need it. So, there's an excellent incentive for "budget burning".
Re:New product in the works? (Score:3, Insightful)
So... Let me guess. you didn't RTFA at all. did you. There is a diagram of a user interface that shows this patent is for software methods of letting someone on a palm pilot, web enabled cell phone, or other handheld device to access Emergency Services info to report an incident. It may also allow you to monitor the progress of the response, but it's clearly designed for civilians to use. The fact that you have to choose which type of emergency response (fire, police, medical, etc) shows that this is not the type of integrated information system you are discussing
Not that I doubt MS is doing what you say, and certainly that would be very helpful to emergency management people. This is just something else.
This is just MS trying to gain a monopoly on being able to place a request for emergency services through a computerized interface. Call it a monopoly on the ability to call 911 from anything other than a telephone. You'll need a Pocket PC (running WinCE, not Linux) to call for help, your Palm won't be able to. If your phone uses Symbian OS instead of WinCE, you'll have to settle for regular old voice calls to 911 rather than a more efficient digital reporting system that would provide response teams with easy access to additional information that could save lives - both yours and theirs. This is really just a way for MS to create an "exclusive feature" to sell their embedded OS to device manufactures, and users.
Why should MS be allowed to patent a way to use a Public Safety system?
Tommy