IBM Wants To Patent Restaurant Waits 154
theodp writes "If all goes IBM's way, it'll soon constitute patent infringement if Bennigan's gives you a free lunch for being inconvenienced by a long wait for your meal. Big Blue is seeking a patent for its Method and Structure for Automated Crediting to Customers for Waiting, the purported 'invention' of three IBM researchers, which IBM notes, 'could be implemented completely devoid of computerization or automation of any kind.' Can we count on IBM to withdraw this patent claim, or will Big Blue weasel out of its patent reform pledge again?"
Automation IS required (Score:5, Interesting)
But the patent says: "At least one of subsystems is automated."
So they summary is incorrect.
Regardless, this patent is pure, unadulterated BS. Therefore, I applaud it and hope that IBM file many more just like it and they all get granted.
Sooner or later, no one in the US will be able to do business without paying off a squad of patent pimps, and then, maybe
Not to miss out on all this, I'm rushing out to patent "A method for receiving payment in exchange of receipt of goods." and "Providing furniture and eating instruments for consumers at a dining establishment".
Actually interesting (Score:4, Interesting)
This would only be good (Score:3, Interesting)
Wow (Score:5, Interesting)
This is literally a system to reward people based on their time in queue and their position in the queue. Wow. An egg timer could do this. I was expecting something fairly complex and novel like Amazon's patent for prioritizing shipping based on future profit streams per customer (here [slashdot.org]). Instead I saw a basic, obvious solution that has pretty easy to find prior art: a waiter comping you a dessert because you had to wait a while.
Re:Actually interesting (Score:4, Interesting)
Dominos pizza?? (Score:1, Interesting)
There's no motivation to change (Score:3, Interesting)
The USPTO makes a lot of profit. Why should Uncle Sam kill a cash cow.
The patent lawyers make a lot of money filing patents. Easy filing encourages more filing which means more business/profit. But the real money gets earned when patents get contested. Therefore bad patents mean lots of litigation which mean more profits. No motivation to improve patent quality.
Systems don't fix themselves. Since there is no motivation to change, change won't happen.
Comment removed (Score:3, Interesting)
IBM's patent strategy (Score:1, Interesting)
IBM tried improving the quality for a couple of years and filed fewer (potentially better) patents. All that did was allow other companies to sneak up and get closer.
So IBM loosened up a little. The result is that the local committees that review patents and make the decision to file are letting more ideas go through. Some fraction of those are related to actual IBM products, some fraction will get licensed to other companies, and some fraction really won't mean anything in the end. What you want to look at are what patents IBM keeps valid by paying maintenance fees. Those patents are important to IBM. If the patent is issued and then abandoned when the fees come due, it's just a number toward the goal of being #1.
From what I've seen, IBM strongly supports patent reform but has to play the same game everyone else plays. If IBM plays the "high quality patent only" game, everyone on Slashdot gives IBM high marks. If IBM then comes in second it'll be big news in the Wall Street Journal. The WSJ beats Slashdot every day of the week.
Re:Automation IS required (Score:2, Interesting)
It is very true that
Filed last week? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Prior art (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Automation IS required (Score:4, Interesting)