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Microsoft Patents The Body Electric
from the bzzzt dept
theodp writes "While others may Sing the Body Electric, Microsoft has patented it. On Tuesday, the USPTO awarded Microsoft a patent for its Method and apparatus for transmitting power and data using the human body, which covers the use of the human body as a conductive medium (bus) over which power, data and control signals may be distributed."
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IBM had demonstrated 'human modems'
IBM had a cig-case sized device that was able to be a 2400 BPS modem and would 'detect' when one wearer of the device would touch another wearer.
The idea was 'to exchage business cards with just a handshake' VS the 'beaming' of a business card in the Newton/Palm model.
With Bluetooth, the 'need' "went away"
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Prior art!!!
Wouldn't lightning be considered prior art? It definitely conducts power through the human body in some instances. And it's definitely been around longer than MS.
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Re: Prior art!!!
Maybe BillG is Ben Franklin reincarnated. Just think about the simaliarities, they both wear glasses, they both innovate (well that's what Bill calls it) and they are both very popular with the ladies.
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Enter the...
Will it be the blue pill or the red pill?...
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No Subject Given
Does that mean that M$ can tax every man, woman and child using this system to operate the appliances placed on or near the body or sue them for patent infringment?
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Easter favorite
Anybody remember those little chicks that you got at Easter that chirped when you were holding them in your hand? Your body completed the electrical circuit via metal contacts on the bottom to power the sound chip. Pretty much thinking that prior art is there.
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Re: No Subject Given
Of course! What's wrong with that?
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Prior art
At least for the informal discussion US patent 166,096 (aka the "animal tissue patent") would be a starting point.
Why "animal tissue"?
The patent office initially rejected this application (filed in 1874), on the grounds that one could not patent a circuit which included a person. The patent was accepted when the inventor, Elisha Gray, replaced the person with a reference to animal tissue.
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