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'
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!!!
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Enter the...
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No Subject Given
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Re: No Subject Given
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Easter favorite
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Prior art
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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