If you live in a northern or temperate climate like I do, then using your iPhone outside in the winter can be a real pain. Since the iPhone's screen is capacitive, you have to operate it with either your bare fingertips or a cumbersome stylus, something that gets old fast in sub-zero weather. To solve this issue, Apple is working on a patent for some gloves that should make using the iPhone a lot
Sprint (S) is down sharply today, heading toward penny-stock land. Shares are at $1.70, off their 52-week high of $13.90. Much of the drop is due to its...
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An interesting golf ball patent issued this month to Acushnet. The patent is USPN 7452291 ( titled “Foam-Core Golf Balls” and describes the invention as:
A patent represents a grant from the United States government to an individual for the exclusive right to make, use, import, sell, and offer to sell an invention. In order to obtain a patent, an inventor must prove that the invention is new, useful, and not merely an obvious improvement over what was already known.
For the moment the details are still few, but the news certainly can not go unnoticed: Kodak and Nokia have reached an agreement for the mutual exchange of patents.
It is not know what will this agreement, which does not mean that in future some Nokia phones will incorporate Kodak sensors. In this regard we recall that Kodak is no stranger to mobile telephony, for example, the Motorola MOTOZINE
Microsoft has got patented a Audio Data Censoring Technology with their very own XBox Live as its mandatory application.
The Technology was invented by Danieli & Damon V. (Clyde Hill, WA)
With the aid of this technology an input audio data stream under consideration, comprising speech is processed by an automatic censoring [...]
COX Verizon
Much to the surprise of VoIP world, court (jury) has sided with COX and ruled that COX does not violate Verizon patents that I feel should not have been awarded in the first place. Verizon is in a suing spree targeting VoIP providers. I am wondering why these patents have not been...
Due to unforeseen circumstances this is only a partial feed. The complete post is available at snapvo
Canon patents fuel cell DSLR
I was first introduced to this technology at the 2005 Canon Expo. I for one have been waiting on the release of this technology with baited breath.
What this would mean is a single fuel cell could power the entire camera system, including the external flash. This would allow for a lighter weight [...]
Innovation is good. Monopoly is bad.Patents encourage both.The argument is that inventors need the incentive of a patent to develop new products. Without patents and the prospect of monopoly profits, it is argued there would be less inventions and society would be worse off. Therefore, although monopoly is bad, patents are seen as the best solution.Supporters of patents will say that although they
Earlier this week I posted (-future-of-taylor-made-drivers-will-this-design-ever-make-it-to-store-shelves.aspx) about a Taylor Made patent application disclosing a pretty radical driver with fins. Well, Callaway has stepped up to the plate this week with a patent application disclosing a driver that is even more radical! Check out this Callaway driver design!
I never thought I would live to see the day that a Taylor Made driver had fins! OK, I haven’t actually seen fins on a Taylor Made driver; just drawings of a finned driver from a Taylor Made patent application.
Monsanto, the subject of protests throughout India and much of the developing world for its use of so-called death or single-use seeds, has a defender it emerges in the UN system, Jeffrey Sachs. Following a June 20 talk extolling the virtual of genetically modified food, Sachs was asked by Inner City Press about a counter-example, that of Monsanto and its death seeds, which are sterile so th
We're pleased to introduce a new section to our site as we welcome The IP Golf Guy - David Dawsey. We've been fans of David's Golf Patents website () for a while... he is an expert in the area of intellectual property and golf patents. If a golf club company patents a design... David will find it. Today David shares some pictures of a new design from Acushnet (Titleist/Cobra).
Six IT companies are planning to pool their Wimax wireless communications technology patents for licensing to other companies. The Wall Street Journal has reported that Cisco, Intel, Samsung Electronics, Sprint Nextel, Alcatel-Lucent and Clearwire intend to announce the foundation of the Open Patent Alliance on Monday. The newspaper says its sources are "people familiar with the situation&quo
According to Edlyn Simmons (chapter on 'Patents' in Armstrong and Large, Manual of Online Search Strategies, Ashgate, 1992): In most countries, no patent is granted until the application has been examined to determine whether the claimed invention is new, useful and inventive.Which makes me wonder how - as reported in Lorcan Dempsey's Blog - Google can file a patent application for "what it calls
This could be interesting. According to the guys at AppleInsider, a pair of Apple patent filing have been discovered which show the company as exploring ways to use the iPhone's wireless technologies to help alert users as to when they're about to lose either their cellular or Wi-Fi signal. The patent also discusses a means of locating device accessories that may have been misplaced.
theodp writes “You can still leave your handprint in cement at Grauman’s Chinese Theater. But as of Tuesday, you best not do the same on a laptop, lest you infringe on IBM’s new patent for the Portable Computer with a Hand Impression, an ‘invention’ that Big Blue explains makes balancing the portable computer on a [...]
Apple has been keeping their mouths shut about the second generation iPhone, and I must admit, they’ve been doing one hell of a job, too. The people over at Dial-a-Phone have taken some time out of their day to take a look at some of the patents that Apple has been filing within the past [...]
Wait, what? Weren’t we just speculating about this? Actually, no — this isn’t quite the “location-based content” I went over in my last article. This is similar, yet different. You may recall several rumours in the past about the iPhone and iPod Touch being given the ability to place orders at your favourite café through [...]
A SciFinder Scholar research survey conducted using different keywords such as “electrostatic or electrospinning and nanofiber” shows an increasing interest in nanofiber fabrication and related applications over the period of 9 years. In the year 2007 from January to November total 1728 publications related to nanofibers appeared which included 445 general patents and 117 biomedical application related patents. Similar trend continues with a refined search for total granted patents and nanofiber based biomedical applications. The disclosures that use nanofiber matrices can be broadly classified into different categories such as nanofibers for therapeutic agent delivery applications, as scaffolds for tissue engineering and for prosthetic applications.Ref: Recent Patents on Biomedical En
Here's some interesting news for those of you following Apple's innovations. We've reported on several patents both applied for by and granted to Apple, but a recent claim from a George Washington University law professor could mean big changes for Apple's patents. He's claiming that all patent judges appointed after the year 2000 were appointed unconstitutionally. As a result, the thousands of patents granted since then could be ruled as invalid.
A new patent filed by Apple on August 2007 reveals that it has plans to upgrade the iPhone's already kick-ass instant messaging app. Actually, the iPhone still hasn't been endowed with an official IM app, unless you consider AIM's take on such a thing official. But the built-in SMS app of the iPhone functions quite well for this job, so Apple is really taking its time in rolling out something that will be officially called the iPhone IM client.Now while the iPhone's current SMS app is so advanced that it passes (and possibly even surpasses) most dedicated IM clients, the features of the IM client found on Apple's latest patent filing reveals a few new features that would make an IM app in the iPhone even better.For one, drawings of the IM client in Apple's patent indicate a feature that le
Think touch screen cell phones are cool? Well it seems Samsung wants to take things to the next level by allowing users to "gesture" to their cell phones with hand signals. Now that's cool! According to the patent filing abstract:"A handheld gesture recognition control apparatus and its method are provided for a mobile phone. The input method of the present invention includes collecting a plurality of images; storing the images as control images; mapping the control images to corresponding control commands; capturing an image taken by a camera as a current image; comparing the current image to the control images; selecting one of the control images as a target control image according to a comparison result; extracting a control command mapped to the tar
Above you are granted with the three most recent iPhone/Touch-related patents that Apple has filed for with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Three of the many patents are in regards to the iPhone/Touch.
One of the three patents allows for rearranging the springboard; widget organization. Another is a configuration for unique virtual keyboards that display for [...]
A few more patent applications filed by Apple have been published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, three of which were iPhone/iPod touch-related. Among them are a feature for rearranging a homescreen, a configuration for unique virtual keyboards that display for different tasks, such as writing Email, and most interestingly a patent for "episodic" gaming.The first patent, Graphical User Interface for Configuring and Displaying Widgets, covers the organization of widgets on the iPhone and iPod touch.Their second patent, Soft Keyboard Display for a Portable Multifunction Device, covers "computer-implemented method for displaying soft keyboards at a portable electronic device with a touch screen display", or the iPhone's virtual keyboard. Lastly, the third patent, Treatment o
Just got hip to The Great Hip-Hop Debate produced by Diverse World Order thanks to Grandgood! In the video, Coke La Rock, the first emcee, makes it known that he's the oldest cat on the block and wondering where his royalty check is. On the real, Coke La Rock has some poignant words on the state of hip-hop. At the end of the day, hip-hop will never die and will live on! Preach!
There are many misconceptions about what a patent is and is not. Many believe that patents can “protect an idea” in the sense of preventing people from acting on a concept you thought of. Others believe that mailing yourself notes and drawings is a “poor man’s patent” that provides sufficient protection. In fact, patents are [...]
Just as a growing number of people are starting to sell their patents, there is a rise in the number of people looking to buy them. However, it is wise to do some homework and number-crunching before spending big bucks to own a patent. It is also altogether imprudent to buy patents or ideas from [...]
Apple Inc. recently filed a few newly updated Cover Flow patents, which will bring new tricks to the already-excellently designed feature.
MacNN explains further:
Apple recently filed for a patent, which appears to enhance the existing foundations of its Cover Flow technology on the iPhone and iPod classic. The patent application demonstrates the process of flipping through contacts, dates, pictures, and [...]
This concept breaks down into two distinct categories inherent in the title of this post:
Patents
Patents are a means of protecting intellectual property from competitive capitalization. Patents work extremely well in an already existing industry. Strategically a company can prevent competition for the time period allocated in the patent. The patent process is beyond the economic reach of most people; requiring $10,000 and up to achieve reasonable protection. Because of this the patent process is restricted somewhat, only achievable by the economically wealthy and the intellectually gifted (Law school is a lot to learn). Frankly I tried to write a patent once and the result were not positive. On a side note this is not the way it should be
Open Source
The most widely known open source project is Linux. All the source code is freely available making patent protection futile. Consider the open source concept in a newly born industry; one with no competition. Typically new products ha
The second Nokia patent Unwired View's dug up this week apes the Nintendo DS more than the Sidekick. It's got two screens, one touch, the other for visuals only. It also has the quickly becoming standard intelligent layout, which changes depending on the angle the phone's opened at.When it's flapped completely open, the split view coalesces into a single one spread across both screens. Even if the concept isn't wholly inventive by this point, the second screen could set it apart from the million over phones now jumping on the touchscreen bandwagon
On September 7th, 2007, the House passed the Patent Reform Act of 2007 (H.R. 1908), including a provision prohibiting tax strategy patents. One day before, the White House issued a statement expressing concerns about the practise of patent protection for tax planning startegies and expressed a willingness to work with Congress on this issue.
Now the Senate has stepped into the arena, with
How Moronic is this, Prior art search could start some where here;""Mr. Watson--come here--I want to see you."" I am sure Mr. Watson said good bye after informing that it will tale one week for him to get to New York from San Francisco!Geemodo: Microsft Seeks Patent on "Good Bye"Tags: VoIP Patents, Microsoft
By: Ash Tankha In recent years, there has been an extensive boost in technological concepts related to electronics and electrical domain. Electronic engineering is a constantly changing and widening branch of technology. Electronics and semiconductor engineering is one of the largest and fastest growing industries. This growth has entailed a wide range of patent filing, all through. Electronics and semiconductors covers a wide range of applications we use daily, such as Television, Radio, computers, telecommunication etc, which make our life easier and enjoyable. It helps us see, hear and communicate over enormous distances and accomplish tasks faster. Electronics plays a major role in industries like oil, energy, agriculture and many other important sectors of economy. Electronics and semiconductor patents form a subclass of electrical patents. The electrical patenting class is broadly classified into many subclasses based on the area of nce. Some subclasses include Digital Electronic
Looks like Vonage does not have a place to hide these days. AT&T Inc. on Friday has filed a lawsuit against VOIP provider Vonage, seeking damages for alleged patent infringement. The case was filed in Western District of Wisconsin.Why Wisconsin? you may NOT ask but Russell Shaw at ZDNet thinks that there could be more to this;"Less consequential, but more head-scratching: why the filing in Western Wisconsin? Is this an attempt on AT&T’s part to seek a decision in a U.S. Court their lawyers perceive to be friendly toward patent holders?"AT&T alleged that Vonage wilfully infringed an AT&T patent related to telephone systems that allow people to make VOIP (voice-over-Internet Protocol) calls using standard telephone devices.I think it is big corporations not wanting to share what could be theirs. Or perhaps get them while they are down. On the other hand is it not the same allegation that Vonage just settled with Sprint Nextel?, more than 100 patents covering technology
Book Description
ISBN-0471250503While there are many books on "how to patent" and patent law, Essentials of Patents delivers practical advice on how to leverage patents as a powerful competitive corporate tool.
This is not your "ordinary patent book". It's emphasis is directed to patent management with the express emphasis of increasing shareholder value, and it's audience, each with its own
Diebold has been granted five U.S. patents covering a variety of applications that enable mobile devices to interact directly with bank ATMs. These technologies extend beyond current mobile banking practices that permit using mobile phones to conduct online banking transactions such as transferring funds or checking account balances. The new technologies covered by the patents will allow consumers to use their mobile devices to locate and get directions to the nearest ATM, "order" cash withdrawals remotely, generate electronic checks to pay for goods or services, transmit wireless payments and conduct other transactions more securely and conveniently than they do presently. Approximately 8 billion ATM transactions are performed annually in the United States, according to the Dove 2006 ATM Deployer Study. Those transactions add up to $600 billion in cash dispensed each year.
Our friends over at the Digital Photography Review website have picked up on an interest patent from Japan's Nikon Corp.
A Canadian photographer and DPReview member found the patent, which is entitled "Color Separation Device of Solid-State Image Sensor", and posted mention of it in the site's forum. First filed in December 2003, the document is based on a Japanese patent that Nikon had filed
“The McFLY 2015 sneakers were made exclusively for the 1989 film Back to the future 2. Michael J. Fox wore them in the movie, they were never released to the public. Every kid who watched the movie back in 1989 wanted these shoes. The McFLY 2015’s are considered by sneaker nerds as the Holy Grails of all sneakers”.
Back in 1990, NIKE Inc. filed two patents for the sneakers Marty McFly wears during the year 2015 scenes in Back to the Future 2 (get a good look at them here, and watch the commercial). Nike, why would you even make patents for a sneaker if your ultimate goal wasn’t to sell them? Or maybe they did plan on selling them but something prohibited them, its irelevant at this point, be smart Nike and drop these kicks. If you want to help the movement visit the official website of the McFLY 2015 project and sign up. More patent pictures after the break. (more…)
Related PostsProject McFly 2015’s official commercial…First looks at Nas’s &ldqu
Eastman Kodak Co., the world’s largest photography company, sued Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., claiming infringement of four U.S. patents on digital-camera technology. Matsushita, the world’s biggest maker of consumer electronics, is using Kodak’s inventions without permission, Kodak said in a complaint filed yesterday in federal court in Tyler, Texas. Also sued were Panasonic Corp., Victor [...]
Not really sure how much mileage Apple is going to get out of this patent, with Zune and pretty much everybody else already swapping songs and such wirelessly, but we’ll humor ‘em all the same. A September 1st, 2006 filing describes methods “for delivery of data to a portable electronic device from another electronic device.” For sake of argument, we’ll assume they’re talking iPhones and iPods here. Read on…
Via: Engadget.com
Assumes you are who you say you are
Voltage Security has been granted five patents covering the core functionality of their “identity-based” encryption products, though they’re keen to share the technology with everyone on a reasonable and non-discriminatory basis.…
Read more…
Me.dium gets new funding, should use it to start over – I tried Me.dium twice when it was in beta, and both times ended up uninstalling it. There simply wasn’t enough value to it. Part of this was that there weren’t enough people using it(as of now, 20,000 registered users, according to co-founder David Mandell), and there was no easy way of finding where everyone was. The other part is that I don’t think Me.dium is the best solution for any of the problems they’re trying to solve:
“You and your friend are trying to accomplish a common task”. How does a browser plugin that lets me a) see where my friend is, and b) chat, accomplish this any better than an IM conversation where we send each other links? It’s simpler, most IM clients support logging so our collaboration is saved, and it keeps me from being distracted by the unimportant sites a friend browses until he messages me with an important one.
“You are trying to do someth
Me.dium gets new funding, should use it to start over – I tried Me.dium twice when it was in beta, and both times ended up uninstalling it. There simply wasn’t enough value to it. Part of this was that there weren’t enough people using it(as of now, 20,000 registered users, according to co-founder David Mandell), and there was no easy way of finding where everyone was. The other part is that I don’t think Me.dium is the best solution for any of the problems they’re trying to solve:
“You and your friend are trying to accomplish a common task”. How does a browser plugin that lets me a) see where my friend is, and b) chat, accomplish this any better than an IM conversation where we send each other links? It’s simpler, most IM clients support logging so our collaboration is saved, and it keeps me from being distracted by the unimportant sites a friend browses until he messages me with an important one.
“You are trying to do someth
Cellular printing: A rubberlike stamp containing microscale features was used to create specific shapes (a square and a triangle) that control the locations and spacing of cells. Credit: Whitesides Laboratory Key Nanotech Patents LicensedNano Terra has acquired a massive patent portfolio covering technologies developed by Harvard's George Whitesides. In one of the largest nanotechnology patent deals to date, a startup based in Cambridge, MA, called Nano Terra has licensed rights to more than 50 patents from Harvard University. The wide-ranging set of patents--the result of research done in the Harvard chemistry lab of George Whitesides--covers everything from techniques for designing materials that assemble themselves into microscopic lenses and data storage devices, to tools for patterning complex nanoscale circuits over large, irregularly shaped surfaces.Nano Terra says that it will use the massive intellectual-property portfolio as the basis for a business strategy that will mark
Motorola just received a patent to launch a new solar powered cell phone. While it is not yet on the market, it’s looking like we will see this new line of electricity-free phones on the market in as little as a year.
The new design allows more light to pass through the screen, resulting in the possibility of placing a solar panel behind it and increasing the locations the phone can absorb light.
Maybe I’ll get a cell phone when there are green friendly ones like this design finally on the market.
via ministry of tech
cell phone, Eco Friendly, Gadgets, motorola, patent, Solar Power, solar panel, solar powered
A patent suit was filed Wednesday against eight mobile phone companies, including AT&T Inc., Sprint Nextel Corp., T-Mobile USA Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc., alleging the various companies' ringback tone products infringe two patents.Greenville Communications LLC filed the complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. It claims its patents are infringed by a variety of mobile phone companies and their products, specifically the tones that callers hear when they dial a mobile phone.The patents in suit are U.S. Patent Numbers 5,321,740, titled "telephone marketing system," and U.S. Patent Number 5,428,670, titled "communications marketing system." The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued them in 1994 and 1995, respectively.The complaint lists the allegedly infringing products, including Verizon's Ringback Tones, T-Mobile's CallerTunes, AT&T's Answer Tones, Alltel Corp.'s Axcess Ringbacks, and Sprint and Boost Mobile LLC's Call Tones.Britis
Espoo, Finland - Nokia today rejected Qualcomm's public statements that it does not use Nokia patents. Nokia has for the last fifteen years contributed its technology to industry standards, such as GSM, WCDMA and CDMA. If Qualcomm's products comply with industry standards it is in the same position as any other supplier of mobile technology in that it needs access to Nokia's patents covering standardized technologies.Nokia believes that Qualcomm is currently using over one hundred of Nokia's GSM/WCDMA and CDMA2000 essential patents in its chipsets. Nokia and Qualcomm are yet to agree on the compensation payable by Qualcomm for such patents. With its more than 200 million units annually, Qualcomm is the largest user in the world of Nokia's technology and patents. Nokia's request for royalty payments from Qualcomm is based on royalty levels which are fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND).Since the early 1990's Nokia has invested over $35 billion in R&D and built one
NOKIA PRESS RELEASE April 5, 2007Nokia makes payment to Qualcomm for right to use UMTS patents after April 9, 2007Espoo, Finland - Nokia announced today that it has paid Qualcomm USD 20 million for patent licenses covering the second quarter 2007. Nokia and Qualcomm have had patent license agreements since 1992 and Nokia's obligations to pay license fees under the old agreements partially expire on April 9, 2007. The payment announced today does not extend, and is not related to, the old agreement. Rather, it is based on the licenses that Qualcomm has agreed and provided through the European Telecommunication Standardization Institute (ETSI)."As we continue to negotiate the new cross-license agreement, Nokia views this payment as fair and reasonable compensation for the use of relevant Qualcomm essential patents in Nokia UMTS handsets during the second quarter of 2007. Nokia believes that Qualcomm's patent portfolio is concentrated in the United States, and that it has few or no alle
- The same cool chaps from mad4mobilephones.com that made a rotating 3D model of the iPhone, made a compilation of The 21 most important iPhone patents. It’s a worthy read.
- Computerworld’s David Haskin wonders “What does Apple’s iPhone have in common with the failed Apple Newton of more than a decade ago?” in Hey, Apple: Remember the Newton before releasing iPhone.
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Nokia was recently granted a patent for a cell phone using orientation sensors to determine what orientation (held upside, on its side or right side up) a phone is in to automatically change the phone labels (keypads and screen information) (read patent). Additionally, the patent states that the phone will have embedded chips to sense velocity and direction when the phone is being moved. The patented features are similar to the popular controller for Nintendo's best-selling Wii videogame device.What is claimed is:"1. A mobile communication terminal having a user interface comprising: a display for showing information, a keypad including a plurality of hard keys, at least one of the hard keys being formed by at least a partially transparent key body that allows objects under the key to be seen through the top of the key, a pair of polarized films mounted, one over the other, for movement relative to one another under the keypad, labels disposed beneath the polarize
Nokia recently filed a patent design that features a cell phone with a removable built-in joystick for cell phone gamers (read patent).The invention claimed is:"1. A handheld device comprising: a main body having processor components operatively connected together for performing predetermined functions; a stylus; a ball defining an orifice configured for receiving said stylus; and a socket defined by said main body for rotatably receiving said ball, socket being configured for generating to said main body electrical signals indicative of movement of said ball in response to movement of said stylus, said processor components including pointing device logic for responding to said signals."No word yet from Nokia when this phone may be available.
Google Patents is not crawling much in Beta, yet searching over 7 million Patents to start with. Results ranging from long ago till this year. Type in the keyword "paperclip" and you'll find many paperclip designs since the early 1900s. The earliest one I've seen is from 1901, and doesn't look like the conventional clip.You can bend a paperclip and use it to open your CD-ROM drive. You can bend it and shoot it across the room with a rubber band. You can think of other uses for this old and simple, yet brilliant idea. The smartest part of it, is the fact it was patented.Having the ability to search so many patents may inspire others to new ideas. I think it's cool. Just make sure you patent your invention when you slip, fall, hit your head, and get a vision of the flux-capacitor, making time travel possible! We can only imagine what would be possible with a time machine!
Google has launched a pretty nifty beta version of Google Patent Search, which makes it easy to search the full text of the U.S. patent corpus and find patents that interest you. Start your exploration at www.google.com/patents or visit the Advanced Patent Search page to search by criteria, including patent number, inventor, and filing date. You can view images of original patents online. Check it out, or read the blog post by the Google people!
There are many misconceptions about what a patent is and is not. Many believe that patents can “protect an idea” in the sense of preventing people from acting on a concept you thought of. Others believe that mailing yourself notes and drawings is a “poor man’s patent” that provides sufficient protection. In fact, patents are [...]
Did you know that there are three primary types of patents? They are: utility patents, design patents, and plant patents.
Utility patents are the ones most commonly sought, and what most people are referring to when they say they have "patented" their invention. Utility patents cover things that ...
In the U.S., utility patents and plant patents are valid for 20 years after their filing date. (This slightly longer change in duration came about in June 1995. Utility patents filed before that date are valid for 17 years from their issue date.) As for the third ...
Filed under: Cellphones
Samsung's been getting pretty creative with cell cameras lately -- the Instinct lets you pan around web pages by tracking movement with the camera, for example -- but the company's latest patent application, for a gesture-based phone interface, might be a little less practical. The idea is ...
CHICAGO, /PRNewswire/ -- Memorylink Corp., a leading innovator in wireless broadband technology, filed suit against Motorola charging the Schaumburg-based Corporation with stealing its pioneering wireless video technology through a scheme of lies, broken promises and outright deceit. The suit alleges Motorola is guilty of willful intent to defraud and steal ...
IBM, being the geniuses that they are, have finally decided how to split a restaurant bill amongst several people. It took them how many years in business to figure this out????? They are so proud of this fact, that they applied and received a US Patent for it!
Patrons at a restaurant or bar can pay [...]
