How Blatent Is Your Patent?

Nintendo has recently been ordered to pay $21 million for an infringement on a patent relating to its Wavebird and Wii Classic controllers. The company known as Anascape also sued Microsoft who chose to settle out of court. Nintendo are set to appeal and they expect the amount to be significantly reduced.

Anascape patented a 'Variable Conductance Sensor' in 1999 as well as others over the past 7 years including…

'Game Controller with Analog Pressure Sensor'
'Remote Controller with Analog Button'
'Variable Sensor with Tactile Feedback'
'Analog Controls Housed with Electronic Displays'
'3D Controller with Vibration'

Of course as usual I have no idea what I’m talking about but some of those do seem very vague… which got me thinking about what strange things I could find that people have patented.

Electrified table cloth - Designed to discourgage bugs from crawling on a table cloth. It says that the most humans would feel would be a slight tiggling sensation but I'm sure you could have some great fun at parties with one of these.

Stud Spectacles - These are glasses that don't need a frame because they attach to body piercings on your face.

Device For Moistening The Adhesive Coating On Postage Stamps - Describes a device containing an applicator to moisten stamps, but reading further it contains the following quote "The applicator may be in the form of a human tongue".

Head bird feeder - See nature up close and personal with your very own cranial bird table. You no longer need to sit in a dark and damp hide to view nature's finest. Simply sit in the middle of the lawn and wait.



That picture is actually in the patent documents believe it or not.

Are you bursting with useless ideas? Then you'd probably make a great member of the GAMEOV3R Forum