Google Nabs 2 More Self-Driving Car Patents
Originally published on EV Obsession.
Two new patents were recently awarded to Google that are related to its autonomous car technology, according to recent reports.
The two new patents are for: interior design elements, and for external screens and speakers. The first patent pertains mostly to the sorts of design changes that are necessary if one is to remove the interior steering wheel; and the second one pertains mostly to the sorts of systems that will be needed to improve pedestrian/bicyclist awareness of the car.
Our sister site Gas 2 provides a bit more info:
Google has also been awarded a second patent covering a variety of external screens and a speaker, all of which are intended to allow the car to interact with pedestrians and bicyclists.
The car could announce sweetly to people waiting to get to the other side of the road, “It is now safe to cross. I will wait for you.” Screens mounted on the hood and each door could also indicate to those outside the car when it is safe to cross ahead of it and when it is not, according to a report in the Washington Post.
Interesting. The pics are about what I was expecting… What I’m really wanting to know, though, is when people will be able to begin buying these.
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The US patent system is broken. It is supposed to reward and protect genuinely original innovations, not obvious stuff like speakers on cars. The current policy seems to be to accept patent applications for anything and leave the testing to lawsuits. It’s a system for big corporations and lawyers, not inventors.
In the software mark it is even worse. Also patents for things that can be made yet. So that if someone invents a way to make it then patent troll can rake in the cash.
Right on..Apple is the worst with this nonsense.
Almost all major companies in the tech field pay employees a $500 – $1,000 bonus simply for coming up with a new patent, it has nothing to do with the companies business model, the sole intention is a technology land grab intended to prevent others from using the same idea.
British Telecommunications back in the 1970’s patented the idea of what we now commonly refer to as a hyperlink, they had absolutely no idea how it might be used nor did they have any use for it, simply one of thousands of patients intended to stifle competition.
Fortunately for the rest of the world the internet became fairly well established before BT discovered the 20 year old patent, BT tried to enforce it but lost their case as hyperlinks had become so commonplace. Now imagine how very different the internet would be if BT were able to extract revenue every time we clicked on a hyperlink?
A more recent example about 10 years ago was the race between the US and UK to map human DNA, thankfully the British got there first and published their findings in the public domain. Had the US won the race, doctors and scientists would need to pay big pharma a fee to develop DNA based cures.
The system desperately needs reforming
There’s also a lot of “protective” patienting. If a company does something unique and doesn’t patient it a second party can take out a patient and sue the originating company for license fees. There are a bunch of real jerks in the real world who look for ways to make money off other people’s ideas. Obtaining a patient can be like putting up a shield.
Maybe we should patent suicide bomb vests and then sue any bar stewards infringing our patent.
I guess you could collect your fee in bits and pieces….