[Linux-aus] Microsoft files new patent (another episode in your favourite "stupid patent" series)

[Shayne Flint]

I know that I did this for lat/longs (and a bunch of other data types 
using base-64) in 1983 (yes >20 years ago) in order to send data over 
primitive comms links that didn't like non-printable characters.

I can't imagine I was alone.


Arjen Lentz wrote:

>Stupid patents series 23524 ...
>
>Abstract
>Methods are disclosed for encoding latitude/longitude coordinates within 
>a URL in a relatively compact form. The method includes converting 
>latitude and longitude coordinates from floating-point numbers to 
>non-negative integers. A set of base-N string representations are 
>generated for the integers (N represents the number of characters in an 
>implementation-defined character set being utilized). The latitude 
>string and longitude string are then concatenated to yield a single 
>output string. The output string is utilized as a geographic indicator 
>with a URL.
>
>For the full US patent application text see:
>
>http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220050023524%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20050023524&RS=DN/20050023524
>
>Or: http://tinyurl.com/3rz8t
>
>
>
>  
>


-- 
-- Shayne Flint, MIEAust, CPEng
-- Lecturer, Department of Computer Science
-- Australian National University
-- Tel: 02-6125-8183
--
-- The best way to prepare [to be a programmer] is to write programs, 
-- and to study great programs that other people have written. In my 
-- case, I went to the garbage cans at the Computer Science Center 
-- and fished out listings of their operating system. (Bill Gates)