IBM's US 7,788,063: A total weight of passengers on the vehicle is divided by an estimated weight of each of the passengers to estimate "how many"
Evoking memories of the infamous airplane toilet queue patent, IBM has now obtained US 7,788,063, titled Utilizing gross vehicle weight to determine passenger numbers. The first claim recites:
A method of determining passenger headcounts in vehicles, the method comprising: measuring a total weight of passengers on a vehicle; a data processing device estimating an average weight for each of the passengers, wherein the average weight is estimated according to a current season, a time of day, a day of week, a location of the vehicle and an average weight of carry on baggage; the data processing device dividing the total weight of the passengers by the average weight of the passengers to determine, in real time, a total number of passengers on the vehicle; and dynamically adjusting vehicle routes by adjusting a total number of vehicles on a route, lengths of the vehicle routes, and vehicle sizes and types deployed on the vehicle routes based on the total number of passengers on the vehicle.
Of past efforts by IBM:
Airplane toilet queue patent: it's back!
It's Kappos
A method of determining passenger headcounts in vehicles, the method comprising: measuring a total weight of passengers on a vehicle; a data processing device estimating an average weight for each of the passengers, wherein the average weight is estimated according to a current season, a time of day, a day of week, a location of the vehicle and an average weight of carry on baggage; the data processing device dividing the total weight of the passengers by the average weight of the passengers to determine, in real time, a total number of passengers on the vehicle; and dynamically adjusting vehicle routes by adjusting a total number of vehicles on a route, lengths of the vehicle routes, and vehicle sizes and types deployed on the vehicle routes based on the total number of passengers on the vehicle.
Of past efforts by IBM:
Airplane toilet queue patent: it's back!
It's Kappos
posted by Lawrence B. Ebert at 10:22 PM
1 Comments:
"... the data processing device dividing the total weight of the passengers by the average weight of the passengers to determine, in real time, a total number of passengers on the vehicle" ... In other words, a calculator? Are they kidding? Is a calculator supposed to qualify as the "machine" in the MORT test? Really, this looks like the kind of business method tripe that led to the Bilski patent litigation. Shouldn't we be seeing an end to such wastes of the USPTO's resources?
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