
IBM patents drone-delivery of coffee straight to your mouth - binbag
http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?PageNum=0&docid=10040551&IDKey=61C703B14D4D%0D%0A&HomeUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect1%3DPTO2%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526u%3D%25252Fnetahtml%25252FPTO%25252Fsearch-adv.htm%2526r%3D47%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526d%3DPTXT%2526p%3D1%2526S1%3D%28%252522food%252522%252BAND%252B%252522kitchen%252522%29%2526OS%3D%252522food%252522%252Band%252B%252522kitchen%252522%2526RS%3D%28%252522food%252522%252BAND%252B%252522kitchen%252522%29
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ihumanable
This is what happens when you force engineers to generate so many patents
every quarter / year.

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maxxxxx
When I was contractor at IBM for a year I attended several sessions where the
only task was to come up with ideas for patents. This looks exactly like the
result of one of these sessions.

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matthewmcg
Patent illustrations are a hilarious genre in general. If you like the
drawings here, you’ll love this tumblr which features some true classics:

[http://contextfreepatentart.tumblr.com](http://contextfreepatentart.tumblr.com)

My favorite is the one where the couch potato has to get up and shout
“McDonalds!” before the Orwellian, camera-equipped Smart TV will continue
playing the violent program he is watching.

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beaconstudios
Reminds me of the verification can greentext

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yohann305
Basically a ripoff of the robot-butler concept, replacing the wheels with
rotors. In 1984, the TV series Riptide already had a robot serving drinks:
[https://www.filmaffinity.com/es/movieimage.php?imageId=98109...](https://www.filmaffinity.com/es/movieimage.php?imageId=981095032)

Robot butler pic here: [http://bearbottoms1.com/smart-
homes/](http://bearbottoms1.com/smart-homes/)

One might argue that rotors and wheels are similar in nature since they both
are a rotating device

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satokema
but can I patent drone delivery of medication to citizens that are not
behaving or thinking in a compliant manner?

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davemp
This reminds me of a Vonnegut short, Harrison Bergeron. [1]

[1]:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Bergeron](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Bergeron)

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fermienrico
Sensational click-baity title. You could have just said "IBM patents drone-
delivery of coffee".

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binbag
I wrote it like that because the absurdity amused me, not as a cheap attention
grab.

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jaclaz
Well, I thought the patent was for _literally_ delivering coffee to one's
mouth (think of disabled people that cannot hold the cup and bring it to
mouth).

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virtuabhi
I don't get this. Is this patent part of some prank? The authors are senior
researchers at IBM.

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rasz
I seem to remember reading that IBMers got bonuses per number of patents
generated.

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mmcdaris
It's all fun and games until someone gets a head-full of hot coffee.

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francisofascii
You could possibly see this in a super crowded environment. A nightclub, rock
concert, or even a sporting event in the stands. A replacement for the
cocktail waiter or beer vendor at a ball game.

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ungerik
Perfect example of big companies blocking innovation from small inventors by
patenting every imaginable idea and combination of ideas :-(

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mrfredward
Trolling...but not in their usual manner.

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dougmwne
Someone collected the employee patent bonus for this! We can clearly see that
incentive is working.

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fenwick67
those images on the first page are a riot

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rad_gruchalski
Is this a Watson service?

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auvi
no, today is not April 1.

