American Online has a new patent, which for the life of me I can’t see any use for (but maybe it is just me). The patent, USPN 6,754,904, is entitled “Informing network users of television programming viewed by other network users ” and appears to be directed towards allowing an instant messaging user to see what their instant messaging buddy (using a “web TV” style box) is watching on TV.
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What if your buddy had TiVo and you both had broadband internet? Could you see what he was watching and then watch it, too?
I see this patent as not having a purpose that’s immediately obvious, but it could lay the foundation for something else interesting.
>it could lay the foundation for something else interesting
I think you are right…that is the million dollar question (“where are the going with this?”)
Just grasping for anything here… but parents could keep track of what channel their kids are watching at home, while the parents are away.
I guess the more obvious use is that people could possibly chat about what is on that channel at the time.
It’s almost 3 years later and there still isn’t a use for this patent. I didn’t even know it existed until I came across this blog. Wonder why AOL created this. Maybe they thought it would have been one of those useless, but cool things to have, only it didn’t work out.