Subject:
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Re: Lego patent issued
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.cad
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Date:
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Wed, 4 Sep 2002 18:28:52 GMT
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Viewed:
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692 times
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In lugnet.cad, Erik Olson writes:
> A better example would be a model which references a subfile on the plane of
> an open hinge. The crux of the patent is transformation of a coordinate
> system. Specifically an integer grid coordinate system. CAR.DAT doesn't have
> anything like that (the headlight bricks notwithstanding) but I'm convinced
> any number of mecha MPDs use the idea specified in the Lego patent.
>
> However, LDRAW implements the general case; Lego have patented the special
> case. This kind of hairsplitting difference is what matters to an examiner,
> or so I'm informed.
Well the integer coordinate system isn't forced on CAR.DAT, unless you
want the parts to line up. Isn't the LDRAW stud spacing a published
integer grid coordinate system used to position geometric (part) objects
which are defined in a floating point coordinate system?
I'm not sure what you mean about the headlight bricks. I didn't see
anything in the patent language suggesting the transformation
couldn't be a simple translation (no rotation). To me it looks like
they're attempting to patent the use of an integer grid to provide
connection points for any geometric objects. The whole bit about
a 2nd coordinate system is a ruse. Isn't there an algorithm to map
Real numbers into integers (or was that Rational numbers)?
So mathematically they're equivalent, especially when you consider
the same number of bits are often used to represent both on a
computer. Only a lawyer could see a hair to split in this case.
Unfortunately they're running the show at the patent office.
> Keep in mind that Lego's purpose in acquiring software patents is to sell
> more toys while preventing their competitors from getting that sale.
>
> I would guess that Lego would become intensely interested in their rights
> under this ridiculous patent only when another toy company stepped in.
Wouldn't LDRAW be considered a competitor if it cut into sales of
Lego Creator? I'd hate to guess about this sort of thing.
Hey, does BlockCAD have an internal grid based on integers? It existed
before 1999 and it constrains the connections to stud locations. I know
the source code is available, but can we tell what it looked like way
back in 1998?
Don
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Lego patent issued
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| "Don Heyse" <dheyse@hotmail.spam....away.com> skrev i meddelandet news:H1xFC4.Ex1@lugnet.com... (...) Yes. (...) Yes. I released version 1.1 1998-July-16 (That's as far back as my own posting archive goes), so the 0.9 version should be from at least (...) (22 years ago, 4-Sep-02, to lugnet.cad)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Lego patent issued
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| A better example would be a model which references a subfile on the plane of an open hinge. The crux of the patent is transformation of a coordinate system. Specifically an integer grid coordinate system. CAR.DAT doesn't have anything like that (the (...) (22 years ago, 4-Sep-02, to lugnet.cad)
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