Is Twitter getting ready to look in your window ?
The really FUN thing about the patent business that, occasionally, you get to see stuff which tells you just how fast things are changing and how they could be just 1-2 years down the line.
One such is the patent application Twitter filed recently for ” Messaging Enabled Unmanned Aerial Vehicle”- simply put a Drone that is controllable by tweets !
The application was filed in Dec. 2015. Find it at here .
It does not seem to be a grant yet, although some media is reporting so – maybe they don’t know the difference 🙂
For the more detail minded, the abstract says :
” An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) carries a camera, sends data from the camera, and receives commands. The UAV is connected to a messaging platform. Pictures or video clips received from the UAV are selected and placed in messages broadcast by an account associated with the UAV. Video footage from the camera is live-streamed in a card-type message. Account holders of the messaging platform may control the UAV with commands embedded in messages and directed towards an account associated with the UAV. Controllable elements of the UAV include UAV location, camera orientation, camera subject, UAV-mounted lighting, a UAV-mounted display, a UAV-mounted projector, UAV-mounted speakers, and a detachable payload. UAV control may be determined through democratic means. Some UAV functionality may be triggered through aggregated engagements on the messaging platform. The UAV may include a display screen and/or a microphone to provide for telepresence or interview functionality.”
And a very neatly written first claim is :
“1. A method comprising: receiving media captured by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); incorporating the media captured by the UAV into a UAV message; broadcasting the UAV message to client devices associated with accounts of a messaging platform; receiving, from the client devices, interactions with the UAV message; determining a command for the UAV based on the interactions with the UAV message; and transmitting the command to the UAV, the UAV configured to respond to the command.”
Which, those in patenting would agree, pretty much grants them the whole UAV controlled media field, if granted !
So, essentially, one could control via “commands” a UAV to capture “media” and broadcast it to “client devices”.
Although some say this is “drone selfies”- the scope seems to be much more. For example, the coordinates of a room could be put into a tweet, a drone directed to go there, take photos and send it back to the “client devices ” anywhere in the World !
While of course – hopefully – law will catch up – interesting to see how technology is shaping up our future !
AND, for my patenting friends, -what is YOUR view on the Claim – could it have been better ?
