EFF: Stupid Patent of the Month: Motivational Health Messaging LLC Gets a Patent on Sending Uplifting Texts
Stupid Patent of the Month: Motivational Health Messaging LLC Gets a Patent on Sending Uplifting Texts Have you ever sent a motivational text to a friend? If you have, perhaps you tailored your message to an activity or location by saying “Good luck in the race!” or “Have fun in New York!” Now, imagine doing this automatically with a compuuuter . What a great invention. Actually, no. That’s not a good invention, it’s our latest Stupid Patent of the Month. U.S. Patent No. 9,069,648 is titled “Systems and methods for delivering activity based suggestive (ABS) messages.” The patent describes sending “motivational messages,” based “on the current or anticipated activity of the user,” to a “personal electronic device.” The patent provides examples such as sending the message “don’t give up” when the user is running up a hill. The examples aren’t limited to health or exercise. For example, the patent suggests sending messages like “do not fear” and “God is with you” when a “user enters...