Microsoft applies for patent for 'Google Goggles'-type AR specs

I am not sure I get this

Does that mean, if that patent is granted, that it will be forbidden for Google Glasses to display information about a live event that the wearer is attending?

"This all might sound a bit familiar, and not just because of Project Glass. " -- Maybe that's why we actually heard about Project Glass, so that Google could say "Prior Art, Ha ha ha!", whilst not actually bringing out a finished product.

Wish I had...

... A few grand to submit a patent. I can draw better than that, and probably came up with half these designs (and technical perspectives) at 8!

There is no way that patent should be issued. There can be no detail about the invention, because it simply cannot exist at the present moment. In order to insert the information, the computer has to know what it is looking at, and it has very limited and low resolution data to go on. I do not believe that it can do face recognition on faces that far away, shirt recognition, maybe, some of the time, given a state of the art camera. Not a cell-phone one.

Given that no details of the invention mechanism can have been given, all that remains is a simple and obvious concept. And concepts are not patentable.

Any mechanism details that could be supplied are "obvious to one skilled in the art," which invalidates the patent. As one skilled in computers, but not in any sub-field close to this invention, here would be my take, simply from the above article. I have not read the patent.

You could use GPS to locate the event, and get the running order and commentary from online sources or maybe a dedicated server. You could do shirt number recognition or face recognition (given a superb camera too big to mount on glasses). You can recognise the layout of the ground and thereby identify players in specific well-known positions. That would work very well for baseball, much less well for American football, and horribly for most other events, such as horse-racing or (association or rugby) football. Once identified, players could be tracked from frame to frame, and other factors of their appearance could be logged to re-identify them after the chap passing out the huge order of burgers and soda stops standing in the way and sits the hell down again. Given that you recognise the playing field and have live commentary, you can also display the game score, state and other data, including which way the teams are playing and so forth. You could even have an action replay from on-line or over-the-air services. Since loads of people in the stadium are using the glasses, and they are all on-line, you could even have multiple viewpoint replays.

In fact why bother with expensive camera teams? just edit down the view from a few dozen members of the public. The cameras are good enough to see shirt details, and therefore plenty good enough to supply a TV .

How long before the specs actually become eye implants and we all have them fitted at birth......no missing the ad breaks then !

Inventing...

I love how Google bring out an actual working protortype, then a few months later Apple and Microsoft bring out... oh, no, they just file patents on things you could do with them.

Either way this patent should be shot down by tons of prior art... I say should.

Aside from the "live event"

As far as today's patents go that actually counts as innovation

New?

They've applied for a patent for technology that not only has already been patented, but has already been RELEASED (albeit in a limited fashion). If this patent gets granted, it will be a sign of everything wrong with the US patent system...

Collusion

I think there's massive collusion between patent lawyers going on. If they persuade all these firm to keep filing patents for such things then continually sue the hell out of each other, it's a lawyer's gravy train that roles on and on.