Microsoft patents 911

Microsoft was today granted a patent for accessing data used by the emergency services.

"The present invention provides a method and system for maintaining emergency data in a manner that provides straightforward user access thereto via a displayed emergency page (or set of pages) or other suitable user interface," according to the Patent documentation. "In one embodiment, the operating system or other suitable components maintain a repository of emergency data such that emergency type information can be aggregated and displayed in one place."

"In sum, what is needed is a way to provide users with access to needed emergency information. This should be simple from the user's perspective, so that even very emotional users can find what is needed in a straightforward, yet comprehensive process."

Of the 13 supporting images published by the USPTO, not one shows a very emotional user. But the document does disclose a user interface for at least one preferred implementation.

Click to enlarge

In addition to PDAs, Microsoft suggests that the system could be built into rental cars.

Emergency services already use computer systems - and some of these have gone wrong in spectacular fashion. Up to 20 people died in 1992 as a result of the introduction of a computer system for London ambulances, against union warnings. So prior art abounds. As will bad taste jokes about rebooting.

But the worst bad joke is the patent itself. As silly-patent watcher extraordinaire TheoDP points out it was filed a month after the September 11 attacks in the United States. ®