The Art of Prior Art

"Digital DNA," a 7' sculpture by artist Adriana Varella, located downtown Palo Alto, comprising a plurality of recycled circuit boards.

A midi synthesizer broken into components on oil panels, left to right, keys to output speakers. Jay Alan Zimmerman and Lisa Ingram.

Installation of Sam Yates' photographic profile of Palo Alto: an effort to capture every building in town, with GIS coordinates. All 22,339 photos are printed mesh screens that fit into the windows on the front facade of Palo Alto City Hall. Left photo taken with a 10mm fisheye lens.

Long Distance Numbering Plan (Area Codes) in 1952

From the Bell Systems Technical Journal, September 1952. "Fig. 1 – Nationwide toll dialing areas in the United States and Canada"

Precursor to SMS — Motorola KDT 840 radio

Portable cell phone

This is a Fujitsu CDL-240, in an attaché case format. The transceiver is on the left, control unit bottom left, and of course, the batteries, top right.

Motorola Envoy Wireless Communicator – 1994

This has a touch-screen, icon user interface, PDA-type features. It used the ARDIS wireless network; Magic Cap™ operating system.

Media

The Mermen / Food for Other Fish

Yes, this is prior art.   xmcd disc id 'afof630c'

And so is this: Farewell to Juliet / Echoes of Laughter

The IRCAM Multimedia Library: a Digital Music Library

We are collecting prior art regarding Internet music applications.

Television Broadcasting Technology

Interactive Two-Way Cable TV

There was an early 1980s prototype interactive cable tV system in Ohio developed by Warner-Amex. The project commenced in 1977, and terminated in 1984.

This is the customer's console. The placard say "QUBE: A Warner Communications Company." The three buttons on the bottom are labeled: P for Premium, C for Community, T for Television.

Automated Television Switcher

Do you want to turn on a television show at a certain time? This is a Vikoa Duplomat 15" Programmer. Intended for use at cable head-ends or network operations centers, it automatically switches television sources for broadcast at certain times. Electro-mechanical technology.

Label "A" shows a programming drum divided vertically into 12 hours in 15-minute increments. The white vertical band divides the drum into 5 circuits (input sources), further divided into 7 days AM and PM. Like a music box, pegs are inserted into holes in the drum to identify the interval where that source should be turned on.

Label "B" is called "timing cams."

Television camera by René Barthelemy 1935. Found in the Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris.

Television Test Patterns

While we're playing with TIVO, it may be useful to recall that there was a time when broadcasting wasn't a 24/7 business. Early on, stations transmitted test patterns such as these when "off-the-air" to allow technicians to monitor quality, and for end-users to adjust the rabbit-ear antennas for best reception.

Early Color Television

From the Museum of the Moving Image in New York City is an example of an early Bell Labs Picture Phone. The TV part was based on scanning disc technology, developed by Herbert Ives in the 1920s and 1930s. Below is a related description of a film-to-video of a film-chain.

Addressable Tape Storage?

DECTape was random access, block-addressable. This sample of DECTape is dated 8/21/1973.

"For use on PDP 1/4/6/7/9/10  1102 Blocks each containing 400, 18-bit words.

Consumer Arcade Games for the Home?

The Vectrex is not too old, but apparently still enjoys a cult following. The date is around 1983. (Playthings Feb 1983 page 124. Vectrex Arcade Systems) Patent 4,462,076 has some assembler code with a cryptic comment related to the Vectrex.

(Thanks to Lance Lewis for the pictures.)

Vending Systems. How about The Automat, that dates to 1902.

East Coast denizens may be familiar with the Horn & Hardart Automat cafeterias. Food selections are placed in individual slots by servers. They are purchased with coins, and a door opens. See US 6,102,162.

Before Napster, Before Telephonic Pay-Applications, Before Call-Centers, There was Shyver's Multiphone

This is a bit bizarre. Walking through an antiques store near Atlanta, I found what is called the Shyver's Multiphone dating from the 40s to the 50s. These are like restaurant jukeboxes, but a phone call is placed to a central operator, who will play the desired song. Patent 2,264,991.

(Thanks to Bill Hare for the pictures.)

Interested in video games?

"A Television Game Device," Gordon Allison, Jr. IEEE Transactions on Broadcast and Television Receivers, V BTR-19, May 1973.

Electronic distribution of music, like Napster?

"The Home Music Store," William F. von Meister, NCTA '82. 5/3/82.

Troubled by healthcare patents? This might be a cure.

"Total Medical Info Card Set for Implementation," Matthew Schwartz, National Underwriter (Life/Health/Financial Services). Dec 2, 1991, v95n48, p. 25,29 ISSN: 0893-8202 Onecard Health Systems Corp.

Database Structures

This is a reverse index of English by word termination. It is used as an aid for poets to find rhyming words. The author's first version was 1936. This edition was published in 1980 and 1986.

Ubiquitous punch card, formally known as a Hollerith Card for Herman Hollerith. This specimen was used at the University of Wisconsin Computing Center, circa 1975.

Ground controller for geosynchronous satellite SynCom II, July 26, 1963. Prior art for central to a patent infringement case that commenced in 1973 and concluded in 1999.