Absolutely the same thing I did. I even had the low bit logic worked out by the time I scrolled the article down and saw the patented line. Clearly we have both had miraculous enlightenment because legally this is “not obvious”.
> Clearly we have both had miraculous enlightenment because legally this is “not obvious”.
To be precise, legally it is "not obvious back in 1996." There is a lot of stuff that is obvious today that wasn't 25 years ago. That said, this one in particular probably would have been invalidated as obvious if it was ever litigated (and it was not). Also, the USPTO has reined in software patents a lot in recent years (but always people advocating for more or less).
Seriously, I could have done this in 1996 and so could anyone. I reckon I could probably have worked this out in 1986. It’s not like binary arithmetic has changed significantly in the last 20 years.
It's not even computer science, it's literally just math. (a+b)/2 = a/2 + b/2. They were teaching that in pre-algebra in middle schools well before 1996.
To be precise, legally it is "not obvious back in 1996." There is a lot of stuff that is obvious today that wasn't 25 years ago. That said, this one in particular probably would have been invalidated as obvious if it was ever litigated (and it was not). Also, the USPTO has reined in software patents a lot in recent years (but always people advocating for more or less).