IP: 1999 patent issued for using barcode tatoos for human identification

[Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>]

>Date: Sat, 13 May 2000 09:40:28 -0800
>To: nobody@well.com
>From: Jim Warren <jwarren@well.com>
>Subject: 1999 patent issued for using barcode tatoos for human
>  identification
>
>Aside from the comparison of this patent to the numbers tatooed on 
>prisoners in Hitler's death-camps during World War II more than half a 
>century ago, and its comparison to the barcode scanning systems that have 
>been in use for decades to identify everything from cans of soup to 
>patient tags used in some hospitals and medical records -- one wonders 
>what kindergarden child working in the US Patent and Trademark Office 
>concluded that this was a non-obvious and novel "discovery" worthy of a 
>patent?!
>
>The US PTO is obviously in need of some adult supervision!
>
>===
>
>http://patents.uspto.gov/cgi-bin/ifetch4?ENG+PATBIB-ALL+0+967198+0+7+25907+OF+1+1+1+PN%2f5878155 
>
>
>United States Patent    5,878,155
>Heeter  Mar. 2, 1999
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Method for verifying human identity during electronic sale transactions
>Abstract
>A method is presented for facilitating sales transactions by electronic 
>media. A bar code or a design is tattooed on an individual. Before the 
>sales transaction can be consummated, the tattoo is scanned with a 
>scanner. Characteristics about the scanned tattoo are compared to 
>characteristics about other tattoos stored on a computer database in order 
>to verify the identity of the buyer. Once verified, the seller may be 
>authorized to debit the buyer's electronic bank account in order to 
>consummate the transaction. The seller's electronic bank account may be 
>similarly updated.
>
>===
>
>--jim, Jim Warren; jwarren@well.com
>Contributing Editor & technology public-policy columnist, MicroTimes Magazine
>Also GovAccess list-owner/editor