This is what happens when you force engineers to generate so many patents every quarter / year.

When I was contractor at IBM for a year I attended several sessions where the only task was to come up with ideas for patents. This looks exactly like the result of one of these sessions.

Patent illustrations are a hilarious genre in general. If you like the drawings here, you’ll love this tumblr which features some true classics:

http://contextfreepatentart.tumblr.com

My favorite is the one where the couch potato has to get up and shout “McDonalds!” before the Orwellian, camera-equipped Smart TV will continue playing the violent program he is watching.

Reminds me of the verification can greentext

Basically a ripoff of the robot-butler concept, replacing the wheels with rotors. In 1984, the TV series Riptide already had a robot serving drinks: https://www.filmaffinity.com/es/movieimage.php?imageId=98109...

Robot butler pic here: http://bearbottoms1.com/smart-homes/

One might argue that rotors and wheels are similar in nature since they both are a rotating device

but can I patent drone delivery of medication to citizens that are not behaving or thinking in a compliant manner?

This reminds me of a Vonnegut short, Harrison Bergeron. [1]

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Bergeron

Sensational click-baity title. You could have just said "IBM patents drone-delivery of coffee".

I wrote it like that because the absurdity amused me, not as a cheap attention grab.

Well, I thought the patent was for literally delivering coffee to one's mouth (think of disabled people that cannot hold the cup and bring it to mouth).

I don't get this. Is this patent part of some prank? The authors are senior researchers at IBM.

I seem to remember reading that IBMers got bonuses per number of patents generated.

It's all fun and games until someone gets a head-full of hot coffee.

You could possibly see this in a super crowded environment. A nightclub, rock concert, or even a sporting event in the stands. A replacement for the cocktail waiter or beer vendor at a ball game.

Perfect example of big companies blocking innovation from small inventors by patenting every imaginable idea and combination of ideas :-(

Trolling...but not in their usual manner.

Someone collected the employee patent bonus for this! We can clearly see that incentive is working.

those images on the first page are a riot

Is this a Watson service?

no, today is not April 1.