Microsoft Patents The Obvious (Again)

I've recently been reading a little on UK patents and you can't patent things that have been in the public domain or are kind of obvious. So what is so different about US patents that Micro$oft can not only have the cheek to file ones like this, but apparently have them granted? Very worrying; they'll be patenting the wheel and fire next. Speaking of which ...
see this article from the BBC which tells us of someone doing precisely that to show up the absurdity.