RIM patents a QWERTY slider, HTC lawyers perk up their ears

Nice going RIM, you've successfully filed for a patent on a device that companies like HTC have been making since 2005. That's right folks, your friends at Research In Motion have just thrown an application in the direction of the US Patent Office which should look painfully familiar. The company is calling it a "Hybrid Portrait-Landscape Handheld Device With Trackball Navigation and QWERTY Hide-Away Keyboard," but we're calling it the Wizard. We suppose it's possible that the BlackBerry-maker has something up its sleeve that goes beyond the typical functionality of a phone like this, but nothing in the application seemed to indicate such a scenario. Did RIM even check out the competition before issuing this paperwork? It seems unlikely given the obvious and commonly used shape and design of this particular handset... oh, wait, this one has a trackball. Okay, our bad.

[Via BlackBerry Cool]

[Bevon Findley @ Feb 29th 2008 5:29PM]

lil too late aint it

[BollockChops @ Feb 29th 2008 5:32PM]

Obligatory reference to getting a job at RIM... licky licky

[Mihir @ Feb 29th 2008 5:35PM]

checks the calander to see if it is April 01 already!

[fg @ Feb 29th 2008 6:07PM]

It's to throw you pylons off before they release their new awesome devices.

[andy @ Feb 29th 2008 5:48PM]

Application filed August 28, 2006.
Application published February 28, 2008.


Before the idiots chime in about the broken patent system, learn something.


You APPLY for a patent. You can APPLY for a lot of things. That does not mean that you are ISSUED a patent.


That said, after looking at the application, I'm not sure what their point of novelty is (i.e., what aspect of this device they think is new and worthy of protection). The 8125 does preceed their filing date by more than 1 year, so that's a reference that they can't swear behind.

Arguing that a trackball is different than a cursor should be interesting (failure).

[Wolfticket @ Feb 29th 2008 9:31PM]

*Learns*

*Still chimes in about the broken patent system*

I vote for getting rid of the current patent system all together, and coming up with something new that actually works in the modern world.

[andy @ Mar 1st 2008 9:14AM]

Are you trying to say that you have never had any experience with the current patent system and have no idea how it works or how to make a better system?

[L. M. Lloyd @ Mar 1st 2008 9:45AM]

Ok, then how about instead of complaining about the current patent system, we complain about the current corporate system, where companies think it is worth throwing away $10,000 on trying to patent one of their competitor's designs that has been on the market for years?

Seriously, whether this patent is granted or not, it is still a sign of the problems with the system, that a company finds in necessary to throw the money away on attempting to patent something that they obviously know is a preexisting product. Companies don't for the most part, become profitable by throwing away money, so one can only assume that RIM thought there was at least $10,000 worth of a chance that they would be granted this patent, otherwise they would have been better of doing something like buying their stockholders $10,000 of lottery tickets.

[Wolfticket @ Mar 1st 2008 1:01PM]

@andy

No.
I'm saying that I do know how the current patent system works. Which is not very well. And that what you learned me doesn't even come close to changing my mind.
And I'm also not saying that I could come up with a better system. Just that the current one is broken and that is is not beyond the realms of possibility to come up with a system that doesn't stifle innovation/progress as badly.

[Matt @ Feb 29th 2008 5:51PM]

better late than never... i guess

[Damage @ Feb 29th 2008 5:52PM]

I guess this Rimjob will not have a happy ending...

[Nick @ Mar 1st 2008 12:07AM]

...heh

[Peter Pan @ Feb 29th 2008 6:10PM]

These type of patents shouldn't be issued at all to any company, RIM sucks, the OS is horrible, and its a disaster, just compare the OS to windows mobile.... RIM is gonna have some serious problems in the future, it was only successful cuz it had push email, now WM has it and RIM will have problems... just wait for that new sony xeria WM phone!

[luvrim @ Feb 29th 2008 6:15PM]

Wow I cant wait......Blackberry comes out with a touch/QWERTY..other handset will not compare...SORRY!! even if it looks like this...it will kick ass!!!!!! rim already has the bussniess user under there arms and consumer as well when the pearl came out...Hurry up RIM! I NEED IT!

[Naveed @ Feb 29th 2008 6:16PM]

looks like theyre making the rookie mistake of not letting the device slide up a little bit further to make typing on the top row of buttons more comfortable.

[Reid B. @ Feb 29th 2008 6:18PM]

What are they going to do, present the fucking idiots at the patent office an HTC Mogul(of which it is nearly an identical copy - I have one in my hand right now) with the logo taped over. The sad thing is the dumb fucks at the USPTO may believe them.

[Geno @ Feb 29th 2008 6:52PM]

Wow, do you think they checked first?

[Tired_ @ Feb 29th 2008 8:06PM]

Seems pretty specific to me. Don't they already have a patent on their trackball thingie? This is just to bring that to a slider while covering their own ass. They probably didn't need to specifically apply for a patent on the trackball-slider combo, since the trackball one probably covers that, but then, more patents is probably safer than less (from their lawyers point of view).

[MasterCKO @ Feb 29th 2008 8:07PM]

Please patent office. Please catch this. Please show the world that you fulfill a meaningful purpose. Please.

[Beretta1526 @ Feb 29th 2008 9:49PM]

OK, everyone repeat after me...

RIMjob

.

[Eric @ Feb 29th 2008 10:13PM]

patent office will not catch this. because 1) govt needs the money. and 2) the govt really needs the money.

they need to patent a WATER-FUCKING-PROOF blackberry.

yes. i have issues.

[Panathas17 @ Feb 29th 2008 11:55PM]

RIMmylo-com2?crap...where'smyspacebargone?

[Panathas17 @ Feb 29th 2008 11:55PM]

3***

[Gurney Halleck @ Mar 1st 2008 7:50AM]

This should come as no surprise. RIM is got burned by frivolous patents a few years ago by an American company (RIM is Canadian) that patented the Blackberry technical framework in the US. It makes sense that a company that gets burned by a broken American patent system would do everything it could to avoid that happening again. I am sure there are standing orders in the RIM engineering department to patent everything to prevent another near company-fatal disaster caused by American Patent Trolls.

[Baz @ Mar 1st 2008 8:34AM]

I keep hoping for a 'Back To The Future' moment when somebody gives us a device with Symbian (the world's most used portable OS) and the Psion 5mx keyboard (the best keyboard in a portable device, IMHO).

I suppose, in a pinch (and primarily for North Americans) WinMob could be offered, but please lets get away from chiclets and virtual keyboards...

[Geno @ Mar 13th 2008 8:35AM]

You would think that the patent office would deny their request pretty quickly