XM files for on-demand and cellphone patents
So right before we hit up CES it came out that apparently XM went all sneaky-style behind our backs last April and submitted a patent application for a device that would, among other things, access a broadcast system with time-shifted on-demand program purchasing, and allow that programming to be downloadable to a removable memory format. XM has had the time-shifting tip for a while now (Sirius more recently caught up with a couple products at CES), but what really interests us is that the device XM's trying to patent will also "[provide and facilitate] the acquisition of video, graphics, text or any other media content." That's pretty broad and bold, but if we were Sirius we might be a little disconcerted about that; it could seriously put the hurt on them if XM moves fast. Oh, and did we mention their patent application also outlines integration for all these features into a cellphone? Click to see some more godawfully crude drawings the XM team came up with.
General system architecture. Aight, nice Visio, guys.
Some examples of uses of the device in question.
We kid you not. They seriously drew a stick man in their patent application.
