February 28th, 2008

BlackBerry with slide-out keyboard described in new Patent app

Posted by Russell Shaw @ 3:40 pm

Categories: BlackBerry Patents

Tags: Orientation, Device, RIM BlackBerry, Patent App, Keyboards, E-mail, Hardware, Peripherals, Online Communications, Russell Shaw

A new BlackBerry Patent app just published Thursday describes technology for a BlackBerry device with a slide-out keyboard.

The Patent app is entitled,  Hybrid Portrait-Landscape Handheld Device With Trackball Navigation and Qwerty Hideaway Keyboard.

The Patent abstract, and the accompanying illustration, pretty much tells us what we need to know.

Here’s the Abstract:

A device is disclosed for use in two different orientations. In one orientation, the keyboard is exposed to the user.

This orientation is named the landscape orientation because the device will be positioned such that its width is larger than its height. The user would opt for the landscape orientation for tasks that require the keyboard, such as inputting data, drafting emails, sending emails, and other functions typically associated with a standard computer.

The other orientation is named the portrait orientation because the device will be positioned such that its height is larger than its width. In addition, the keyboard is not used in this orientation and therefore hidden away.

The user would opt for the portrait orientation for tasks such as making and receiving telephone calls and for reading documents and emails.

The device detects the orientation positioned by the user and modifies the elements shown on the display screen so that they are presented in the correct orientation to the user.

February 28th, 2008

BlackBerry Patent app describes "Ergonomic Cursor Controller"

Posted by Russell Shaw @ 7:00 am

Categories: BlackBerry Patents

Tags: Controller, RIM BlackBerry, BlackBerry Patent App, Abstract, Handheld Mobile Communication Device, Handhelds, Hardware, Russell Shaw

A newly published BlackBerry Patent application entitled Ergonomic Navigation Cursor Controller For a Handheld Mobile Communication Device specifies technology for a “navigation button” dedicated to controlling the movements of a cursor on a BlackBerry screen.

The Abstract is rather specific. It calls for:

An ergonomic cursor navigation controller for a handheld mobile communication device generally includes a navigation button having a ringed and waved upper surface and may further include an execution button disposed within a perimeter defined by the ringed and waved upper surface. The navigation button is provided for navigating a cursor about an electronic graphical display of the handheld mobile communication device. The ringed and waved configuration of the controller facilitates improved tactile operation of the controller and reduces the occurrence of pressing incorrect buttons on the handheld mobile communication device.

In this Patent app’s art, Figure 22 offers an informative view of what’s being proposed here. The controller is element 34 in the grab:

February 18th, 2008

RIM and Motorola sue each other in silly patent dispute

Posted by Russell Shaw @ 11:02 pm

Categories: BlackBerry Patents, Fun

Tags: Research In Motion Ltd., Phone, Patent, RIM BlackBerry, Motorola Inc., E-mail, Telecom & Utilities, Handhelds, VOIP, Telecommunications

Note: This post is duplicated on my IP Telephony, VoIP, Broadband blog.

Just within the last few days, BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion and Motorola have sued each other for Patent infringement.

Motorola’s big issue seems to be a feeling that in most of its 8xxx series models, RIM’s method of storing contact info in wireless emails, and its ability to recognize incoming phone numbers are tantamount to infringement.

RIM fired back, accusing, by implication, Motorola’s Q email phone of offering thumb keyboards awfully similar to several BlackBerry models.

RIM also says that Motorola’s patent royalty fee structure is “exorbitant.”

I have to tell you that some of the capabilities each company is suing each other about seem rather established, and yes, generic to me.

Hate to use the “t” (as in troll) word, but this really sounds like a neh-neh fight you sometimes see in and around sandboxes.

What do you think?

January 31st, 2008

BlackBerry Patent app proposes improvements for meeting invite emails from BlackBerry calendar

Posted by Russell Shaw @ 3:58 pm

Categories: BlackBerry Patents

Tags: Method, RIM BlackBerry, BlackBerry Patent App, E-mail, Handhelds, Online Communications, Hardware, Russell Shaw

A new BlackBerry Patent app just published today would make it easier than it currently is to generate emails containing invites for future meetings from the BlackBerry Calendar.

Then, the technology would also provide recipients with an email interface they can reply to the recipient with. The recipient could then integrate the reply info back into their BlackBerry Calendar.

The methods for making this work seamlessly are described in the BlackBerry Patent app entitled Electronic device and method of messaging meeting invitees.

In this particular case, a read of the Abstract will give you a good introductory view of what’s being proposed and how these functionalities would work:

A method of composing an email message at an electronic device and an electronic device operable to carry out the method are provided. The method includes receiving an email command from a user input of the electronic device through a calendar user interface, the email command relating to at least one of a plurality of intended attendees of a calendared meeting, and providing an email composition interface in response to receiving the email command.

The email composition interface includes a user-editable portion of an address field. The user-editable portion of the address field is automatically populated with email address information for the at least one of the plurality of intended attendees.

Like I said, you can do this already, but what I see here is a methodology to shorten the steps

January 18th, 2008

BlackBerry patent app addresses "battery slump" monitoring, management issues

Posted by Russell Shaw @ 11:57 am

Categories: BlackBerry Patents

Tags: ADC Telecommunications Inc., Signal, Battery, Monitoring, Trigger, RIM BlackBerry, Transmission, Patent App, Abstract, PA

A new BlackBerry patent application published just yesterday would improve the ability of BlackBerry devices to read voltage levels.

The patent app is entitled System and Method for Managing Battery Slump.

As we often do when discussing patents, let’s read the Abstract first. The Abstract describes:

A system and method for managing battery slump in a battery-powered communications device including: an input configured for receiving battery voltage level information; an output configured for sending a signal for terminating a transmission; and a controller connected to the input and the output and configured to receive the battery voltage level information from the input; monitor the battery voltage level information; and send a signal via the output to terminate a transmission if the battery voltage level information crosses a predetermined threshold during the transmission.

In particular, the system and method may further include an input connected to the controller and configured for receiving a signal indicating when a transmission is beginning or occurring and the controller is further configured to receive and monitor the battery voltage level information only when the transmission is occurring.

You may be wondering why this is necessary. Let’s go to the passages in the Patent app that describe why this is so:

Read the rest of this entry »

January 3rd, 2008

BlackBerry Patent app proposes Low memory manager for "graceful shutdown"

Posted by Russell Shaw @ 1:50 pm

Categories: BlackBerry Patents, News

Tags: Message, Application, Operating System, Memory, RIM BlackBerry, Exception, Computer, BlackBerry Patent App, Memory Manager, Abstract

When one of our devices crashes or shuts down because of memory issues, one of the last words we would ever use to describe the circumstances is “graceful.”

Yes, but graceful is indeed part of the title of a just-published BlackBerry Patent application entitled Detection Of Out-Of-Memory and Graceful Shutdown.

Interestingly, if you read through the Patent app’s Abstract and literature, this invention seems to be more oriented toward stand-alone and networked PCs rather than BlackBerrys.

The Abstract describes:

A method, system and computer readable medium for managing low memory in a first computing device are provided. The system is configured to cause part of the memory allocated to a specialized application to be held in reserve so that it can be used to support the specialized application during an occurrence of low memory, thus providing time for data backup or remedial steps to be carried out before the affected application crashes.

Reading further in this application’s literature, we note language that directly implicates PC operating systems as vulnerable to lockups that could be forewarned by the technology that is being described here:

As known in the art, operating systems such Microsoft Windows and UNIX based systems have a physical limit on the amount of addressable memory that can be used by an application. If the application exceeds this limit, it will often crash, leading to a loss of data that has not been stored to persistent memory, and perhaps also to crashes or slowdowns in any other applications that rely on the crashed application.

In distributed computing networks in which separate computers connected to a common network perform work in parallel, one computer may be configured to monitor its own memory usage or the memory usage of other computers and take precautionary backup measures, either automatically or after alerting a human operator, in the event that the monitored conditions of one of the computers indicates that an application crash has occurred or is about to occur.

However, such a system requires almost near constant polling of the monitored computers in order to have timely detection of a problem, and even with timely detection, the affected computer application may crash before critical data can be saved.

Accordingly, a method and system for detecting and managing low memory situations that provides time for rectifying or otherwise responding to the situation is desirable.

Ya think?

OK getting serious with you again. I’ve read through the remainder of this literature. Having done so, I think Figure 4, and its accompanying documentation, draws us closest to an understanding of what is being proposed here.

Read the rest of this entry »

December 21st, 2007

Details here: BlackBerry-maker RIM gets hit with patent infringement suit

Posted by Russell Shaw @ 6:26 am

Categories: BlackBerry Patents, News

Tags: Research In Motion Ltd., Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., E-mail Account, TeleCommunication Systems, Email Application, E-mail, Online Communications, Russell Shaw

Wireless communications solutions provider TeleCommunication Systems says it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion.

TeleCommunication Systems is charging that RIM infringed on its  United States Patent No. 6,871,215. Entitled Universal wireless email reader, the Patent describes methods for users to access and manage multiple email accounts.

This Patent’s Abstract reads:

A universal mail application maintains login with a plurality of email applications for a particular subscriber, presenting Inbox, Outbox, etc., for an email account as desired, without requiring repeated logouts/logins.

The email applications may be defined and identified by email account information files maintained separately for each subscriber, containing, e.g., POP, server and IP address. Sets of email application files corresponding to the multiple email account files contain downloaded and uploaded message files from the respective email application programs.

The multiple email account compilation module may be restricted or throttled back to send/receive email from the relevant email application programs only during desirable times, either on a system wide basis or on a per-subscriber (e.g., class of service) basis.

The subscriber may peruse the relevant email application files, who is prompted on their mobile display for selection of any one of the email accounts at any one time.

Annapolis, Md.-based TCS said it filed the lawsuit ” only after business discussions with RIM failed to resolve the dispute. TCS has retained the law firm of Niro, Scavone, Haller & Niro, a Chicago-based law firm that specializes in intellectual property trials, to litigate the case.

The case is TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. v. Research In Motion Limited, Case No. 1:07cv1277(E.D. Va.).

December 20th, 2007

Ways to improve device backlighting described in new BlackBerry patent app

Posted by Russell Shaw @ 7:44 pm

Categories: BlackBerry Patents

Tags: Method, Colour, Compensation, Hot Spot, Substrate, RIM BlackBerry, Image, LCD, Hot Spot Filter, Abstract

Technology described in a newly published BlackBerry Patent application would improve the quality of BlackBerry device backlighting by using “hot spot filters” to better managing overly “bright spots.”

The Patent app, 0070291507, is entitled, Method and Device To Improve Backlit Uniformity.

The Abstract explains the basics:

A hot spot filter for a light guide is created by taking an image of the light output pattern of an illuminated light guide. The hot spot filter may be a film, a layer, or an additional liquid crystal display dedicated to attenuating bright spots from the light guide. The hot spot filter may be incorporated into the image display by adjusting the grey scale of individual pixels to provide sufficient compensation.

Figures 6 and 7, along with the accompanying documentation, offer details about how this hot spot filter might work. Let’s go there now.

Read the rest of this entry »

December 13th, 2007

BlackBerry Patent app describes and shows "angular keyboard"

Posted by Russell Shaw @ 2:03 pm

Categories: BlackBerry Patents

Tags: Keyboard, RIM BlackBerry, BlackBerry Patent App, Abstract, Keyboards, Hardware, Peripherals, Russell Shaw

A new BlackBerry Patent application just posted this morning describes designs for an “angular (BlackBerry) keyboard”.

20070287391 is the number. The title of this aspiring Patent is Angular Keyboard For a Mobile Communications Device.

A read of this Patent’s Abstract, as well as a look at the accompanying drawing (both shown at the top of this post)  gives us a clue about what is being proposed here.

The Abstract reads:

Wireless handheld mobile communication device including a housing with a display above a keyboard exposed for user actuation.

A length of the device is greater than the width. Each key of a right-hand keyfield has a longitudinal axis oriented at a left-to-right inclined angle while each key of a left-hand keyfield has a longitudinal axis oriented at a right-to-left inclined angle from the vertical centerline.

A left boundary of the keyboard is located adjacent the left lateral side edge of the device and the right boundary of the keyboard is located adjacent the right lateral side edge of the device so that the keyboard spans a substantial entirety of the width of the device.

Readers, would this “angular keyboard” design appeal to you?

October 27th, 2007

BlackBerry Patent app would simplify searching for email with attachments

Posted by Russell Shaw @ 1:56 pm

Categories: BlackBerry Patents

Tags: Message, Attachment, RIM BlackBerry, E-mail, Handhelds, Online Communications, Hardware, Russell Shaw

Ever go thru a list of incoming BlackBerry emails, repeatedly scrolling down until you find that message with the all-important attachment.

Well, a new BlackBerry Patent application entitled System, Method and User Interface For Searching For Messages With Attachments On A Mobile Device proposes to make this task easier.

Bottom line, you will be able to search your Inbox for messages with attachments, and then create a separate list from that.  The value-add: easier message retrieval.

The Patent application’s Abstract gives us a functional overview of what is being proposed here:

Embodiments of a system, method, and user interface for searching for messages with attachments on mobile devices are disclosed.

In one embodiment, a messaging application is programmed such that, in operation, a user is presented with a search screen in which the user may define search parameters for a search.

A search parameter associated with an option to search for messages of a specified type is provided, and more specifically, an option to search for messages (e.g. electronic mail messages) having one or more attachments is made available to the user.

I think this feature would be very popular. Kind of regret I didn’t mention it in my post entitled,  Ten Features I Wish BlackBerry Offered- But Doesn’t, Yet.