Cingular Patents the Emoticon :( No Shit
According to ConsumerAffairs.Com,
Cingular Wireless has won a patent on the concept of using "emoticons" on mobile phones. The patent applies not only to graphic versions of the ubiquitous smiley/mad face but also to simple text versions. :)
Cingular says the aim of the patent is to enable the displaying of graphics on its subscribers' handsets, the patent would also prohibit sending simple text versions via a dedicated or programmable key.
Realize that the U.S. Patent system is totally broken. Anyone who has not lived in a cave knows that emoticons have been in general use for at least ten or fifteen years now, and that instant messaging programs have been letting users pick out emoticons and send them for quite some time now. Exactly what about this is non-obvious, or not covered by "prior art"?
It seems the new rule on patents is, find something that everyone's been using for years, make some obvious tweak to it, and file an overly-broad patent and hope that the patent examiners aren't any brighter than a herd of monkeys (and there's been little evidence recently to suggest that they are).
I think I'm going to patent the concept of loading a wheelbarrow into the back of a SUV using a ramp. With any luck, I'll get a patent on at least the wheelbarrow and the ramp!
The patent may be seen as bad news by devotees of the inane faces. On the other hand, if it restricts the spread of the moon-shaped faces, it's likely to be wildly popular in some quarters.
Don't believe it? :| Check it out. The patent number is US2006015812. I think it will be filed under sub section: Horse-Shit_:(
Cingular Wireless has won a patent on the concept of using "emoticons" on mobile phones. The patent applies not only to graphic versions of the ubiquitous smiley/mad face but also to simple text versions. :)
Cingular says the aim of the patent is to enable the displaying of graphics on its subscribers' handsets, the patent would also prohibit sending simple text versions via a dedicated or programmable key.
Realize that the U.S. Patent system is totally broken. Anyone who has not lived in a cave knows that emoticons have been in general use for at least ten or fifteen years now, and that instant messaging programs have been letting users pick out emoticons and send them for quite some time now. Exactly what about this is non-obvious, or not covered by "prior art"?
It seems the new rule on patents is, find something that everyone's been using for years, make some obvious tweak to it, and file an overly-broad patent and hope that the patent examiners aren't any brighter than a herd of monkeys (and there's been little evidence recently to suggest that they are).
I think I'm going to patent the concept of loading a wheelbarrow into the back of a SUV using a ramp. With any luck, I'll get a patent on at least the wheelbarrow and the ramp!
The patent may be seen as bad news by devotees of the inane faces. On the other hand, if it restricts the spread of the moon-shaped faces, it's likely to be wildly popular in some quarters.
Don't believe it? :| Check it out. The patent number is US2006015812. I think it will be filed under sub section: Horse-Shit_:(
posted by The Last Word | 1:31 AM
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