News has come through to us from Mobile Gazette, about a company called Minerva Industries, who have recently been granted the U.S. patent for:
“A mobile entertainment and communication device in a palm-held size housing has a cellular or satellite telephone capable of wireless communication with the Internet and one or more replaceable memory card sockets for receiving a blank memory card for recording data directly from the Internet and, in particular, musical performances that then can be selectively reproduced by the device for the enjoyment of the user, including both audio and visual recordings and reproductions. The device also includes a camera and microphone for recording images and sound within the range of the device that can be wirelessly transmitted, either selectively or automatically to a remote telephone. Further, the device includes sensors for sensing unusual conditions that may also be transmitted to a remote telephone, together with the location of the device as determined by a GPS section of the device.”
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm, so that would cover just about any of the mobile phones on the market nowadays, then…
The patent was originally filed for in 2003, following on from an almost identical patent application they made in 2000. And now that they’ve been granted the patent, what do they do?
That’s right. Sue everyone! Sony Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung, Apple, T Mobile… well, the list goes on, but the question remains, is that why they did it? Did they merely lump together a load of technologies that could feasibly be used on mobiles, and whack the patent in, in order to some day get loads of money from suing the big names in the business?
Well, look at it this way: since they filed the patent application, have they ever actually made a device that does what they say in the application? And, furthermore, did they not in fact start lawsuits against the big names in the business almost instantly, when the patent was granted…?
What do you think, folks?
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