Each week on Tuesdays, the USPTO publishes approximately 3500 patents, and this week was a rather large one for BlackBerry. As noted by Bloomberg, BlackBerry had a total of 26 patents published this week and while we generally don't look towards patents for much info due to the sheer amount that get processed and never seen again, the patents published this week for BlackBerry are rather telling and hit on a lot of recent topics such as wearables, conference calling, new devices and enhanced security. We've gathered up all the patents from this week for everyone to go through, but as noted, there's a few stand out items here.
As we know from OS leaks, BBM Meetings looks to be powered by Zoom and BlackBerry hasn't really kept its launch date a secret - it's published right on the BBM Meetings page - which also happens to be the date of their Enterprise event in San Francisco. But just because BBM Meetings is powered by Zoom doesn't mean BlackBerry can't bring their own additions to the service, and there is several patents in this latest batch that show that to be the case.
Next on the list is wearables. BlackBerry hasn't been hot on the idea of wearables in the sense we're all thinking these days, but a 'wearable' in a more traditional sense hasn't been ruled out according to these recent patents. Rather than creating a new smart watch or something like that, BlackBerry has the groundwork laid for having a wearable that offers the ability to unlock your device when it is within close proximity, the 'clasp' is closed and on your wrist and more. All part of their enhanced security solutions that could be in the works. BlackBerry smart card reader evolved.
Finally, new device input methods. The BlackBerry Passport kicked a lot of this off so there's a chance some of the patents are still filtering through for that but BlackBerry CEO John Chen has noted there will be more innovative devices coming out of Waterloo. Most notably, a concept device the company plans to take with them to Mobile World Congress in March. It's not a stretch of the imagination that some of the patents here could be for that device even though a lot of the patents were several years ago.
- Wireless communications system providing mobile device authentication bypass based upon user-wearable security device and related methods
- Communication system providing wireless authentication for private data access and related methods
- System and method of security function activation for a mobile electronic device
- System and method for centralized retrieval and delivery of content to mobile devices using a server based RSS feed
- Handheld electronic device with reduced keyboard and associated method of providing improved disambiguation
- Adjusting coverage regions of wireless access points serving as handoff indication mechanism in wireless local area networks
- Method and user interface for facilitating conference calls
- Method and system for enhanced conference call security
- Systems and methods for generating a calling list for a conference call
- Transmit diversity using low code rate spatial multiplexing
- Timing advance enhancements for cellular communications
- Indication of multicast control information
- Precoding matrix index feedback interaction with discontinuous reception
- System and method for conserving power for a wireless device while maintaining a connection to a network
- Methods and systems for scheduling in a virtual MIMO communication environment
- Systems and methods for a thin film capacitor having a composite high-K thin film stack
- Device cover with drawing pad input device
- Handheld electronic device and associated method providing disambiguation of an ambiguous object during editing and selectively providing prediction of future characters
- GPS pre-acquisition for geotagging digital photos
- Password entry using 3D image with spatial alignment
- Keypad navigation selection and method on mobile device
- Portable electronic device and method of controlling same
- Method and apparatus for integrating social networking status updates with contact data at a communication device
- Method of switching power modes and a portable electronic device configured to perform the same
- System and method of indicating the strength of encryption
- Optimizing the delivery of email messages containing alternative versions of content
At this point, they're just patents and some are old but given the scope of some of them and their similarities with recent remarks; they're really hard to ignore. Have a look through them and see if any stand out for you and drop your thoughts on them in the comments.
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