BlackBerry Cool

This looks like my old 957.

What makes this any different than what Nikon has for it’s pro cameras. With the Nikon D2X you can attach a wifi device to the camera which sends the images to a PC wirelessly. Also from the PC you can wirelessly control the camera and capture frames remotely.

http://nikonimaging.com/global/news/2006/0601_02.htm

Same thing as blackberry’s patent right?…. and it’s already being dong

This is a reply to ACME Photography

As far as I can tell, there’s nothing different between claim 1 of this patent application and the Camera Control Software for the Nikon D2X.

However, the software you link to has apparently only come out this year, whereas this patent application was filed in December 2004. You cannot invalidate a patent (or have a patent application rejected) based on prior art that was published after the application was filed. Instead, you have to find something from before December 2004.

Apparently, the “Nikon Capture 4 Camera Control” software was released in 2003, ( http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=276&productNr=25291 ) but judging from the website, it doesn’t have full wireless functionality. If you can show that this software has full wireless functionality and enables wireless signals, including image data, to pass between camera and computer, you should send the evidence to RIM’s patent attorneys:
ECKERT SEAMANS CHERIN & MELLOTT
600 GRANT STREET, 44TH FLOOR, PITTSBURGH, PA 15219, US

They are legally obliged to submit prior art that they know of to the USPTO for review or any granted patent is potentially invalid. Make sure you can show without question that the publication of the prior art was before 30 December 2004, though!

As for the question posed by the writer of this article: I don’t understand where the confusion lies. They are trying to patent something that will control a camera wirelessly (or a wirelessly controlled camera). I don’t see that there’s any legalese in the abstract at all.

I’ve also just found that RIM filed a European Patent Application on the same day as the US application. The results of the search by the EPO are available online

http://v3.espacenet.com/origdoc?DB=EPODOC&IDX=EP1677520&F=0&QPN=EP1677520

Or run a search for: EP1677520 if that link doesn’t work.

Looks like the EPO think that pretty much all of RIM’s claims are invalid, so the chances of a granted patent (in Europe at least) are looking small.

G

After submitting my previous post, I went a did a bit more research.

The file history for EP1677520 is available online at http://www.epoline.org (go to Register Plus and enter that number in the search box)

Apparently, RIM have filed amended claims which claim a new feature that there is a security system to ensure that communication only takes place between the camera and (your) wireless device.

This sort of amendment would probably be acceptable in the US (assuming the amended claim is new) but I’d put money on it being rejected by the EPO as being obvious.

G