Skip to Content
Uncategorized

Cingular Files Emoticon Patent

The wireless company has filed a patent application for emoticons – setting off a wave of dissatisfaction in online communities.
January 26, 2006

Cingular Wireless has certainly made no friends today, as news of its emoticon patent application began circulating on the Internet.

The application, which is rather lengthy, describes a static set-up that would allow users with any device (television, computer, mobile device, etc.) to choose from a dedicated window of emoticons, without typing in the ASCII symbols that generate visual emoticons.

From the Cingular application:

The method and system described herein allow a user of a mobile station or other device to easily select a displayable icon, such as an emoticon, that indicates the mood or emotion of the user or conveys other information independent of text. In some embodiments, the selected displayable icon is inserted into a text message or screen, such as an instant message, chat screen, or user text field.

Microsoft faced an equally vicious onslaught when it filed a similar application. The main objection, then as it likely will be now, is that since emoticons represent speech online, no company should be able to patent that language.

(Thank you, friends of Fark.com, for the heads-up.)

Keep Reading

Most Popular

DeepMind’s cofounder: Generative AI is just a phase. What’s next is interactive AI.

“This is a profound moment in the history of technology,” says Mustafa Suleyman.

What to know about this autumn’s covid vaccines

New variants will pose a challenge, but early signs suggest the shots will still boost antibody responses.

Human-plus-AI solutions mitigate security threats

With the right human oversight, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence can help keep business and customer data secure

Next slide, please: A brief history of the corporate presentation

From million-dollar slide shows to Steve Jobs’s introduction of the iPhone, a bit of show business never hurt plain old business.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.