[Fred_Cokebottle]

http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...DN/20050156873




United States Patent Application
20050156873

Kind Code

A1

Walter, Bettina ;   et al.
July 21, 2005

Custom emoticons

Abstract


Methods and devices for creating and transferring custom emoticons allow a user to adopt an arbitrary image as an emoticon, which can then be represented by a character sequence in real-time communication. In one implementation, custom emoticons can be included in a message and transmitted to a receiver in the message. In another implementation, character sequences representing the custom emoticons can be transmitted in the message instead of the custom emoticons in order to preserve performance of text messaging. At the receiving end, the character sequences are replaced by their corresponding custom emoticons, which can be retrieved locally if they have been previously received, or can be retrieved from the sender in a separate communication from the text message if they have not been previously received.





Inventors:
Walter, Bettina; (Kirkland, WA) ; von Seelen Thorsen, Jens Martin; (Redmond, WA)

Correspondence Name and Address:


LEE & HAYES PLLC
421 W RIVERSIDE AVENUE SUITE 500
SPOKANE
WA
99201



Assignee Name and Adress:

Microsoft Corporation

[Oisín]

Biaurgh, all this legal mumbo-jumbo is way over my head... what exactly are they trying to patent here? The very way of writing : ) and getting a smiley through automatic conversion? Or the smilies themselves? Or the system that converts and transmits the smiley information?

Me =

[hyperb0le]

It appears to be a patent for technology that allows users (presumably users of MSN Messenger) to create their own custom emoticons which would be sent to users the first time someone uses it, and retrieved from the user's temporary folder in all future conversations.

I seriously doubt the patent would stand up in court.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by hyperb0le

It appears to be a patent for technology that allows users (presumably users of MSN Messenger) to create their own custom emoticons which would be sent to users the first time someone uses it, and retrieved from the user's temporary folder in all future conversations.

I thought you could already do that..?

[hyperb0le]

Originally Posted by Oisín

I thought you could already do that..?

Can you? I don't use MSN Messenger, so I don't know. If so, Microsoft must just be trying to make sure no one else can do it.

[Oisín]

I don't use MSN Messenger either (anymore), but lots of people I know do. You can already do that, yes (I just verified), but only in the Windows version.