Comments on: Palm Patenting Auto Call Filtering, Folding Phones, Data Signal Display

USPTO LogoPatent filings aren't always proof positive of upcoming features. Companies will sometimes file for patents on ideas that may never see the light of day, but are cool enough to warrant protecting (and hoarding, in case of potential thermonuclear patent war with rogue fruit companies). Blog Patentseed has taken note of three of Palm's filings this last week (although the filings themselves are up to five years old).

First - and most likely to appear in webOS smartphones such as the Pre - is application 11/863,174 for "Priority-Based Phone Call Filtering".

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It's not clear how 'call filtering' can be patented

SeldomVisitor @ 5/14/2009 9:51:02 AM # Q
Filtering calls based off of ANY call feature seems...already patented.

If I get a call from Dear Ol' Ma or I get a call from Known Spammer X and I filter the correct one off to limbo then this is a capability that has existed as long as Caller ID.

Or give the call a different ringtone.

Or forward it to a different voicemail message.

Or forward it to another number.

Or whatever.

RE: It's not clear how 'call filtering' can be patented
vetdoctor @ 5/14/2009 10:50:30 AM # Q
I think the concept would be to have a "priority code" in your phone and the phone would filter your calls based on the code. How this would be different than any of the current phone filtering programs is unclear but that's how patent lawyers buy their houseboats :)

In short, I had always believed that the world involved magic: now I thought that perhaps it involved a magician.
- Chesterton

RE: It's not clear how 'call filtering' can be patented
SeldomVisitor @ 5/14/2009 11:23:07 AM # Q
I would think the only thing patentable - and I believe such a patent would have expired by now if anyone could get it to stick - is something like:

>>> lookup_object_ptr(incoming_number) -> filter_function();

RE: It's not clear how 'call filtering' can be patented
jca666us @ 5/14/2009 4:51:38 PM # Q
Agreed - this call filtering patent is laughable. Maybe Palm should patent the color black - they'd have a better chance.
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