Upside Down Phone Patent 291
An anonymous reader noted that "A patent has been filed for the "Upside Down Phone", which features the keypad on top and the screen on the bottom. The idea behind the upside down phone is, apparently, to allow faster texting by have a more comfortable position for the thumb to work from. A quick check of this seems to confirm the theory, making this one of those "Why didn't I think of that?" moments."
"Why didn't I think of that?" (Score:5, Interesting)
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I had a job during the summer where I had to do a lot of data entry into phones and I ended up holding the thing upside-down and using it that way because it was easier.
Of course, this was all on a bicycle, so that makes a difference as well.
cool (Score:5, Funny)
Re:"Why didn't I think of that?" (Score:5, Funny)
I find your ideas fascinating, and I would like to subscrib*CRASH*.
You know what they say about guys with big hands? (Score:2, Funny)
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I agree. Maybe I'm missing something, but the idea seems to go against simple ergonomics. I would compare it to the early versions of the Garmin hand-held GPS receivers. Several models had their buttons above the screen. You had to "drive" it with two hands; one to hold it and one to run the keypad with a finger so that you could navigate through the menus. It was my major gripe about their GPS at the time, and the reason that I went with a Magellen GPS receiver back then (I have since purchased a Garm
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Or 20p per minute (on an average tarrif with about 200 minutes thrown in anyway)
I don't know about you but I can say more in 30 seconds than I can write in 160 characters!!
I only find texts handy when you are not able to talk (eg in a pub and its too loud or in the office and dont want to be over heard) otherwise just call the person - its a novel use for a phone I know (maybe it should be patented...) but there you go
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I don't know about you but I can say more in 30 seconds than I can write in 160 characters!!
I somehow doubt that. But I'll try to sample it for you -- these are examples of voice calls/text messages I exchange every once in a while:
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Re:"Why didn't I think of that?" (Score:5, Informative)
One of us *did* think of that. [slashdot.org]
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Re:"Why didn't I think of that?" (Score:4, Interesting)
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Really? Not for me. (Score:4, Informative)
No keyboard locking necessary. I can't count the number of times my wife has forgotten to lock the keyboard on her Nokia, and buttons get pushed on it in her purse.
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unless you have a poorly designed flip phone that happened to have 3 buttons on the outside, and one of them was both the keyboard unlock, and the redial last number button... I CONSTANTLY had that phone calling people from my pocket even though it had both the flip closed AND the keyboard locked! (what idiot designs a phone where the keyguard is turned off by one of only 3 buttons that were NOT covered by the flip cover??? (hint: Samsung SCH-3500 ))
haHA (Score:5, Funny)
Makes it easier for those of you who type with your feet. (I'm looking at YOU, AOLers...)
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It's the very idea! (Score:2)
Garmin GPS did this 10 years ago (Score:5, Informative)
I guess adding "cellphone" to a design is just like adding "on the Internet" to a business plan.
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The disadvantage is that if you have the device mounted (on the dashboard of your car, or on a panel of your boat), your hand tends to block the screen while you punch the buttons. Buttons on bottom works better if you need constant view of the screen while you oper
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Wait a minute...
[rushes to go file patent application]
-1, Obvious
Re:Garmin GPS did this 10 years ago (Score:5, Funny)
Whoa! There's GPS porn?
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Be thankful for that. "On a cellphone" means (erm.. in theory, I should point out) they wouldn't be able to go after Apple for making an iPod with a control interface a the top with the screen below. (There's lotsa other reasons they wouldn't be able to go after it, I wanted to use that on simplistic terms as an example.) The theory is that if you specify a narrow purpose for it, you won't be able to patent
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I'd like to patent the keyboard on the right, but garmin seem to have done that one too:
http://www.radar-detector-shop.co.uk/products/ga rm in-quest.htm
The marginal increase in usability for right-handers would be more than offset by its near-total unusability by left-handers.
Some of the "Zaurus" PDAs are like this also. What on earth can makers of products like these be thinking?
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Not Why Didn't I Think of That (Score:4, Insightful)
How the H*ll Can You Patent That?
Re:Not Why Didn't I Think of That (Score:4, Interesting)
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There are a gazillion cell phone models because they're all looking for some sort of differentiator. Why should you buy this one rather than that other one? They put a lot of time and effort into thinking of new models.
Either this is the first time somebody came up with it, and the patent is a way of rewarding that ingenuity, or it's been tried before and rejected as useless, in which case the patent is pointles
Re:Not Why Didn't I Think of That (Score:5, Informative)
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/cellphones/serene-cell
You may now rip that patent to pieces.
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The same way you put an asterisk in "hell" and capitalized every word in a sentence.
Layout patent? (Score:5, Insightful)
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However, I have never seen a phone with the screen placed on the bottom.
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Out of hand, eh? Easy solution! Invent an upside-down patent system!
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Patent, Patent, Patent (Score:2, Insightful)
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The cell phone idea is strange, since you have your head turned down more now to see the screen. Although it's similar to what they did with laptops - moving the keyboard against the monitor, instead of the front edge of the base.
Is this the new Nokia? (Score:2)
what you're used to (Score:2, Interesting)
This is simply because people don't think about ergonomics or what logically makes sense. Rather, they view things in terms they are familiar with. So since cellphones have always had the buttons on the bottom, everyone just assumed that's where they should go. The same can be said for interfaces in software development. Look at all the sourceforge projects that have GUIs. How many of them are just rehashes of the same bad interface design id
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Thus what has been done in the past becomes a design consideration itself. Even a brilliant new interface that by all other measures is more intuitive and easy to use can be a bad design if it confuses the users by being too different from what they already know.
The prevalant design ideas from windows didn't
Nothing new (Score:5, Informative)
Project was cancelled, one reason being users didn't like the upside down configuration.
Re:Nothing new (Score:5, Informative)
Pics of Hedvig can be found here:
http://semania.mobilmania.cz/content/view/87/2/ [mobilmania.cz]
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After 2-3 months you come to learn that all parts of government are corrupt and/or incompetent.
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Turning Patents Upside Down (Score:2)
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Taking an invention and running through all the combinations of directions of placement is not "novel". If I take AT&T's patented keypad and patent it with the numbers running right-left, or down-up, or both, that's an obvious invention from the prior art. So is putting the keypad above the display.
These patents are exceptions t
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Patenting isn't an "I thought of it first" lottery. It's a major except
False assumption (Score:3, Insightful)
In this case, for example, there I can remember at least two cases of phones built just like that. One even made it all the way to being marketted. (Dunno if it actually sold or not, though.) So, yes, other people "skilled in the art" _did_ think of it before. Go figure.
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No more dirty screen ? (Score:3, Interesting)
No more dirty sticky traces on the screen !
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Baseball caps (Score:3, Informative)
As another poster said. my 7 year old Garmin MAP12 handheld GPS had the screen on the bottom and buttons on the top.
'Texting' (Score:4, Funny)
seems reasonable (Score:2)
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You can write one up yourself, but unless you are really damn good at legalese, it will have holes
I can't help thinking that... (Score:4, Interesting)
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Yeah, it probably will, when it comes out. However, most of the other full screen phones already do this, in addition to a landscape mode. Been that way for several years. This patent is worthless.
A gold mine (Score:2)
Plenty of Prior Art (Score:3, Informative)
Next story? Upside-down slashdot! (Score:5, Funny)
Arr crap (Score:2)
What's wrong with the interface? Describe one you think would be better, maybe someone will implement it.
Okay, I'll gladly bite! Here are a few pet peeves of mine:
For one, why does the display always have to be 'on top of' the keypad? You have to hold the thing with both hands, or nearly drop the phone while reaching for the * 0 # keys. Instead, flip it around so the display is *below* the keypad. Go on,try it with your own phone, right now (just ignore for now that your keys will be upside down):
-- One-handed typing will be much easier, as you can hold onto the phone more firmly while typing. Also note how the 'thigh' of your thumb will not obscure the display.
-- Two-handed speed-texting will be much more 'private' because your thumb's thighs will keep your display hidden from everyone but you (the teens will love this!).
I've blogged about this before, too (if you can call it that, as it was before "blogging" was called that).
I claim prior art! (Score:2)
No really I did. Ugh. Geex can you patent anything now? Wheres the prototype?
The plans, etc.
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I dont remember if it was you, but I definitely read someones reply on one of the iPhone stories kvetching that they didnt put the keypad at the top of the screen, and I believe they stated they hoped someone made a mod. It was obvious that the person had not -just- thought of the idea, but had wanted it for years.
According to other posts (and pictures) theres already been at least 1 phone made in this configuration. Its not a new idea.
Im glad theres prior art to stop this idiotic patent, but I kind of wi
bin done (Score:3, Informative)
I already have one of those... (Score:2)
Must be an Aussie design ... (Score:2)
Uh, Because of human anatomy? (Score:2)
Current configuration:
Let's see:
Long fingers, short thumbs.
Fingers cradle phone.
Thumbs type.
New configuration:
Fingers crunch uselessly over the top of the phone.
Thumbs must curve outwards to prevent screen from being concealed.
Once again: just because you patent it, doesn't mean its good.
Sort of like my upside down toilet patent. Just *try* to copy it, I dare you.
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Put your fingers together and twiddle your thumbs [wikipedia.org]. Are your thumbs twiddling by your forefingers, or by your little fingers?
Place the phone supported by all the fingers. Twiddle your thumbs - they're in front of the screen.
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Let's see... according to human anatomy, when my palms are facing in, my thumbs are higher up than the rest of my fingers... ie, they're at the "top" of the hand, It would be nice to hold a device where the top of it was easily in reach of my thumbs while comfortably holding the device.
I've been doing this for years (Score:2)
Do i get to claim prior art?
I had this idea! (Score:2)
I didn't actually think it was a patent worthy idea. I didn't think much of the idea at all. I guess somebody else has. What a joke.
Doomed, doomed I tell thee (Score:2)
*shakes a pair of rollerblades* (Score:2)
I shoulda got a patent.
I did think of that (Score:2)
However, I think I've seen a phone that has done this before (maybe it was just a prototype).
Prior art: the B&O ``Serene''? (Score:2)
Icky flash-driven official site [serenemobile.com] or a review [mobilegazette.com].
It's an *application* people (Score:4, Insightful)
So someone thought they had a cool new idea because they hadn't ever seen anything like it and they were wrong... so what? If the patent *issues* then there's something to complain about (though pointing the patent office at the prior art would be a useful public service, unlike whining on Slashdot).
Re:I guess.... (Score:4, Funny)
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Just look at shoes with air pumps.
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If that were so, MS wouldn't have released any new products since
Prior art: I've been doing this for years (Score:3, Funny)
And it has Linux on it, too (Score:2)
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