SMS Reply Recognition patent filled in U.S.A. and Canada

Another one from the patent-ideas-that-will-most-likely-block-development-and-cause-problems department. A company patented a technology that allows programs to recognise a SMS message and reply to it.

I wonder how long before the patent holder goes after mobile phone makers ("Your Nokia/Sony Ericsson/Windows Mobile Smartphone has a reply function that relies on recognising the SMS sender") and software makers ("Your ICQ/MSN/YM program has a reply function that relies on recognising the SMS sender") and start causing problems.

"SMS@ctive Technologies announced its FIRST PATENT PENDING and registered TRADEMARKED premium SMS applications technology, Reply Recognition.

Currently, patent pending for Reply Recognition has been filed in Canada and the USA. The said patent filed under the Patent Corporation Treaty (PCT) grants the Company patent protection in approximately 100 countries. The term "Reply Recognition" is a registered trademark of the Company.

Reply Recognition presents a unique feature in the field of wireless communications involving Personal Computers (PC), Mainframe Computers and all the handheld wireless devices. When Reply Recognition is commercially implemented it will allow users to communicate from Internet or wireless based computers to handheld wireless devices and enable mobile users to communicate with PCs."

No more info or specifics are defined in the release or company's web site, so we'll have to wait until it's "commercially implemented".