Patents Assigned to IN&MOTION
  • Patent number: 6364737
    Abstract: The present invention is directed, in a first aspect, to a lightweight material projection system that can be stored and transported in a space-efficient manner. In one embodiment of the invention, the lightweight material projection system comprises a storage housing assembly for storing a lightweight material projector, a force supplying apparatus, and a lightweight material projector having an ejection member. The storage housing assembly comprises a base assembly and a cover assembly, wherein during use, the cover assembly is removed and the ejection member of the projector is connected to the base assembly of the storage housing assembly. Another aspect of the invention involves the use of the base assembly as a passage way for lightweight materials using non-electrical force supplying apparatus. In a preferred embodiment, the lightweight materials are projected using a venturi vacuum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2002
    Assignee: Artistry In Motion, Inc.
    Inventors: Ardina K. Sterr, S. Clark Bason, Noah Winter
  • Patent number: 6329951
    Abstract: An antenna system for a portable transceiver device comprises an antenna structure for transmitting and receiving RF signals. The antenna structure includes multiple feeding ports having a common structure fully coupling multiple antennas together. This antenna structure is made of a conductor that can be surface mounted over a nonplanar surface. When the conductor is mounted on a nonplanar surface, the antenna structure extends in three dimensional space around the portable communications device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2001
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Geyi Wen, Yihong Qi, Perry Jarmuszewski
  • Patent number: 6278442
    Abstract: A hand-held electronic device with a keyboard optimized for use with the thumbs is disclosed. In order to operate within the limited space available on a hand-held electronic device, the present invention optimizes the placement and shape of the keys, preferably using keys that are oval or oblong in shape, and that are placed at angles designed to facilitate thumb-typing. The angles at which keys on either side of the keyboard are placed is complimentary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2001
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Jason T. Griffin, John A. Holmes, Mihal Lazaridis, Herb A. Little, Harry R. Major
  • Patent number: 6271605
    Abstract: A battery disconnect system is provided for a device having a battery and load. The battery disconnect system includes a switch that is operative to connect the battery to the load when the switch is in a closed state. The switch is also operative to disconnect the battery from the load when the switch is in an open state. The battery disconnect system also includes a switch controller that is coupled to the switch. The switch controller is operative to cause the switch to enter the closed state in response to receipt of a first signal from a first external source. The switch controller is also operative to cause the switch to enter the open state in response to receipt of a second signal from a second external source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2001
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Steven Carkner, Quang Luong, Jonathan Malton, Robert Lowles, Carl Schaaff, Daniel Fischer
  • Patent number: 6262609
    Abstract: A closed-loop voltage-to-frequency (V/F) converter includes a voltage-controlled-oscillator (VCO) placed in a feedback voltage-locked loop (VLL). This converter achieves both wide bandwidth (for good phase-noise suppression) and good spurious rejection. The closed-loop V/F converter may be further configured in a larger phase-locked loop (PLL) to achieve accurate channel selection that is independent of temperature and process variations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2001
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Amr N. Hafez, M. I. Elmasry
  • Patent number: 6255915
    Abstract: A differential SAW filter having a cascaded structure includes including an input SAW stage and an output SAW stage. The two SAW stages are configured so that the distance of travel of the surface acoustic waves from a single unbalanced input of the input stage to the dual balanced outputs of the output stage is electrically equidistant, thus resulting in a balanced differential output. The input stage includes a single unbalanced input coupled to a pair of outer IDTs, which both launch a surface acoustic wave to a single input stage inner IDT. The input stage inner IDT connects to the input IDT of the output SAW stage, which launches a surface acoustic wave to a pair of identical, but inverted output IDTs that form the differential, balanced output signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2001
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventor: Peter J. Edmonson
  • Patent number: 6219694
    Abstract: A system and method for pushing information from a host system to a mobile data communication device upon sensing a triggering event is disclosed. A redirector program operating at the host system enables a user to continuously redirect certain user-selected data items from the host system to the user's mobile data communication device upon detecting that one or more user-defined triggering events has occurred. The redirector program operates in connection with event generating applications and repackaging systems at the host system to configure and detect a particular user-defined event, and then to repackage the user-selected data items in an electronic wrapper prior to pushing the data items to the mobile device. The mobile device and the host system share a common electronic address so that messages generated at either the host system or the mobile data communication device are configured using the common electronic address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2001
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Mihal Lazaridis, Gary P. Mousseau
  • Patent number: 6180876
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for shielding discrete areas of a printed circuit board from electromagnetic interference includes a frame and separate shielding lids. The frame is surface mount soldered onto the solder tracks of a printed circuit board and provides fences which divide the printed circuit board into discrete areas. Separate shielding lids of different heights are provided to shield the separate discrete areas. The separate shielding lids mount inside the discrete areas defined by the fences of the frame and attach to lips formed on interior surfaces of the fences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventor: John A. Holmes
  • Patent number: 6104759
    Abstract: An improved power supply system involves load-leveling the large transient currents drawn by a high power, low duty-cycle load application circuit by means of a high performance capacitive charge storage device, such as a super-capacitor or a network of super-capacitors. The improved power supply system allows the high power load application circuit to be driven by a limited energy power source, such as a battery or the power supplied to a PCMCIA slot by a host computer. When the input voltage source is a battery, the improved power supply system allows for a substantial increase in the battery's operational life. The inventive system is particularly useful for managing power supply requirements for miniaturized wireless transmission systems, such as two-way pagers or radio modems, which employ low duty-cycle packet-switched RF transmitters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2000
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Steve Carkner, Robert Lowles, Carl Schaaff, Kent Nickerson
  • Patent number: 6075470
    Abstract: A block-wise adaptive statistical data compressor is disclosed that operates by replacing characters in a data block with super-character codewords comprising a variable length prefix and a fixed length index. The codewords are determined by treating a plurality of groups of characters as super-character groups and then adapting the codewords, for each data block, based upon the actual frequency of occurrence of the characters in each group. The super-character prefix value identifies the group to which a particular character belongs, and the index value identifies the individual character of the group. By grouping and indexing the characters into these super-character groups, the present invention models a particular data block using a fraction of the information generally required by a fixed statistical compressor. Also disclosed are multi-stage lossless block data compressors that include the block-wise adaptive statistical compressor and also include a clustering stage and a reordering stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2000
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Herb A. Little, Hugh R. Hind
  • Patent number: 6061557
    Abstract: A device is provided that interfaces with existing point of sale credit card reading devices, and furnishes the option of transmitting data over either the existing modem installation or a radio frequency data communication network. The device scans the information encoded on the credit card to determine which data transmission path is appropriate for a particular transaction. The device software generates the necessary signals to simulate the normal interaction between the POS cardreader device and a modem. The software also converts between serial and packetized data in order to request and receive credit card purchase authorizations over the radio frequency data communication network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Mihal Lazaridis, Michael Alexander Barnstijn
  • Patent number: 6034623
    Abstract: An improved radio modem is disclosed for use with an autonomous radio telemetry system. The radio modem includes a reprogrammable microprocessor, a radio transceiver, and a serial interface. By providing a software program within the radio modem that converts the serial interface into a general purpose interface to external input/output devices, and by providing additional programmed decision making capability into the radio modem, no external telemetry computer is required to interface with the input/output devices, and the radio modem operates as a combination telemetry computer and radio device. The radio modem also includes a novel reprogrammable state machine architecture for communicating with the input/output devices, and for deciding what actions to take based on the status of the external devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2000
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventor: Matthias Wandel
  • Patent number: 6031505
    Abstract: An RF antenna system is disclosed having at least one meandering antenna line with an aggregate structure formed to substantially extend in two dimensions, to effectively form a top-loaded monopole antenna. The meandering antenna line includes at least one localized bend for providing a compressed effective antenna length in a compact package. The present antenna can be made as an antenna system having discrete transmit and receive antenna lines, so as to form a dual antenna system. The localized bends on each line electromagnetically couple with the respective bends on the other line, thus increasing electromagnetic coupling efficiency, thereby increasing antenna bandwidth and gain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 29, 2000
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Yihong Qi, Perry Jarmuszewski, Lizhong Zhu, Peter J. Edmonson, Krystyna Bandurska, Robert A. Grant
  • Patent number: 6027773
    Abstract: A novel design and method of manufacturing confetti uses an interior cutout type die-cutting process. The resulting die cut confetti has unique and unusual aerodynamic features creating visually pleasing flight patterns. The predominant descent pattern of this new confetti is a hover action. The confetti rocks slightly back and forth during its descent but primary remains parallel to the ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2000
    Assignee: Artistry In Motion Entertainment, Inc.
    Inventors: Ardina K. Sterr, S. Clark Bason
  • Patent number: 6018770
    Abstract: A system and method for managing connections between one or more local terminals and one or more remote systems over a packet-switched network is disclosed. The invention includes a gateway computer that forms a bridge between the local terminals and the one or more host systems, the gateway and the local terminals including computer software instructions for embedding and filtering special connection identification information in each transaction request. The local terminals embed connection identification information into each request packet requesting a connection to a remote host system, and the gateway filters this information and verifies that the gateway and local terminal(s) are synchronized. The gateway then manages the communication to the host system using the native protocol of the host, thereby minimizing communication over the packet-switched network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2000
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Herb A. Little, Mark E. Church, Louise A. MacCallum, Gary P. Mousseau
  • Patent number: 5970090
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for enhancing service signals transmitted by a DCE, such as a Modem, to a DTE user. Since any transmission from a remote computer to a DTE user through a wireless communication network can be encoded with additional information, use of an AT compatible modem in conjunction with a wireless communication network adds a new dimension of information that can be displayed to the DTE user. The present invention also includes a method for ensuring effective data transfer from a DCE to a DTE user. When a DTE receives a connection service signal it will often require several internal adjustments before it can accept data. Because data received by a radio-based modem is received in packets, under certain conditions data will be waiting to be transmitted to the user immediately after the modem enters a data transfer state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1999
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventor: Mihal Lazaridis
  • Patent number: D438109
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2001
    Assignee: Innovative Ideas In Motion, Inc.
    Inventors: Troy P. Vanderhoof, John P. Dodge
  • Patent number: D445428
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2001
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventor: Christopher Pattenden
  • Patent number: D416256
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Jason T. Griffin, John A. Holmes, Mihal Lazaridis
  • Patent number: D428582
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2000
    Assignee: Artistry In Motion Entertainment, Inc.
    Inventors: Ardina K. Sterr, S. Clark Bason