Apple’s Not The First To Use 3D Touch On A Phone.

BlackBerry once again may have proved that it was ahead of it’s time, even back in 2008!

Force Touch née 3D Touch, a highlight of Apple’s forthcoming iPhones 6s and 6s Plus (lined up for release shortly), has been developed to provide the consumers an identical user experience as that of Apple’s recent Macbook notebooks.

The ‘brand-new’ feature promises an enhanced user experience by adding a new dimension: the perception and manipulation of the user inputs using the sensitivity to touch-pressure.

The integration of the haptic feedback with the touchscreen devices however dates back to the introduction of BlackBerry Storm by BlackBerry in 2008.

The first built-in touchscreen device without a physical keyboard, BlackBerry Storm presented the company’s “SurePress” technology providing tactile feedback to touch-based interactions. While the Storm did not do tremendously well in the market (by way of unit sales) when compared to the likes of Apple, Samsung, and HTC — it still was a pioneer device.

BlackBerry had filed numerous patents relating to this technology and technique, which are currently being analyzed by Envision IP to check patent transgressions, ahead of the Apple’s iPhone 6s launch.

This will establish if there is a parable and also whether Apple needs to restrict the Force Touch terminology and/or pay for the patent use.

BlackBerry US owns at least 40 in-force patents relating to the integration of the touchscreen devices with the haptic feedback and BlackBerry’s US patent number filing 9,092,057 which clearly states, “Electronic device including touch-sensitive display and actuator for providing tactile feedback” seems to unequivocally pertain to a mobile device having multiple disk actuators beneath the touchscreen display that understand touch, and provide feedback to the user.

It seems that BlackBerry has specifically patented the integration of the touchscreen display with the click mechanism that lets the user experience a tactile feedback similar to that of the physical keyboard.

Yet, Apple too, has patented this technology for the iPhone providing force-based feedback, with fourteen issued US patents identified, relating to the same. Apple’s US patent 8,462,133 says that, “Clickable and tactile buttons for a touch surface” describing the iPhone’s display having multiple click-like tactile surfaces”. So, Apple may well be in the clear, as any Patent Office by design and decree can issue patents only after meticulously checking for duplicacy and also facilitating any counter-claims prior to awarding patents.

So, while users are breathlessly waiting to check out the new feature that Apple will roll out soon, at the same time Apple too, if going to be having a busy time analysing BlackBerry patents before releasing the technology in its upcoming device, avoid any mobile-patent related lawsuit.

Ah! The shoe is on the other foot. Must pinch, a bit, at least.

Originally published at Chip-Monks.