Mobile phone interface provider Surf Kitchen has been granted a UK patent for what at first glance appears to be the delivery mechanism used for the Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS). What the patent actually covers, however, is the method by which content is selected.

UK patent GB2408658 talks a great deal about notifying client devices using a special signal, such as an SMS, which then triggers the client to fetch information from a server using an HTTP connection - in exactly the same way as an MMS message.

In this way only the latest football scores, or the last security patch, is ever sent to the user; reducing network traffic and download times.

Given that almost all interface customisation technologies work in exactly this way, the patent is significant and competitors will have to work hard to find a way around it, or license it from Surf Kitchen.

While the concept might seem obvious, that makes it no less of an invention and no less patentable and, unless some strong prior art turns up, Surf Kitchen will have a significant advantage in handset interface customisation. ®

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