Research In Motion Receives Wireless Patent on Blackberry Single Mailbox Integration - Brief Article

Wireless Internet, July, 2001

Research In Motion (RIM) announced that the US Patent and Trademark Office has issued US Patent No 6,219,694 to RIM. The Blackberry Single Mailbox Integration patent covers a system and method invented by RIM that was commercialized as an important architectural element of RIM's award-winning BlackBerry wireless e-mail solution.

"The ability to stay connected to your existing e-mail account has been the lynchpin of Blackberry's success," said Mike Lazaridis, president and co-CEO at Research In Motion. "Issuance of this patent for Blackberry Single Mailbox Integration is an important milestone and represents the first in a series of patents covering various aspects of technologies utilized in the end-to-end Blackberry solution."

"This patent is important for RIM stakeholders because it recognizes and protects the fundamental intellectual property that RIM has invested substantial resources to invent and develop over many years," said Jim Balsillie, chairman and co-CEO at Research In Motion.

The Blackberry Single Mailbox Integration patent relates to the system and method pioneered and employed by RIM in redirecting information between a host computer system (such as an office PC or server) and a mobile communications device (such as wireless handheld) while maintaining a common electronic address between the host system and mobile device.

Using this patented technology, Blackberry integrates seamlessly with a user's existing e-mail account providing a wireless extension of the user's regular e-mail mailbox. The user can read, compose, forward, or reply to messages from their mobile device while maintaining their single, existing e-mail address and mailbox.

The user can also control which messages are received on their mobile device by setting e-mail filters that monitor key words and message fields.

Blackberry is an end-to-end wireless e-mail solution featuring the industry's most advanced wireless handhelds, desktop utilities, enterprise server software, security, and tight integration with wireless packetdata networks.