Amazon Wins First Kindle Patent; Bigger Screen Expected Soon

An anonymous reader writes "One day before Amazon is scheduled to unveil its widescreen Kindle aimed at newspaper readers, the e-commerce giant has been awarded its first US patent for an e-book reader. The new patent, D591,741, is a design patent which protects the look and feel of the Kindle shell, not for fundamental technologies. Those patents are mostly held by E Ink Corp., which makes the 'liquidless paper' display. Sony, IBM, and the Discovery cable TV network also have e-book patents. Amazon, though the leading e-book seller, has none, but the patent award indicates they've applied for at least four recently." Also in Kindle news, PC World has a brief article up on the larger-screen Kindle DX (expected to launch Wednesday), including pictures first spotted on Engadget.

Here's Your Story

[eldavojohn]

Setting: The older boys are playing outside with a ball and the younger boy, Amazon, approaches them ...
Microsoft: Well well well, if it isn't Amazon. Heard you finally got an e-book patent.
Sony: Oh god, that is so 1998. Did your mommy get you that patent or did your dead beat dad finally do something for you?
Amazon: Leave me alone guys, my Kindle is really popular.
IBM: *snort* Yeah, don't remind us. You're the only one stupid enough to manufacture a million little lawsuits without a freaking patent to back it up. You probably don't even have a patent warchest. Hell, even the loser companies like Discovery cable TV network have e-book patents.
Discovery cable TV network: Ha! Yeah, you're even more of a loser than me! More loser than sharkweek, more loser than sharkweek, more loser than ...
Amazon: Cut it out, guys, maybe you haven't heard but I own the one click patent ...
Microsoft: Aw Christ, here we go again. The one trick pony decides it's time to lord about and hang that piece of contested trash over our heads. I'm sick of it. Probably wouldn't even hold up in court.
Amazon: Try it, tough guy.
*MySpace pulls up in a brand new NewsCorp convertible*
MySpace: Hey, guys, got my dad's mustang for the weekend, wanna go hawk eggs at Facebook's house?
*everyone starts to pile into the vehicle*
MySpace: Oh, not you, Amazon, I'm not interested in being seen with such a patentless loser. I mean, that kinda shit gets you defriended pretty fast these days ... probably even sued.
*the gang hi fives MySpace as they drive off leaving Amazon alone*

But...what about the environment?

[Drone69]

Soon pulp & paper mills will shut down due to the lack of printed material. Then we'll have an over abundance of trees and the human race will die of Oxygen Toxicity Syndrome. Way to go Amazon!

Re:Kindle DX to be announced

[Deag]

Thank you for that, really missed it in the summary.