Check out the wild new patent application Research in Motion just filed

The RIM patent application for “conveying emotion in a messaging application” says the technology come about because of a desire to communicate emotions beyond the scope of emoticons. Outside of legendary investor Prem Watsa, who recently doubled his position in the company, its seems few feel the prospect of Research in Motion continuing its days as an independent innovator is still an option.

One piece of evidence that contradicts popular sentiment, however, is the number of patents the Waterloo company continues to file. RIM filed 663 in 2011 alone, placing it in 40th spot on the IFI CLAIMS® 2011 Top 50 US Patent Assignees, just one behind Apple.

Last Thursday, RIM filed a patent application with the US Patent and Trademark Office that has people emotional -literally.

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The patent application, called “Device and Method of Conveying Emotion in a Messaging Application” is described by applicants Jason Tyler Griffin and Steven Henry Fyke like this:

“The present disclosure provides a device and method to convey emotions in a messaging application of a mobile electronic device. An emotional context of text entered into the messaging application is determined and an implied emotional text is presented for at least a portion of the entered text in accordance with the determined emotional context. The emotional context may be determined from captured sensor data captured by one or more sensors.”

The application says this technology come about because of a desire to communicate emotions beyond the scope of emoticons. This technology would make use of skin response sensors, blood pressure and heart rate monitors and other devices used to capture biometric data. The data would then affect the font style and color.

RIM investors are no doubt hoping the invention will turn their emotional state from FRANTIC! to …feeling better already.

The entire document is a fascinating read and can be viewed here.

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