Sequoia Capital-backed Bubble Motion is announcing the market’s first awarded patent in Voice SMS. The patent cements their role as a leader in Voice SMS and protects the intellectual property of their current products as well future products.
The patent covers the ability for consumers to click, record and send voice-recorded messages to one or many recipients – all without needing to place an actual call. Like text messaging, voice SMS is a simple way to record and send messages, with the added benefits of authenticity, emotion, and nuance that can only be detected through actual human voice.
Filed in early 2002, the patent was the first of its kind filed globally, well before Voice SMS patents were subsequently filed with the US Patent Office.
Companies like Indiatimes/Airtel are already using BubbleMotion’s service, but the bigger picture is the impact on upcoming mobile initiatives at companies like Apple (acquirers of voice-based search company Siri) Google (voice-enabled search), Yahoo (voice-enabled search) and Twitter. The patent may also directly impact companies that focus on voice-based SMS like Vlingo and Kirusa.
