CrunchGear

What if the Zune was a cell phone? What if it had a touch screen on the back of it? What could you do with it? Microsoft slipped in a patent application covering a cell phone that can be used as a touch screen computer mouse for your PC. After searching on the topic, we’ve uncovered Microsoft-two-sided-cell-phone-touch-screen-control-your-PC-by-WiFi patent application goodness. Whew, details after the jump…

This discovery comes on the back of the re-surfaced Apple Zune-like, [ninja fighting] patent application hype last week that John and I discussed. Can there be more things connected on this patent application? Not likely.

Here’s what they’ve claimed:

1. A system that facilitates navigating on a display, comprising: a mouse engine component that detects a location; and an interface component that integrates the mouse engine into a handheld communication device.

Short and simple.

Let the race begin between Microsoft and Apple in the cell phone arena. Sit back, grab a drink, this is likely to get really interesting even if some of these patent applications are getting a bit silly.

Patent Monkey is a feature written by our friends at PatentMonkey.com