Some future BlackBerrys may sport a horizontal or landscape-orientated slider-keyboard that’s also larger than today's ever-present compact QWERTY type of typer. At least that what a new RIM patent application posted to the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) indicates.

If such a now-you-see-it-now-you-don't keyboard sounds and looks familiar (see diagram below), it should. HTC's been making Windows Mobile smartphone models, sold by itself and its many partners, with that very design for several years now, for example.

RIM's patent application is titled: "Hybrid Portrait-Landscape Handheld Device With Trackball Navigation and Qwerty Hideaway Keyboard". Boy, that's a mouthful.

Here's what the relatively concise abstract for the application says:

A device is disclosed for use in two different orientations. In one orientation, the keyboard is exposed to the user. This orientation is named the landscape orientation because the device will be positioned such that its width is larger than its height. The user would opt for the landscape orientation for tasks that require the keyboard, such as inputting data, drafting emails, sending emails, and other functions typically associated with a standard computer. The other orientation is named the portrait orientation because the device will be positioned such that its height is larger than its width. In addition, the keyboard is not used in this orientation and therefore hidden away. The user would opt for the portrait orientation for tasks such as making and receiving telephone calls and for reading documents and emails. The device detects the orientation positioned by the user and modifies the elements shown on the display screen so that they are presented in the correct orientation to the user.

Not that such a design in a BlackBerry wouldn’t be welcome, but it’s not clear why RIM thinks it can patent this concept, considering it is not unique and is pretty widely used by other vendors in some of their products already. Except the HTCs of the worlds to throw a fit should this move forward.

Either way, its clear RIM’s been thinking up ways to shake up its product lineup to appeal to a wider swath of people. For instance, this patent applications follows another keyboard-related application posted by the USPTO back in January.

Like the slider-keyboard application, it too describes a significantly different typer design from RIM's usual offerings. Called "Angular Keyboard For a Mobile Communications Device," the application describes a slightly angled take on the traditional BlackBerry keyboard. It angles the keys inward, with half the keys on one side and half on the other. The idea, apparently, is to make a keyboard that’s more natural to use.

See here for more RIM's angled keyboard and here for more its QWERTY-slider concept.