Patent Approved: Apple Now Owns "Slide to Unlock"
This can't be good for the competition.
Most touchscreen devices have some sort of slide-to-unlock function. Whether it's up, down or side to side, a swift, predefined gesture is the way most of us unlock our touchscreen phones and tablets. However, it looks like any phone that does do this is infringing upon a patent owned by iPhone maker Apple.
9to5 Mac reports that the United States Patent and Trademark Office yesterday morning granted Apple approval on a patent an application covering "a predefined gesture for unlocking the device." Specifically, the patent lays out a scenario where the device is unlocked if contact with the display corresponds to a predefined gesture for unlocking the device:
"The device displays one or more unlock images with respect to which the predefined gesture is to be performed in order to unlock the device. The performance of the predefined gesture with respect to the unlock image may include moving the unlock image to a predefined location and/or moving the unlock image along a predefined path."
The application for this patent was filed in 2009, two years after the first iPhone was announced, and one year after the first Android phone hit the market. Though Apple has not yet mentioned anything about pursuing other companies that are now in violation of this patent, we doubt the company will waste any time in taking competitors to court over this one.
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Next, apple will patent the power button.
Seriously? Next thing you know, they will patent a rectangle! Oh wait...
*face-keyboard*
WOW, it is very sad that you can even patent such a stupid thing... actually I think it needed much more thought than relativity. Maybe they should give a Nobel prize to Apple.
Apple is such a kid..
Just goes to show, truth is often stranger than fiction...
I wish the whole Apple to die, not just the Jobs. And to be bought on the brick of bankruptcy by some of the companies that innovate but don't sue.
Seriously, wall street occupation can be extended to any user of any apple device for supporting the halt of the technology this way, even if all they seek is to get the best device for their needs and money, (arguable as it might be which device is the best for the money, apple is holding back the rest of the world)
May all lawyers of apple, and all people thinking such patent is a good idea, including the people from the patent office and the people from apple, get a pancreatic cancer. At least, after that, they maaaaayyy devote the energies towards fighting cancer instead.
AND how the hell do you patent a GESTURE???
I dont think Apple is to blame there.. Obviously the patent is "legit", so if they didnt do it, then someone else would, and then Apple would be getting sued.. I think the fact it could be patented at all is the real problem.
Patients & Copyrights all need to be abolished. Its the way to a class 1 civilization.
I call Bullshit; plain and simple. You can't patent a human gesture (the swipe). At best, you can patent the technology that detects the swipe, but I'm sure there are already touchscreen patents for that. crApple, you lose.
Other companies can't use gestures to unlock their phones because of Apple Inc. ? Sueing out the competion again eh? Maybe Microsoft should take a step in and withdraw Office support again...
Geeezzz...
Does anybody else feel like firing every single person in the patent system right now?
My Palm Tungsten E was configured to use the stylus to "unlock" by first pointing on the bottom, and sliding straight up to the top of the screen... makes me wonder why this slide to unlock feature isn't similar to Apples' patent... I mean Palm did this back in late 90s, early 2000. Maybe HP should be mad...
Seems to me that someone ought to be able to fight this based on prior art. There have been physical buttons for years that you "slide to unlock." Yet crApple gets away with this? Shame on the patent office for allowing this tripe.
I will patent the "Slide to Unlock" in opposite direction.
Surely this is only useful to stop other phone owners from sliding to unlock ... WITH THEIR DICKS!
Bloody silly, is what this is.
Does this also mean car company can now patent steering wheel?
Good thing that Henry Ford didn't patent the steering wheel....
Oh yeah lets patent everything!
I'm going to patent pressing a button so I'm going to be super rich!
Wow, seriously, while Apple is definitely partly at fault for this something needs to be down about the patent system. If something like this managed to pass as a patent there is something completely wrong with the system and it won't be long before companies try patenting other ridiculous things...
Before they did "Occupy Wallstreet" they should have done "Occupy Your Local Patent Office". And crap all over their walls. Can't stand these idiots approving senseless things. I think I will send the patent office some hate mail for how they are waste of my tax dollars.
Seriously how in your right mind do you approve something like this?
This patent is a violation of US Patent Office rule, which says: "If the inventor describes the invention in a printed publication or uses the invention publicly, or places it on sale, he/she must apply for a patent before one year has gone by, otherwise any right to a patent will be lost."
Apparently you can buy a law in this country! Shame. shame, shame!
I wonder how long it took Apple to engineer this gesture. Frankly I think it must have taken about a minute. I am pretty sure that other manufacturers will come up with ways that are just as practical. As long as I can unlock my phone (not an iPhone) I'm happy.
Good thing that Henry Ford didn't patent the steering wheel....
Exactly... It is truly a good thing. Except I guess if they Apple boys all drive Fords. Then I guess the sentiment would be lost on them.
So does this mean that my old nokia that has a software installed that features slide to unlock, way before the first iPhone was even launched, is now illegal?
All i can say is HAHAHAHAHA but in a retarded way , just like the patent itself.
I want to be able unlock my phone by showing it a middle finger pointed upwards, with the camera software recognizing it as MY OWN MIDDLE FINGER. Can I get a patent for improving the human-smartphone interaction with such a gesture?
I'm going to patent "turn to unlock"...
No one will be able to enter their home without paying me royalties, including the apple suits!