“The US Patent and Trademark Office [has] officially published a series of 19 newly granted patents for Apple Inc.,” Jack Purcher reports for Patently Apple. “The notables within this group include five industrial design patents relating to the iPhone, iPod touch and iPod nano. Among the standard granted patents, we see that Apple has finally picked up two iMovie related patents that date all the way back to the year 2000 – as well as one for the iTunes interface and two for LCD related technologies. Yet the one that is likely the most important for Apple today is a major motion, gesturing and touch related patent that covers all of Apple’s iOS related devices that will certainly provide Apple with a larger sledgehammer going into any law suit current or future.”
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“Apple’s patent states that the motion, gesturing and touch related patent covers a handheld computer, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant, a cellular telephone and/or a combination of two or more of these items. That’s what was stated back in 2005, two years prior to the iPhone’s arrival,” Purcher reports. “The patent therefore, clearly covers all iOS related devices such as the iPod touch, iPhone, iPad and future related products like an iMac Touch.”
Purcher reports, “Apple’s abstract states that ‘movement of a point of contact by a user of a touch-sensitive display is determined. In response to the movement, a list of items on the touch-sensitive display is scrolled through. The scroll through is accelerated in response to an accelerated movement of the point of contact. The scroll through and acceleration of the scroll through may be in accordance with a simulation of a physical device having friction.’
Purcher reports, “This is without a doubt a major cornerstone touch related patent that will assist Apple in any lawsuit relating to touch and gesturing…”
There’s much more in the full article here.
oh no! what’s gonna happen to all these copycats??? will all cease and desist???
Byebye google android
Release the hounds!
Make the iPhone and iOS wannabes exclaim, “Who let the dogs out?!”
Buh-bye HTC/Google..
Can you say “whoops…redesign” WinMo7?
I didn’t think you could.
For many of Apple’s competitors it sounds like it will be TOUCH and GO… TOUCH our patents and you’ll GO to court!
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where the hell is iTunes 10?
@Botvinnik
“where the hell is iTunes 10?”
WTF?
Release the……KRAKEN!
Release the Leopard! Oh wait, they already did…
Release the press release!
HTC, Google, MS won’t go away. This will either go to the courts (and take years) or the copycats will do some patent trading. We might see some serious redesigning of UI’s down the road, but not anytime soon.
@Eric24601, that would be more like “cease to exist.”
Wow it’s very good news, and many many congratulations apple.
http://naturacoloncleanse.org/
End of the day, Apple’s put in the hard work to develop these technologies (I use the term in the broadest sense).
Time to start protecting themselves from cheap rip-offs.
Go after Android, boys, they’re your number one threat.
Cupertino, fire up your lawyers!!!
So what’s MDN usual saying? Those that can’t innovate, litigate.
How do we all feel now that the shoe is on the other foot?
@joe
Obviously you’re wearing the shoe on your head. Apple DID innovate, and the other parties stole it. It’s appropriate to defend innovation through the courts; it’s not like someone manufactured a patent out of thin air, without not only a proof-of-concept device, but any commercially-available devices using the innovation.
Apple has millions of commercially-available devices that are using this patented innovation.
Additionally, all of the Android manufacturers out there also have millions of commercially-available devices using this Apple-patented innovation. All of which are in violation of this patent.
Apple’s stock is about to go up. Again.
MW: “money,” as in what Google and other Androidoids are about to have to pay to Apple. Lots of it.
Maybe I missed and they already have it, but if Apple gets the patent on the finger pinch/spread to adjust screen size, they’ll be in the catbird seat.
Of course, litigation will take years, but hey, lawyers gotta eat too!
@Shadow of Doubt,
“but hey, lawyers gotta eat too!”
Yeah, the spleens of puppies.
@ “clueless” Joe
LOL… come back soon now okay?
As much as I like Apple, I still think this sort of patent is bad.
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The patent is not what everyone thinks.
in fact, it’s almost meaningless.
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See here for details:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=10978098&postcount=2