Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Big.Mac.Daddy

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 5, 2012
629
0
http://www.idownloadblog.com/2012/07/02/11-android-trouble-patents/

One in particular seemed too wide open to even been given to Apple in the first place :eek:

EP1964022 – “unlocking a device by performing gestures on an unlock image.” One of Apple’s slide-to-unlock patents.

How else would you ever unlock a touchscreen device?
 

Meanee

macrumors 6502a
Mar 8, 2011
558
4
One of the most absurd patents out there. I had that functionality in Windows Mobile...
 

Kurwenal

macrumors 6502a
Jun 27, 2012
895
336
The patent (US 8046721) refers to "several well-known unlocking procedures, such as pressing a pre-defined set of buttons (simultaneously or sequentially) or entering a code or password."
 

doboy

macrumors 68040
Jul 6, 2007
3,765
2,932
http://www.idownloadblog.com/2012/07/02/11-android-trouble-patents/

One in particular seemed too wide open to even been given to Apple in the first place :eek:



How else would you ever unlock a touchscreen device?

I'm sure it's more specific than what the blog/foss patents have published. It's just a generic title so without reading the actual patent application, we wouldn't know exactly what the patent entails.
 

Kurwenal

macrumors 6502a
Jun 27, 2012
895
336
One of the most absurd patents out there. I had that functionality in Windows Mobile...

Here is Claim 1:

1. A method of unlocking a hand-held electronic device, the device including a touch-sensitive display, the method comprising:

detecting a contact with the touch-sensitive display at a first predefined location corresponding to an unlock image;

continuously moving the unlock image on the touch-sensitive display in accordance with movement of the contact while continuous contact with the touch screen is maintained, wherein the unlock image is a graphical, interactive user-interface object with which a user interacts in order to unlock the device; and

unlocking the hand-held electronic device if the moving the unlock image on the touch-sensitive display results in movement of the unlock image from the first predefined location to a predefined unlock region on the touch-sensitive display.

+++++

If you have prior art that invalidates this claim, I'm sure Samsung would love to hear from you. The PTO found, though, that this claim is valid over about 50 other patents it cited, including patents from Microsoft.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.