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Apple Applies for a Touchscreen Gesture Patent
SuperMog2002 writes "According to an article in PC Magazine, Apple has submitted an application for a patent on "several methods of applying gestures to touch-sensitive input devices." Could there be a new form of tablet PC or PDA in Apple's future?"
Argh! Enough already with the "doing foo... with a computer!" and "doing foo... on a mobile device!" patents. You're not impressing anybody.
Has the tablet market come up with a way to deal with screen scratches? I think back to my trusty Palm IIIxe which after a few years suffered from horrible wear in the silk screen writing area. I'd hate to have dull spots on my computer screen where the GUI displays common elements.
-- I'm old enough to have lived through six different meanings of the word "hacker."
i think its because apple is applying for the patent, this will make it more difficult for developments in the future based around similar technologies just with different makers. The idea, if they can make it work well, will no doubt be a key feature in future devices when the push to make them smaller means less space for buttons etc... Holding back this is bad for the free market, therefore bad for your rights as a consumer
*''I can't believe it's not a hyperlink.''
As far as I can make out, each claim specifically mentions a multipoint touchscreen. Unlike the touchscreens normally used in PDAs, it can register pressure at several points simultaneously. Furthermore all described gestures need the screen to be touched at several places at once. But since the patent mentions virtual controls, I wouldn't really describe the interaction as a gesture. Gestures typically are not performed on a control.
Please take that into account when you try to come up with prior art.
Palms have had this for awhile have they not? Not handwriting recognition - you could, say, drag the pen from top to bottom and the backlight would come on.
Palms only recognize one point at a time. The patent covers multi-point gestures, like (as described), zooming in on a point by simultaneously selecting the point with one finger and using another to control the zoom.
The post title, summary, and the article itself all make it sound like Apple is patenting all touch-screen gestures, but that's not what the patent application itself says.
Don't become a regular here -- you will become retarded.
one of the new patents will include "navigating interface via tongue", cause we all know apples aqua UI is sooo good you want to lick it?
*runs away and hides*
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Honestly, I wish people would quit saying "Apple/Microsoft/Google/FooCorp is evil because they applied for patent X", even if the patent is for something really obvious (like this one seems to be) or stupid. Given the current legal climate, companies are forced to obtain patents like these so they can defend themselves against (usually smaller) companies that would otherwise get the patents later on (or dredge up old, semi-related patents) and then bring lawsuits. Save the complaints for companies that actually abuse patents (Eolas comes to mind), and the USPTO and the legal system that allow this **** to continue. Also, to the people who keep pointing out "prior art"... please note that this patent application is for a MULTI-POINT touch interface.
chown -R us ~you/base
The touch screen reacts the same whether I use one finger or two.
That's because it's a single-point screen. Multiple-point touch screens (i.e. the only kind referenced by the patent application) behave differently.
The patent is vague
You've already demonstrated that you haven't read any of it. The very first claim specifies "touch sensitive device having a multipoint capability".
Besides, what's Apple going to do then? Sue the priest...
Now you're demonstrating that you are being willfully stupid.
Don't become a regular here -- you will become retarded.