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Apple Patents Portrait-Landscape Flipping

Posted by timothy on from the video-is-unrelated dept.

theodp writes "On Tuesday, the USPTO granted a patent to Apple for Portrait-landscape rotation heuristics for a portable multifunction device (USPTO), which covers 'displaying information on the touch screen display in a portrait view or a landscape view based on an analysis of data received from the one or more accelerometers.' Perhaps the USPTO Examiners didn't get a chance to review the circa-1991 Computer Chronicles video of the Radius Pivot monitor before deeming Apple's invention patentable. Or check out the winning touchArcade trivia contest entry, which noted the circa-1982 Corvus Concept sported a 15-inch, high-resolution, bit-mapped display screen that also flipped between portrait and landscape views when rotated, like our friend the iPhone. Hey, everything old is new again, right?"

4 of 354 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Brainflash by b.emile · · Score: 5, Funny

    Looks like the AC above you has prior art.

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  2. Re:Go Away Idiot by jcr · · Score: 1, Funny

    I might if such a thing ever happened.

    -jcr

    --
    The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
  3. Re:Not prior art by NoNonAlphaCharsHere · · Score: 3, Funny

    You are missing the point entirely. Steve Jobs has invented acceleration! That's what all the fuss is about.

  4. Re:But ... by strikethree · · Score: 3, Funny

    So they essentially patented using a finger gesture to lock the screen in portrait or landscape mode...

    I am guessing that you can figure out what the finger gesture is that I have for the patent office and Apple.

    --
    "Someone needs to talk to the tree of liberty about its ghoulish drinking problem." by ohnocitizen