HTC Defeats Apple In Slide-To-Unlock Patent Dispute

another random user sends this quote from the BBC: "HTC is claiming victory in a patent dispute with Apple after a ruling by the High Court in London. The judge ruled that HTC had not infringed four technologies that Apple had claimed as its own. He said Apple's slide-to-unlock feature was an 'obvious' development in the light of a similar function on an earlier Swedish handset. Lawyers fighting other lawsuits against Apple are likely to pay close attention to the decision regarding its slide-to-unlock patent."

Comments

Obvious

[Hazelfield]

I think it was pretty obvious that it was obvious. "Slide-to-unlock"? Aargh! The stupidity of the patent system is staggering.

Re:Obvious

[Anonymous Coward]

From what I understand, the search-from-multiple-sources is the Galaxy Nexus' reason for alleged infringement.

Yes, the Firefox awesome bar which searches your local history and online results is effectively being called into question.

Re:Obvious

[Bert64]

Slide to unlock is pretty obvious to anyone who has ever used a bolt...

This is what one looks like for anyone unfamiliar with the term:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Bolt_lock.jpg

Re:Obvious

[Anonymous Coward]

Apples patent on it does date way back, though the description was very clearly for a search dialog on Mac OS, not iOS on mobile (didn't exist yet). It's also based almost entirely on existing patents from other companies, with basically a, "well we'll do all the things these patents talk about, but in this one dialog with voice".

What surprised me is that they didn't run with that patent against any of the other android devices over the years. Maybe the Droid. As far as I know there's nothing really unique about the voice search capabilities of the Nexus over other android devices, is there?

Re:Obvious

[macemoneta]

It may be obvious to us techy-types, but it's nice to see that it's not only us that sees it that way. I wonder if it'll affect the other litigation against the Galaxy Nexus? Pretty sure that same patent is used in that case.

It doesn't take a techy to see it's obvious. They've had slide to unlock mechanical bolts on doors and cabinets for centuries. Animating a physical device doesn't make it newly patentable.

Re:Obvious

[Gadget_Guy]

I repeat:So why hasn't anyone implement it on a phone before Apple with or without using an actual bolt?

Did you not even read the summary (let alone the article)? It seems Apple was not the first:

He said Apple's slide-to-unlock feature was an "obvious" development in the light of a similar function on an earlier Swedish handset.

There are also plenty of examples of people mimicking real world devices in virtual screens. Sliders on mixing desks, rotating switches, radio buttons (why else would they be called radio buttons?) etc. Even if Apple were the first to use this particular interface, it is still not actual innovation to just copy an existing design in a virtual form.

Same patent used in Galaxy Nexus ban

[another random user]

This judgement covers one of the patents that has also been used by Apple in blocking the Galaxy Nexus from sale in the US - http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18705285

As this mentions the 'slide-to-unlock' function as obvious based on existing functions in earlier handests - could this be used in evidence as part of the arguments around the Nexus ban?

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

[zero.kalvin]

What's with this new sudden wave of common sense ?

Is someone keeping track of all this?

[Compaqt]

Is someone keeping track of all the pre-iPhone tech/software that Apple copied in order to create the iPhone out of thin air?

It would be useful to paste it as a generic response to Apple fanboys, like that guy who used to paste the big-ol' response to any suggested spam solution ("Your spam solution will not work because...").

I never knew that Apple had copied swipe-to-unlock from the Swedish Neonode N1 phone.

Re:Shysters

[0123456]

They've basically used verbiage and obfuscation to paper up the claims and make it harder for the examiners to figure out what's going on.

In a sensible world, if the patent examiners didn't understand a patent, it wouldn't be granted.

Rant

[Dan East]

This is the perfect opportunity for me to rant on HTC's slide to unlock implementation. Their phones use a custom (non-stock android) lock screen that must have been designed be a total idiot. Instead of sliding to the side, you slide straight up and down. Further, the slider bar is the width of the entire screen, so it is huge. Now, this is stupid beyond belief because millions of people carry their phone in their pocket, so of course as the phone is pulled in and out of the pocket.... it unlocks.

Worse, when a call is coming in, sliding up ignores the call, sliding down answers the call. I have answered or ignored literally DOZENS of phone calls by accident because of this garbage. I actually have to put my phone in my pocket either upside down or right side up in anticipation of which way the slider will go if I take my phone out to answer a call.

Their locking implementation really has to go down in the annals of GUI design as one of the worst designs ever.