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Apple Receives Patent For Accessing Sets of Apps With Different Passcodes

Posted by Unknown on from the here-comes-another-decade-in-court dept.

wabrandsma writes, quoting Apple Insider "The technology, detailed in a patent awarded to Apple on Tuesday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, deals with so-called 'access inputs' that determine what apps, device services, and functions can be accessed by a user. Apple's U.S. Patent No. 8,528,072 for a 'Method, apparatus and system for access mode control of a device,' describes a system that creates user access modes guarded by predetermined gesture inputs." Reading the patent, it appears Apple managed to patent allowing access to some programs without a passcode from the lock screen of a device while protecting others, so e.g. you can quickly swipe to make a phone call or control your music, but have to enter a code to read your email or access your word processor documents.

4 of 156 comments (clear)

  1. Some day .. by ackthpt · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'll get a patent for posting on an Apple story.

    then y'all will be screwed!

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    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    1. Re:Some day .. by slashmydots · · Score: 4, Funny

      Only the top left corner of each slashdot story is round though. Don't forget to specify that.

    2. Re:Some day .. by ackthpt · · Score: 4, Funny

      Only the top left corner of each slashdot story is round though. Don't forget to specify that.

      Whoa! You posted to a slashdot story! East Texas here I come!

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  2. Crappy patent overview by sootman · · Score: 4, Insightful

    1990s: "... on a computer!"

    2000s: "... on the Internet!"

    2010s: "... on a mobile device!"

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    Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.