Apple Patents "Slide To Unlock" Feature, All Android Devices Now In Violation

This is yet another example of why the patent system is retarded.

What time until they patent the concept of "portable phone"? I'm surprised they have not tried that already.
 
Umm my Thunderbolt doesnt have slide to unlock. I type a 4 digit pin code in mine. I also have pattern unlock. I dont get where this slide to unlock crap is on all Android devices because that is wrong
boys.

Also the courts will probably throw out the patent because that is pure monopoly and is against the law. There are basically no other features that will unlock a cell phone. And if apple keeps this bullshit up they are going to lose market share for sure. Just give it time.
 
i wonder if apple is gonna patent page swiping also :rolleyes: (when your searching for an app)
 
It's a patent for slide to unlock, but doesn't seem to indicate anything more than that. Android 2.3 and below has the slider going both ways and is dual function. 3.1 is omni directional. Nokia might have some trouble because it's just using a basic swipe.

EDIT: Nevermind, article says it covers complex gestures too, not just the basic swipe. Including androids password screen.
 
I would not be surprised to hear that Apple bribes the USPTO. They are granted patents for all sorts of things they didn't invent, and Apple was never above lying and cheating to get their way.

Google should get a patent on text and number entry and sue Apple for billions. Or maybe using the letter 'i' in front of a product. But Google is stupid - I can't believe they didn't patent Android notifications allowing Apple to steal it.
 
sladesurfer said:
i should patent making phone calls :D
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Don't give them any ideas. Hell, they'll go the extra mile and patent "communication over a wireless medium". Everyone who makes wifi products will be sued, all cell phone companies will be sued, nasa will be sued. Then they'd also patent electricity just to keep everyone on their toes.

It's not a natural disaster that will bring the apocalypse and bring us to the dark ages. It's stupid bureaucracy such as patents.
 
Hate Apple... This is just proof in the pudding for me that my feelings are valid.
 
all it will take is one of the android manuf. or google to dispute it i believe .... so lets wait for someone to take it to another judge who isnt on apples dick...
 
wonder why they didn't sue MS for having it.......oh wait....MS would have handed them their rear ends considering windows pocket PC has been using it for ages.....
 
The IOS5 updates have included more and more Android features. I wonder how google feels about that in light of this patent :)
 
I think its more along the lines of the term "Slide to Unlock," and not so much the feature itself. I'll bet ya features like identical but named "move to unlock" or "swipe to unlock" will be just fine. In that case I don't blame them, so when Apple frauds make iPhone like phones, you can tell if its genuine or not.
 
MrCrispy said:
I would not be surprised to hear that Apple bribes the USPTO. They are granted patents for all sorts of things they didn't invent, and Apple was never above lying and cheating to get their way.

Google should get a patent on text and number entry and sue Apple for billions. Or maybe using the letter 'i' in front of a product. But Google is stupid - I can't believe they didn't patent Android notifications allowing Apple to steal it.
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If Apple can patent stuff years after everybody is using them.... so could Google.
 
Piotrsama said:
If Apple can patent stuff years after everybody is using them.... so could Google.
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Patent offices tend to play favorites though, so I doubt. Apple, and the oil industry are among the patent office' friends for example. It does not take a rocket scientist to code something as simple as a slide to unlock feature. I'm sure the average joe could have coded an app that does that if it was not part of the system already. If that average joe would have tried to patent it, that person would have been laughed at and it would not have went through.
 
tangoseal said:
Umm my Thunderbolt doesnt have slide to unlock. I type a 4 digit pin code in mine. I also have pattern unlock. I dont get where this slide to unlock crap is on all Android devices because that is wrong
boys.
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if i disable the pin-code on my Galaxy s II then i get a swipe to unlock


Red Squirrel said:
What time until they patent the concept of "portable phone"? I'm surprised they have not tried that already.
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this
 
@tangoseal
Pattern to unlock is also covered under the definition of slide to unlock.

The performance of the predefined gesture with respect to the unlock image may include moving the unlock image to a predefined location and/or moving the unlock image along a predefined path.
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The android password screen is used by sliding your finger across a path you set. That likely also falls under 'pre-defined'. The picture only shows the basic example, but the definition covers everything.

If we were to follow strictly by the picture alone, then the android unlock screen should be safe since it slides in both directions and has a dual function, the honeycomb can swipe in any direction as well so it doesn't match the picture either. But if we were to consider that the definition covers both of them, then it can cover the slide to unlock too.
 
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google should patent dial to unlock like it has the ring you pull over to the other spot on the same ring

htc should patent the ring from sense 3.5 and the bar from 2.1 and below
samsung might be in trouble as it is very close to the slide to unlock diagram. as you slide a puzzle piece to a spot to unlock
really i want to punch several people at apple in the face
 
Apple is mad because Samsung is outselling them in the smartphones department, so instead of actually making a good phone lets patent troll and make sure they can't sell anymore. :rolleyes:
 
I seem to remember apple attempting to get touch input patented so only they could have touch screens
 
Red Squirrel said:
This is yet another example of why the patent system is retarded.

What time until they patent the concept of "portable phone"? I'm surprised they have not tried that already.
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You can't patent a concept, only the exact method of pulling it off.
 
Volume said:
You can't patent a concept, only the exact method of pulling it off.
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I could patent "putting a bunch of electronics in a plastic enclosure" as a method. No scratch that, I'm just an individual. But Apple could.
 
Sly said:
It's a patent for slide to unlock, but doesn't seem to indicate anything more than that. Android 2.3 and below has the slider going both ways and is dual function. 3.1 is omni directional. Nokia might have some trouble because it's just using a basic swipe.

EDIT: Nevermind, article says it covers complex gestures too, not just the basic swipe. Including androids password screen.
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Wow... What the fuck.
 
Lunas said:
google/microsoft is too nice they need to grind apple into the ground for this shit... then the uspo needs to be shut down as it doesnt work and is in a state of only hurting innovation and competition.
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This.

I never believed in patents. It's just a stupid system. Imagine all the potential innovation that would come out if the system was totally scrapped. I'm sure there are lot of things companies could do, but they can't because of some patents that it would breach.

But since this is reality, and the system is there, I think other big companies just need to start fighting fire with fire. Ms should use an apple that slowly gets eaten for progress meters, and patent that. Then sue apple for having that image on all their devices, confusing customers into thinking it's actually a windows device that is loading something.
 
Red Squirrel said:
What time until they patent the concept of "portable phone"? I'm surprised they have not tried that already.
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Already done.

Radio telephone system (1973) by Motorola. And Google recently acquired Motorola and all of its patents.
 
without a patent system company would copy each other almost completely and offer the copy cheaper thus being true competition if they want to sell the iphone they will drop the price to match the copys or they will fail. no more of this 800 dollar 300% markup on a touch pad.

more over what burns me is apple is basically raping samsung but guess who provides apple with the processors that let them sell the idevices... More than half of an iphone ipad or ipod are made by samsung... if i was in samsungs position i would be adding a apple tax to all of the chips and lcd panels i sold to apple.
 
Samsung is selling more smartphones than Apple currently, so Apple needs to be patent troll so they can be selling more again. Such a shit company, the world would be so much better if Apple just went away.
 
Just one more reason to hate Apple. Microsoft and Google together have more money than God. I would love to see them pull together and just rip all these idiotic Apple lawsuit and bullshit patent scams to shreds then sue Apple for billions to reclaim their legal expenses.
 
MacLeod said:
Just one more reason to hate Apple. Microsoft and Google together have more money than God. I would love to see them pull together and just rip all these idiotic Apple lawsuit and bullshit patent scams to shreds then sue Apple for billions to reclaim their legal expenses.
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That would put Microsoft back on the anti-trust chopping board.
 
LoL at people hating on apple...

Microsoft almost got busted up for antitrust practices.

Samsung is a multibillion dollar global company....google is valued pretty close to apple. But these corporates who make millions are some how better than apple who makes millions.

Samsung may be out selling apple in "smartphones" but that includes the garbage phones they give away or sell for very less. Might want to compare Samsungs flagship phones to the iphone.
 
XvMMvX said:
LoL at people hating on apple...

Microsoft almost got busted up for antitrust practices.

Samsung is a multibillion dollar global company....google is valued pretty close to apple. But these corporates who make millions are some how better than apple who makes millions.

Samsung may be out selling apple in "smartphones" but that includes the garbage phones they give away or sell for very less. Might want to compare Samsungs flagship phones to the iphone.
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I dont give a crap about who is better than who right now apple is being a patent troll and that is what this thread is about even though apple should have never been granted this particular patent because there are prior devices to the apple anything that have this feature... it is pretty much like apple patenting breathing then suing everyone for breathing with out the written expressed consent of apple...

Plain and simple apple needs to be smacked back into sanity and they need to concentrate on making their devices rather than half assing them and suing the competition.
 
@luna
Notice that in almost every thread, they don't actually counter anti-apple claims, they just make excuses or try to derail it to another topic. That's how apologists work.
 
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