Apple Wins another Major iPhone & iOS Interface Patent
The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of twenty-five newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In today's first granted patent report we focus entirely on a single patent that represents another major iPhone and iOS interface victory for Apple. Some may be bored to hear about it, many will moan, groan and shout that the patent system is broken because of it. Yet to Apple's legal team, it's simply music to their ears. Apple reinvented the smartphone, and today they get another patent victory to celebrate that fact. Wherever you are Steve, Cheers!
Apple Wins Patent iPhone and GUI for Displaying Electronic Lists & Documents
Apple has received a Granted Patent relating to the iPhone's graphical user interface for displaying electronic lists and documents. Prior to the iPhone debut in 2007, smartphones weren't all that smart. These older styled smartphones depended upon physical hard keys and buttons and required users to remember extremely complex menu systems and key-sequences to access these menus. Due to the use of physical buttons, the displays on these smartphones were tiny, crowded and confusing to use. Viewing documents and accessing the internet wasn't really an option.
Apple's iPhone truly reinvented the smartphone and Apple's granted patent reflects the broad range of graphical user interface innovations that they brought to market. Apple's patent covers UI modules covering blogging, email, telephone, camera, video player, calendar, browser, widgets, search, notes, maps and more importantly, a multi-touch interface.
Apple's patent also covers the iPhone as a multifunctional and multi-touch device that includes multiple programs, a virtual keyboard and so much more. Yet like all granted patents, it comes down to its claims. Apple's patent presents 30 patent claims and below we list their first claim as follows:
1. A method, comprising: at a portable multifunction device with a touch screen display: displaying a portion of an electronic document on the touch screen display, wherein the displayed portion of the electronic document has a vertical position in the electronic document; displaying a vertical bar on top of the displayed portion of the electronic document, the vertical bar displayed proximate to a vertical edge of the displayed portion of the electronic document, wherein: the vertical bar has a vertical position on top of the displayed portion of the electronic document that corresponds to the vertical position in the electronic document of the displayed portion of the electronic document; and the vertical bar is not a scroll bar; detecting a movement of an object in a direction on the displayed portion of the electronic document; in response to detecting the movement: scrolling the electronic document displayed on the touch screen display in the direction of movement of the object so that a new portion of the electronic document is displayed, moving the vertical bar to a new vertical position such that the new vertical position corresponds to the vertical position in the electronic document of the displayed new portion of the electronic document, and maintaining the vertical bar proximate to the vertical edge of the displayed portion of the electronic document; and in response to a predetermined condition being met, ceasing to display the vertical bar while continuing to display the displayed portion of the electronic document, wherein the displayed portion of the electronic document has a vertical extent that is less than a vertical extent of the electronic document.
Today, Apple is embroiled in a series of lawsuits against Samsung, HTC and others over many aspects of the iPhone, iPad and iOS features. In 2007, Samsung, HTC, Google and all others in the industry didn't have a smartphone with the likes of Apple's iPhone features. They didn't have the solutions that Apple eloquently brought to market to make a smartphone truly smart. Apple carefully and meticulously crafted a full end-to-end smartphone solution. So when the copycat's and their followers whine in public and on blogs that Apple should learn to compete instead of initiate litigation – I bowl over with laughter.
Apple's vision for a revolutionary smartphone reinvented the whole smartphone category from top to bottom and the only way for Apple's competitors to compete with them was to copy their technology and methodologies knowing full well that Apple had protected the iPhone with over 200 patents out of the starting gate. Today, Apple has won yet another important patent and the whiners are bound to squeal all over again. What's new?
Apple credits Senior VP of iPhone Software Scott Forstall, Henri Lamiraux, Andrew Platzer, Michael Matas and Imran Chaudhri as the inventors of granted patent 8,223,134 which was originally filed in Q1 2007. Apple refilled their application in March of this year.
Patent Round-Up
Over and above the granted patent that we specifically reported on above, we present you with a number of links to other granted patents in our Patent Round-Up that Apple received today:
8,225,228 Collaborative media production
8,225,208 Interactive frames for images and videos displayed in a presentation application
8,225,181 Efficient re-read operations from memory devices
8,225,121 Forced idle of a data processing system
8,225,100 Hash functions using recurrency and arithmetic
8,225,079 Accelerating system boot using a set of control data recorded by operating system during a first OS boot
8,225,061 Method and apparatus for protected content data processing
8,225,035 Systems and methods for operating a disk drive
8,224,972 Invitation to bind to a device
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Notice
Patently Apple presents only a brief summary of granted patents with associated graphics for journalistic news purposes as each Granted Patent is revealed by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Readers are cautioned that the full text of any Granted Patent should be read in its entirety for full details. About Comments: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit comments.
Check out Patent Bolt's Latest Report Titled:
Microsoft Reveals Xbox Virtual Controls Coming to Tablets
Sites Covering our Original Report
MacSurfer, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Apple Investor News, Google Reader, Macnews, iPhoneItalia, Aberto ate de Madrugada Portugal, iPhone World Canada, Blogrunner NY Times, GigaOM, App Advice, CNET, Techmeme, MacDailyNews, ThinkiOS, iPhoneinCanada, Wired, Swedroid Sweden, Wall ST Cheat Sheet, iDownloadBlog, everythingiCafe , 24/7 Wall ST Wire and Cult of Mac.
Forbes, CNN's Fortune Apple 2.0, 01net France, Slashdot, Chip Online Germany, Futurezone Austria, TechnoBuffalo, Macmais Brazil, Welt Online Germany, Android Authority, The Mac Observer, iMore, Celularis Spanish, Grupo Android Spanish, iLounge, TechRadar, TUAW, El Androide Libre Spanish, Tom's Hardware Italy, iTopnews Germany, Enter Columbia, Jablickar Czech Republic, One More Thing Netherlands, Slate, Kaldata Bulgaria, MacPrime Switzerland, Tech Bang China, Xataka Android Spanish, ABC Spain, and more.
Join in the Conversation!
The sites that we link to above offer you an avenue to make your comments about this report in other languages. These great community sites also provide our guests with varying takes on Apple's latest invention. Whether they're pro or con, you may find them to be interesting, fun or feisty. If you have the time, join in!
While I report on Apple patents, I also cover patents from other companies on our sister blog called Patent Bolt. I can tell you that Samsung alone applies for ten times more patents than Apple does, week in and week out. Obviously Samsung doesn’t think that the patent system is broken, even though their fans do. I also don't hear Microsoft, IBM or any of the larger tech firms complaining about the patent system. So the noise about the patent system is mainly from irate fans.
Leading companies are always attacked by their competitors in the press or on blogs and their respective fan bases usually echoes that sentiment. There’s nothing really new here. But I have to admit, the anti-Apple fanatics are the whiniest propogandists around. Every major Apple patent win brings out the same group, with the same complaints like raving parots. Although that gets very old, very fast, it's always fun to see the circus unfold. The clowns are my favorite, as always.
Cheers
One More Thing: Many anti-Apple readers want the comment area reopened. We list a number of sites covering our report above that will welcome comments on this report. The anti-Apple readers specifically could participate in the rant-fest over at Slashdot which we list above.
Posted by: Jack Purcher | July 18, 2012 at 07:31 AM
Oh here we go with the big bad "evil" Apple. Eric Schmidt was a Judas and their ilk just copied iOS and the iPad design. Apple's iPad and iPhone were original and products that just worked. Perfect? No. But everyone else was following dumb ass Motorola or other butt ugly designers. Their interfaces were ABSOLUTE GARBAGE and iOS finally delivered the way. It was so good that their competitors rushed to "copy it." I'll say it again whiner, they took the fast route of "copying" Apple's iOS.
Apple has it's faults like all companies and I personally have more Window systems in my house, so your "raging fanboy" crap is just that, crap. I guess that you "copied" that thinking from your copycat whiners.
Apple reinvented the smartphone. Get over it.
Posted by: Dominic | July 17, 2012 at 02:15 PM
Sorry, kicking MY ass?? Unlike raging Apple fanboys, I have not branded myself with a product and made it my meaning of life, not to mention the iPhone is sitting at 30% and falling amongst cell phone users. Kicking ass, indeed. I use the best technology for what I need, and Apple rarely fits the bill because its simplicity is also its downfall. I respect most tech companies but like many, I despise Apple and their evil business practices and litigation practices. If winning another bogus patent makes you feel that much better about your technology choice, then good on you.
When the world's largest search company can't properly use a search bar on their own phones because of some acme patent, there is something wrong and some judges are starting to catch on. In the next 5 years, iOS will be a single-digit blip on the radar, just like their big brother, OSX.
Posted by: Duuuuude | July 17, 2012 at 01:49 PM
So here we go with the whiners. Apple crushed RIM, Nokia, Motorola and left everyone else in the dust because Apple didn't invent anything original. So why is the public buying it and dumping the copycat crap? Hahaha. Oh and the patent system is broken because Apple is kicking your ass. Hahaha. When will these whiners and copycat followers ever learn. You're endoctrinated with copycatitus and so we forgive you. But really, get a new recording to play. The one you have is so boring!
Posted by: Dominic | July 17, 2012 at 01:28 PM
You do realize that everything Apple makes is a copy of something else, right? They have copied interfaces for decades and made them "prettier".
And in addition to the patent system being completely broken, they blindly approve Apple patents, regardless of their general nature.
Apple is a copycat as much as anyone else, they just do it with style and claim they invented everything cool that exists.
Posted by: Duuuuude | July 17, 2012 at 12:53 PM