Although more than 4 years have passed since the launch of the first iPhone model, the patent for the slide to unlock system used to unlock any iDevice was registered today to the Apple company. More than 4 years ago, Steve Jobs appeared in front of several thousand guests presenting the new iPhone terminal and with it the unlocking system that would become a trademark of the iPhone. US Patent and Trademark Office published today the document that acknowledges the registration of the patent for the Apple company and below you have an extract of the documentation sent by the company from Cupertino.
A device with a touch-sensitive display may be unlocked via gestures performed on the touch-sensitive display. The device is unlocked if contact with the display corresponds to a predefined gesture for unlocking the device. The device displays one or more unlock images with respect to which the predefined gesture is to be performed in order to unlock the device. 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. The device may also display visual cues of the predefined gesture on the touch screen to remind the user of the gesture. In addition, there is a need for sensory feedback to the user regarding progress towards satisfaction of a user input condition that is required for the transition to occur.
Scott Forstall, Imran Chaudhri, Bas Ording, Freddy Allen Anzures, Marcel Van Os, Stephen O. Lemay and Greg Christie are the inventors for whom the technology was patented, all of course being part of the Apple company. With the help of this patent, Apple can sue any other gadget manufacturer that uses the same or a similar system in their own products. Probably in the future it will be used against some companies, but for now Android can be quiet.
