A sampling of the graphical user interfaces covered in Apple’s latest patent win. Images: Free Patents Online
Today Apple was granted a patent for a possibly lucrative addition to its IP arsenal: a patent for its method of displaying documents, lists, and a whole manner of other things on a portable electronic device.
It may sound snoozy, but the patent — which covers graphical user interfaces ranging from email to Camera Roll to menu lists to the multi-touch interface in general — looks like a dangerous weapon for Apple as it battles Android handset makers.
“From our point of view, it’s important that Apple not be the developer for the world. We can’t take all of our energy and all of our care and finish the painting, then have someone else put their name on it,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said at the D10 conference earlier this year.
The patent granted Tuesday, “Portable electronic device, method, and graphical user interface for displaying electronic lists and documents,” weaponizes a series of patent applications filed as far back as 2007.
“As portable electronic devices become more compact, and the number of functions performed by a given device increase, it has become a significant challenge to design a user interface that allows users to easily interact with a multifunction device,” the patent description states. “This situation is unfortunate because the user interface is the gateway through which users receive not only content but also responses to user actions or behaviors.”
Back in 2007, handset makers like RIM were adding more physical buttons for users to access the increasing amount of information on a mobile device, which resulted in “complicated key sequences and menu hierarchies that must be memorized by the user.”
Apple’s touch-only interfaces were designed to provide a more transparent and intuitive experience that would increase user satisfaction and efficiency as they navigate through the device’s menu system.
Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/07/apple-patent-gui-iphone/
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