News - Apple wins slide-to-unlock patent dispute against Motorola

[HEXUS]

Won't impact current supply or future sales, says Android device maker.

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[Smudger]

Do these people who pass these judgements have no grip on reality?

[BongoJoe]

Pathetic. Maybe we should patent "Pressing keys on a keyboard to type 'Apple'".

[shaithis]

Google are fighting back with their patent which runs an app as part of the unlock (i.e. dragging mail icon to unlock area) and voice recognition unlock.

Perhaps google are being savvy enough now to file for more fleshed-out patents similar to ones Apple have filed for.......I guess it's pretty much the only way to stop them currently - beat them at their own childish game.

At least the poor lawyers aren't starving eh?

[Singh400]

Are you ****ing kidding me!

[keithwalton]

I'm surprised anon haven't targeted them yet, who do we talk to ... ;-)

[crossy]

Couldn't Moto implement a different gesture with laughable ease - the one that comes most easily to mind would be to rotate the unlock 90 degrees, so it's top to bottom. Given that pull-down is also used for looking at notifications it could be argued that it's a better gesture anyway. ( to Apple)

Interesting to see that Moto says "it's no big deal", but Florian Mueller seems to think otherwise and says "user has to make a swiping gesture from the inside of a circle to the outside. It requires a relatively large screen to work somewhat well, but even then it's not very intuitive". (http://fosspatents.blogspot.com/2012...n-against.html) which personally I think is an utter load of ----. I seem to remember that some Android phones (SonyEricsson?) allow an curved swipe - which is a better gesture too if you're trying to operate the phone one-handed.

The ruling represents a rare win for Apple over Motorola, and comes just weeks after Motorola temporarily won an injunction against all Apple devices connected to iCloud.

I thought that injunction got put on hold pending Apple's appeal?

[Raz316]

How often do we hear "Company A wins patent dispute against Company B" and that's been the end of it? I honestly can't recall an instance between these big companies where such a thing has occurred. I'm sure the legal industry is absolutely loving it.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Couldn't Moto implement a different gesture with laughable ease - the one that comes most easily to mind would be to rotate the unlock 90 degrees, so it's top to bottom. Given that pull-down is also used for looking at notifications it could be argued that it's a better gesture anyway. ( to Apple)

How about a voice activated unlock where you shout "HELLO MOTO!" in the phone??

I am sure Apple would not want to patent that one!!

[Hicks12]

Yeah read this last night on bbc, pathetic really as its such a generic thing... I think the german court should be looking at the Neonode N1m since that uses slide to lock as is 2 years older than the original iphone and on windows mobile... bloody pathetic really, bet they say its fine because they added IMAGE, sorry thats just a general idea i may aswell say... im going to patent the iphone design but going to have it so it has an IMAGE on the original design as standard, oh yeah thats new!.

DOES MY BLOODY NUT IN!

[Andeh13]

Couldn't Motoorla et all use the android ''pattern'' gesture for users to allow to choose what unlock pattern to use....then just allow one which is a straight swipe left to right?

[Funkstar]

Couldn't Moto implement a different gesture with laughable ease - the one that comes most easily to mind would be to rotate the unlock 90 degrees, so it's top to bottom. Given that pull-down is also used for looking at notifications it could be argued that it's a better gesture anyway. ( to Apple)

This is what HTC have for Sense. I think it actually makes it easier than a side to side action, you only have to reach about a third of the way up the screen and anywhere across the screen in that band. The only down side is if the pocket or your trowers is quite thin, your leg can swipe it as well. The original Desire is bad for this because the power/standby button is quite prominent at the top of the phone so gets pressed very easily.

[bledd]

My toilet door has a lock that I slide to unlock. Maybe I should sue Apple?

[mike306dt]

I agree with BongoJoe, its pathetic. Whats the matter with them? Oh no's we still cant get the 101% market share we want... off to court we go. Never will I buy a product of that brand.

[tumbledragon]

Isn't a patent supposed to be innovative? People have been using a sliding motion with bolt locks to unlock doors for hundreds if not thousands of years. I don't see how replicating that motion on a touch screen is any more innovative than tapping at an on screen keyboard.

[crossy]

I agree with BongoJoe, its pathetic. Whats the matter with them? Oh no's we still cant get the 101% market share we want... off to court we go. Never will I buy a product of that brand.

Quick sue Apple - after all the insistence on left-to-right to unlock quite clearly discriminates against left handed people and, more especially, those who speak/write languages that go right-to-left (or even top-to-bottom).

Joking aside, like some have commented here, why should it be that a perfectly well established gesture can be patented as soon as it's applied to a computer product? As others have also commented the slide something left-to-right to unlock has been going since ancient times (think I remember reading that there's actually an Egyptian hieroglyph for a door bolt). I despair!