Apple Wins Multi-touch Patent

Samsung and Apple just keep going back and forth, with their lawsuits on their patents, but it seems like Apple always strikes first. Unfortunately though, Apple gets to put a check mark in the win column this time.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has awarded Apple a patent for their “core iPhone multitouch”, which is just Apple getting jealous that Android has finally reaching their grade of multi-touch. Well, at least that is the way I looks at it. These patent lawsuits are just getting ridiculous, and it will never end sadly.

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In general, multi-touch panels may be able to detect multiple touches (touch events or contact points) that occur at or about the same time, and identify and track their locations. Examples of multi-touch panels are described in Applicant’s co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 10/842,862 entitled “Multipoint Touchscreen,” filed on May 6, 2004 and published as U.S. Published Application No. 2006/0097991 on May 11, 2006, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.

In view of the above, although this disclosure may describe detecting input in terms of touch-events, it should be understood that the various embodiments disclosed herein may detect near touches or hover-events as well. Accordingly, a touch, a near-touch or a hover may be referred to as an “event” and multiple events that occur at or about the same time may be referred to as a “multi-event.

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BOOOOOOOO! That is all I can say. What is funny too is that when Apple filed this patent, they stated that this technology could operate on many different devices, such as laptops, desktops, phones, etc. You got to love Apple. “Yes this is new awesome technology that could be used in many devices for the world to use, but its MINE!”

So what does this mean for Android? Well to fight back of course. The big blowback though is that Apple will use this win on future devices released by HTC, Samsung, and Motorola. So will have to see what happens when devices are released. “Can’t we all just …get along?”

Source: The Droid Guy