On
March 26, Apple was granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for “‘Playback
control using a touch interface,’ describing a method of input that registers
touch gestures when no content is displayed on the multitouch screen.” This
feature can be applied to portable devices. By tapping the screen, the user can
control to play/pause, go to next/previous item, fast forward, rewind feature
for songs. Circling on the screen will control the volume.
From
the patent summary:
“To allow a user to control media playback using a
touch sensing device without requiring the selection of displayed options, the
electronic device can include a mode or configuration for which the touch
sensing device can sense touch events, but not display any content on a
display. For example, an electronic device with a touch screen can have a mode
in which no content is displayed on the touch screen (e.g., the touch screen
remains dark), but the touch screen is operative to detect touch events of the user.”
For more information, visit: http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/03/26/apple-patents-no-look-multitouch-user-interface-for-portable-devices
It's interesting that a 'gesture' can be patented. I'm curious how long ago they filed this application, because I feel like other devices have explored similar functionality.
ReplyDeleteI'm also intrigued that the US patent and trademark office is granting this technique to Apple. With this 'gesture' patented and since the industry is going to develop methods to extend phone battery life while running multiple applications (a strong marketing point), Apple has an obvious gain over its competitors. Surely the patent office knows that there will be a follow-up of legal lawsuits with this grant...
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome. I'm glad to see that Apple has once again started to come up with new ideas that have cool applications, instead of just doing things that other companies have already come up with.
ReplyDelete