Apple was granted a slide-to-unlock patent on Tuesday. This is the third patent (8,286,103) to be granted to Apple. The first one (7,657,849) was granted on Feb. 2, 2010, and the second (8,046,721) on Oct. 25, 2011, The Verge reported.
The third patent is more extensive than the earlier ones. While the first two patents limited the language, requiring moving along a predefined path to unlock an image, making the user start and stop at predefined locations on the screens.
Patent 8,286.103 covers "continuously moving the unlock image on the touch-sensitive display in accordance with movement of the detected contact." The predefined path limitation is laid off. There will be no single predefined start or stop location, "movement of the unlock image from the first location to an unlock region," The Verge reported.
In the third patent what is important is that users continuously move an image to unlock it without being concerned about the start path, path taken or the unlock region.
"Heavy use of the predefined verbiage in the first two patents left the door open for competitors - namely Android OEMs," said The Verge. Samsung, LG, HTC and Google have worked around some of the Apple patents. In Google's Ice Cream Sandwich we can see that Google has worked around Apple's patents.
Apple and Google are fighting numerous court battles around the world on patent infringements - in Germany, South Korea, the UK and U.S. Earlier, in August, Apple was awarded more than $1 billion against Samsung which was found guilty by a U.S. jury.
