Apple granted a patent for page turning

[xelosia]

A design patent for page turning? Any credibility the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had left is now gone.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office this week granted a rather noteworthy design patent for the digital equivalent of the page turn (PDF), that time-honored tradition of flipping pages while looking through a book, a magazine, or other stack of bound paper.





Since the announced departure of Apple iOS chief Scott Forstall, much has been written about skeuomorphism -- the practice of designing things to look like their real-world counterparts. Apple has made a heavy practice of it in its software, and now the company has another part of that experience patented in the U.S.


The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office this week granted a rather noteworthy design patent for the digital equivalent of the page turn (PDF), that time-honored tradition of flipping pages while looking through a book, a magazine, or other stack of bound paper.
Apple filed for the patent, which was spotted earlier this week by The Register, on December 19, 2011. That's well after the release of Apple's iBooks software, which came out in April 2010 and employs a similar on-screen page-turning mechanism that looks just like the one in the patent drawings.
To be clear, this is a design patent and doesn't actually cover the computational underpinnings of flipping pages virtually. Unlike a utility patent, which would include various claims for things the patent does and does not cover, this type of patent is designed to protect the look and feel of the software in the event of any lawsuits. That's an important difference given any potential legal fight in which this patent could be brought out.
Apple is not the first company to go after the virtual page turn. As part of its now-defunct Courier tablet project, Microsoft applied for -- though has not yet been granted -- a utility patent for the feature in early 2009, something that caused a bit of a stir at the time. Samsung also applied for its own such page turning patent in Europe last October, and Google was granted a design patent near the end of 2010 for page turning on a "communications terminal."


Apple granted design patent for turning pages | Apple - CNET News

[Solara2xb]

ok, now this is just getting a little out of hand with all these patent BS.. come on.. a freaking page turning script... give me a break

[PoLoMoTo]

I'm gonna go copyright paper now...

[say what]

they're going to copyright apples with one bite out of them next.

[Solara2xb]

LMAO!! Seriously.. All these patents getting passed is just getting out of hand.... next think you know they are going patent how you wipe your ass after your done taking a ****... then were all screwed up the ass. Literally..

[Dark Angel]

I prefer to wipe my ass rather than whip it, but otherwise you are quite correct. If someone at the patent office isn't taking back-hand payments to pass this kind of crap they're definitely the guy who sniffs too many magic markers and licks the windows on the short bus.

[Solara2xb]

I prefer to wipe my ass rather than whip it, but otherwise you are quite correct. If someone at the patent office isn't taking back-hand payments to pass this kind of crap they're definitely the guy who sniffs too many magic markers and licks the windows on the short bus.

Hahahaha Typo on my part!!

[Deliverance]

Apple is going to have problems with citations of prior art. We've had digital page turning in games, for like, 15 years. The only difference here is using your finger to drag the page rather than a digital device.

[Cyberburnout]

Im going to patent how to pass gas. When you lift up a little to get it out I will sue your ass off! Thats my patented farting tecnique! You must sit uncomfortably until it works its way out!

freaking rediculous

[alan1476]

My son is studying to be a " Patent Infringement Attorney" and he said this is one of the most important Patents to be granted to a tablet that can download books, Amazon is currently challenging this and Jeff Bezos is furious that it was granted.

[Deliverance]

In my opinion, all patents relating to mobile devices granted in the last five years should be annulled. And suspended for the next five years. This **** is just getting too damn crazy.

[realneil]

In my opinion, all patents relating to mobile devices granted in the last five years should be annulled. And suspended for the next five years. This **** is just getting too damn crazy.

I agree, it's way out of hand and getting worse all of the time.

[criss_glitch666]

This is the world we live in.

[MattyMatt]

I dont think they should grant patents for things that imitate real life, but in a digital form. It doesnt make sense to me. It existed before, just not as a digital animation.