October 9, 2008
Apple finally Docks up its patent
Posted Oct. 9, ’08, 5:02 AM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Legal
It’s taken nearly 9 years, but the Dock is no longer patent pending. Apple now has a patent on that application launcher that so many love to hate. The patent itself reads:
“To provide greater access and consolidation to frequently used items in the graphical user interface, a userbar is established which includes a plurality of item representations. To permit a greater number of items to reside in the userbar, a magnification function can be provided which magnifies items within the userbar when they are proximate the cursor associated with the graphical user interface.”“
It’s interesting that half the patent is about the magnification feature, something that I turn off ASAP on every Mac I use. The former half describes just about any launcher utility.
Wait, what’s that sound? Did I just hear hundreds of hands rubbing together in anticipation? Uh oh, that’s the Apple legal team thinking about the possibilities. This could end badly.
1 Comments
Leave a comment
Recent Entries
About MacUser
MacUser is your source for news, info, and opinion about Apple, the Mac, and the iPod. Our dedicated team of bloggers covers everything that is relevant to Mac users — and, okay, some stuff that’s not quite relevant, but is still a lot of fun.
Subscribe/RSS
- Blog Posts
- Blog Comments
- Podcast (RSS) (iTunes)
Tip us off!
- Email: macuser [at] macuser [dot] com
Recent Comments 
- the truth on iPod touch users get second classed again with the omission of new Maps features
- James Katt on Apple levels DMCA on iPodhash project
- AdamC on Apple levels DMCA on iPodhash project
- sf addict on Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes afoot at MacUser
- Paul Norton on iPod touch users get second classed again with the omission of new Maps features
- me on iPod touch users get second classed again with the omission of new Maps features
Categories
- Apple (234)
- Advertising (162)
- Events (235)
- Huh? (182)
- Humor (259)
- News (148)
- People (258)
- Rivals (405)
- Speculation (167)
- Steve Jobs (172)
- Stores (206)
- Apple TV (58)
- Business (451)
- Games (143)
- Geekery (460)
- Hardware (935)
- Accessories (79)
- Intel Macs (162)
- Ihnatko (18)
- Internet (463)
- Legal (244)
- MacUser (95)
- Macalope (8)
- Money (177)
- Music (344)
- Podcasting (100)
- Photography (74)
- Security (246)
- Software (1544)
- Updates (538)
- Tips (352)
- Troubleshooting (189)
- Video (403)
- Windows (219)
- iPhone (199)
- iPod (602)
- iPod Accessories (96)
- iPod Software (61)
- iTunes (128)
- iTunes Store (443)
Archives
- November 2008 (92)
- October 2008 (138)
- September 2008 (151)
- August 2008 (177)
- July 2008 (175)
- June 2008 (171)
- May 2008 (185)
- April 2008 (234)
- March 2008 (217)
- February 2008 (215)
- January 2008 (239)
- December 2007 (169)
- November 2007 (164)
- October 2007 (187)
- September 2007 (167)
- August 2007 (195)
- July 2007 (152)
- June 2007 (223)
- May 2007 (243)
- April 2007 (286)
- March 2007 (288)
- February 2007 (250)
- January 2007 (266)
- December 2006 (244)
- November 2006 (293)
- October 2006 (307)
- September 2006 (250)
- August 2006 (268)
- July 2006 (288)
- June 2006 (293)
- May 2006 (297)
- April 2006 (351)
- March 2006 (366)
- February 2006 (110)
- January 2006 (107)
- December 2005 (23)
Mac Publishing Sites
Links
I think I hear representatives of Plain English crying more than anything else. The description is written in legal-speak (seriously, have you ever heard of "a plurality of item representations" before? "Multiple icons" would have been sufficient) and contains bad grammar. I love the Dock but hate its formal description.