The American patentenbureau USPTO has a patent of Apple is temporarily declared invalid. This time it’s about a patent that a technique describes different ways of touch on a touch screen to detect. Apple used the patents in lawsuits.
The patent has the registration number 7,844,915, and is also known as the pinch-to-zoom-patent mentioned. There is a technique described where the touch screen detects whether there is, for example, with one or two fingers touched. Therefore, gestures such as pinch-to-zoom possible. The USPTO has opinion on Apple announced and has decided the patent temporarily approved, on the basis of prior art: the patent technology described, would be for the claimed date of invention conceived and used.
Although, in the opinion of the USPTO is not yet final, this can have major implications for Apple. That particular patent was used in a court case with Samsung in which Apple damages of more than a billion dollars was allocated. Now the patent tentatively invalidated, the amount that Samsung must pay may be reduced. Samsung has already to a new lawsuit prompted.
Previously, the USPTO is also a touchscreenpatent declared invalid. Then it went to the so-called multi-touch patent, or ‘Steve Jobs’patent. Also here is a preliminary decision that Apple can still be challenged.