Slide to Unlock

Apple, USA, patent 7,657,849 of 2010. A finger swipe on a glass screen, fought over in court.

Overview

Apple patented unlocking a touchscreen device by dragging an image along a path, the gesture introduced with the first iPhone in 2007. The patent became a weapon in the smartphone wars, and a US jury found in 2014 that Samsung had infringed it. Courts in several European countries were less impressed and found the idea obvious, pointing to earlier devices such as the Neonode N1 phone. The split verdicts showed how much of the smartphone business was fought over in courtrooms.