The Apple-Samsung patent trial wrapped up its first week, with Apple software engineer Greg Christie on the stand. Christie, who had recently given some insight about the Apple iPhone's early days, spoke under oath about the "slide-to-unlock" feature, covered by one of the five patents that Apple claims was infringed on by Samsung.
According to Christie, Apple originally wanted the Apple iPhone to be an "always-on" device. But having a phone that needed to be ready to light up a screen at the touch of a finger, required a power requirement that could not be met for such an active state. It was decided to add a power button to the phone. Eventually, the "slide-to-unlock" tool was added to the iPhone to prevent pocket dialing and accidental screen inputs.
Christie revealed that the iPhone project was originally called Project Purple, and the focus of the design was to make the handset so easy to use so that "normal people -- people with better things to do with their lives than learn how a computer might work -- to use the product as well as we can." Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO at the time, was updated on the progress of the iPhone team every two weeks, at one point threatening to give the project to a new team when he wasn't happy with the progress being made.
The five patents that Apple is claiming that Samsung infringed on, include Nos. 5,946,647; 6,847,959; 7,761,414; 8,046,721; and 8,074,172. The '647 patent relates to quick links, while the '959 deals with universal search. Background syncing is the focus of '414 while "slide-to-unlock" revolves around '721. The '127 is about automatic word correction.
The patents that Samsung claims that Apple infringed on include 6,226,449 and 5,579,239. The '449 was purchased by Samsung from Hitachi and deals with camera and folder organization. The '239 patent, also bought by Samsung, covers video transmissions.
Court will be in session each Monday, Tuesday and Friday, and testimony is expected to be heard until April 30th. Once the jury gets the case, they will deliberate everyday until a verdict is reached.
Illustration from Apple's patent for the "slide-to-unlock" tool
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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