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Originally Posted by chronster
I thought it WAS based on the algorithm (programming) not just the concept...
See the way I understand this is simple: Lets say someone patented something they called "shocks" for cars, but it was based on powerful magnets, not coil springs. That doesn't mean the shocks that were out for cars that used the coil spring design would be affected, would it?
Its the mechanics behind the way they get these things to work which is getting patented. Touch gestures I could see getting patented though, but not forever. It just seems like some multi-touch gestures are common sense and there's no other methods without making it difficult and weird feeling.
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Well, from dailytech.com :
"Apple was granted a patent for multi-touch, featured in its popular iPhone, on January 20, 2009. The patent encompasses the basic technical deals of multi-touch technology, as well as finger gestures such as pinch, swipe and rotation. Apple's CEO Steve Jobs, currently on medical leave, and Scott Forstall are among those credited with "inventing" multi-touch."
So the article says it encompasses the technical deals of multi-touch so it seems like there's a hardware part to the patent. Also, the patent seems to protect the gestures which are the concept and not the algorithm.
Funny how they say (between quotes) that Jobs and Forstall invented multi-touch