解析Apple螢幕滑動解鎖的專利

據USPTO的專利公告資料顯示：Apple在2011.10.25.獲得了一個「藉由手滑動解鎖圖像解鎖」的專利，這將會嚴重衝擊到有智慧型手機市場中的業者，因為這個專利正是目前各家智慧型手機所用的解鎖方式，此專利一出，按照Apple的習慣，在不久的將來，觸控螢幕解鎖方式的專利大戰，可謂一觸即發。

專利背景
由該專利的說明書中可以發現：這個專利是於2009.1.2申請的，它是11/322549號申請案的CA案，11/322549案是在2005.12.23.申請的，最後核准公告的專利號是US7657849。而US7657849又是何許人也？它是EP20080903號專利的專利家族中的一件專利，EP20080903曾經被Apple用來告Samsung、Motorola及HTC，但不幸的是在2011.8.24.該專利在荷蘭的地方法院中，因為Samsung提出多項先前技術做為證據，包括瑞典手機商Neonode 生產Neonode N1m手機，而被荷蘭法院認定該技術是顯而易見，因而判定專利無效。

專利的申請專利範圍
該專利的申請專利範圍共有15項，其中包含4個獨立項與11個附屬項，獨立項為第1、7、11及12項，第1項為一個手持式電子裝置的解鎖方法，裝置包括觸控螢幕，方法則包含了：偵測是否接觸解鎖圖像、解鎖圖像的移動、解鎖的方法等。第7及11項都是claim可攜式裝置，第12項則是claim儲存媒體。(原文如後)

迴避設計的困難
從申請專利範可以知道，它的權利項範圍相當大，不易迴避，在3個獨立項都提到系統在偵測到觸控螢幕的接觸後，當持續接觸螢幕時，解鎖圖像按接觸方向移動，解鎖圖像從第一個預定位置移動到觸控螢幕上預設的解鎖區域時，螢幕就會解鎖。
也許有人會說：如果解鎖的方式不是橫向移動，不就可以迴避了嗎？Apple已經想到這點了，所以它在第2項就claim解鎖圖像可以沿任何所需的路徑移動，第3項也claim解鎖圖像可以沿預定channel從第一預設位置移動到預設解鎖區域，把這個迴避的方式堵死了。
如果不用圖形做為解鎖的圖像，改用文字呢？Apple也把這條路堵死了，第4項claim圖像是可用視覺顯示，包括文字、箭頭，所以要靠改變圖像來迴避專利，也是條行不通的路。

Smart的看法
面對Apple的來勢洶洶，手機廠也不能坐以待斃，尤其是那些被告很多次的公司，迴避設計是現在當務之急，如S公司用影像辨識的方式解鎖，H公司則在解鎖後直接進入應用程式，但是迴避設計是不是仍然會落入全要件原則下的文義侵害？或者可以主張逆均等論？則都不是掌握在自己手上，而是掌握在法院。
現在唯一可做的是去研究一下EP20080903號專利的專利家族，因為本案的母案即是該家族的成員，可以研究一下它為何會被荷蘭法院判決專利無效，從這點著手，也許還可能有翻身的機會。

US8046721的claim
What is claimed is:
1. A method of unlocking a hand-held electronic device, the device including a touch-sensitive display, the method comprising: detecting a contact with the touch-sensitive display at a first predefined location corresponding to an unlock image; continuously moving the unlock image on the touch-sensitive display in accordance with movement of the contact while continuous contact with the touch screen is maintained, wherein the unlock image is a graphical, interactive user-interface object with which a user interacts in order to unlock the device; and unlocking the hand-held electronic device if the moving the unlock image on the touch-sensitive display results in movement of the unlock image from the first predefined location to a predefined unlock region on the touch-sensitive display.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the moving comprises movement along any desired path.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the moving comprises movement along a predefined channel from the first predefined location to the predefined unlock region.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying visual cues to communicate a direction of movement of the unlock image required to unlock the device.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the visual cues comprise text.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein said visual cues comprise an arrow indicating a general direction of movement.
7. A portable electronic device, comprising: a touch-sensitive display; memory; one or more processors; and one or more modules stored in the memory and configured for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more modules including instructions: to detect a contact with the touch-sensitive display at a first predefined location corresponding to an unlock image; to continuously move the unlock image on the touch-sensitive display in accordance with movement of the detected contact while continuous contact with the touch-sensitive display is maintained, wherein the unlock image is a graphical, interactive user-interface object with which a user interacts in order to unlock the device; and to unlock the hand-held electronic device if the unlock image is moved from the first predefined location on the touch screen to a predefined unlock region on the touch-sensitive display.
8. The device of claim 7, further comprising instructions to display visual cues to communicate a direction of movement of the unlock image required to unlock the device.
9. The device of claim 8, wherein the visual cues comprise text.
10. The device of claim 8, wherein said visual cues comprise an arrow indicating a general direction of movement.
11. A portable electronic device, comprising: a touch-sensitive display; means for displaying an unlock image at a first predefined location on the touch-sensitive display while the device is in a user-interface lock state; means for detecting contact with the touch-sensitive display; and means for continuously moving the unlock image on the touch-sensitive display in response to detecting the contact in accordance with movement of the contact while continuous contact with the touch screen is maintained, wherein the unlock image is a graphical, interactive user-interface object with which a user interacts in order to unlock the device; and means for transitioning the device to a user-interface unlock state if the moving the unlock image on the touch-sensitive display results in movement of the unlock image from the first predefined location to a predefined unlock region on the touch-sensitive display.
12. A computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a portable electronic device with a touch-sensitive display, cause the portable electronic device to perform a method comprising: detecting a contact with the touch-sensitive display at a first predefined location corresponding to an unlock image; continuously moving the unlock image on the touch-sensitive display in accordance with movement of the contact while continuous contact with the touch screen is maintained, wherein the unlock image is a graphical, interactive user-interface object with which a user interacts in order to unlock the device; and unlocking the hand-held electronic device if the moving the unlock image on the touch-sensitive display results in movement of the unlock image from the first predefined location to a predefined unlock region on the touch-sensitive display.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein the unlock image is a single image.
14. The device of claim 7, wherein the unlock image is a single image.
15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the unlock image is a single image.