On last.fm: Coldplay - Listen now!
BNET Business Network:
BNET
TechRepublic
ZDNet
TalkBack 30 of 50:
Next »
« Previous
Apple Mac has Hierarchical Menus Since 1984
From the original press release:

"Creative?s invention for the user interface for portable media players enables selection of at least one track in a portable media player as a user sequentially navigates through a hierarchy using three or more successive screens on the display of the player. One example would be the sequence of screens that could display artists, then albums, and then tracks. When the user selects an artist, the player displays a list of albums for that artist. Selection of one of the listed albums then displays a list of tracks on the album."

Hierarchical menus are nothing new, Press the Alt-key now, notice the browser menu is selected, use the left right key to sequentially step through the menus, and down arrow to select the next menu in the hierarchy...

They are claiming it's novel because they were the first people to think to patent it IN CONNECTION WITH MUSIC PLAYERS, as though there's something special about music players that makes it innovative.

"Hopefully this will be friendly, but people have to respect intellectual property," Sim said.

Apple's hierarchical menus date from 1984. You copied them.
Posted by: Nigel Johnstone   Posted on: 12/09/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
Reply to Story Reply to Message

Alert moderator to an offensive message

Subscribe to this discussion via Email or RSS

No surprises  baggins_z | 12/09/05
If you think the patent shouldn't be valid  Real World | 12/09/05
I completely agree...  RDMorse3rd | 12/09/05
Anti-Gravity patent  JoeRJr | 12/09/05
Then I should patent...  nix_os_fan | 12/11/05
NeXt and OS X ?  jacrav | 12/09/05
New, novel idea?  D W_z | 12/09/05
UnCreative  theMacDaddy | 12/09/05
Wah! We didn't think of it first so we're going to sue!  buran | 12/09/05
huh?  IT Scion | 12/09/05
WRONG!  Hard Cider | 12/10/05
Truth must have hurt.  IT Scion | 12/10/05
How can you be so wrong???  MacCanuck | 12/12/05
Another iPod victim chimes in  IT Scion | 12/12/05
Riddle me this batman  IT Scion | 12/12/05
IT Scion... Reading comprehension problem,  MacCanuck | 12/13/05
Guess I struck a nerve.  IT Scion | 12/13/05
IT- replies ... Nice spin ...  MacCanuck | 12/14/05
"MS has nothing to do with it" and choice  MacCanuck | 12/15/05
No spin and nothing to get out of  IT Scion | 12/15/05
You have a lot of trouble reading  IT Scion | 12/15/05
Half and half  usmcdvldg@... | 01/29/08
WRONG!  Hard Cider | 12/10/05
Since when did anyone in Hong Kong  GoPower | 12/09/05
Property rights? They don't believe in "human rights"..  John Zern | 12/09/05
Well...  Wolfie2K3 | 12/12/05
Property rights? They don't believe in "human rights"..  John Zern | 12/09/05
Creative isn't Chinese  Dinasis | 12/15/05
"creative"...  T25 | 12/09/05
Apple Mac has Hierarchical Menus Since 1984  Nigel Johnstone | 12/09/05
umm  IT Scion | 12/09/05
Read the patent claims here:  Nigel Johnstone | 12/09/05
I did  IT Scion | 12/10/05
Yep, having looked at the patent application..  markdoc.geo | 12/11/05
Funny  IT Scion | 12/12/05
Yep, having looked at the patent application..  markdoc.geo | 12/11/05
Yep, having looked at the patent application..  markdoc.geo | 12/11/05
Heck, been using rotary dials on phones for years  Boot_Agnostic | 12/09/05
And then there's the  Boot_Agnostic | 12/10/05
Screw Creative Labs  node357 | 12/09/05
I'm very dissapointed in Creative  mobrien_12@... | 12/09/05
wait for other suits to settle  dzash2000 | 12/10/05
Good idea  Spoon Jabber | 12/10/05
Creative will never get another dime from me  hipparchus2001 | 12/10/05
Apple: Taste of your own medicine  tommcd64 | 12/11/05
Who cares? They were...  nix_os_fan | 12/11/05
Patent awarded this AUGUST!  An_Axe_to_Grind | 12/12/05
I'm getting a patent on air!  An_Axe_to_Grind | 12/12/05
This is a list of my patents ideas . . .  cppsolutions | 12/12/05
For all of you ::ahem:: legal experts  nECrO_z | 12/12/05

What do you think?

SponsoredWhite Papers, Webcasts, and Downloads

advertisement
Click Here
Premier Vendor Content Whitepapers, webcasts & resources from our Power Center Sponsors
advertisement