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The Devil's Advocate - Apple Receives Patent for Pentagon-Shaped Buttons [TMO Scoop]
by - May 25th, 2004

Apple filed for a patent application on a "User Interface for Computer Display" on June 4, 2002, which was issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) as US Design Patent No. D490,440 S on May 25, 2004. This patent is a division of an application filed on January 4, 2000.

Here's what it looks like:


Sketch included in the patent application

It's basically a design patent on pentagon-shaped close-minimize-expand buttons in a window title-bar. In a previous article I highlighted other shapes, like Jolly Rancher squares, that were also considered by Apple.

This is not an exciting patent. It's mostly of interest to show how many other designs Apple considered before settling on the gum-drops in the window title-bar and that Apple is really developing quite a fortress of patents around its user interface.

is an attorney. Please don't hold that against him. This work does not necessarily reflect the views and/or opinions of The Mac Observer, any third parties, or even John for that matter. No assertions of fact are being made, but rather the reader is simply asked to consider the possibilities.

You can send your comments directly to me, or you can also post your comments below.

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Close Name:jfbiii Posts: 109 Joined: 06 May 2004
Tue May 25, 2004 12:46 pm Subject: Ridiculous

The patent office is hereby declared Officially Useless and More Deranged than the Justice Department.


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Close Name:Guest
Tue May 25, 2004 1:23 pm Subject: John this is very exciting.

This is designed to encouraged switchers to switch, it greatly enhances the OS user enterface giving the user warm fuzzy feelings. Mac users and and switchers alike will greatly appreciate this new offering from Apple.

With such a beautiful well designed GUI, it is like taking a trip and never having to leave the farm. I would like to see buttons in the form of some of my favorite candies...Hershey Kisses, and Junior Mints...would be great!


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Close Name:algr Posts: 296 Joined: 07 Aug 2003
Tue May 25, 2004 1:35 pm Subject: Decline in user interface quality

I've noticed a major decline in user interface quality in the consumer electronics over the last 5-10 years or so. I've seen VCR menus where you press left to go down and down to go right. Vital controls buried deep in menus and lost among stupid gadgets. You can't buy a car radio with a decent volume control any more. I've seen MP3 player that can't play songs in the order they appear on the CD. Macs too aren't remotely as easy to use as they were ten years ago.

Could it be that all these patents on the obvious are forcing companies to adopt stupid-but-unique design decisions to avoid endless patent fights?


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Close Name:macjim Posts: 35 Joined: 23 May 2004
Wed May 26, 2004 1:14 am Subject: silly design features to avoid patents...

surely the classic is the Windows "srart" button which includes "shut down" so you click on start to stop!

This only made sense if you thought of it as an upside-down Mac OS 7 applemenu button.


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Close Name:Intruder -   TMO Mac Specialist Posts: 3149 Joined: 07 Jul 2004
Sun Jul 10, 2005 7:49 pm Subject:

And in your free time, check some relevant pages on spam.


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Close Name:DawnTreader -   TMO Staff Posts: 15039 Joined: 04 Jan 2002
Sun Jul 10, 2005 8:19 pm Subject:

Intruder, I deleted the spam post you referenced.

DT


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