Score another win for Apple’s (AAPL) rivals: The United States Patent and Trademark Office on Wednesday struck down one of the company’s most important patents. As AppleInsider reports, the USPTO rejected Apple’s U.S. Patent No. 7,844,915, the patent that Apple used to successfully sue rival Samsung (005930) for alleged intellectual property infringement this past summer. The patent itself detects whether a finger or multiple fingers is scrolling on touch screens. It’s worth noting that while this patent was rejected, it’s not invalidated and Apple may still be able to keep this patent in tact in the future. This is the second major Apple patent that the USPTO has struck down in recent months as the office in September temporarily invalidated the company’s patent for the “rubber band” effect found on iOS devices.
Patent office rejects another Apple patent
Updated Dec 19th, 2012 7:32PM EST
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Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.
