Apple Receives Patent For Accessing Sets of Apps With Different Passcodes

[wraggster]

The technology, detailed in a patent awarded to Apple on Tuesday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, deals with so-called 'access inputs' that determine what apps, device services, and functions can be accessed by a user. Apple's U.S. Patent No. 8,528,072 (http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.htm&r=3&p=1&f=G&l=50&d=PTXT&S1=(726%2F17.CCLS.+AND+20130903.PD.)&OS=ccl/726/17+and+isd/9/3/2013&RS=(CCL/726/17+AND+ISD/20130903)) for a 'Method, apparatus and system for access mode control of a device,' describes a system that creates user access modes guarded by predetermined gesture inputs (http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/09/03/apple-tech-gesture-based-application-specific-unlocking)."Reading the patent, it appears Apple managed to patent allowing access to some programs without a passcode from the lock screen of a device while protecting others, so e.g. you can quickly swipe to make a phone call or control your music, but have to enter a code to read your email or access your word processor documents.

http://apple.slashdot.org/story/13/09/04/1440238/apple-receives-patent-for-accessing-sets-of-apps-with-different-passcodes