In the fast-changing world of smartphone design, often the most valuable thing that a company can own is a patent for a specific feature they've invented. No matter how seemingly trivial the design feature is, a company like Apple will seek patent protection in order to maintain the uniqueness of their product.
Three years ago, Apple filed for patents on two features that iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users see every day -- the Slide to Unlock feature of the Lock screen and the pop-up letters that appear when you're typing on the iPhone keyboard. The United States Patent and Trademark Office has today awarded Apple a series of two patents titled "Animated graphical user interface for a display screen or portion thereof "
