Apple now gets the virtual 'page turn' patent

New Delhi: Apple, which was recently granted the design patent on 'rectangular shape with rounded edges', has now been given the exclusive rights to the page turn in an e-reader app (electronic page turning), reports The New York Times. And, it's obviously off-the-wall.

Approved by the United States Patent Office, the patent D670,713 comes with three illustrations to make it clear that how the page-turn algorithm works. Reportedly, the page-turn patent was filed by Apple in December 2011, but it was approved this week.

It does not mean that Apple owns the page turn now. It is not a narrow patent; there are certain limitations on what it covers and how the patent could be used against the competition.

$Apple now gets the virtual \'page turn\' patent$

Apple has now been given the exclusive rights to the page turn in an e-reader app.

It looks a little outlandish, but this has not happened for the first time. Apple has already been given some bizarre patents in recent years. Of late, Apple, which has been seen accusing Samsung of copying the entire design and user experience of Apple's iPhone and iPad, was granted the design patent on rectangular shape with rounded edges. The US Patent and Trademark Office issued patent no. D670,286 to Apple that covers the outer edge shape of a device.

The company has also been granted patents for an icon for music (which is a just a musical note), the glass staircase used in the company's stores – yes, stairs, that people walk up — and for the packaging of its iPhone," reported Nick Bilton, a columnist for the New York Times, in his blog post.