> This design patent only protects a "portable display device" (that's the wording in the Patent itself), and only one with those specific design elements that are shown in the Patent Figures.
The article also states, "The only unbroken line in all the figures is the outline of the flat, rounded rectangular front face of the device. All the other identifiable features, such as the speaker grille, round home button, display size, Dock connector, or even its curved back, are not covered by this design patent."
So the problem is what design elements are shown, exactly, in this highly-minimalist design? I see a rectangle with rounded corners and a black border with a camera in the top center. I'm not quite sure about the camera, though, it's so small I can't see if there are dashed lines or not, so it might or might not be claimed, but there are only so many sensible places to put a camera--you'd naturally put it in the middle of one side or another and if you expect it to take pictures of people, the short side is the only reasonable side. We've previously mentioned that the rounded corners are not quite purely ornamental--they help keep the device from breaking when it's dropped on the corner. So that leaves us with what, just a black border? And even that has some arguable utility because you want a neutral color so as not to clash with whatever is on screen.
The article also states, "The only unbroken line in all the figures is the outline of the flat, rounded rectangular front face of the device. All the other identifiable features, such as the speaker grille, round home button, display size, Dock connector, or even its curved back, are not covered by this design patent."
So the problem is what design elements are shown, exactly, in this highly-minimalist design? I see a rectangle with rounded corners and a black border with a camera in the top center. I'm not quite sure about the camera, though, it's so small I can't see if there are dashed lines or not, so it might or might not be claimed, but there are only so many sensible places to put a camera--you'd naturally put it in the middle of one side or another and if you expect it to take pictures of people, the short side is the only reasonable side. We've previously mentioned that the rounded corners are not quite purely ornamental--they help keep the device from breaking when it's dropped on the corner. So that leaves us with what, just a black border? And even that has some arguable utility because you want a neutral color so as not to clash with whatever is on screen.
So... what are we patenting here again?