Patents: Apple's virtual sliding bolt latch.

Apple just got a patent issued on the sliding lock for iPhone/iPad. Now, they can sue the pants out of Android manufacturers until they come up with a better idea.

An excellent example of how an old interface concept can be transferred into a new environment. The good old sliding latch is a perfect metaphor for unlocking a device.

Of course, voice or thought control will make all these physical gestures obsolete.

tags: interface, mobile, apple, google, patent, example, control