Apple granted patent for NFC mobile payment system
We know that Apple patents are something of a hot topic these days, and no doubt the comment section here will be filled pretty quickly with people complaining and spitting anger, but that won't change how the USPTO does business. And today, the USPTO granted Apple a patent for an NFC mobile payment system, which Apple had filed for back in 2009. That's Apple's right, and it has taken advantage of it. If you don't like it, complain to the USPTO, don't start flame wars here.
To be clear, this patent is for the graphical user interface of a mobile payment app. This is not a patent for NFC technology, or mobile payments in general. It is simply a patent for the GUI of a potential app that one day may find its way onto the iPhone. No one is quite sure whether NFC will be found in the next iPhone, but Apple has been working on the app for 3 years now, apparently. According to the abstract, the app will have "credit cards... digitally represented within an electronic wallet or an online payment system. After movement of the graphical elements, the electronic device may transmit a confirmation message to initiate payment with the selected payment instrument."
The patent also shows a few different ways for the user to confirm a payment, including the ever-present swipe gesture, or other options like moving the device itself, or dragging an icon to a confirmation area.
source: USPTO via AppleInsider
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