Apple provides Samsung with work-arounds for design patents

While the documents were never submitted in court, The Verge has uncovered documents Apple was going to provide to highlight the work-arounds for their iPhone and iPad patents that Samsung could have utilized. The reason these were thought up is because Samsung claimed there was no way they could create their devices without the required elements of a smartphone or tablet today. Apple, however, said there were plenty of work arounds. For Samsung smartphones, Apple explained in the redacted documents:

• Front surface that isn’t black.
• Overall shape that isn’t rectangular, or doesn’t have rounded corners.
• Display screens that aren’t centered on the front face and have substantial lateral borders.
• Non-horizontal speaker slots.
• Front surfaces with substantial adornment.
• No front bezel at all.

Just this afternoon, a judge has decided to not grant the U.S. preliminary injunction Apple was pressing for against Samsung.

The list goes on for tablets:

• Overall shape that isn’t rectangular, or doesn’t have rounded corners.
• Thick frames rather than a thin rim around the front surface.
• Front surface that isn’t entirely flat.
• Profiles that aren’t thin.
• Cluttered appearance.