I don't know; it seems as if this
2003 patent might be considered prior art to the Apple patent.
It may be too general in it's input specifics, though.
Here's a better link where you can read the full text:
http://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=WO2003081458
Implementations may include one or more of the following features and one or more of the features noted above. For example, the input tool may be a pen stylus or a finger, and tracking motion of the input tool may include tracking the pen or finger on the display surface.
The display may include a touch screen and tracking motion of the input tool may include tracking motion of the input tool on the touch screen. The touch screen may include, for example, a resistive sensor, a capacitive sensor, an acoustic wave sensor, or an infrared sensor. The touch screen may include a sensor activated by a touch activation force by the input tool on the display.
The motion may be separated into a horizontal component and a vertical component relative to the display, the horizontal component may be compared to the threshold, and horizontal movement of the visible portion of the page of information on the display may be constrained if the horizontal component does not exceed the threshold. Vertical motion may be left uncompared and unconstrained or comparing the motion also may include comparing the vertical component and constraining the vertical movement of the visible portion of the page of information on the display. Comparing the motion of the input tool to the threshold may include comparing the motion of the input tool to a user-defined threshold or to a system-defined threshold.
Implementations may include one or more following features and one or more of the features described above. For example, the input tool may include a stylus, a mouse, or a finger. The display may include a touchscreen on which the input tool may be tracked. The touchscreen may include, for example, a resistive sensor, a capacitive sensor, an acoustic wave sensor, or an infrared sensor.
I'd say that this actually "teaches away" from the one finger vs. two fingers control of the Apple patent. Note that they consider a finger to be functionally equivalent to a stylus or mouse. It's likely no one would have two mice or styluses, and there's no suggestion that you could use multiple fingers in any way. Also, the control scheme is entirely based on the
direction in which you move the stylus/finger, not on how many you're using. A very different style of control.
Also note, the information they're scrolling is formatted differently as well - there's no suggestion of a frame-within-a-frame, which is scrolled differently based on the different control inputs.
And that's a key point, which all the "Ohh, touch is
obvious" types keep missing: you have to consider all elements of the claim before you can judge obviousness. The frames formatting is
just as much a part of the invention as the one vs. two finger scrolling. As is the fact that the one finger vs two finger control is applied regardless of where on the screen you touch - as opposed to scrolling the inner frame only when the touch is within that frame, as you'd see in most web browsers, for instance.
So, a different touch control scheme, with no discussion of the allegedly "obvious" use of two fingers, that uses differently formatted page layouts, and controls those page layouts in a completely different way. Yeah, I think AvalonXQ would Bitch Slap me severely if I tried to apply a reference like that!