The patent apparently would allow iPhone and iPod users to play interactive gaming titles on their device's touch-screen while maintaining control of a secondary application from the touch-screen. A game input area (surface or plane) receives input for multiple applications including an interactive application executed in connection with a scene. The input received is directed to the appropriate application based on one or more locations (e.g., points, positions, regions, portions) of the input area effectively identified when input is received (or entered). In addition, the manner in which input is received (or entered) can be used to determine which application should receive the input. The input area can additionally resemble or approximate the shape of a scene (e.g., game scene) to allow a person to provide input in a more intuitive way. Accordingly, input can be provided in a simple and more intuitive manner by effectively allowing the user to interact with the input area in a way that mimics or approximates a desired action (e.g., moving a ball or bat around by inputting a rotational movement). Examples of such interaction include positional, directional (e.g., rotational), press or pressure input (or movement) which can easily be provided by a thumb or a finger, for example, on a touch screen.

Here's Apple's background on the invention: "Conventional input devices (e.g., a keyboard, mouse) are used to provide input to various application programs (applications) running (or being executed) on conventional computing systems (e.g., personal computers). Generally speaking, providing input to an application program running on a mobile device (e.g., portable media player, mobile phones) poses a more difficult problem, especially when an 'interactive' application (e.g., gaming application) and/or multiple applications are to be supported. Broadly speaking, applications that receive or require input can be characterized as 'interactive' applications.

"Typically, interactive applications require input in connection with data or content displayed. The data or content displayed can be characterized as a 'scene.' In general, data or content (or scene) displayed is manipulated or controlled based on the input when an interactive application is executed. Often, a person (or a human being) provides the input while viewing the data or content (or scene) displayed by the interactive application.

"In a 'multitasking' (or multiprogramming) computing environment, multiple applications are effectively supported at the same time. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that multitasking poses difficult technical challenges, especially when an interactive application is supported on a mobile device. Despite these challenges, interactive and multitasking applications have become increasingly more popular with users of mobile devices. Accordingly, improved techniques for providing user input to interactive and multitasking applications would be useful."

And here's Apple's summary of the invention: "Broadly speaking, the invention relates to improved techniques for providing user input to interactive and multitasking computing environments. The invention can be implemented in numerous ways, including a method, an apparatus, a computer readable medium. Several aspects and embodiments of the invention are discussed below.

"One aspect of the invention provides a game input area (surface or plane) that can receive input for multiple applications including an interactive application executed in connection with a scene displayed on a display. Input is directed to the appropriate application based on one or more locations (e.g., points, positions, regions, portions) of the input area effectively identified when input is received (e.g., when input is entered by a person by touching a particular position on a touch screen). In addition, the manner in which input is received (or entered) can be used to determine which application should receive the input. By way of example, the same input area can be effectively used to receive input from a gaming application and a non-gaming application at substantially the same time. More particularly, the input area for a gaming application can effectively overlap or include a number of locations that are designated for a non-gaming application (e.g., a media playback application) and/or designated as such only if input is received in a particular manner (e.g., pushing or pressing of any location, or a particular designated location, would result in sending the input to non-gaming application). As such, a location on the input area can be designated, for example, for a gaming application if input is received in a particular manner different than that designated for the non-gaming application (e.g., tapping or touching the region would send input to a gaming application, but pressing would result in a media player function). Accordingly, this aspect of the invention allows the same input area to be used for multiple applications. Hence, a person can use the same input area (e.g., a top surface or plane of a physical input device such as a touch screen) to multitask. In other words, the person can, for example, play a game and exercise control over another application (e.g., media playback application) using the same input area.

[0009]Another aspect of the invention provides an input area that resembles or approximates the shape of a scene (e.g., game scene) associated with an application (e.g., a gaming application). Typically, the scene is used in connection with the application (e.g., a game scene is used to play a game, a record is displayed for a database program and manipulated based on input). Further, the scene is often controlled or manipulated based on input provided by a person. Typically, this requires one or more objects to be controlled or manipulated in the scene based on input provided. It will be appreciated that an input area that resembles or approximates the scene allows a person to provide input in a more intuitive way. Further, input can be provided in a simple and more intuitive manner by effectively allowing the user to interact with the input area in a way that mimics or approximated a desired action or motion of an object displayed in the scene (e.g., moving a ball or bat around by mimicking the motion on the input area). Examples of such interactions include that can be characterized as positional, directional, rotational, pressing and/or pushing type inputs (or movement).

"It will be appreciated that these and other aspects of the invention can be combined to realize additional benefits. In general, the invention allows various applications to be integrated and used on devices that are not readily suitable for supporting multiple applications at the same time. As an example, a portable media player can be effectively integrated with various other applications including gaming applications. The media player can, for example, be used to play a game and still behave as a media player during the game play. It will also be appreciated that media player can provide the same media presentation functions (e.g., play, pause, next, back) that users have become accustomed to and provide them in a familiar manner.

"In one embodiment, a music-based game is provided on a media player. The music-based game can, for example, use individualized music (e.g., music owned and/or stored by an individual). It will be appreciated that a person can use the same input area (or input device) to not only play the game but also control the music being played while the game is in progress. The game can be controlled by using intuitive and simple motions (e.g., directional and/or rotational movement and/or touching a particular location using a thumb or finger). In one embodiment, during game play, the media player can still be controlled in the manner familiar to users."

The developers are Michael D. Lampell, Francois-Yves Bertrand, Alan Berfield, Leo Lee and Eric Snider. The graphic below depicts a computing environment where first and second application programs (or applications) are effectively executed by a computing device in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.