Creative Awarded Patent on Zen

The patent covers the user interface that enables users of portable media players to efficiently and intuitively navigate among and select tracks on the players. Creative applied for the "Zen Patent" on January 5, 2001 and it was awarded on August 9, 2005.

Creative's interface enables selection of at least one track in a portable media player as a user sequentially navigates through a hierarchy using three or more successive screens on the display of the player. One example would be the sequence of screens that could display artists, then albums, and then tracks. When the user selects an artist, the player displays a list of albums for that artist. Selection of one of the listed albums then displays a list of tracks on the album.

The full text and images of the patent are available at www.uspto.gov.

Source: Creative