On 27 April 2004, Microsoft was granted a patent for a method that consists in the use of differently timed clicks on a "limited resource computing device". This means that according to the time an application button of a device such as a mobile phone is pressed - short click, long click or multiple clicks, alternative application functions are launched.
Several voices were raised against this grant, arguing that by doing so, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has once time granted a patent on a method which does not fulfil the requirements of US patent law, especially the condition of novelty, since this method has already been in use for years.
