This patent is very narrow, read the claims!!! (Score 1)

If you read the claims of this patent, you'll see that it is VERY narrow. It is only claiming very specific functions related to the timing of the button press. This is because they couldn't patent anything broader. For example, look at claim 1:

(c) opening an application if the application button is released prior to the expiration of a threshold time limit; and

(d) opening the application and automatically causing the application to display the last known state of the application if the application button is pressed, without being released, for a period equal to or in excess of the threshold time limit.

All this is claiming is what is specifically stated in (d): it will open the application and display the last known state of the app if the button was pressed for a long time. All the other claims are similar to this, they claim only one specific function each.

Remember that in order to infringe on a patent, you must do ALL of the things listed in each claim. So if you don't use the timed button press in any of the specific ways outlined in the patent claims, you won't infringe. In the case of claim 1, if you don't use the timed button to open an application and restore it to it's previous state, you won't infringe. It's also only valid on a "limited resource computing device".

The patent is also a continuation of an application from 1999, which was abondoned. My guess is that they had to keep narrowing the claims to avoid prior art. In this case, the claims are extremely narrow, nothing that can't easily be avoided.