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Apple and its Android foes seem to be settling in for a long war of attrition in the patent courts next year, with neither side yet dealing a knock-out blow, but both building up their arsenals. Apple has won a new US patent which could signal problems for rivals because of its breadth.

It covers a method for using applications while on a phone call, and is entitled 'portable electronic device with graphical user interface supporting application switching'. It relates to the way that calls can be pushed to the background while a user interact with apps or navigates the OS. On iPhones, this is done using a bar at the top of the homescreen, which the user can tap to return to a call while in an app. Android has a similar feature and the wide remit of the patent could put the Google OS in the firing line - or any device which allows a call to be maintained while the homescreen or app is being viewed.

Meanwhile, Apple may have had its preliminary injunction against Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 reversed in Australia, but it is biting back in the country. It has launched a new series of patent claims there, related to at least 10 patents in the Tab 10.1 and the Galaxy smartphones. The latest allegations were made public during a hearing last week, in which Apple was trying to delay trial in a Samsung lawsuit against the iPhone. The Korean vendor had said it would agree not to pursue a temporary injunction against the iPhone if a fast-track trial date was granted (that decision is still to be made).

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