Abstract:
A system and method is provided to hide one or more selected iPhone apps and provide secure access to the hidden apps.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/156,653 filed on Mar. 2, 2009, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]    The iPhone® (iPhone is a registered trademark of Apple Computer Company, Cupertino, Calif.) displays application icons known as “apps.” 
         [0003]    An iPhone user can load many apps on their iPhone. When loaded, an app icon is displayed on the iPhone screen. 
         [0004]    Often, an iPhone owner will allow another person to either use their iPhone, let a person see an iPhone for the first time, or let a person play e.g. a game on the iPhone. 
         [0005]    However, the problem is that when the non-owner is using the owner&#39;s iPhone, it is possible for that non-owner to view the owner&#39;s personal and private apps and app data. 
         [0006]    This is particularly problematic for example if the app were “WEIGHT TRACKER.” Such an app tracks a person&#39;s weight and includes daily weight, food consumption, weight goals and starting weights. This personal data would typically be available for viewing by anyone using the owner&#39;s iPhone. Even if the app was controlled by a password, the mere revealing of the icon and the title of the app would reveal more information than an iPhone owner may desire. Another app example would be a “menstrual calendar.” 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention is an app that provides a disguise location to store other apps that an iPhone owner may desire to keep private including the title of the app and access to the app. Alternatively, the app of the present invention would allow an iPhone owner to rename and redesign the app icon and app name so as to disguise the original app and keep it confidential or hidden. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of a typical iPhone and screen including the apps that come with the iPhone and an additional app, that is available for a non-owner user or anyone to see. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged app icon for the app “weight tracker” by Foundation Healthcare networking www.healthyandfitcommunities.com. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a plan view of an iPhone including the apps that come with the iPhone and an additional app showing the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged app icon for the app which will be the disguised app having the identifier “grocery list.” 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is the opened disguised app showing a first set of data. 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is the disguised app with the password in the secret location. 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is the opened new app with two hidden app icons. 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  is an opened new app shown with several hidden app icons. 
           [0016]      FIG. 9  is the icon for the Customizer  60 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 10  is an alternate embodiment that shows a home screen of applications on the iPhone previously downloaded that you can select one or more to customize. 
           [0018]      FIG. 11  shows the active screen with the selected app icon to be customized with associated drop-down menus. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0019]    An iPhone  10  has a screen  11  having one or more icons  12  that are pre installed and typically come available for use with the iPhone. An owner of the iPhone can add additional apps as is known in the art, by downloading them from an app store. 
         [0020]    As an example, a downloaded app  20  is shown in  FIG. 1 . This app icon is also shown in  FIG. 2 , where it can be seen that a typical app icon includes information about the application. Such information would include in this particular app, a picture or design of a scale  21  and a title line  22  “weight track”, that also provides revealing information about an app and what it may be for. 
         [0021]    If the iPhone owner loans the iPhone to another person (non-owner) then that other person can immediately see on the screen  11  the new app  20  with its title  22  weight track. Immediately this other person learns something which may be considered private, confidential or embarrassing to the iPhone owner. Further, the app  20  may likely be opened by the other party without the permission of the iPhone owner, depending on the app security. 
         [0022]    The present invention provides a new app  30  which is a “blank” app that the owner can disguise. In this case the app  30  as seen enlarged in  FIG. 4 , provides an owner the opportunity to choose or create a non-revealing disguised picture icon  31 , a piece of notebook paper as shown in this example and a disguised title  32  “grocery list.” Thus with the disguised icon  30  a non-owner user would not know the contents or the function of a hidden app beneath or disguised by the new app  30  of the present invention. 
         [0023]    In use, when the owner desires to open the disguised app  30 , the owner will open the icon “grocery list.” However this picture  31  and title  32  are customizable by the iPhone owner. As seen in  FIG. 5  a grocery list appears on screen  11 . App  30  of the present invention may provide several disguise screens within app  30 . Additionally, the user would be able to customize their own screen within the app  30 . In this example, the list, customized by the owner includes ten items. This present app  30  allows an owner to create any content on the screen of app  30  when opened. As further customizable by the owner on this list is a password location  33  containing the word—in this example—orange juice. These disguises maintain what appears at least initially to be a real app not to raise suspicion of the disguised app of the present invention hiding other apps. In order to open the disguised app, to the one or more hidden/non-revealed apps, the word in the password location  33  must be successfully replaced with the owner&#39;s predetermined password. 
         [0024]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , line  33  is where the prior disguised words have been selected and now the characters of the password are entered at  33  using the keyboard  34  as known in the art, located at the lower portion of the screen  11 . 
         [0025]    Once the correct password is entered, “done” button  35  is pressed on screen  11 , then the hidden apps screen  50  appears, as seen in  FIG. 7  on screen  11 . Now the hidden app  20  can be seen. Another app “Menstrual Cycle” is shown that has also been hidden within app  30  of the present invention. As seen in  FIG. 8 , additional apps can be stored in the disguised app where app  20  and other apps  40  can be located on the disguised icon app of the present invention. The hidden apps screen includes a return button  51  to return to the disguised icon  30 . 
         [0026]    In an alternate embodiment referring to  FIG. 10  is the home screen of an application app  60  that would list each of the apps on an iPhone. The user would select which app it wants to customize by pressing the customize button  61  located immediately next to the selected original app icon  20 . 
         [0027]    When the customize button  61  is pressed the app then allows, as shown in  FIG. 11  customization of the application icon. As seen in  FIG. 11  original app icon  20  can be customized with a new cover by pressing the new cover button  62  which opens a drop-down menu  63  to allow the user to choose clipart® from a file or choose a photo from a file or other browsing operation or to take a photograph. Likewise the new name button  64  when pressed brings up a keyboard screen  65  to allow the app icon name to be revised and customized. Therefore providing a customization for any app that will not be recognized by another user of the iPhone providing confidentiality for the iPhone user and its apps and associated data.