Apple Inc

How the iPhone's Slide-to-Unlock Gesture Works

Apple's 2010 patent describes unlocking a device by dragging a specific graphical image across the touchscreen along a predefined path, a gesture that became iconic with the original iPhone.

How Touchscreens Understand Your Finger Swipes and Scrolls

This patent describes how touchscreens use smart rules, called heuristics, to figure out if your finger movement means scrolling up, moving around a map, or flipping to the next photo, especially by looking at how you start your swipe.

How Touchscreens Show and Snap Back When You Scroll Past an Edge

Apple's 2008 patent describes how a touchscreen device displays a blank area when a user scrolls past the edge of a document, then smoothly snaps the document back into place when the user lifts their finger.

How Phones Sense Your Finger Hovering Without Touching the Screen

This patent describes a system for electronic devices, like phones, to detect a finger hovering just above the screen, display a specific interactive element below it, and then let you control that element with gestures without ever making contact.

How a Digital Assistant Launches Apps Using Your Voice

This patent describes how a digital assistant like Siri uses your spoken words and understanding of your conversation to figure out what you want and launch the right app.

How Digital Assistants Control Apps and Ask for More Information

This patent describes how a digital assistant on a device can understand what a user wants from a natural language command, find the right app, get a step-by-step guide from another device, and then ask the user for more details on the screen to complete the task with that app.

How Your Phone Knows When It's Against Your Ear

This Apple patent describes how a phone uses both a proximity sensor and an ambient light sensor to accurately detect when it's held to your ear, preventing accidental screen touches during calls.

Controlling a Camera on Your Phone with a Separate Gadget

Apple's 2014 patent describes how a separate device, like a remote control, can talk to a phone to take pictures and videos, and show them on the remote.

How the Apple Mac Dock Magnifies Icons

Apple's 1999 patent on the macOS Dock, which shrinks a row of app icons to save screen space and smoothly magnifies them as your mouse pointer glides over them.

How Touchscreens Save Battery by Sleeping Between Touches

A power-saving method for touchscreens that puts the main processor to sleep when not in use and wakes it up only when a touch is detected.

How Smartphones Use Light Sensors to Detect When You Are Talking

Apple's patent on using light sensors to help a phone accurately detect when it is pressed against your ear, preventing accidental screen touches.

How the iPhone Switches and Adds Mobile Web Browser Tabs

Apple's 2007 patent on using swipes, edge taps, and dedicated buttons to create and flip through multiple full-screen windows in a mobile web browser.

How the Apple Watch Uses the Digital Crown to Flip Objects

A method for rotating virtual objects on a small wearable screen by spinning the physical dial on the side of the device based on how fast you turn it.

How Mobile Devices Switch Between Open Apps Using Gestures

Apple's patent describes a way to switch between open apps on a touchscreen by showing a bar of app previews and selecting one with a tap.

How Smartphones Organize Apps into Folders

Apple's 2010 patent describing the logic for creating and interacting with app folders on a touchscreen device, specifically distinguishing between 'normal' use and 'editing' modes.

How Smartphones Automatically Adjust Camera Settings in Low Light

A system that automatically shows or hides camera exposure controls based on whether the device detects low-light conditions.

How Multi-Touch Gestures Like Pinch-to-Zoom Work on Smartphones

Apple's patent on using two-finger gestures to manipulate images and objects on a touchscreen, allowing for smooth zooming and rotation even if you lift your fingers briefly.

How Smartphones Suggest Apps Based on Where You Are

Apple's patent for a system that automatically highlights or suggests mobile apps based on your current location or a location you are planning to visit.

How Smartphones Suggest and Correct Words While You Type

Apple's patent on a system that displays word suggestions above a touchscreen keyboard, allowing users to accept or reject them with simple taps or keystrokes.

How Folders With Multiple Pages Work on Touchscreens

Apple's patent describes how to organize apps into multi-page folders and move icons between those pages by dragging them to specific screen edges.

How Smartphones Calibrate Their Radio Power Across Different Temperatures

A method for testing and calibrating a phone's wireless radio performance in a temperature-controlled chamber to ensure it stays accurate as the device heats up or cools down.

How Touchscreens Predict Where Your Finger Will Land Before You Touch

Apple's patent describes a touch controller that tracks an object's path through the air to predict where it will land on a screen before it actually makes physical contact.

How Apple Embeds Haptic Actuators Directly Into Device Layers

A design for touchscreens that embeds vibration-producing actuators directly into a nonconductive material layer, paired with force sensors to detect how hard a user presses.

How Apple Watches Use a Rotating Dial to Navigate Menus

A method for using a physical rotating dial on a device to scroll through lists and menus while providing audio feedback for accessibility.

How the iPhone's Jiggling App Icons Work

This patent describes the 'jiggle mode' on iPhones, where app icons shake to show they can be moved or deleted.

How Smartphones Manage Multiple Notifications on a Locked Screen

A patent describing how a locked smartphone displays multiple notifications from different apps and allows users to interact with them individually without unlocking the phone.

How Apps Pass Touch Gestures Between Each Other

A method for a device to decide which app should handle a user's touch gesture when multiple apps are running at the same time.

How Widgets Flip Over to Show Settings

A method for letting digital widgets flip over like a physical object to reveal hidden settings or controls on the back.

The Design of the Original Apple iPhone

This is a design patent protecting the specific visual appearance and physical shape of a portable electronic device, commonly recognized as the iPhone.

How Stylus Ring Electrodes Detect Pen Tilt and Orientation

Apple's patent for a stylus design that uses specific ring-shaped sensors to accurately measure the angle and tilt of a pen against a touchscreen.

How Apple Devices Securely Display Digital Passes and Tickets

A system for securely displaying digital tickets or account codes on a screen only after verifying the user's identity, and automatically hiding them once used or if time runs out.

How Apple's Navigation Bar Manages App Screens

A method for navigating between different screens in a music app using a fixed bar that shows where you are, where you came from, and a shortcut to the player.

How Smartphones Let You Rearrange and Organize Your Home Screen Icons

Apple's patent describes the specific software logic used to let users drag, drop, and rearrange app icons on a touchscreen by entering a special 'jiggle' mode.

How Computers Automatically Manage Temporary Pop-up Windows

A method for computer systems to automatically display, fade out, and close temporary windows based on timers or system events without requiring user interaction.

How Phones Use Your Voice History to Fix Your Typing

Apple's patent for a system that improves text autocorrection by using a database of words the user has previously spoken into their device.

How Phones Use Motion Sensors to Change Screen Orientation and Views

A patent describing how mobile devices use sensors to detect movement, allowing the screen to rotate or scroll through pages based on how you tilt or roll the device.

How Apple's Interface Switches Between Music Playlists and Menus

A method for navigating through a stack of music playlists on a touchscreen or dial, which automatically shifts to a menu view when you reach the end of the list.

How Messaging Apps Quickly Share Photos and Camera Previews

Apple's patent describes a way to quickly open a camera or photo gallery directly inside a messaging app so you can attach media without leaving your conversation.

How Devices Pair Automatically by Scanning Patterns with a Camera

A method for pairing two electronic devices by having one device use its camera to scan a visual pattern displayed on the other device's screen.

How Apple's Emoji Search Interface Automatically Adjusts and Filters Results

A method for managing a dynamic emoji search interface that swaps keyboards and filters emoji variations based on specific user criteria.

The Design of the Original iPhone 3G

A design patent protecting the specific visual appearance and shape of the iPhone 3G as it appeared in 2008.

Using a Phone Display as a Visual Beacon Based on Activity

Apple's patent describes a device that changes its screen lighting behavior, such as pulsing or strobing, based on a user's heart rate or body temperature.

How Computers Safely Resume Interrupted Data Backups

A method for computers to pause a large data backup and resume exactly where they left off without restarting the entire process from scratch.

How Multi-Touch Screens Track Multiple Fingers at Once

Apple's 2010 patent describes a touch screen that uses two layers of transparent conductive lines to detect several fingers touching the screen simultaneously.

How the iPhone's Slide-to-Unlock Gesture Works

Apple's 2011 patent describes a method for unlocking a touchscreen device by dragging a specific graphical icon from a starting point to a designated end point.

How Touchscreens Handle Scrolling and Rubber-Band Effects

This patent describes the software logic that allows touchscreens to distinguish between simple scrolling and multi-finger gestures, while also enabling the signature 'rubber-band' bounce effect when you reach the end of a page.

How Touchscreens Use Math to Recognize Your Fingers

Apple's patent on using mathematical ellipses to track and identify individual fingers and palms on a touch-sensitive surface.

How Smartphones Switch Between Slow and Fast Scrolling

A system that automatically changes how a list scrolls based on how fast or hard you interact with the screen.

How Touchscreens Precisely Align Signals to Detect Your Touch

Apple's patent describes a way for touchscreens to adjust the timing of internal electrical signals so they perfectly match the signals coming from your finger, making touch detection more accurate.

How to Split a Smartphone Keyboard with a Gesture

Apple's 2013 patent describes how to split a phone's keyboard in half and move it up the screen with a swipe, making it easier to type with thumbs.