# Greg Christie — Patents explained on PatentBrief

Greg Christie has 7 landmark patents explained in plain English on PatentBrief.

- [How Smartphones Let You Rearrange and Organize Your Home Screen Icons](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11449194/spatial-audio-with-dynamic-head-tracking) — granted 2022
  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 the iPhone's Slide-to-Unlock Gesture Works](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8046721/unlocking-a-device-by-performing-gestures-on-an-unlock-image) — granted 2011
  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 Multi-Touch Gestures Like Pinch-to-Zoom Work on Smartphones](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7812826/iphone-software-keyboard) — granted 2010
  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 the iPhone's Slide-to-Unlock Gesture Works](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7657849/slide-to-unlock) — granted 2010
  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 Apple's Navigation Bar Manages App Screens](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7596761/os-x-dashboard-widgets) — granted 2009
  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 the iPhone's Jiggling App Icons Work](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7509588/os-x-spotlight-search) — granted 2009
  This patent describes the 'jiggle mode' on iPhones, where app icons shake to show they can be moved or deleted.
- [How Touchscreens Understand Your Finger Swipes and Scrolls](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7479949/iphone-multi-touch) — granted 2009
  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.

**Full profile:** https://patentbrief.org/inventor/greg-christie

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_Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Plain-English explanations of US patents._