Imran Chaudhri

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.