Wayne C. Westerman

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 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.

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.