{
  "patent_number": "US 10275117",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How the Apple Watch Uses the Digital Crown to Flip Objects",
  "original_title": "User interface object manipulations in a user interface",
  "summary": "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.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes a way to interact with 3D virtual objects, like a cube or a dial, on a small screen using a physical rotating crown. When you spin the crown, the device tracks the speed of your rotation. If you spin it fast enough to cross a specific speed threshold, the system triggers an animation that continues rotating the object to reveal a new side or data surface. If you spin it slowly, the system treats it as a smaller adjustment and may snap the object back to its original position. This allows users to navigate through complex data on a tiny display without needing to touch the screen itself.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover rotating objects using only touch gestures on the screen.",
    "Does not cover systems that lack a physical crown or rotating input mechanism.",
    "Does not cover non-wearable devices, such as smartphones or tablets.",
    "Does not cover interactions that do not involve a speed-based threshold for triggering the rotation animation."
  ],
  "filed": "2014-09-03",
  "granted": "2019-04-30",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Apple Inc",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/apple-inc",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Lawrence Y. YANG",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/lawrence-y-yang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Eric Lance Wilson",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/eric-lance-wilson"
    },
    {
      "name": "Christopher Patrick FOSS",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/christopher-patrick-foss"
    },
    {
      "name": "Alan C. Dye",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/alan-c-dye"
    },
    {
      "name": "Natalia MARIC",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/natalia-maric"
    },
    {
      "name": "Aurelio GUZMAN",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/aurelio-guzman"
    },
    {
      "name": "Chanaka G. Karunamuni",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/chanaka-g-karunamuni"
    },
    {
      "name": "Imran Chaudhri",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/imran-chaudhri"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jonathan R. DASCOLA",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/jonathan-r-dascola"
    },
    {
      "name": "Christopher Wilson",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/christopher-wilson"
    },
    {
      "name": "Gary Ian BUTCHER",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/gary-ian-butcher"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jonathan P. Ive",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/jonathan-p-ive"
    },
    {
      "name": "Nicholas Zambetti",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/nicholas-zambetti"
    },
    {
      "name": "Stephen O. Lemay",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/stephen-o-lemay"
    },
    {
      "name": "Duncan Robert Kerr",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/duncan-robert-kerr"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 18,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics",
    "software",
    "mechanical"
  ],
  "abstract": "Systems and processes for manipulating a graphical user interface are disclosed. One process can include receiving user input through a crown to rotate a virtual object. The process includes selecting a surface of the object from among the multiple surfaces of the object in response to determining that the crown rotation exceeded a speed threshold.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10275117/apple-watch-heart-rate-sensor",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10275117/apple-watch-heart-rate-sensor/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US10275117",
  "relatedPatents": []
}