{
  "patent_number": "US 7469381",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Touchscreens Show and Snap Back When You Scroll Past an Edge",
  "original_title": "List scrolling and document translation, scaling, and rotation on a touch-screen display",
  "summary": "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.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes a method for scrolling content on a touchscreen device. When a user moves an object, like a finger, on the screen (as per claim 3 and 4), an electronic document (like a web page or image, per claims 6-8) scrolls in that direction. If the user keeps scrolling past the document's actual edge while their finger is still touching, the device displays an empty area beyond that edge (claim 1). For example, if you scroll to the very top of a photo album and keep pulling down, you'll see a gray space appear above the first photo. Once the user lifts their finger, the document automatically translates back in the opposite direction until the empty area is no longer visible, creating an elastic 'bounce' effect (claim 1 and 16).",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover scrolling that simply stops abruptly at the edge of a document without showing any area beyond the edge.",
    "Does not cover scrolling mechanisms that do not involve a touch screen display, such as using a mouse wheel or keyboard arrows.",
    "Does not cover scrolling where the document remains stretched or displaced after the user lifts their finger, as it specifically requires translating back until the area beyond the edge is no longer displayed.",
    "Does not cover scrolling that involves changing the magnification (zooming) or rotation of the document, as the claims focus on translation and specify 'same magnification' (claim 2)."
  ],
  "filed": "2007-12-14",
  "granted": "2008-12-23",
  "expires": "2027-12-14",
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Apple Inc",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/apple-inc",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Bas Ording",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/bas-ording"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 402,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics",
    "software",
    "telecommunications"
  ],
  "abstract": "In accordance with some embodiments, a computer-implemented method for use in conjunction with a device with a touch screen display is disclosed. In the method, a movement of an object on or near the touch screen display is detected. In response to detecting the movement, an electronic document displayed on the touch screen display is translated in a first direction. If an edge of the electronic document is reached while translating the electronic document in the first direction while the object is still detected on or near the touch screen display, an area beyond the edge of the document is displayed. After the object is no longer detected on or near the touch screen display, the document is translated in a second direction until the area beyond the edge of the document is no longer displayed.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7469381/iphone-rubberbanding",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7469381/iphone-rubberbanding/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US7469381",
  "relatedPatents": [
    {
      "patentNumber": "7844915",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How Touchscreens Handle Scrolling and Rubber-Band Effects",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7844915/application-programming-interfaces-for-scrolling-operations"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "8683378",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How Smartphones Switch Between Slow and Fast Scrolling",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8683378/scrolling-techniques-for-user-interfaces"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "7479949",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How Touchscreens Understand Your Finger Swipes and Scrolls",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7479949/iphone-multi-touch"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "8448084",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How Pull-to-Refresh Works on Your Smartphone",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8448084/pull-to-refresh-gesture"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "7657849",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How the iPhone's Slide-to-Unlock Gesture Works",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7657849/slide-to-unlock"
    }
  ]
}