{
  "patent_number": "US 7653883",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Phones Sense Your Finger Hovering Without Touching the Screen",
  "original_title": "Proximity detector in handheld device",
  "summary": "This patent describes a system for electronic devices, like phones, to detect a finger hovering just above the screen, display a specific interactive element below it, and then let you control that element with gestures without ever making contact.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes an \"I/O platform\" (like a phone's screen and sensors) that can detect when a finger is very close to, but not actually touching, its surface (Claim 1). It figures out the finger's position above the screen. Based on what app is running, the system then picks a specific \"graphical user interface element\" (like a button or a scroll bar) to show on the screen, directly underneath where the finger is hovering. Importantly, the system chooses this element based on the app's context, not the exact spot (x,y coordinates) where the finger first appeared (Claim 1). Once the element appears, the system can then detect gestures, like a circular motion, performed by the finger hovering above that displayed element. For example, if you hover your finger, a \"virtual scroll wheel\" might appear, and you could rotate your finger above it to scroll (Claim 5). This detection can happen using light, electrical capacitance, or sound waves (Claim 7).",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "It does not cover interactions where your finger directly touches the screen to provide input.",
    "It does not cover selecting a graphical element based on the precise X and Y coordinates of your finger's initial hover position over the application.",
    "It does not cover proximity detection systems that do not also determine the position of the hovering object.",
    "It does not cover gestures performed before a specific graphical user interface element is displayed below the hovering finger."
  ],
  "filed": "2005-09-30",
  "granted": "2010-01-26",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Apple Inc",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/apple-inc",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Anthony M. Fadell",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/anthony-m-fadell"
    },
    {
      "name": "Bas Ording",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/bas-ording"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jeffrey L. Robbin",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/jeffrey-l-robbin"
    },
    {
      "name": "Peter J. Kennedy",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/peter-j-kennedy"
    },
    {
      "name": "Steve P. Hotelling",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/steve-p-hotelling"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jonathan P. Ive",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/jonathan-p-ive"
    },
    {
      "name": "Duncan Robert Kerr",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/duncan-robert-kerr"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 860,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics",
    "software",
    "telecommunications"
  ],
  "abstract": "Proximity based systems and methods that are implemented on an electronic device are disclosed. The method includes sensing an object spaced away and in close proximity to the electronic device. The method also includes performing an action in the electronic device when an object is sensed.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7653883/multi-touch-trackpad-gestures",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7653883/multi-touch-trackpad-gestures/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US7653883",
  "relatedPatents": []
}