{
  "patent_number": "US 7657849",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How the iPhone's Slide-to-Unlock Gesture Works",
  "original_title": "Unlocking a device by performing gestures on an unlock image",
  "summary": "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.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes a method for unlocking an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display. While the device is locked in a 'user-interface lock state,' it displays an 'unlock image,' which is a graphical, interactive object (Claim 1). To unlock the device, a user must make contact with the display and move this unlock image along a 'predefined displayed path' (Claim 1). If the detected contact corresponds to this specific 'predefined gesture,' the device transitions to an unlocked state (Claim 1). If the contact does not match the predefined gesture, the device remains locked and prevents other actions (Claim 2). For example, a user might drag a horizontal slider image across the screen to a specific endpoint (Claim 5, Claim 10).",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Unlocking methods that do not involve moving a graphical 'unlock image' on the display.",
    "Unlocking gestures that do not follow a 'predefined displayed path' (e.g., drawing a freeform pattern or shape).",
    "Unlocking by simply tapping or pressing an image without moving it along a path.",
    "Unlocking mechanisms that do not require continuous contact with the display, such as voice commands or biometric scans (Claim 4).",
    "Unlocking by moving an image to a predefined location without following a specific displayed path."
  ],
  "filed": "2005-12-23",
  "granted": "2010-02-02",
  "expires": "2025-12-23",
  "status": "expired",
  "holder": "Apple Inc",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/apple-inc",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Freddy Allen Anzures",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/freddy-allen-anzures"
    },
    {
      "name": "Scott Forstall",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/scott-forstall"
    },
    {
      "name": "Bas Ording",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/bas-ording"
    },
    {
      "name": "Imran Chaudhri",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/imran-chaudhri"
    },
    {
      "name": "Marcel van Os",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/marcel-van-os"
    },
    {
      "name": "Greg Christie",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/greg-christie"
    },
    {
      "name": "Stephen O. Lemay",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/stephen-o-lemay"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 1269,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics",
    "software",
    "telecommunications"
  ],
  "abstract": "A device with a touch-sensitive display may be unlocked via gestures performed on the touch-sensitive display. The device is unlocked if contact with the display corresponds to a predefined gesture for unlocking the device. The device displays one or more unlock images with respect to which the predefined gesture is to be performed in order to unlock the device. The performance of the predefined gesture with respect to the unlock image may include moving the unlock image to a predefined location and/or moving the unlock image along a predefined path. The device may also display visual cues of the predefined gesture on the touch screen to remind a user of the gesture.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7657849/slide-to-unlock",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7657849/slide-to-unlock/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US7657849",
  "relatedPatents": [
    {
      "patentNumber": "8046721",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How the iPhone's Slide-to-Unlock Gesture Works",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8046721/unlocking-a-device-by-performing-gestures-on-an-unlock-image"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "7479949",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How Touchscreens Understand Your Finger Swipes and Scrolls",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7479949/iphone-multi-touch"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "7812826",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How Multi-Touch Gestures Like Pinch-to-Zoom Work on Smartphones",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7812826/iphone-software-keyboard"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "7509588",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How the iPhone's Jiggling App Icons Work",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7509588/os-x-spotlight-search"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "8423911",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How Smartphones Organize Apps into Folders",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8423911/ios-control-center"
    }
  ]
}