# How Multi-Touch Gestures Like Pinch-to-Zoom Work on Smartphones > Apple's patent on using two-finger gestures to manipulate images and objects on a touchscreen, allowing for smooth zooming and rotation even if you lift your fingers briefly. - **Patent:** US 7812826 - **Original title:** Portable electronic device with multi-touch input - **Owner:** Apple Inc - **Granted:** 2010 - **Status:** Public domain (expired) - **Times cited:** 163 - **Field:** consumer_electronics, software ## What it does This patent describes how a device tracks two or more fingers on a touchscreen to change a digital object. When you move your fingers apart or together, the device detects this motion and adjusts a parameter, such as the zoom level or orientation of an image. A key feature is the ability to lift your fingers and place them back down within a short time window to continue the same adjustment without the action resetting. It also includes a clever trick where the image resolution is lowered while you are actively moving it to keep the animation smooth, then sharpened once you stop. ## What it does NOT cover - Does not cover single-finger gestures like simple scrolling or tapping. - Does not cover gestures that do not involve at least two distinct points of contact. - Does not cover hardware sensors that are not multi-touch sensitive. - Does not cover non-graphical operations that do not involve adjusting a parameter of an object. ## The clever bit The patent solves the 'finger-runway' problem: it allows you to continue a complex gesture (like zooming in) by letting you lift your fingers and reset their position without losing the progress of the adjustment. ## Real-world examples 1. Pinching two fingers together to zoom out on an iPhone photo 2. Spreading two fingers apart to zoom in on a map 3. Rotating two fingers to spin an image on screen ## Why it matters This patent was a cornerstone of the multi-touch interface that defined the modern smartphone era. It provided the legal foundation for the intuitive 'pinch-to-zoom' and rotation gestures that Apple famously defended in global patent litigation against competitors like Samsung to protect the iPhone's unique user experience. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does How Multi-Touch Gestures Like Pinch-to-Zoom Work on Smartphones cover? Apple's patent on using two-finger gestures to manipulate images and objects on a touchscreen, allowing for smooth zooming and rotation even if you lift your fingers briefly. ### Who owns patent US 7812826? Apple Inc owns this patent, granted in 2010. ### When does this patent expire? This patent is expected to expire on October 12, 2030, when the invention enters the public domain. ### What is patent US 7812826 cited by? This patent has been cited by 163 later patents that build on its ideas. ### What problem does this patent solve? This patent was a cornerstone of the multi-touch interface that defined the modern smartphone era. It provided the legal foundation for the intuitive 'pinch-to-zoom' and rotation gestures that Apple famously defended in global patent litigation against competitors like Samsung to protect the iPhone's unique user experience. ### What does this patent NOT cover? Does not cover single-finger gestures like simple scrolling or tapping. **Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7812826/iphone-software-keyboard **Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US7812826 --- _Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._ ## Related patents Semantically similar inventions in the PatentBrief corpus: - [How Multi-Touch Screens Track Multiple Fingers at Once](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7663607/multipoint-touchscreen) — Apple's 2010 patent describes a touch screen that uses two layers of transparent conductive lines to detect several fingers touching the screen simultaneously. - [How a Multi-Touch Screen Detects Multiple Fingers and Palms](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/6323846/aqua-user-interface) — This patent describes the underlying electronic circuits and methods for a multi-touch surface that can track multiple fingers and palms simultaneously, even before they fully touch the screen. - [How Smartphones Let You Rearrange and Organize Your Home Screen Icons](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11449194/spatial-audio-with-dynamic-head-tracking) — Apple's patent describes the specific software logic used to let users drag, drop, and rearrange app icons on a touchscreen by entering a special 'jiggle' mode. - [How Touchscreens Understand Your Finger Swipes and Scrolls](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7479949/iphone-multi-touch) — 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 Touchscreens Handle Scrolling and Rubber-Band Effects](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7844915/application-programming-interfaces-for-scrolling-operations) — This patent describes the software logic that allows touchscreens to distinguish between simple scrolling and multi-finger gestures, while also enabling the signature 'rubber-band' bounce effect when you reach the end of a page.