{
  "patent_number": "US 8046721",
  "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 2011 patent describes a method for unlocking a touchscreen device by dragging a specific graphical icon from a starting point to a designated end point.",
  "what_it_does": "The patent defines a specific interaction where a user touches an 'unlock image' on a locked screen and drags it to a target area. The device tracks the user's finger contact and moves the image in real-time as the finger moves. The device only transitions to an unlocked state once the image reaches a predefined 'unlock region.' This mechanism ensures that the device does not unlock from accidental touches, as the movement must be continuous and reach a specific destination.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover unlocking via biometrics like a fingerprint or face scan.",
    "Does not cover pattern-based unlocking where the user draws a shape across a grid of dots.",
    "Does not cover unlocking via a simple single tap or press of a physical button.",
    "Does not cover gestures that do not involve moving a specific graphical unlock image."
  ],
  "filed": "2009-06-02",
  "granted": "2011-10-25",
  "expires": "2029-06-02",
  "status": "active",
  "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": 141,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics",
    "software"
  ],
  "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/8046721/unlocking-a-device-by-performing-gestures-on-an-unlock-image",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8046721/unlocking-a-device-by-performing-gestures-on-an-unlock-image/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US8046721",
  "relatedPatents": [
    {
      "patentNumber": "7657849",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How the iPhone's Slide-to-Unlock Gesture Works",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7657849/slide-to-unlock"
    },
    {
      "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": "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": "7479949",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How Touchscreens Understand Your Finger Swipes and Scrolls",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7479949/iphone-multi-touch"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "8291344",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How Mobile Devices Switch Between Open Apps Using Gestures",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8291344/ios-autocorrect-keyboard"
    }
  ]
}