{
  "patent_number": "US 8291344",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Mobile Devices Switch Between Open Apps Using Gestures",
  "original_title": "Device, method, and graphical user interface for managing concurrently open software applications",
  "summary": "Apple's patent describes a way to switch between open apps on a touchscreen by showing a bar of app previews and selecting one with a tap.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent defines a specific way to manage multitasking on a mobile device. When a user triggers an 'application view selection mode,' the device displays a row of smaller images representing currently open apps alongside a separate area for launching new apps. The user selects an app by tapping one of these previews, which then expands to full-screen while the selection bar disappears. It specifically links the transition from a full-screen app to this selection mode and back again, ensuring that selecting an app restores its previous state.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover multitasking systems that do not use a dedicated 'predefined area' for app previews",
    "Does not cover app switching methods that rely solely on hardware buttons rather than gestures",
    "Does not cover systems that display all open apps in a grid rather than a specific selection bar area",
    "Does not cover background processes that manage memory without a specific graphical user interface component"
  ],
  "filed": "2010-09-22",
  "granted": "2012-10-16",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Apple Inc",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/apple-inc",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Imran Chaudhri",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/imran-chaudhri"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 70,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics",
    "software"
  ],
  "abstract": "A method includes displaying a first application view. A first input is detected, and an application view selection mode is entered for selecting one of concurrently open applications for display in a corresponding application view. An initial group of open application icons in a first predefined area and at least a portion of the first application view adjacent to the first predefined area are concurrently displayed. The initial group of open application icons corresponds to at least some of the concurrently open applications. A gesture is detected on a respective open application icon in the first predefined area, and a respective application view for a corresponding application is displayed without concurrently displaying an application view for any other application in the concurrently open applications. The open application icons in the first predefined area cease to be displayed, and the application view selection mode is exited.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8291344/ios-autocorrect-keyboard",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8291344/ios-autocorrect-keyboard/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US8291344",
  "relatedPatents": []
}