Patents Expiring in 2029

Controlling a Camera on Your Phone with a Separate Gadget

Apple's 2014 patent describes how a separate device, like a remote control, can talk to a phone to take pictures and videos, and show them on the remote.

How the iPhone's Slide-to-Unlock Gesture Works

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.

Predicting User Interests Based on Who Looks at Whose Profile

A method for predicting what a user might be interested in by analyzing the web of connections created when people view each other's social media profile pages.

How Specific Antibody Drugs Are Stabilized for Storage and Use

Genentech's 2013 patent details a precise recipe for an antibody drug, like Pertuzumab, using a special buffer, sugar, and cleaning agent to keep it stable for patients.

How Devices Predict Your Next Move Using Gestures and History

A patent for a smart interface that tracks your physical gestures and past habits to predict what you want to do next, showing custom options on a screen to save you time.

How Software Automatically Ranks and Manages Online Customer Feedback

A system that automatically finds, scores, and prioritizes online mentions of a company so they can respond to the most important conversations first.

How Devices Track Offline Ad Watching and Share Media Recommendations

A system for tracking which ads a user watches in downloaded video files while offline and reporting that data back to publishers once the device reconnects to the internet.

How eBay Uses Image Fingerprints to Search for Products

A system that lets you search for items on a marketplace by uploading a photo instead of typing text, using image 'fingerprints' to find matching products.

How to Buy Digital Media Once and Get Multiple Formats

A system that lets you pay for a digital file once and download it in different formats from various providers without paying again.

How Computers Automatically Target Ads Based on Trending Internet Memes

A system that finds trending internet topics, measures how fast they are spreading, and automatically places relevant advertisements on the web pages where those topics are being discussed.

How to Detect Heart Disease in Cats Using Blood Tests

A diagnostic method that uses specific antibodies to measure a protein in cat blood, helping veterinarians identify heart disease.

How to Measure Stability in Complex Power Grids Using D-Q Impedance

A method for testing how electrical components in a power grid react to disturbances to ensure the grid remains stable and doesn't crash.

How Touchscreens Tell Real Touches From False Ghost Touches

A method for capacitive touchscreens to distinguish between actual finger presses and false ghost signals that occur when multiple points are touched simultaneously.

Using Plant-Derived Chemicals and Metabolic Drugs to Fight Cancer

A medical patent describing a combination therapy that pairs specific plant-derived compounds with metabolic drugs to kill cancer cells more effectively than either could alone.

How Computers Calculate Probabilities in Large Knowledge Bases

A method for finding answers in a database of uncertain facts by ignoring probabilities to find a solution first, then calculating how likely that solution is based on the underlying evidence.

How Remote Devices Prove They Have Not Been Tampered With

A system for a remote device to prove to a central server that its internal security processes are running correctly without exposing sensitive raw data.

How Human Searchers Unlock Restricted Web Content for Users

A system that uses human searchers to access password-protected or subscription-based websites to retrieve information for users who otherwise cannot see that content.