Unlike physical patents, software patents must claim a specific technical method or process — not a general idea. Courts have increasingly required that software patents show an inventive concept beyond abstract algorithms. The patents below represent significant advances in how software systems actually work.
Software Patents
24 patents
US 7657849 · 2010 · Apple Inc
How the iPhone's Slide-to-Unlock Gesture Works
US 4405829 · 1983 · Massachusetts Institute of Technology
How RSA Public-Key Encryption Keeps Digital Messages Secret
US 4575330 · 1986 · UVP Inc
How 3D Printers Build Objects Layer by Layer from Liquid
US 5121329 · 1992 · Stratasys Inc
How Machines Build 3D Objects Layer by Layer from Melting Plastic
US 7479949 · 2009 · Apple Inc
How Touchscreens Understand Your Finger Swipes and Scrolls
US 5347632 · 1994 · Prodigy Services Co
Prodigy's System for Interactive Online Information and Shopping
US 4528643 · 1985 · FPDC Inc
How Stores Make Custom Products On-Demand with Remote Approval
US 10452978 · 2019 · Google LLC
How AI Models Understand Language Using 'Attention'
US 3906166 · 1975 · Motorola Inc
How Early Cell Phones Handled Calls Across Different Towers
US 6285999 · 2001 · Leland Stanford Junior University
How Websites Get Ranked by Importance
US 7469381 · 2008 · Apple Inc
How Touchscreens Show and Snap Back When You Scroll Past an Edge
US 5960411 · 1999 · Amazon com Inc
How Amazon's One-Click Ordering Works for Online Purchases
US 5471515 · 1995 · California Institute of Technology
How a Modern Camera Sensor Captures Light and Converts It to Data
US 4063220 · 1977 · Xerox Corp
How Multiple Computers Share a Network Cable Without Crashing
US 3778614 · 1973 · EMI Ltd
How Early CT Scans Created Detailed Body Images
US 7669123 · 2010 · Facebook Inc
Displaying Friends' Activities in a Social Network Feed
US 7653883 · 2010 · Apple Inc
How Phones Sense Your Finger Hovering Without Touching the Screen
US 4200770 · 1980 · Leland Stanford Junior University
How to Create a Secret Code Key Without Meeting First
US 9548050 · 2017 · Apple Inc
How a Digital Assistant Launches Apps Using Your Voice
US RE47218 · 2019 · Masimo Corp
How Medical Monitors Adapt Oxygen Alarms to Reduce False Alerts
US 5825352 · 1998 · Logitech Inc
Logitech's Method for Using Two Fingers on a Touchpad
US 4558302 · 1985 · Sperry Corp
How Computers Compress Data Using Dictionary Building
US 11204787 · 2021 · Apple Inc
How Digital Assistants Control Apps and Ask for More Information
US 10878335 · 2020 · Amazon Technologies Inc
How Computers Find Similar Text Using Compact Data Structures
Browse other categories