https://patentbrief.org/topic/patents-behind-the-smartphone Plain-English explanations of patents in The Patents Behind the Modern Smartphone, newest first. en-us Sat, 30 May 2026 23:25:46 GMT https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8683378/scrolling-techniques-for-user-interfaces Apple's 2014 patent on a scrolling system that speeds up or slows down based on how you interact with it, like how fast you flick your finger. Tue, 25 Mar 2014 00:00:00 GMT https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8683378/scrolling-techniques-for-user-interfaces https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7844915/application-programming-interfaces-for-scrolling-operations This patent describes how a touch-sensitive display system distinguishes between a single finger scrolling and multiple fingers performing gestures like pinching or rotating, and how it creates the 'rubberbanding' effect when you scroll past the end of content. Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7844915/application-programming-interfaces-for-scrolling-operations https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7657849/slide-to-unlock Apple's 2010 patent on unlocking a device by dragging a specific graphical image along a predefined path on a touchscreen, a gesture iconic with early iPhones. Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7657849/slide-to-unlock https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7512773/context-switching-using-halt-sequencing-protocol Nvidia's 2009 patent on a method to quickly switch between graphics tasks in a processing pipeline without waiting for every part to finish its current job. Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7512773/context-switching-using-halt-sequencing-protocol https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7352772/minimization-of-performance-impact-in-overlying-80211b-and-80211g-networks A 2003 patent by Lenovo for a Wi-Fi router that groups fast and slow wireless devices into separate time slots, preventing older 802.11b gadgets from dragging down the speed of newer 802.11g devices. Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/7352772/minimization-of-performance-impact-in-overlying-80211b-and-80211g-networks