US 7,657,849 · Granted 2010-02-02

The Gesture-Lock Patent That Unlocked the iPhone

Apple patented a way to unlock a phone by swiping, dragging, or moving images on the screen instead of typing a password. The phone shows you a picture and watches how you touch and move it—if your gesture matches the secret pattern, the device unlocks. It's like a security system that reads your touch.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The claim covers the core method of unlocking a touch-screen device by recognizing predefined gestures performed directly on displayed unlock images. What's protected here is the combination of: displaying an unlock image on a touch-sensitive screen, detecting when a user makes a specific gesture (like dragging or moving that image), comparing the user's gesture to a stored pattern, and only unlocking the device if they match. This includes visual feedback showing the user what gesture to perform.

Why it matters

This patent became central to iPhone's original design philosophy—replacing mechanical buttons and text passwords with intuitive touch gestures. Apple filed this in late 2005, just before the first iPhone launched in 2007. The gesture-based unlock became an iconic part of iPhone's appeal and user experience, differentiating it from competitors who relied on traditional PIN codes and physical keys. The patent was part of Apple's broader portfolio that protected the revolutionary touch-interface concept.

Real-world use

Every iPhone user who has ever swiped the lock screen or dragged an unlock slider upward is interacting with technology this patent covers. The visual cues and gesture recognition you see and feel are direct implementations of what this patent describes.

Original USPTO 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.

Patent details

Publication number: US 7,657,849
Filing date: 2005-12-23
Grant date: 2010-02-02
Assignee: Apple Inc.
Inventor(s): CHAUDHRI IMRAN, ORDING BAS, ANZURES FREDDY ALLEN, VAN OS MARCEL, LEMAY STEPHEN O., FORSTALL SCOTT, CHRISTIE GREG
CPC class: G06F3/04883

View original record on Google Patents →

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