Infinite scroll allows you to scroll past the bottom to see older content. Pull to refresh allows you to scroll past the top to see newer content. I'm having a hard time finding the non-obvious aspect of the invention.
After looking around a bit, it seems like the non-obvious use people are employing is applying the concept even where the content isn't a list which will expand at the top when you refresh, but rather some other form of content that will be replaced with the up-to-date version when you refresh.
This is a silly patent. Imagine that you're looking at the months view of any calendar app in existence. Scroll, tap, swipe left? Older months. Scroll, tap, swipe right? Newer months.
Rotate 90 degrees and this concept is novel? Egads.
Your comparison has quite literally nothing to do with this patent, beyond beyond a method of touch interface. It is not simply rotated 90 degrees.
Further it's interesting how people could claim the obviousness of this despite the fact that there isn't a single known use before twitter started doing it (where it was then picked up by others). That's a pretty remarkably clear indication that it isn't obvious.
99% of software patents are bullshit that should never have been granted, with this patent being among them. However this patent is no worse, and is arguably better, than most that so many actually defend on here (hyperlinking phone numbers, for instance).
