It's worth noting that the application isn't only for "pull to refresh". The first independent claim covers "scroll past the extant content area to do something else".
Scrolling to the left of the iOS home screen to bring up the search interface runs afoul of that claim as written.
As does scrolling in the built-in Google Maps app.
This kind of patent is bad for the industry because it is absurdly broad. Whether patents on UI are a good idea, or whether this is truly novel and not just an extension of the 'infinite scroll' of things like Google Maps, is almost irrelevant in comparison.
The first independent claim covers "scroll past the extant content area to do something else".
This is common among most patents -- overly broad claims that then specialize down to specific implementations. Most patent holders know not to claim infringement on the broad claims because it has a 100% chance of being invalidated.
Scrolling to the left of the iOS home screen to bring up the search interface runs afoul of that claim as written.
As does scrolling in the built-in Google Maps app.
This kind of patent is bad for the industry because it is absurdly broad. Whether patents on UI are a good idea, or whether this is truly novel and not just an extension of the 'infinite scroll' of things like Google Maps, is almost irrelevant in comparison.