How Folders With Multiple Pages Work on Touchscreens
Apple's patent describes how to organize apps into multi-page folders and move icons between those pages by dragging them to specific screen edges.
Original patent title: “Device, method, and graphical user interface for managing folders with multiple pages”
Apple's patent describes how to organize apps into multi-page folders and move icons between those pages by dragging them to specific screen edges. Granted to Apple Inc in 2023 with 39 claims and 3 forward citations.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent details a system for managing app icons inside folders that contain more items than can fit on a single screen. When a user opens a folder, they see a first page of icons. The system allows a user to drag an icon to a specific region—like the edge of the screen—to trigger a page flip. If the user drags the icon to a different region, the folder view closes. This mechanism allows for intuitive organization of large app collections on mobile devices.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover folder systems that only allow a single page of icons.
- Does not cover moving icons between folders using non-drag gestures like long-press menus.
- Does not cover automatic sorting or organizational logic that does not involve user-initiated dragging.
- Does not cover folder management on devices without touch-sensitive displays.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
The system uses the spatial location of the dragged icon as a control signal; dragging to one edge flips the page, while dragging to another region exits the folder, effectively using the screen's layout as a multi-function input controller.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
iOS Home Screen folder management
iPadOS app organization folders
Why it matters
The bigger picture
As mobile operating systems matured, users accumulated hundreds of apps, making single-page folder views obsolete. This patent protects the specific interaction design that keeps the home screen clean while allowing users to manage large libraries of applications across multiple pages within a single folder container.
Filed
March 18, 2022
Granted
November 7, 2023
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Apple continues to refine this interface within the iOS and iPadOS ecosystems. Other mobile operating system developers, such as those working on Android, utilize similar spatial-drag mechanics for folder management, though the specific implementation details described here are unique to Apple's intellectual property.
Market impact
This patent formalizes the standard interaction model for mobile app organization. By securing the specific gesture-based page-turning mechanism, it ensures that Apple's proprietary approach to managing high-density app environments remains protected against direct UI replication by competitors in the smartphone and tablet markets.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent details a system for managing app icons inside folders that contain more items than can fit on a single screen. When a user opens a folder, they see a first page of icons. The system allows a user to drag an icon to a specific region—like the edge of the screen—to trigger a page flip. If the user drags the icon to a different region, the folder view closes. This mechanism allows for intuitive organization of large app collections on mobile devices.
The clever bit
The system uses the spatial location of the dragged icon as a control signal; dragging to one edge flips the page, while dragging to another region exits the folder, effectively using the screen's layout as a multi-function input controller.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover folder systems that only allow a single page of icons.
- Does not cover moving icons between folders using non-drag gestures like long-press menus.
- Does not cover automatic sorting or organizational logic that does not involve user-initiated dragging.
- Does not cover folder management on devices without touch-sensitive displays.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Strong
Citation count
12/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
20/20
Very broad protection
Recency
20/20
Granted within 5 years
Assignee scale
20/20
Major company or institution
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$115K – $369K
Midpoint $230K · 15.8 yr remaining · industry ×1.6
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
39 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Chaudhri, I., & Os, M. V. (2023). How Folders With Multiple Pages Work on Touchscreens (U.S. Patent No. 11,809,700). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11809700/vision-pro-eye-tracking
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How Folders With Multiple Pages Work on Touchscreens cover?
Apple's patent describes how to organize apps into multi-page folders and move icons between those pages by dragging them to specific screen edges.
Who owns patent US 11809700?
Apple Inc owns this patent, granted in 2023.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on November 7, 2043, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 11809700 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 3 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
As mobile operating systems matured, users accumulated hundreds of apps, making single-page folder views obsolete. This patent protects the specific interaction design that keeps the home screen clean while allowing users to manage large libraries of applications across multiple pages within a single folder container.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover folder systems that only allow a single page of icons.
Same assignee
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