How Smartphones Manage Multiple Notifications on a Locked Screen
A patent describing how a locked smartphone displays multiple notifications from different apps and allows users to interact with them individually without unlocking the phone.
Original patent title: “Systems and methods for displaying notifications received from multiple applications”
A patent describing how a locked smartphone displays multiple notifications from different apps and allows users to interact with them individually without unlocking the phone. Granted to Apple Inc in 2024 with 33 claims and 1 forward citation.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent details a system for managing how a locked smartphone shows alerts from various apps. When two or more notifications arrive, the device displays them concurrently on the lock screen. If a user taps or interacts with one specific notification, the system reveals hidden controls—like a snooze button or a slider—for that specific alert while keeping the other notification visible. This allows the user to perform tasks, such as stopping an alarm or managing a message, directly from the lock screen.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover notifications that require the device to be fully unlocked to interact with them.
- Does not cover systems that only show one notification at a time on the lock screen.
- Does not cover notifications that lack interactive controls or buttons.
- Does not cover voice-command-based notification management.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
The system maintains the 'locked' state while providing granular, app-specific interactivity, effectively creating a secure, temporary workspace for individual notifications without exposing the rest of the device's data.
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 Lock Screen notification stacks
Interactive notification banners on modern smartphones
Snooze and reply buttons on lock screen alerts
Why it matters
The bigger picture
As smartphones have become our primary communication hubs, the volume of notifications has exploded. This patent reflects the industry shift toward making lock screens functional dashboards rather than just static security gates, allowing users to triage information quickly without the friction of authentication.
Filed
September 23, 2022
Granted
March 5, 2024
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Apple is the primary developer of this technology, integrating these interaction patterns directly into iOS. Other major mobile operating system developers, such as Google for Android, navigate similar design spaces for notification management.
Market impact
This patent reinforces the standard of 'actionable' lock screens, which has become a baseline expectation for mobile operating systems. It helps define the user experience boundaries for how much data and control a user should have before they formally unlock their device.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent details a system for managing how a locked smartphone shows alerts from various apps. When two or more notifications arrive, the device displays them concurrently on the lock screen. If a user taps or interacts with one specific notification, the system reveals hidden controls—like a snooze button or a slider—for that specific alert while keeping the other notification visible. This allows the user to perform tasks, such as stopping an alarm or managing a message, directly from the lock screen.
The clever bit
The system maintains the 'locked' state while providing granular, app-specific interactivity, effectively creating a secure, temporary workspace for individual notifications without exposing the rest of the device's data.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover notifications that require the device to be fully unlocked to interact with them.
- Does not cover systems that only show one notification at a time on the lock screen.
- Does not cover notifications that lack interactive controls or buttons.
- Does not cover voice-command-based notification management.
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
6/40
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 · 16.3 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
33 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Block, E., & Chaudhri, I. (2024). How Smartphones Manage Multiple Notifications on a Locked Screen (U.S. Patent No. 11,921,980). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11921980/vision-pro-optic-id
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 Smartphones Manage Multiple Notifications on a Locked Screen cover?
A patent describing how a locked smartphone displays multiple notifications from different apps and allows users to interact with them individually without unlocking the phone.
Who owns patent US 11921980?
Apple Inc owns this patent, granted in 2024.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on March 5, 2044, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 11921980 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 1 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
As smartphones have become our primary communication hubs, the volume of notifications has exploded. This patent reflects the industry shift toward making lock screens functional dashboards rather than just static security gates, allowing users to triage information quickly without the friction of authentication.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover notifications that require the device to be fully unlocked to interact with them.
Same assignee
More from Apple Inc
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