How the iPhone Switches and Adds Mobile Web Browser Tabs
Apple's 2007 patent on using swipes, edge taps, and dedicated buttons to create and flip through multiple full-screen windows in a mobile web browser.
Original patent title: “Method, system, and graphical user interface for viewing multiple application windows”
Apple's 2007 patent on using swipes, edge taps, and dedicated buttons to create and flip through multiple full-screen windows in a mobile web browser. Granted to Apple Inc in 2012 with 24 claims and 88 forward citations.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
The patent describes how a mobile device manages multiple open screens, like web browser tabs, on a small display. First, a user taps a button to enter a window-management mode. Tapping a plus icon creates a brand-new window while hiding the previous one completely. To navigate between these open windows, the user can either tap the right side of the screen to slide the current window off and bring a third one on, or perform a right-to-left swipe gesture to slide a fourth window into view. This allows a user to cycle through multiple active web pages without needing a desktop-style tab bar.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover desktop-style tab bars where multiple tab headers remain visible at the top of the screen simultaneously.
- Does not cover switching windows using physical buttons instead of touchscreen gestures.
- Does not cover voice-activated window switching or creation.
- Does not cover closing windows, as the claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more → focus specifically on creating and navigating between active windows.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
Instead of shrinking desktop tabs to fit a tiny screen, the system hides inactive windows completely and uses simple edge-taps or swipe gestures to slide them back into view like a deck of cards.
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
The tab-switching interface in early versions of Apple Safari on iOS
The page-flipping navigation in mobile web browsers
Why it matters
The bigger picture
Filed on the eve of the original iPhone launch, this patent solved the problem of multi-window browsing on screens smaller than three by five inches. It defined the user experience of mobile Safari, allowing users to keep multiple web pages open without cluttering the limited screen space. This interface design became a standard pattern for early mobile web browsers.
Filed
January 5, 2007
Granted
July 3, 2012
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Apple continues to refine this window-management paradigm across iOS and iPadOS. Google also utilizes similar card-shuffling gestures for tab management in the mobile Chrome browser on Android devices.
Market impact
This patent helped establish the horizontal card-swipe metaphor as the dominant way to manage multiple documents on mobile devices. It protected Apple's early lead in mobile browser usability during the smartphone patent wars of the early 2010s.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
The patent describes how a mobile device manages multiple open screens, like web browser tabs, on a small display. First, a user taps a button to enter a window-management mode. Tapping a plus icon creates a brand-new window while hiding the previous one completely. To navigate between these open windows, the user can either tap the right side of the screen to slide the current window off and bring a third one on, or perform a right-to-left swipe gesture to slide a fourth window into view. This allows a user to cycle through multiple active web pages without needing a desktop-style tab bar.
The clever bit
Instead of shrinking desktop tabs to fit a tiny screen, the system hides inactive windows completely and uses simple edge-taps or swipe gestures to slide them back into view like a deck of cards.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover desktop-style tab bars where multiple tab headers remain visible at the top of the screen simultaneously.
- Does not cover switching windows using physical buttons instead of touchscreen gestures.
- Does not cover voice-activated window switching or creation.
- Does not cover closing windows, as the claims focus specifically on creating and navigating between active windows.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
High impact
Citation count
39/40
Highly cited
Claim breadth
16/20
Broad claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
5/20
Granted 10–20 years ago
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
$70K – $225K
Midpoint $140K · expired or expiring · 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
24 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Blumenberg, C., Williamson, R., Os, M. V., Boule, A. M. J., & Lemay, S. O. (2012). How the iPhone Switches and Adds Mobile Web Browser Tabs (U.S. Patent No. 8,214,768). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8214768/ios-notification-center
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 the iPhone Switches and Adds Mobile Web Browser Tabs cover?
Apple's 2007 patent on using swipes, edge taps, and dedicated buttons to create and flip through multiple full-screen windows in a mobile web browser.
Who owns patent US 8214768?
Apple Inc owns this patent, granted in 2012.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on July 3, 2032, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 8214768 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 88 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
Filed on the eve of the original iPhone launch, this patent solved the problem of multi-window browsing on screens smaller than three by five inches. It defined the user experience of mobile Safari, allowing users to keep multiple web pages open without cluttering the limited screen space. This interface design became a standard pattern for early mobile web browsers.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover desktop-style tab bars where multiple tab headers remain visible at the top of the screen simultaneously.
Same assignee
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