Apple Granted Patent for Creating and Managing iOS Folders with Jiggles Effect

Apple has been granted a patent today for their invention relating to creating and managing iOS folders.

Any time an iDevice owner wants to move one of their apps from one page to another or to put them into favorite folders, it begins by placing a finger on the app icon that's to be moved and sustaining a hold position until the entire iOS UI begins to jiggle. Once in that jiggle state the user is able to move the app icon at will. In Apple's patent FIG. 5B below, we see that the iDevice has entered a user interface reconfiguration mode whereby the selectable user interface objects jiggle as though they are floating on water.

Apple notes that exemplary manipulations include creating a folder, displaying a folder view associated with a folder, adding selectable user interface objects (e.g., application icons, document icons, folder icons, etc.) to a folder, removing selectable user interface objects from a folder, repositioning selectable user interface objects within a folder view of a folder, repositioning a folder icon within an arrangement of selectable user interface objects and deleting a folder. Exemplary selectable user interface objects include icons representing applications, digital images, video, text, icons, and other documents, as well as applications icons that are associated with computing applications (e.g., mobile device applications and/or personal computer applications, etc.).

Apple credits Imran Chaudhri as the sole inventor of granted patent 8,423,911 which was originally filed in Q3 2010 and published today by the US Patent and Trademark Office. Linkedin humorously presents Chaudhri's position as one who "makes things at Apple."

Other granted patents relating to the iOS user interface includes one titled "Selection user interface" under 8,423,914 and another titled "Device, method, and graphical user interface for manipulation of user interface objects with activation regions" under 8,421,762.

Apple Granted Three Design Patents Today

Apple was granted three design patents today. The first covers the iPhone 3GS, the second covers Apple's iOS icon for a "Reminders" list and the third represents their design for grouping apps into folders.

The Remaining Patents that were granted to Apple Today

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