Flexible display apparatus and controlling method thereof

• US 10,120,458 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2017
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kwak, Ji-yeon, Jung, Sang-keun, Sohn, Jung-joo, Kim, Hyun-jin, Lee, Geun-ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosario, Nelson
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US15/606,878
• Publication Number:
  US 20170262070A1
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 715700-866
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03 Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/068 for control of viewing angle adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0464 Positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 to produce spatial visual effects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/035 for flexible display surfaces

Abstract

A flexible display apparatus is provided. The flexible display apparatus includes a display configured to display content on a screen, a sensor configured to detect bending of the display from a first form to a second form, and a controller configured to reconstruct the content based on the bending and to display the reconstructed content in a first screen generated in one region of the display when it is determined that the display is restored to the first form.

Claims

1. A flexible display apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a display;

a sensor configured to detect folding of the display; and

a main processor configured to;

display a content related to a first application while the display is in a flat state,

in response to a predetermined event occurring, display a plurality of applications, and

in response to restoration of the display to the flat state after the display is bent from the flat state to a folded state in a state where an application among the displayed applications is selected, display the content related to the first application on a first area of the display and the selected application on a second area of the display,

wherein the first area and the second area are divided by a folding line of the folded state.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of applications are displayed as a plurality of icons corresponding to the plurality of applications.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of applications includes an email application.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of applications includes a web browser.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of applications includes a messaging application.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the folding line of the folded state is one of a line dividing a display into two substantially equal halves, or a line dividing a display into a first portion and a second portion, the first portion and second portion having different sizes.

3. A method for controlling a flexible display apparatus, the method comprising:

displaying a content related to a first application on a display of the flexible display apparatus while the display is in a flat state;

in response to a predetermined event occurring, displaying a plurality of applications, and

in response to restoration of the display to the flat state after the display is bent from the flat state to a folded state in a state where an application among the displayed applications is selected,

displaying the content related to the first application on a first area of the display and the selected application on a second area of the display,

wherein the first area and the second area are divided by a folding line of the folded state.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the plurality of applications are displayed as a plurality of icons corresponding to the plurality of applications.

9. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein at least one of the plurality of applications includes an email application.

10. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein at least one of the plurality of applications includes a web browser.

11. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein at least one of the plurality of applications includes a messaging application.

12. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the folding line of the folded state is one of a line dividing a display into two substantially equal halves, or a line dividing a display into a first portion and a second portion, the first portion and second portion having different sizes.