User terminal device and displaying method thereof

• US 10,379,573 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2015
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Hae-yoon, Kwak, Ji-yeon, Yoon, Yeo-jun, Kim, Yun-kyung, Kim, Hyun-jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Sadio, Insa
• Application Number:
  US14/618,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20150227224A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,645 Days
• Field of Search: 345428, 345173, 705319
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• 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 3/0487 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: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A user terminal device and a displaying method thereof are provided. The user terminal device includes a display configured to be divided into a plurality of display areas along a plurality of folding lines, a plurality of hinges configured to support the display along the plurality of folding lines, a detector configured to detect a bending state of the display along the plurality of folding lines, and a controller configured to, in response to a detection of the display being bent along at least one of the plurality of folding lines, control the display to display information in the plurality of display areas based on a bending state of the display.

Claims

1. A user terminal device comprising:

a display that is flexible and configured to be divided into a plurality of display areas along a plurality of folding lines;

a plurality of hinges configured to support the display along the plurality of folding lines;

a detector configured to detect a bending state of the display along the plurality of folding lines; and

a controller configured to, based on a detection of the display being bent along at least one of the plurality of folding lines, perform different operations based on the bending state of the display,

wherein the plurality of hinges comprises a first hinge and a second hinge,

wherein the first hinge is disposed between a first display area and a second display area of the plurality of display areas, and the second hinge is disposed between the second display area and a third display area of the plurality of display areas, and

wherein the controller is further configured to;

based on a detection of a bending interaction of bending the first display area in a first direction at an angle within a first predetermined angle range with reference to the first hinge while an image content is displayed on the display in an unfolded state, store the image content in a first folder, and

based on a detection of a bending interaction of bending the third display area in a second direction at an angle within a second predetermined angle range with reference to the second hinge while the image content is displayed on the display in the unfolded state, store the image content in a second folder.

2. The user terminal device as claimed in claim 1, wherein based on a detection of a bending interaction of bending the first display area in the first direction with reference to the first hinge and unfolding the first display area while a first page of an electronic book (E-book) is displayed on the display when the display is in an unfolded state, the controller is further configured to control the display to display a previous page of the E-book, and

based on a detection of a bending interaction of bending the third display area in the second direction with reference to the second hinge and unfolding the third display area while the first page of the E-book is displayed on the display when the display is in the unfolded state, the controller is further configured to control the display to display a next page of the E-book.

3. The user terminal device as claimed in claim 1, wherein based on a detection of a bending interaction of bending the display so that a shape of the display is changed while an execution screen of a first application is displayed on the display when the display is in an unfolded state, the controller is further configured to control the display to display an execution screen of a different application in the first display area and the third display area based on the changed shape.

4. The user terminal device as claimed in claim 3, wherein based on a detection of a bending interaction of bending the display such that the first display area is located higher than the third display area while the execution screen of the first application is displayed on the display when the display is in the unfolded state, the controller is further configured to control the display to display an execution screen of a second application corresponding to a most recently displayed guide message in the first display area and display at least a part of the execution screen of the first application in the third display area, and

based on a detection of a bending interaction of bending the display such that the third display area is located higher than the first display area while the execution screen of the first application is displayed on the display when the display is in the unfolded state, the controller is further configured to control the display to display an execution screen of a third application, related to the first application, in the third display area and display at least a part of the execution screen of the first application in the first display area.

5. The user terminal device as claimed in claim 1, wherein based on a detection of a bending interaction of bending the display so that a display area among the first display area, the second display area and the third display area is located higher than other display areas being detected through the detector while the first, second and third display areas display a first screen, a second screen and a third screens respectively, the controller is further configured to capture a screen displayed in the display area located higher than the other display areas.

6. The user terminal device as claimed in claim 1, wherein based on the first display area being detected through the detector as being bent in a direction of a rear side of the display at an angle within a predetermined angle range with reference to the first hinge, the controller is further configured to control the display to display a first image in the first display area and display a second image in the second display area and the third display area.

7. The user terminal device as claimed in claim 6, wherein based on the first display area being detected through the detector as being bent in the direction of the rear side of the display at the angle within the predetermined angle range with reference to the first hinge while a camera application is executed, the controller is further configured to control the display to display an image content in the first display area and display a live view image obtained from a camera of the user terminal device in the second display area and the third display area.

8. The user terminal device as claimed in claim 6, wherein based on the first display area being detected through the detector as being bent in the direction of the rear side of the display at an angle within the first predetermined angle range with reference to the first hinge and based on the third display area being detected through the detector as being bent in a direction of a front side of the display at an angle within the second predetermined angle range while a shopping application is executed, the controller is further configured to control the display to display a shopping item that a first user searches in the first display area, to display a shopping item that a second user wishes to share in the second display area, and to display a shopping item that the second user searches in the third display area.

9. A displaying method of a user terminal device, the method comprising:

displaying image content on a display that is flexible and configured to be divided into a plurality of display areas along a plurality of folding lines;

detecting a bending state of the display along the plurality of folding lines; and

performing different operations based on the bending state of the display based on the display being bent by at least one of a plurality of hinges along at least one of the plurality of folding lines,

wherein the plurality of hinges comprises a first hinge and a second hinge,

wherein the first hinge is disposed between a first display area and a second display area of the plurality of display areas, and the second hinge is disposed between the second display area and a third display area of the plurality of display areas, and

wherein the performing comprises;

based on a detection of a bending interaction of bending the first display area in a first direction at an angle within a first predetermined angle range with reference to the first hinge while an image content is displayed on the display in an unfolded state, storing the image content in a first folder, and

based on a detection of a bending interaction of bending the third display area in a second direction at an angle within a second predetermined angle range with reference to the second hinge while the image content is displayed on the display in the unfolded state, storing the image content in a second folder.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein based on a detection of a bending interaction of bending the first display area in the first direction with reference to the first hinge and unfolding the first display area while a first page of an electronic book (E-book) content is displayed on the display when the display is in the unfolded state, the performing further comprises displaying a previous page of the E-book, and

based on a detection of a bending interaction of bending the third display area in the second direction with reference to the second hinge and unfolding the third display area while the first page of the E-book is displayed in the display when the display is in the unfolded state, the performing further comprises displaying a next page of the E-book.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein based on a detection of a bending interaction of bending the display so that a shape of the display is changed while an execution screen of a first application is displayed on the display when the display is in the unfolded state, the performing further comprises displaying an execution screen of a different application in the first display area and the third display area based on the changed shape.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein based on a detection of a bending interaction of bending the display so that the first display area is located higher than the third display area while the execution screen of the first application is displayed on the display when the display is in the unfolded state, the displaying performing further displaying an execution screen of a second application corresponding to a most recently displayed guide message in the first display area and displaying at least a part of the execution screen of the first application in the third display area, and

based on a detection of a bending interaction of bending the display so that the third display area is located higher than the first display area being detected while the execution screen of the first application is displayed on the display when the display is in the unfolded state, the performing further comprises displaying an execution screen of a third application related to the first application in the third display area and displaying at least a part of the execution screen of the first application in the first display area.

13. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein based on a detection of a bending interaction of bending the display so that a display area among the first, second and third display areas is located higher than other display areas while the first, second and third display areas display a first screen, a second screen and a third screen respectively, the performing further comprises capturing a screen displayed on the display area being located higher than the other display areas.

14. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein based on the first display area being detected as being bent in a direction of a rear side of the display at an angle within a predetermined angle range with reference to the first hinge, the performing further comprises displaying a first image in the first display area and displaying a second image in the second display area and the third display area.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein based on the first display area being detected as being bent in the direction of the rear side of the display at an angle within the predetermined angle range with reference to the first hinge while a camera application is executed, the performing further comprises displaying an image content in the first display area and displaying a live view image obtained from a camera in the second display area and the third display area.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein based on the first display area being detected as being bent in the direction of the rear side of the display at an angle within the first predetermined angle range with reference to the first hinge and based on the third display area being detected as being bent in a direction of a front side of the display at an angle within the second predetermined angle range while a shopping application is executed, the performing further comprises displaying a shopping item that a first user searches in the first display area, displaying a shopping item that a second user wishes to share in the second display area, and displaying a shopping item that a third user searches in the third display area.