Electronic device having a plurality of displays and operating method thereof

• US 10,386,890 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2017
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Myung, In Sik, Nah, Hyun Soo, Lee, Jung Won, Jung, Jong Woo, Choi, In Young
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheng, Tom V
• Application Number:
  US15/730,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20180101199A1
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1649 the additional display being independently orientable, e.g. for presenting information to a second user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1692 the I/O peripheral being a secondary touch screen used as control interface, e.g. virtual buttons or sliders
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/02 Handling of images in compressed format, e.g. JPEG, MPEG
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/022 Centralised management of display operation, e.g. in a server instead of locally
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/14 Electronic books and readers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/002 to project the image of a two-dimensional display, such as an array of light emitting or modulating elements or a CRT

Abstract

Disclosed is an electronic device that includes a first display arranged to face a first direction, a second display arranged to face a second direction, a memory configured to store display data to be output on the first display or the second display, and a processor which executes an application, outputs a function execution screen corresponding to execution of an application on the first display and outputs additional information associated with the function execution screen on the second display while transmitting application execution data according to the execution of the application to an external electronic device, in response to a specified input.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a first display arranged to face a first direction;

a second display arranged to face a second direction;

a memory configured to store display data to be output on the first display or the second display; and

a processor electrically connected with the first display, the second display, and the memory,

wherein the processor is configured to;

execute an application;

output, on the first display, a function execution screen corresponding to the application;

receive a specified input; and

output, on the second display, additional information associated with the function execution screen while transmitting application execution data according to the execution of the application to an external electronic device.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

turn off the first display and turn on the second display in a case where the second display is arranged to face the first direction in a state in which the first display faces the first direction, and

output the additional information on the second display.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

obtain a list of connectable external electronic devices if the specified input is received;

output the obtained list of the external electronic devices on the second display;

select an external electronic device according to a specified condition; and

transmit the application execution data to the selected external electronic device.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a user input;

transmit the application execution data to a specific external electronic device selected by the user input, wherein the specific external electronic device includes any one of an external electronic device having a recent connection history, an external electronic device having the greatest number of connection histories, an external electronic device having a wireless signal strength greater than or equal to a specified strength, an external electronic device having the strongest wireless signal strength, or an external electronic device located at the shortest distance from the electronic device, among the external electronic devices in the obtained list.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to output a control screen associated with operation control of the external electronic device as the additional information while the application execution data is being output through the external electronic device.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a user input associated with an operation control; and

transmit control information to the external electronic device according to the user input.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to output the additional information including a control screen associated with playback control of display data that is associated with the application execution data while the application execution data is being output through the external electronic device.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

obtain a type of the application;

determine an external electronic device associated with the type of the application;

establish a connection with the determined external electronic device; and

transmit the application execution data to the determined external electronic device.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

establish a communication channel with at least one external electronic device capable of outputting audio data according to the execution of the application in a case where the application is an audio output application; and

transmit the audio data to the at least one external electronic device.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

establish a communication channel with at least one external electronic device capable of outputting audio and a video in a case where the application is an audio-video output application; and

transmit audio data and video data to the at least one external electronic device.

11. A method for operating an electronic device including a first display arranged to face a first direction and a second display arranged to face a second direction, the method comprising:

executing an application;

outputting, on the first display, a function execution screen corresponding to the application;

receiving a specified input;

transmitting application execution data according to the execution of the application to an external electronic device in response to receiving the specified input; and

outputting, on the second display, additional information associated with the function execution screen.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the specified input includes:

receiving sensor information according to an operation of arranging the second display to allow the second display to face the first direction in a state in which the first display faces the first direction, and

wherein outputting the additional information includes;

turning off the first display and turning on the second display; and

outputting the additional information on the second display.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein transmitting the application execution data includes:

obtaining a list of connectable external electronic devices;

outputting the obtained list of the external electronic devices on the second display;

selecting an external electronic device according to a specified condition; and

transmitting the application execution data to the selected external electronic device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein selecting the external electronic device includes:

selecting an external electronic device by a user input among the external electronic devices in the obtained list, wherein the external electronic device includes any one of an external electronic device having a recent connection history, an external electronic device having a wireless signal strength higher than or equal to a specified strength, an external electronic device having the strongest wireless signal strength, an external electronic device located at the shortest distance from the electronic device, and an external electronic device having the greatest number of connection histories, among the external electronic devices in the obtained list.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein outputting the additional information includes:

outputting a control screen associated with operation control of the external electronic device as the additional information while the application execution data is being output through the external electronic device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a user input associated with an operation control; and

transmitting control information according to the user input to the external electronic device.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein outputting the additional information includes:

outputting the additional information including a control screen associated with playback control of display data associated with the application execution data while the application execution data is being output through the external electronic device.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein transmitting the application execution data includes:

obtaining a type of the application;

determining an external electronic device associated with the type of application;

establishing a connection with the determined external electronic device; and

transmitting the application execution data to the determined external electronic device.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein transmitting the application execution data includes:

establishing a communication channel with at least one external electronic device capable of outputting audio data according to the execution of the application in a case that the application is an audio output application; and

transmitting the audio data to the at least one external electronic device.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein transmitting the application execution data includes:

establishing a communication channel with at least one external electronic device capable of outputting audio-video data in a case that the application is an audio-video data output application; and

transmitting the audio data and the video data to the at least one external electronic device.