Mobile communications device, and display-control method and program for mobile communications device

• US 20050083642A1
• Filed: 03/08/2002
• Published: 04/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Iizawa, Daisuke, Senpuku, Tsuyoshi, Tsukada, Tomoaki, Higuchi, Hirohiko
• Application Number:
  US10/499,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20050083642A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.210
• 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 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• 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 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0235 Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0245 using open/close detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2747 Scrolling on a display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/576 associated with a pictorial or graphical representation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72439 for image or video messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit

Abstract

A mobile communications device includes a first display device and a second display device. The second display device is arranged on, and is movable with respect to, a casing, and movement of the second display device is detected by a sensor. Moreover, the mobile communications device may include a control device for executing application programs, and when the second display device is moved, automatically updates display content on the first display device or the second display device in cooperation with the movement. When the second display device changes from closed status to open status, the control device automatically selects content related to content on the first display device and displays it on the second display device.

Claims

1. A mobile communications device comprising:

a casing;

a first display device for displaying text or images;

a second display device arranged on and movable with respect to the casing;

a sensor for outputting an output signal according to position of the second display device;

a control device for executing an application program and controlling the first and second display so as to display a first execution result on the first display device, and to display a second execution result, related to the first execution result, on the second display device based on the output signal from the sensor when the second display device is moved into a predetermined position.

2. The mobile communications device according to claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to enable a plurality of application programs to be executed, and when displaying the second execution result on the second display device, the control device controls the second display device so as to displays the execution result of the application program which is using the first display device.

3. The mobile communications device according to claim 1, wherein the control device executes an email-browsing program as the application program, and the first display device displays a receiving list of e-mails as a first execution result, and the second display device displays content of one e-mail in the receiving list as a second execution result.

4. The mobile communications device according to claim 1, wherein when the second display device is moved into an operable position, the second display device displays a help information for the first execution result currently being displayed.

5. The mobile communications device according to claim 1, wherein the first display device displays a menu having a plurality of displayed options, and when the control device has judged, based on the output signal from the sensor, that the second display device has moved, the control device judges that one option has been selected from the plurality of options.

6. The mobile communications device according to claim 1, wherein, based on the output signal from the sensor, the control device selects on which display device to display a second execution result, and controls the selected display so as to display the second execution result on the first display device or the second display device according to the selection result.

7. The mobile communications device according to claim 1, wherein:

the sensor detects open state and closed state of the second display device; and

when the sensor has detected that the second display device has gone from the open state to the closed state, then the first display device displays a synthesized image generated by synthesizing content displayed on the first display device and content displayed on the second display device in the open state.

8. The mobile communications device according to claim 7, further comprising a camera for taking a first video image;

wherein;

each of the first display device and the second display device respectively displays either a second video image sent from a communication partner, or the first video image in the open state; and

when the sensor has detected that the second display device has gone from the open state to the closed state, then the control device reduces the first video image, synthesizes the reduced first video image and the second video image, and controls the first display device so as to displays the synthesized video image on the first display device.

9. The mobile communications device according to claim 1, further comprising an input device for selecting content displayed on the first display device or the second display device;

wherein;

based on the output signal from the sensor, the control device determines the second display device will not display,

when what being displayed on the first display device differs from what being displayed on the second display device, the control device selectively determines, as an active screen, the display device, which is to be operated by the input device, from the first and second display devices, that is to be operated as an input display device, and

when the second display device has gone into non-display status the control device updates content on the first display device using content being displayed on the active screen.

10. A display control method for a mobile communications device, the method comprising:

a detection step of detecting whether second display means has changed from being not-in-use to being in-use, wherein first display means and the second display means are provided in the mobile communications device;

a display step of selecting display content related to an option displayed on the first display means from a plurality of display-content items, and displaying the display content on the second display means, when the change into the state of in-use has been detected in the detection step.

11. The mobile-communications-device display control method according to claim 10, wherein in the display step, the second display means displays a next execution result output from an application program that uses the first display means.

12. The mobile-communications-device display control method according to claim 11, wherein in the display step, the first display means displays the next execution result when the second display device means is not being used and a decision button on the mobile communications device has been pressed.

13. The mobile-communications-device display control method according to claim 10, wherein in the detection step, an output signal is detected, the output signal being output from a sensor for detecting that the second display means has moved with respect to the first display means.

14. The mobile-communications-device display control method according to claim 10, further comprising:

a list-display step of displaying on the first display means a receiving list of emails having a plurality of subject headings; and

a designation step of designating one of the e-mails from the receiving list;

wherein

in the display step, the second display means displays detailed content of the e-mail designated in the designation step as content for display on the second display means.

15. The mobile-communications-device display control method according to claim 10, further comprising:

a step of receiving a first video image sent from a communication partner;

a step of taking a second video image using a camera provided in the mobile communications device;

a dual-screen display step of displaying the first and the second video images at the same time by the first and the second display means; and

a single-screen display step of synthesizing and displaying on the first display means the first and the second video images when the second display means has gone from being in-use to being not-in-use.

16. The mobile-communications-device display control method according to claim 15, wherein in the single-screen display step, the second video image is reduced and the first and the second video image are synthesized.

17. The mobile-communications-device display control method according to claim 10, wherein when the second display means has gone to being in-use, the second display means displays a help information related to the content displayed on the first display means in the display step.

18. A display control method for a mobile communications device according to claim 10, the method further comprising:

a step of selecting, based on a signal from a first input device provided in the mobile communications device, either the first display means or the second display means as an active screen to be controlled based on a signal from a second input device; and

an update step of updating the content displayed on the first display means using the content displayed on the active screen, when the second display means has gone to being not-in-use.

19. A computer program product for executing on a computer a display-control method comprising:

detecting whether a second display means has changed from being not-in-use to being in-use wherein a first display means and the second display means are provided in a mobile communication device;

selecting display content related to an option displayed on the first display means from a plurality of display-content items, and displaying the display content on the second display means when the change into the state of in-use has been judged in the step of detecting.