METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING A DISPLAY IN A PORTABLE TERMINAL

• US 20130145311A1
• Filed: 12/05/2012
• Published: 06/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Joo, Sang-Woo
• Granted Patent: US 9,292,201 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/788
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• 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 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• 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 3/04886 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 method and apparatus configured to control a display in a portable terminal includes sensing that the flexible display is bent, dividing the flexible display into a main screen and a sub screen, and outputting first information through the main screen and outputting second information through the sub screen.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a flexible display in a portable terminal, the method comprising:

sensing that the flexible display is bent;

dividing the flexible display into a main screen and a sub screen; and

outputting first information through the main screen and outputting second information through the sub screen.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising

when the flexible display is unbent, releasing the main screen and the sub screen and, through the whole screen of the flexible display, outputting only the first information or outputting an integration of the first information and the second information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising,

when control information is designated to the sub screen, controlling the main screen according to the control information, and outputting the first information through the main screen.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the control information comprises any one of information associated with control of scrolling displayed contents of the main screen to a corresponding direction, information associated with control of zooming in or out displayed contents of the main screen, and information associated with control of turning displayed contents of the main screen to previous displayed contents or next displayed contents.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein dividing the flexible display into the main screen and the sub screen comprises:

distinguishing a non-bent region and a bent region; and

allotting the main screen to include the non-bent region, and allotting the sub screen to include the bent region.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

distinguishing a non-bent region and a bent region; and

changing the sub screen as the bent region changes.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein dividing the flexible display into the main screen and the sub screen comprises:

allotting the main screen to include a preset first region; and

allotting the sub screen to include a preset second region.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein dividing the flexible display into the main screen and the sub screen comprises:

determining that the whole screen of the flexible display is to include the main screen;

further constructing an overlaid screen on the main screen; and

determining the overlaid screen to include the sub screen.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the first information through the main screen and outputting the second information through the sub screen comprises outputting the second information through the sub screen when the second information associated with the first information exists.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the first information through the main screen and outputting the second information through the sub screen comprises outputting the second information to the sub screen when a program operated as a background is confirmed and the second information about the program operated as the background exists.

11. An apparatus configured to control a display in a portable terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a flexible display configured to output information;

a storage unit configured to store data about an operation of the portable terminal; and

a controller configured to sense that the flexible display is bent, divide the flexible display into a main screen and a sub screen, and output first information through the main screen and output second information through the sub screen.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, when the flexible display is unbent, the controller is configured to release the main screen and the sub screen and, through the whole screen of the flexible display, output only the first information or output an integration of the first information and the second information.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, when control information is designated to the sub screen, the controller is configured to control the main screen according to the control information, and output the first information through the main screen.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the control information comprises any one of information associated with control of scrolling displayed contents of the main screen to a corresponding direction, information associated with control of zooming in or out displayed contents of the main screen, and information associated with control of turning displayed contents of the main screen to previous displayed contents or next displayed contents.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to distinguish a non-bent region and a bent region, and allot the main screen as the non-bent region and allot the sub screen as the bent region.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to distinguish a non-bent region and a bent region and change the sub screen as the bent region is changed.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to allot the main screen as a preset first region, and allot the sub screen as a preset second region.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to decide the whole screen of the flexible display as the main screen, construct an overlaid screen on the main screen, and determine the overlaid screen to be the sub screen.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to output the second information through the sub screen when the second information associated with the first information exits.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to output the second information to the sub screen when a program operated as a background is confirmed and the second information about the program operated as the background exits.