METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MULTITASKING

• US 20140210753A1
• Filed: 01/29/2014
• Published: 07/31/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, Yohan, KANG, Jaehyeon, NA, Boyeon
• Granted Patent: US 10,168,868 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A method for multitasking in an electronic device is provided, the method including: displaying a first one of a plurality of function execution screens as a top layer screen on a display unit of the electronic device; receiving, by the electronic device, a first touch input; and displaying, in response to the first touch input, a first layer separation object for causing a second one of the plurality of function execution screens to be at least partially displayed as the top layer screen on the display unit; wherein the first layer separation object is displayed concurrently with the first function execution screen.

Claims

1. A method for multitasking in an electronic device, the method comprising:

displaying a first one of a plurality of function execution screens as a top layer screen on a display unit;

receiving a first touch input; and

displaying, in response to the first touch input, a first layer separation object for causing a second one of the plurality of function execution screens to be at least partially displayed as the top layer screen on the display unit;

wherein the first layer separation object is displayed concurrently with the first function execution screen.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the first touch input comprises at least one of:

receiving a touch gesture at a preset position of the display unit; and

receiving a touch gesture of a preset shape.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising arranging, on the first layer separation object, labels having identification information of different function execution screens from the plurality that are not displayed as the top layer screen.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying of the first layer separation object comprises displaying the first layer separation object in at least one of edge regions of the display unit.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the displaying of the first layer separation object further comprises one of:

displaying the first layer separation object as an overlay on the first function execution screen; and

resizing the first function execution screen so as to free space to accommodate the first layer separation object.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising redefining a display sequence of different function execution screens from the plurality according to a display position of the first layer separation object.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a shape or appearance of the first layer separation object is based on at least one of a count or types of the function execution screens from the plurality that are not displayed as the top layer screen.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second touch input that is received while the electronic device is in a state in which the first layer separation object is displayed together with the first function execution screen; and

displaying, in response to the second touch input, the second function execution screen as the top layer screen, and removing the first layer separation object from display on the display unit.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second touch input includes a drag or a flick, starting with an initial touch on a portion of the first layer separation object and moving at least a given distance from the location of the initial touch.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a second touch input that is received while the electronic device is in a state in which the first layer separation object is displayed together with the first function execution screen;

responsive to the second touch input, folding the first function execution screen, the folding comprising;

removing a portion of the first function execution screen from display on the display unit, displaying a second layer separation object split from the first layer separation object, and displaying a portion of the second function execution screen as the top layer screen in an area of the display unit that was previously occupied by the removed portion of the first function execution screen.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second touch input includes a drag or a flick, starting with an initial touch on a portion of the first layer separation object and moving at most a given distance from the location of the initial touch.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising one of:

removing from display, in response to a third touch input, a remaining portion of the first function execution screen that is displayed as the top layer screen and displaying the second function execution screen as the top layer screen in full screen format;

displaying, when no touch input is received for a preset time or in response to a fourth touch input, the first function execution screen as the top layer screen in full screen format and removing the portion of the second function execution screen from display.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

performing, in response to a third touch input, at least one of information selection, information copy, information transfer, information storage, information search and information invocation on one or more of the first function execution screen and the second function execution screen.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising unfolding the first function execution screen when a drag gesture starting with a touch on the second layer separation object and moving toward the first layer separation object is performed on the display unit.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising assigning labels having identification information of function execution screens to at least one of the first layer separation object and the second layer separation object.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

arranging the plurality of function execution screens in a layering order that is based on a relatedness between the plurality of function execution screens.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising forming association between functions related with the function execution screens in the plurality according to relatedness examination results, and wherein the forming of the association comprises at least one of:

associating functions invoked in succession on the basis of usage histories of the function execution screens, associating two different functions according to an input signal, and associating two different functions according to preset settings.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the arranging comprises placing a third function execution screen that is more closely related to the first function execution screen than a fourth function execution screen closer to the first execution screen in the layering order than the fourth function execution screen.

19. An electronic device supporting multitasking, comprising:

a display unit;

an input unit for detecting touch input; and

a processor, configured to;

display a first one of a plurality of function execution screens as a top layer screen on a display unit of the electronic device;

receive a first touch input; and

display, in response to the first touch input, a first layer separation object for causing a second one of the plurality of function execution screens to be at least partially displayed as the top layer screen on the display unit;

wherein the first layer separation object is displayed concurrently with the first function execution screen.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 19, wherein the processor receives at least one of a touch gesture at a preset position of the display unit and a touch gesture of a preset shape.