MOBILE DEVICE INCLUDING A FLEXIBLE DISPLAY DEVICE AND METHOD OF OPERATING THE SAME

• US 20140218321A1
• Filed: 01/27/2014
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lee, Woo-Jong, Lee, Yong-Joon
• Granted Patent: US 9,612,621 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• 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

Abstract

A mobile device includes a touch-screen having an external touch-screen region, an internal foldable touch-screen region, and a curved-surface touch-screen region that couples the external touch-screen region and the internal foldable touch-screen region, and a body to which the touch-screen is attached, wherein the device is configured to move at least one icon corresponding to at least one executing application program to the curved-surface touch-screen region in response to a folding angle of the internal foldable touch-screen region when a folding operation of the internal foldable touch-screen region is performed.

Claims

1. A mobile device comprising:

a touch-screen having an external touch-screen region, an internal foldable touch-screen region, and a curved-surface touch-screen region that couples the external touch-screen region and the internal foldable touch-screen region; and

a body to which the touch-screen is attached,

wherein the device is configured to move at least one icon corresponding to at least one executing application program to the curved-surface touch-screen region in response to a folding angle of the internal foldable touch-screen region when a folding operation of the internal foldable touch-screen region is performed.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the touch-screen is a flexible touch-screen comprising a flexible display device and a touch sensor device.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the body comprises a flexible material, and

wherein the body is configured to support the folding operation of the internal foldable touch-screen region.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the body comprises a non-flexible material, and

wherein the body comprises a hinge configured to support the folding operation of the internal foldable touch-screen region.

5. The device of claim 2, wherein the internal foldable touch-screen region comprises a first internal touch-screen region and a second internal touch-screen region, and

wherein the first internal touch-screen region and the second internal touch-screen region are physically coupled.

6. The device of claim 2, wherein the internal foldable touch-screen region comprises a first internal touch-screen region and a second internal touch-screen region, and

wherein the first internal touch-screen region and the second internal touch-screen region are physically separated.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to display the icon corresponding to the application program executed on the external touch-screen region on the curved-surface touch-screen region when the internal foldable touch-screen region is unfolded to equal to or greater than a first folding angle, and

wherein the device is configured to execute the application program on a part region or an entire region of the internal foldable touch-screen region when the icon is moved to the internal foldable touch-screen region.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the device is configured to display the icon corresponding to the application program executed on the internal foldable touch-screen region on the curved-surface touch-screen region when the internal foldable touch-screen region is folded to equal to or smaller than a second folding angle, and

wherein the device is configured to execute the application program on a part region or an entire region of the external touch-screen region when the icon is moved to the external touch-screen region.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the icon is moved from the curved-surface touch-screen region to the internal foldable touch-screen region or the external touch-screen region by a drag-and-drop operation or a click operation according to a user interface.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the first folding angle is substantially the same as the second folding angle, or is different from the second folding angle.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the internal foldable touch-screen region is activated and the external touch-screen region is deactivated when the internal foldable touch-screen region is unfolded to equal to or greater than the first folding angle.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the internal foldable touch-screen region is deactivated and the external touch-screen region is activated when the internal foldable touch-screen region is folded to equal to or smaller than the second folding angle.

13. A method of operating a mobile device, the method comprising:

executing an application program on an external touch-screen region;

displaying an icon corresponding to the application program on a curved-surface touch-screen region that couples the external touch-screen region and an internal foldable touch-screen region when the internal foldable touch-screen region is unfolded to equal to or greater than a folding angle; and

executing the application program on a part region or an entire region of the internal foldable touch-screen region when the icon is moved to the internal foldable touch-screen region.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the external touch-screen region, the internal foldable touch-screen region, and the curved-surface touch-screen region correspond to respective regions of a flexible touch-screen comprising a flexible display device and a touch sensor device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the internal foldable touch-screen region is activated and the external touch-screen region is deactivated when the internal foldable touch-screen region is unfolded to equal to or greater than the folding angle.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the icon is moved from the curved-surface touch-screen region to the internal foldable touch-screen region by a drag-and-drop operation or a click operation according to a user interface.

17. A method of operating a mobile device, the method comprising:

executing an application program on an internal foldable touch-screen region;

displaying an icon corresponding to the application program on a curved-surface touch-screen region that couples an external touch-screen region and the internal foldable touch-screen region when the internal foldable touch-screen region is folded to equal to or smaller than a folding angle; and

executing the application program on a part region or an entire region of the external touch-screen region when the icon is moved to the external touch-screen region.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the external touch-screen region, the internal foldable touch-screen region, and the curved-surface touch-screen region correspond to respective regions of a flexible touch-screen comprising a flexible display device and a touch sensor device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the internal foldable touch-screen region is deactivated and the external touch-screen region is activated when the internal foldable touch-screen region is folded to equal to or smaller than the folding angle.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the icon is moved from the curved-surface touch-screen region to the external touch-screen region by a drag-and-drop operation or a click operation according to a user interface.