Split-Screen Display Method and Apparatus, and Electronic Device Thereof

• US 20140351748A1
• Filed: 05/23/2014
• Published: 11/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Xia, Lin, Wang, Dedong
• Granted Patent: US 9,733,815 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/798
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• 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: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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 split-screen display method and apparatus, and an electronic device thereof. A horizontal slide signal along a touchscreen or a vertical slide signal along the touchscreen entered by using the touchscreen is obtained; a current display area of the touchscreen is divided, according to the horizontal slide signal, into at least two display windows arranged up and down, or a current display area of the touchscreen is divided, according to the vertical slide signal, into at least two display windows arranged side by side, thereby implementing that multiple application programs are simultaneously displayed on a screen up and down or side by side, and a user does not need to frequently switch between programs, which facilitates user operations.

Claims

1. A split-screen display method, wherein the method is applied to an electronic device having a touchscreen, the method comprising:

receiving a screen splitting touch signal from the touchscreen, wherein the screen splitting touch signal comprises a horizontal slide signal along the touchscreen or a vertical slide signal along the touchscreen; and

either dividing, according to the horizontal slide signal, a current display area of the touchscreen into at least two display windows arranged up and down;

or,

dividing, according to the vertical slide signal, the current display area of the touchscreen into at least two display windows arranged side by side.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal slide signal indicates a window border shared by any two display windows divided up and down on the touchscreen, and wherein dividing, according to the horizontal slide signal, the current display area of the touchscreen into the at least two display windows arranged up and down comprises dividing, according to the window border indicated by the horizontal slide signal, the current display area of the touchscreen into at least two display windows with the window border as a shared border and arranged up and down.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the vertical slide signal indicates a window border shared by any two display windows divided side by side on the touchscreen, and wherein dividing, according to the vertical slide signal, the current display area of the touchscreen into the at least two display windows arranged side by side comprises dividing, according to the window border indicated by the vertical slide signal, the current display area of the touchscreen into at least two display windows with the window border as a shared border and arranged side by side.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein an included angle between a sliding track formed by a sliding start position and a sliding end position of the horizontal slide signal and a horizontal direction of the touchscreen is less than or equal to a first threshold.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein an included angle between a sliding track formed by a sliding start position and a sliding end position of the vertical slide signal and a vertical direction of the touchscreen is less than or equal to a second threshold.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the divided display windows separately display a part of display content of the current display area.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein any one of the divided display windows displays all display content of the current display area.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of the divided display windows displays all display content of the current display area.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

obtaining a sliding touch signal from a first display window to a second display window or a sliding touch signal from the second display window to the first display window; and

switching display content between the second display window and the first display window for displaying according to the sliding touch signal.

10. The method according to claim 2, wherein the method further comprises:

obtaining a dragging touch signal for the window border;

shifting a position of the window border according to the dragging touch signal for the window border;

determining, according to the shifted position of the window border, whether any one display window of the at least two display windows that share the window border is less than a set size; and

closing the display window that is less than the set size, and allocating a display area of the closed display window to another display window that shares the window border with the closed display window when it is determined that the any one display window is less than the set size.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the touchscreen does not display any started application program in the current display area that has not been divided into display windows;

and wherein the method further comprises;

obtaining start signals for at least two application programs; and

starting the at least two application programs according to the start signals, wherein all or a part of the started application programs are separately displayed in one display window of the display windows.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the touchscreen displays a started first application program in the current display area that has not been divided into display windows, and displays the started first application program in any one display window of the divided display windows, and wherein the method further comprises:

obtaining a start signal for at least one second application program; and

starting the at least one second application program according to the start signal, wherein all or a part of the started second application programs are separately displayed in one display window of the display windows.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

obtaining a split-screen closing touch signal entered by using the touchscreen; and

combining at least two display windows of the touchscreen into one display area according to the split-screen closing touch signal, wherein the display area displays display content of any one of the display windows or displays any combination of content displayed in the display windows.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the split-screen closing touch signal is a slide signal along a window border of any two display windows, and wherein combining the at least two display windows of the touchscreen into one display area according to the split-screen closing touch signal comprises combining, according to the slide signal along a window border of any two display windows, the two display windows corresponding to the window border into one display window.

15. An electronic device comprising:

a processor; and

a touchscreen coupled to the processor and configured to;

receive a screen splitting touch signal; and

send the screen splitting touch signal to the processor, wherein the screen splitting touch signal comprises a horizontal slide signal along the touchscreen or a vertical slide signal along the touchscreen,

wherein the processor is configured to;

divide, according to the horizontal slide signal, a current display area of the touchscreen into at least two display windows arranged up and down;

or

divide, according to the vertical slide signal, a current display area of the touchscreen into at least two display windows arranged side by side.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein the horizontal slide signal indicates a window border shared by any two display windows divided up and down on the touchscreen, and wherein the processor is configured to divide, according to the window border indicated by the horizontal slide signal, the current display area of the touchscreen into at least two display windows with the window border as a shared border and arranged up and down.

17. The device according to claim 15, wherein the vertical slide signal indicates a window border shared by any two display windows divided side by side on the touchscreen, and wherein the processor is configured to divide, according to the window border indicated by the vertical slide signal, the current display area of the touchscreen into at least two display windows with the window border as a shared border and arranged side by side.

18. The device according to claim 15, wherein an included angle between a sliding track formed by a sliding start position and a sliding end position of the horizontal slide signal and a horizontal direction of the touchscreen is less than or equal to a first threshold.

19. The device according to claim 15, wherein an included angle between a sliding track formed by a sliding start position and a sliding end position of the vertical slide signal and a vertical direction of the touchscreen is less than or equal to a second threshold.

20. The device according to claim 15, wherein the divided display windows are configured to separately display a part of display content of the current display area.

21. The device according to claim 15, wherein any one of the divided display windows is configured to display all display content of the current display area.

22. The device according to claim 15, wherein each of the divided display windows is configured to display all display content of the current display area.

23. The device according to claim 18, wherein the touchscreen is further configured to obtain a sliding touch signal from a first display window to a second display window or a sliding touch signal from the second display window to the first display window, and send the sliding touch signal to the processor, and wherein the processor is further configured to switch display content between the second display window and the first display window for displaying according to the sliding touch signal.

24. The device according to claim 15, wherein the touchscreen is further configured to obtain a dragging touch signal for the window border, and send the dragging touch signal to the processor, and wherein the processor is further configured to:

shift a position of the window border according to the dragging touch signal for the window border;

determine, according to the shifted position of the window border, whether any one display window of the at least two display windows that share the window border is less than a set size; and

when it is determined that the any one display window is less than the set size, close the display window that is less than the set size, and allocate a display area of the closed display window to another display window that shares the window border with the closed display window.

25. The device according to claim 15, wherein the touchscreen does not display any started application program in the current display area that has not been divided into display windows, wherein the touchscreen is further configured to obtain start signals for at least two application programs, and send the start signals to the processor, wherein the processor is further configured to start the at least two application programs according to the start signals, and wherein all or a part of the started application programs are separately displayed in one display window of the display windows.

26. The device according to claim 15, wherein the touchscreen is configured to display a started first application program in the current display area that has not been divided into display windows, and display the started first application program in any one display window of the divided display windows, wherein the touchscreen is further configured to obtain a start signal for at least one second application program, and send the start signal to the processor, wherein the processor is further configured to start the at least one second application program according to the start signal, and wherein all or a part of the started second application programs are separately displayed in one display window of the display windows.

27. The device according to claim 15, wherein the touchscreen is further configured to obtain a split-screen closing touch signal entered by using the touchscreen, and send the split-screen closing touch signal to the processor, wherein the processor is further configured to combine at least two display windows of the touchscreen into one display area according to the split-screen closing touch signal, and wherein the display area displays display content of any one of the display windows or displays any combination of content displayed in the display windows.

28. The device according to claim 27, wherein the split-screen closing touch signal is a slide signal along a window border of any two display windows, and wherein the processor is configured to combine, according to the slide signal along a window border of any two display windows, the two display windows corresponding to the window border into one display window.