FOLDABLE DEVICE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20150338888A1
• Filed: 05/26/2015
• Published: 11/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, So-young, KIM, Dae-myung, CHOI, Youn-ho, HAN, Se-hyun
• Application Number:
  US14/721,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20150338888A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/1643 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
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092

Abstract

A foldable device includes: a flexible display configured to display an execution screen of an application; and a controller configured to control the flexible display to display an execution screen of at least one first application on a first surface of the flexible display that is used as a display of the foldable device when the flexible display is folded, and control, in response to the flexible display being unfolded, the flexible display to display the execution screen of the at least one first application and an execution screen of at least one second application related to the at least one first application to be displayed on a second surface of the flexible display that is used as a display of the foldable device when the flexible display is unfolded.

Claims

1. A foldable device comprising:

a flexible display configured to display an execution screen of an application; and

a controller configured to control the flexible display to display an execution screen of at least one first application on a first surface of the flexible display that is used as a display of the foldable device when the flexible display is folded, and control, in response to the flexible display being unfolded, the flexible display to display the execution screen of the at least one first application and an execution screen of at least one second application related to the at least one first application to be displayed on a second surface of the flexible display that is used as a display of the foldable device when the flexible display is unfolded.

2. The foldable device of claim 1, further comprising a user interface configured to receive an input of a user'"'"'s selection,

wherein the controller is further configured to control the flexible display to, while the flexible display is folded, co-display the execution screen of the at least one first application and a second application selection menu for selecting the at least one second application, and to determine the at least one second application according to the user'"'"'s selection via the second application selection menu.

3. The foldable device of claim 1, further comprising a user interface configured to receive an input of a user'"'"'s selection,

wherein the controller is further configured to control the flexible display to, while the execution screen of the at least one first application is displayed, display both the execution screen of the at least one first application and a second application selection menu for selecting the at least one second application, and to determine the at least one second application according to the user'"'"'s selection via the second application selection menu.

4. The foldable device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the at least one second application based on a pre-stored list of related applications.

5. The foldable device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the at least one second application based on an input with respect to the at least one first application.

6. The foldable device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine an application related to a notification event that occurs in the foldable device as the at least one second application.

7. The foldable device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the at least one second application based on an application use history of a user.

8. The foldable device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a user-set application as the at least one second application.

9. The foldable device of claim 1, wherein the second surface of the flexible display is disposed on an opposite side of the flexible display to the first surface of the flexible display,

the foldable device further comprises a state detector configured to detect a partially-folded state in which at least one portion of the second surface is folded to face towards a same side as the first surface, and

the controller is further configured to control the flexible display to, in response to the state detector detecting the partially-folded state, display the execution screen of the at least one first application on the first surface of the flexible display that is used as a display of the foldable device in the partially-folded state, and display the execution screen of the at least one second application on a region of the at least one portion of the second surface that faces towards the same side as the first surface that is used as the display of the foldable device in the partially-folded state.

10. A method of controlling a foldable device comprising a flexible display, the method comprising:

displaying an execution screen of at least one first application on a first surface of the flexible display that is used as a display of the foldable device when the flexible display is folded; and

displaying, in response to the flexible display being unfolded, the execution screen of the at least one first application and an execution screen of at least one second application related to the at least one first application on a second surface of the flexible display that is used as a display of the foldable device when the flexible display is unfolded.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

co-displaying, while the flexible display is folded, the execution screen of the at least one first application and a second application selection menu for selecting the at least one second application;

receiving an input of a user'"'"'s selection via the second application selection menu; and

determining the at least one second application according to the user'"'"'s selection.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the displaying the execution screen of the at least one first application comprises co-displaying the execution screen of the at least one first application and a second application selection menu for selecting the at least one second application, and

the method further comprises:

receiving an input of a user'"'"'s selection via the second application selection menu; and

determining the at least one second application according to the user'"'"'s selection.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining the least one second application based on a pre-stored list of related applications.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining the least one second application based on an input with respect to the at least one first application.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining an application related to a notification event that occurs in the foldable device as the at least one second application.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining the at least one second application based on an application use history of a user.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining a user-set application as the at least one second application.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting a partially-folded state in which at least one portion of the second surface is folded to face towards a same side as the first surface;

displaying, in response to the partially-folded state being detected, the execution screen of the at least one first application on the first surface of the flexible display that is used as a display of the foldable device in the partially-folded state; and

displaying the execution screen of the at least one second application on a region of the at least one portion of the second surface that faces toward the same side as the first surface that is used as the display of the foldable device in the partially-folded state.

19. A foldable device comprising:

a first display disposed on a first surface of the foldable device;

a second display disposed on a second surface of the foldable device;

a sensor configured to detect a folding state of the foldable device; and

a controller configured to control the first display to display a first application while the flexible display is folded, and control the second display to display the first application and a second application in response to the flexible display being unfolded.

20. The foldable device according to claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to select the second application to be displayed based on the first application in response to the flexible display being unfolded.

21. The foldable device according to claim 19, wherein the foldable device is configured to be partially folded such that a portion of the first display is overlapped by a portion of the second display and another portion of the first display is not overlapped by the second display, and

the controller is further configured to, is response to the foldable device being partially folded, control the second display to display the second application on the portion of the second display overlapping the first display.

22. The foldable device according to claim 21, wherein the controller is further configured to, in response to the foldable device being partially folded, adjust a screen size of the first application to correspond to the another portion of the first display, and control the first display to display the first application on the another portion of the first display.

23. The foldable device according to claim 19, wherein the foldable device is configured to be partially folded into a multi-region folded state of the foldable device comprises a plurality of portions of the second display folded to overlap with non-contiguous portions of the first display, another portion of the first display is not overlapped by the second display, and

the controller is further configured to, in response to the flexible display being in the multi-region folded state, control the first display to display the first application on the another portion of the first display and control the second display to display the second application on at least one of the plurality of portions overlapping the first display.

24. The foldable device according to claim 23, wherein the controller is further configured to, in response to the flexible display being in the multi-region folded state, control the second display to display the second application on a first portion of the plurality of portions overlapping the first display and display a third application on a second portion of the plurality of portions overlapping the first display.