ELECTRONIC DEVICE INCLUDING ROTARY MEMBER AND DISPLAY METHOD THEREOF

• US 20160313810A1
• Filed: 04/25/2016
• Published: 10/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KANG, Cheol Hoon, GEUM, Hye Gyung, KIM, Lee Bin, KIM, Keun Young, KIM, So Ra, HONG, Seung Hwan
• Granted Patent: US 10,386,942 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• 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

Abstract

An electronic device and a display method thereof are provided. The electronic device includes a display; a rotary member configured to surround the display and to rotate around the display; and a control module configured to display a plurality of object groups on a plurality of layers of the display according to rotation of the rotary member.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a display;

a rotary member configured to surround the display and to rotate around the display; and

a control module configured to display a first object group including at least one object on a first layer of the display, and display a second object group including at least one second object according to rotation of the rotary member.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein, when the first object group is displayed on a first layer of the display, the control module is further configured to remove the first object group from the first layer of the display and display the second object group on the first layer, in response to the rotary member rotating by a predetermined angle.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein, when the second object group is displayed on the first layer of the display, the control module is further configured to display a third object group including at least one third object on the second layer.

4. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the rotary member rotates at intervals of the predetermined angle, and

wherein the rotary member automatically rotates to a rotation angle corresponding to the intervals of the predetermined angle, if a rotation angle of the rotary member made by a user of the electronic device is different from the intervals of the predetermined angle.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second object group is an object group corresponding to a rotation direction of the rotary member.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the control module is further configured to display a graphic effect indicating that there is no second object group corresponding to the rotation direction of the rotary member, if there is no second object group corresponding to the rotation direction of the rotary member.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein, when a first object group is displayed on a first layer of the display, the control module is further configured to display a name of a first object include in the first object group displayed on the first layer, when the rotation of the rotary member is detected.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the control module is further configured to display an indicator indicating a total number of object groups and an order of an object group that is currently displayed on the first layer.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one object includes an icon corresponding to an application, a menu, or a notification message.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein, when a first object group is displayed on a first layer of the display, the control module is further configured to display a second object group on a second layer located under the first layer, when the rotation of the rotary member is detected.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the control module is further configured to display at least one of a size, transparency, and brightness of a first object included in the first object group displayed on the first layer to be different from that of a second object included in the second object group displayed on the second layer.

12. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the control module is further configured to change at least one of a position, a size, brightness, transparency, and a color of a second object included in the second object group displayed on the second layer according to at least one of a rotation direction and a rotation angle of the rotary member.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the position of the second object included in the second object group displayed on the second layer changes in response to the rotation angle and the rotation direction of the rotary member.

14. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the size of the second object included in the second object group displayed on the second layer becomes larger in relation to the rotation angle of the rotary member.

15. A display method of an electronic device, the display method comprising:

displaying a first object group including at least one first object on a first layer of a display;

detecting rotation of a rotary member; and

displaying a second object group including at least one second object according to the rotation of the rotary member,

wherein the rotary member surrounds and rotates around the display.

16. The display method of claim 15, wherein displaying the second object group comprises:

removing the first object group from the first layer of the display; and

displaying the second object group on the first layer.

17. The display method of claim 16, further comprising:

detecting a second rotation of the rotary member; and

removing the second object group from the first layer of the display and displaying a third object group including at least one third object on the first layer according to the second rotation of the rotary member.

18. The display method of claim 15, wherein displaying the second object group comprises displaying a second object group corresponding to a rotation direction of the rotary member.

19. The display method of claim 15, wherein displaying the second object group comprises:

is displaying the second object group on a second layer located under the first layer;

removing the first object group from the first layer of the display; and

displaying the second object group on the first layer.

20. The display method of claim 19, further comprising displaying a third object group including at least one third object on the second layer.