Systems and methods for managing the display of content on an electronic device

• US 9,116,567 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2012
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Alberth, William P. Jr., Thorson, Dean E.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAH, PRIYANK J
• Application Number:
  US13/455,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20130285922A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345 1801- 1903
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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: G09G 3/001 using specific devices not provided for in groups G09G3/02 - G09G3/36, e.g. using an intermediate record carrier such as a film slide; Projection systems; Display of non-alphanumerical information, solely or in combination with alphanumerical information, e.g. digital display on projected diapositive as background slide projectors per se G03B23/00 = 42 HP
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/035 for flexible display surfaces

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for managing the display of content on an electronic rollable device (600). According to certain aspects, the systems and methods facilitate communications and applications of a rollable device with a display screen interface. The device detects an interaction with the display screen interface by a user (605), such as the user grasping the device. From the interaction, the device identifies a position of the user'"'"'s hand and, based on the position, a set of configuration settings, and/or other variables, determines a display region on the touchscreen to display a graphic (635) associated with the communications and applications. The device displays the graphic within the display region and receives and processes input from the user.

Claims

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

receiving, at the electronic device, an indication of an incoming communication;

displaying a notification of the incoming communication in a notification area along an outside surface of a touchscreen of the electronic device, wherein the touchscreen can be rolled to form the outside surface;

changing a boundary location of the notification area on the outside surface while displaying the notification in the notification area;

detecting an interaction by the user with the touchscreen; and

in response to the detecting the interaction by the user, terminating the displaying of the notification along the outside surface;

identifying, from the interaction, a position of a hand of the user;

determining, by a processor based on the position of the hand, a display region on the outside surface of the touchscreen to display a graphic; and

displaying, within the display region on the touchscreen, the graphic.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, via a sensor of the electronic device, a viewing position of the user, wherein the display region is further determined based on the viewing position.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

identifying, based on the viewing position of the user, which of one or more audio components of the electronic device to activate; and

activating the one or more audio components that were identified.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the display region on the outside surface of the touchscreen comprises:

detecting an overlap area of the outside surface where the outside surface overlaps within itself; and

determining the display region within an area of the outside surface except for the overlap area.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying the graphic comprises:

identifying, from the interaction, a size of the hand;

determining an input graphic size based on the size of the hand; and

scaling the graphic based on the input graphic size.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein when the graphic is associated with an incoming communication, the displaying the graphic comprises:

displaying, within the display region, an interactive panel for the user to respond to the incoming communication.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the display region on the outside surface of the touchscreen comprises:

identifying, from the interaction, a finger position of a finger of the hand; and

determining, based on the finger position, the display region.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the graphic comprises a Bell-type keypad, and wherein the displaying the graphic comprises:

displaying the Bell-type keypad within the display region, wherein a “

5”

key of the Bell-type keypad is displayed at the finger position.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, from the interaction, the hand as either a left hand or a right hand of the user; and

modifying a setting according to the left hand or the right hand being identified.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying the graphic comprises:

receiving, from an accelerometer, a reading indicating a gravitationally upward direction;

identifying an orientation of the graphic based on the reading; and

displaying, within the display region on the touchscreen, the graphic according to the orientation.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, with a sensor of the electronic device, a viewing position of the user; and

changing the boundary location of the notification area based on the detected viewing position of the user.

12. The method claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, with a sensor of the electronic device, an area of the touchscreen that is exposed; and

changing the boundary location of the notification area based on the detected area of the touchscreen that is exposed.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, with a sensor of the electronic device, an orientation of the electronic device; and

changing the boundary location of the notification area based on the detected orientation of the electronic device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying the notification comprises:

moving the notification according to one of the group consisting of;

random motion of the notification and a predetermined motion pattern of the notification.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the motion is selected from the group consisting of:

resizing the notification to be larger, resizing the notification to be smaller, and pulsing the notification.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

activating, according to a detection by a sensor of the electronic device, an illumination mode.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the illumination mode is activated before the user contacts the touchscreen according to the detection of the user by the sensor.

18. An electronic device comprising:

a flexible display including a touch-sensitive layer;

a processor configured to interface with the flexible display and perform operations comprising;

receiving an indication of an incoming communication;

displaying a notification of the incoming communication in a notification area along an outside surface of the flexible display, wherein the flexible display can be rolled to form the outside surface;

changing a boundary location of the notification area on the outside surface while displaying the notification in the notification area;

detecting an interaction by the user with the touch-sensitive layer; and

in response to the detecting the interaction by the user, terminating the displaying of the notification along the outside surface;

identifying, from the interaction, a position of a hand of the user,

determining, based on the position of the hand, a display region on the flexible display to display a graphic, and

displaying, within the display region, the graphic.

19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the electronic device further comprises:

a sensor, and

wherein the processor is further configured to interface with the sensor and perform actions comprising;

determining, via the sensor, a viewing position of the user, wherein the display region is further determined based on the viewing position.

20. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein the electronic device further comprises:

one or more audio components, and

wherein the processor is further configured to interface with the one or more audio components and perform actions comprising;

identifying, based on the viewing position of the user, which of the one or more audio components to activate, and

activating the one or more audio components that were identified.

21. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the electronic device further comprises:

an overlap sensor, and

wherein the processor is further configured to interface with the overlap sensor and perform the determining comprising;

detecting an overlap area of the flexible display where the flexible display overlaps with itself, and

determining the display region within an area of the flexible display except for the overlap area.

22. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the electronic device further comprises:

an accelerometer, and

wherein the processor is further configured to interface with the accelerometer and perform the displaying comprising;

receiving, from the accelerometer, a reading indicating an upward direction of the electronic device,

identifying an orientation of the graphic based on the reading, and

displaying, within the display region, the graphic according to the orientation.

23. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to perform operations comprising:

detecting, from the user via the touch-sensitive layer, a gesture, and repositioning the graphic within the display region according to the gesture.

24. A method in an electronic device, the electronic device being rolled with a touchscreen as an outside surface, the method comprising:

receiving, at the electronic device, an indication of an incoming communication;

displaying a notification of the incoming communication in a notification area along the outside surface of the touchscreen;

changing a boundary location of the notification area on the outside surface while displaying the notification in the notification area;

detecting a tactile interaction by the user via the touchscreen; and

in response to the detecting the interaction by the user, terminating the displaying of the notification along the outside surface;

identifying an area of the touchscreen defined by the tactile interaction;

determining, by a processor based on the area defined by the tactile interaction, a display region on the outside surface of the touchscreen to display a graphic; and

displaying, within the display region, the graphic.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the displaying the graphic comprises:

displaying, within the display region, an interactive panel for the user to respond to an incoming communication.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the displaying the graphic comprises:

displaying, within the display region, an input graphic;

receiving an input from the user; and

initiating an outgoing communication according to the input.