Foldable display device and method for controlling the same

• US 9,606,574 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2014
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Sihwa, Lee, Doyoung, Kim, Jihwan, Chun, Sinae
• Primary Examiner(s): Chauhan, Ulka
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yoon, Sae Won
• Application Number:
  US14/337,998
• Publication Number:
  US 20150325216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/04 Display device controller operating with a plurality of display units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/02 Flexible displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/14 Electronic books and readers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/377 for mixing or overlaying two or more graphic patterns G09G5/02, G09G5/397 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/38 with means for controlling the display position

Abstract

A method for controlling a foldable display device comprises displaying first content provided from a first application on a first display region and second content provided from a second application on a second display region in a folded state of the foldable display device, the first application and the second application being applications which are previously installed in the foldable display device; generating a third display region by merging the first display region and the second display region with each other and generating a third application by using at least one of the first application and the second application if the foldable display device is unfolded; and displaying third content provided from the third application on the third display region, the third content being the content generated by reorganizing the first content and the second content.

Claims

1. A foldable display device comprising:

a display unit including a first display region and a second display region;

a motion sensor configured to detect that the foldable display device is folded or unfolded by sensing a folding angle of the foldable display device; and

a processor configured to control the display unit and the motion sensor,

wherein the processor is further configured to;

display first content provided from a first application on the first display region and second content provided from a second application on the second display region in a folded state of the foldable display device,

wherein the first application and the second application are applications installed in the foldable display device,

generate a third display region by merging the first display region and the second display region with each other and generate a third application by using at least one of the first application and the second application,

display third content provided from the third application on the third display region when the foldable display device in the folded state is unfolded,

re-split the third display region into the first display region and the second display region,

display a first split content provided from the first application on the first display region and a second split content provided from the second application on the second display region when the foldable display device in an unfolded state is folded,

if the first application is a map application and the second application is a search application, display the third content provided from the third application on the third display region when the foldable display device is unfolded,

wherein the third application being a map application generated using the first application, and the third content being the content that at least one indicator corresponding to at least one search result included in the second content is displayed on a map image included in the first content, and

if the user input corresponding to the at least one indicator is detected in the unfolded state, display the third content in the first region of the third display region and display a corresponding part of the second content corresponding to the detected indicator in the second region of the third display region,

wherein the first split content is a same content as the first content, and the second split content is a same content as the second content, and

wherein the third content is generated by merging the first content and the second content.

2. The foldable display device according to claim 1, wherein the motion sensor is further configured to detect a touch input of a user, and

wherein processor is further configured to:

detect that a movable object included in the third content is moved from the first region to the second region or from the second region to the first region in accordance with the touch input in the unfolded state of the foldable display device, and

when the foldable display device is folded, the movable object located in the first region is included in the first split content and the movable object located in the second region is included in the second split content.

3. The foldable display device according to claim 1, wherein the foldable display device of the folded state is folded in a direction to which the first display region and the second display region are externally exposed.

4. The foldable display device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to provide a feedback for requesting a user input as to whether the third application is generated, if the foldable display device is unfolded.

5. The foldable display device according to claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to:

generate the third application, and display the third contents provided from the third application on the third display region when the user input for requesting generation of the third application is detected, and

display the first content provided from the first application on the first region of the third display region and the second content provided from the second application on the second region of the third display region when the user input for requesting generation of the third application is not detected.

6. The foldable display device according to claim 4, wherein the feedback is at least one of a visual feedback, an auditory feedback, and a tactile feedback.

7. The foldable display device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

if the first application and the second application are social network service (SNS) applications, display the third content provided from the third application on the third display region when the foldable display device is unfolded,

wherein the third application being a merged SNS application of the first application and the second application, and the third content being the content generated by arranging each part of the first content and each part of the second part in accordance with predetermined organization.

8. The foldable display device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

if the first application and the second application are search applications, display the third content provided from the third application on the third display region when the foldable display device is unfolded,

wherein the third application being a merged search application of the first application and the second application, and the third content being the content that includes a search result for a merged search keyword of a first keyword of the first content and a second keyword of the second content.

9. The foldable display device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

if the first application and the second application are messenger applications, display the third content provided from the third application on the third display region when the foldable display device is unfolded,

wherein the third application being a merged messenger application of the first application and the second application, and the third content being the content that provides a messenger service for a merged chatting group of a first chatting group of the first content and a second chatting group of the second content.

10. The foldable display device according to claim 9, wherein the messenger application is at least one of a text messenger application, an audio messenger application, and a video messenger application.

11. The foldable display device according to claim 10, wherein the video messenger application includes a video conference application.

12. The foldable display device according to claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:

re-split the third display region into the first display region and the second display region, and provide the first split content to the first display region as a first mode and the second split content to the second display region as a second mode,

wherein each of the first mode and the second mode being any one of a text chatting mode, an audio chatting mode, and a video chatting mode, and the first mode and the second mode being different from each other.

13. The foldable display device according to claim 12, wherein the first split content corresponds to a content displayed in a first region of the third display region when the foldable display device is folded, and

the second split content corresponds to a content displayed in a second region of the third display region when the foldable display device is folded,

wherein the first region corresponding to the first display region and the second region corresponding to the second display region.

14. The foldable display device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

if the first application is a contact address application, and the second application is a photo gallery application, display the third content provided from the third application on the third display region when the foldable display device is unfolded,

wherein the third application being a photo gallery application generated using the second application, and the third content being the content that includes at least one photo associated with a person corresponding to at least one contact address included in the first content, among photos included in the second content.

15. A method for controlling a foldable display device, the method comprising:

displaying a first content provided from a first application on a first display region and a second content provided from a second application on a second display region in a folded state of the foldable display device,

wherein the first application and the second application are applications installed in the foldable display device;

generating a third display region by merging the first display region and the second display region with each other and generating a third application by using at least one of the first application and the second application;

displaying a third content provided from the third application on the third display region when the foldable display device in the folded state is unfolded;

re-splitting the third display region into the first display region and the second display region when the foldable display device in an unfolded state is folded; and

displaying a first split content provided from the first application on the first display region and a second split content provided from the second application on the second display region,

if the first application is a map application and the second application is a search application, displaying the third content provided from the third application on the third display region when the foldable display device is unfolded,

wherein the third application being a map application generated using the first application, and the third content being the content that at least one indicator corresponding to at least one search result included in the second content is displayed on a map image included in the first content; and

if the user input corresponding to the at least one indicator is detected in the unfolded state, displaying the third content in the first region of the third display region and displaying a corresponding part of the second content corresponding to the detected indicator in the second region of the third display region,

wherein the first split content is a same content as the first content, and the second split content is a same content as the second content, and

wherein the third content is generated by merging the first content and the second content.