Electronic apparatus and operating method thereof

• US 10,437,441 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2016
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Youn, Ah-Reum, Kim, Geon-Soo, Kim, Han-Jib
• Primary Examiner(s): Choi, David E
• Application Number:
  US15/331,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20170115860A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/08 Touch switches specially adapted for time-pieces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• 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 2203/04807 Pen manipulated menu
• 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 3/018 Input/output arrangements for oriental characters
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• 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

An electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a housing and a display exposed through one surface of the housing. The display is configured to detect a touch or gesture input and has a first radius. The electronic apparatus also has a processor and a memory which stores instructions executed to allow the processor to display a first region and a second region on the display, in which the first and the second regions are distinguished by a first curve having a second radius. Further, the processor may display first information on at least one part of the first region on the display, display second information on at least one part of the second region on the display, and change at least one part of the displayed first information in response to an input of selecting the at least one part of the second region.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a display having a first radius, wherein the display is exposed through one surface of the housing and is configured to detect one of a touch input or a gesture input;

a processor electrically connected to the display; and

a memory electrically connected to the processor, wherein the memory stores instructions that, when executed, allow the processor to;

display first information on at least one part of a first region,

display second information on at least one part of a second region, wherein the first region and the second region are distinguished by a first curve having a second radius, and

in response to detecting an input of selecting a portion of the at least one part of the second region, change at least one part of the displayed first information,

wherein the second region includes a plurality of sub-regions that are distinguished by a plurality of curves,

wherein the plurality of sub-regions comprises;

a first sub-region extending between the first curve and a second curve separated from the first curve in a second direction and having a third radius smaller than the second radius, and

a second sub-region extending from the second curve in the second direction, and

wherein the instructions further allow the processor to;

determine a width of at least one of the first sub-region or the second sub-region, wherein the determination is based on at least one of an amount of the second information or an amount of a third information, the second information being information to be displayed on at least one part of the first sub-region, the third information being information to be displayed on at least one part of the second sub-region.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions allow the processor to display the first curve on the display.

3. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions allow the processor to display a curved band or belt containing a periphery formed by the first curve on the display.

4. The electronic apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the first region is a region extending outward from the first curve in a first direction, and

wherein the second region is a region extending inward from the first curve in a second direction.

5. The electronic apparatus of claim 4,

wherein the instructions allow the processor to:

display the second information on the at least one part of the first sub-region on the display; and

display the third information on the at least one part of the second sub-region on the display.

6. The electronic apparatus of claim 5, wherein the instructions allow the processor to:

acquire a priority of the second information and the third information from at least one of the memory or an external device; and

display the second information on the first sub-region and the third information on the second sub-region, based on the acquired priority.

7. The electronic apparatus of claim 6, wherein the instructions allow the processor to determine a width of at least one of the first sub-region or the second sub-region based on the acquired priority.

8. The electronic apparatus of claim 5, wherein the instructions allow the processor to determine a width of at least one of the first region, the first sub-region, or the second sub-region based on a user input of dragging a periphery between two regions, wherein the two regions are at least two of the first region, the first sub-region, or the second sub-region.

9. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first radius is smaller than the second radius.

10. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first information is information related to at least one application, and the second information is information related to the first information.

11. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first information is information related to a first application, and the second information is information related to a second application.

12. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a circular-shaped display exposed through one surface of the housing and having a first radius;

a user input device;

a processor electrically connected to the circular-shaped display and the user input device; and

a memory electrically connected to the processor, wherein the memory stores instructions that, when executed, allow the processor to;

display a first item on at least one part of a first region,

display a second item on at least one part of a second region, wherein the first region and the second region are distinguished by a first curve having a second radius and

in response to detecting an input of selecting the second item, change at least one part of a screen displayed on the second region,

wherein the second region includes a plurality of sub-regions that are distinguished by a plurality of curves,

wherein the plurality of sub-regions comprises;

a first sub-region extending between the first curve and a second curve separated from the first curve in a second direction and having a third radius smaller than the second radius, and

a second sub-region extending from the second curve in the second direction, and

wherein the instructions further allow the processor to;

determine a width of at least one of the first sub-region or the second sub-region, wherein the determination is based on at least one of an amount of the second item or an amount of a third item, the second item being an item to be displayed on at least one part of the first sub-region, the third item being an item to be displayed on at least one part of the second sub-region.

13. A method of operating an electronic apparatus, the method comprising:

displaying first information on at least one part of a first region;

displaying second information on at least one part of a second region, wherein the first region and the second region are distinguished by a first curve having a second radius;

in response to an input of selecting the at least one part of the second region, changing at least one part of the displayed first or second information,

wherein the second region includes a plurality of sub-regions that are distinguished by a plurality of curves

wherein the plurality of sub-regions comprises;

a first sub-region extending between the first curve and a second curve separated from the first curve in a second direction and having a third radius smaller than the second radius, and

a second sub-region extending from the second curve in the second direction; and

determining a width of at least one of the first sub-region or the second sub-region, wherein the determination is based on at least one of an amount of the second information or an amount of a third information, the second information being information to be displayed on at least one part of the first sub-region, the third information being information to be displayed on at least one part of the second sub-region.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein displaying the first information on the first region and second information on the second region comprises:

generating a number of virtual circles overlapping with an information display screen; and

in response to the number of virtual circles being one virtual circle, displaying at least one part of a circumference of the one virtual circle as the first curve.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second region is a region in which the one virtual circle overlaps with the information display screen.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the generating of the number of virtual circles further comprises:

determining the number of virtual circles based on a number of information to be displayed; and

determining a size of the number of virtual circles based on the number of information to be displayed.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

in response to the input of selecting the at least one part of the second region, further changing at least part of the first region or part of the second region.