Electronic device and method of controlling electronic device

• US 10,466,830 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2017
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Yo-Han, Kang, Han-Vit, Kim, Geon-Soo, Choi, Bo-Kun, Kang, Doo-Suk, Kim, Kyu-Hong, Kim, So-Young, Choi, Seung-Min, Jeon, Yong-Joon
• Primary Examiner(s): Watko, Julie Anne
• Application Number:
  US15/701,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20180074636A1
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• 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 2200/1636 Sensing arrangement for detection of a tap gesture on the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• 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
• 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 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• 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: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

An electronic device, a method of controlling an electronic device, and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium are provided. The electronic device includes a housing including a first surface, a second surface, and lateral sides; a touch screen display; a pressure sensor; a wireless communication circuit; at least one processor electrically, and the wireless communication circuit; and a memory electrically, wherein the memory stores instructions to cause the at least one processor to display a first user interface (UI) including at least one first item on the touch screen display, display a second UI including at least one second item while controlling or not controlling the first UI, and remove the second UI while reconstructing the first UI to restore a state before the controlling of the first UI or not reconstructing the first UI.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing including a first surface facing a first direction, a second surface facing a direction opposite the first direction, and lateral sides surrounding a space between the first surface and the second surface;

a touch screen display;

at least one pressure sensor configured to detect a level of pressure by an external object within a predetermined distance to at least two areas facing each other on the lateral sides;

a memory; and

at least one processor electrically connected to the touch screen display, the pressure sensor, and the memory,

wherein the memory stores instructions which, when executed, cause the at least one processor to;

control the touch screen display to display a first user interface (UI) related to a first function including at least one first item,

detect a first pressure signal through the at least one pressure sensor,

when the detected first pressure signal is greater than or equal to a first preset threshold value, control the touch screen display to display a second UI related to a second function in a first display area where the first UI is not displayed, the second UI including at least one second item,

control the first UI to fit into a second display area of the touch screen display,

detect a second pressure signal through the at least one pressure sensor, and

when the detected second pressure signal is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold value being greater than the first preset threshold value, control the touch screen display to display a third UI related to a third function in the first display area or the second display area,

wherein the first display area is independent from the second display area.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to remove the first UI from an area in which the first UI is displayed at least partially based on a state of the electronic device, and control the touch screen display to display the third UI.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the state is associated with a screen displayed on the touch screen display or an application program executed when the level of the pressure is detected.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the first UI by resizing, moving, shifting, rearranging, or scrolling at least one first UI or the at least one first item.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the touch screen display to display the second UI along with at least a part of the controlled first UI before removing the second UI.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first UI includes a home screen and the at least one first item including an icon indicating an application program, and the second UI includes a menu, and one or more graphic elements indicating at least one of at least one phone application program, an email application program, a browser application program, a search application program, a voice recognition application program, and a program selected by a user.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first UI includes a UI of the at least one application program and the at least one first item related to the at least one application program, and the second UI includes a menu and one or more graphic elements indicating at least one of at least one phone application program, an email application program, a browser application program, a search application program, a voice recognition application program, a program selected by a user, and a function related to an application program.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second UI includes at least one piece of text indicating a user'"'"'s instruction to perform an operation of the electronic device.

9. A method of controlling an electronic device, the method comprising:

controlling a touch screen display of the electronic device to display a first user interface (UI) related to a first function including at least one first item;

detecting a first pressure signal through at least one pressure sensor;

when the detected first pressure signal is greater than or equal to a first preset threshold value, controlling the touch screen display to display a second UI related to a second function in a first display area where the first UI is not displayed, the second UI including at least one second item;

controlling the first UI to fit into a second display area of the touch screen display;

detecting a second pressure signal through the at least one pressure sensor; and

when the detected second pressure signal is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold value being greater than the first preset threshold value, controlling the touch screen display to display a third UI related to a third function in the first display area or the second display area,

wherein the first display area is independent from the second display area.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising removing the first UI from an area in which the first UI is displayed at least partially based on a state of the electronic device and displaying the third UI.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the state is associated with a screen displayed on the touch screen display or an application program executed when the level of the pressure is detected.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising controlling the first UI by resizing, moving, shifting, rearranging, or scrolling at least one of the first UI or the at least one first item.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising displaying the second UI along with at least a part of the controlled first UI before removing the second UI.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the first UI includes a home screen and the at least one first item includes an icon indicating an application program, and the second UI includes a menu, and one or more graphic elements indicating at least one of at least one phone application program, an email application program, a browser application program, a search application program, a voice recognition application program, and a program selected by a user.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the first UI includes a UI of an application program and the at least one first item related to the application program, and the second UI includes a menu and one or more graphic elements indicating at least one of at least one phone application program, an email application program, a browser application program, a search application program, a voice recognition application program, a program selected by a user, and a function related to the application program.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the second UI includes at least one piece of text indicating a user'"'"'s instruction to perform an operation of the electronic device.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having programs recorded therein to be executed on a computer, the programs including executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

control a touch screen display to display a first user interface (UI) related to a first function in a first display area, the first UI including at least one item;

detect a first pressure signal through at least one pressure sensor;

when the detected first pressure signal is greater than or equal to a first preset threshold value, control the touch screen display to display a second UI related to a second function in a first display area where the first UI is not displayed, the second UI including at least one second item;

control the first UI to fit into a second display area of the touch screen display;

detect a second pressure signal through the at least one pressure sensor; and

when the detected second pressure signal is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold value that is greater than the first preset threshold value, control the touch screen display to display a third UI related to a third function in the first display area or the second display area,

wherein the first display area is independent from the second display area.