Method and apparatus for controlling a display in a portable terminal

• US 9,292,201 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2012
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Joo, Sang-Woo
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Matt
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shiberou, Mahelet
• Application Number:
  US13/706,285
• Publication Number:
  US 20130145311A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,203 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• 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 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• 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

A method and apparatus configured to control a display in a portable terminal includes sensing that the flexible display is bent, dividing the flexible display into a main screen and a sub screen, and outputting first information through the main screen and outputting second information through the sub screen.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a flexible display in a portable terminal, the method comprising:

displaying a screen in a view area on a surface of the flexible display;

identifying that the flexible display is bent;

dividing the view area into a main screen area and a sub screen area on a basis of a bent region, wherein the sub screen area includes the bent region; and

outputting first information in the main screen area and second information in the sub screen area on the surface of the flexible display, wherein the first information is related to the second information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the flexible display is unbent, releasing the main screen area and the sub screen area and, through a whole screen of the flexible display, outputting only the first information or outputting an integration of the first information and the second information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when control information is designated to the sub screen area, controlling the main screen area according to the control information, and outputting the first information in the main screen area.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the control information comprises any one of information associated with control of scrolling displayed contents of the main screen area to a corresponding direction, information associated with control of zooming in or out displayed contents of the main screen area, and information associated with control of turning displayed contents of the main screen area to previous displayed contents or next displayed contents.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein dividing the view area into the main screen area and the sub screen area on the basis of the bent region comprises:

distinguishing a non-bent region and the bent region; and

allotting the main screen area to include the non-bent region, and allotting the sub screen area to include the bent region.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

distinguishing a non-bent region and the bent region; and

changing the sub screen area as the bent region changes.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein dividing the view area into the main screen area and the sub screen area on the basis of the bent region comprises:

allotting the main screen area to include a preset first region; and

allotting the sub screen area to include a preset second region.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein dividing the view area into the main screen area and the sub screen area on the basis of the bent region comprises:

determining that a whole screen of the flexible display is to include the main screen area;

further constructing an overlaid screen on the main screen area; and

determining the overlaid screen to include the sub screen area.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the first information in the main screen area and outputting the second information in the sub screen area comprises outputting the second information through in the sub screen area when the second information associated with the first information exists.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the first information in the main screen area and outputting the second information in the sub screen area comprises outputting the second information to the sub screen area when a program operated as a background is confirmed and the second information about the program operated as the background exists.

11. An apparatus configured to control a display in a portable terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a flexible display configured to output information and display a screen in a view area on a surface of the flexible display;

a storage unit configured to store data about an operation of the portable terminal; and

a controller configured to;

identify that the flexible display is bent,

divide the view area into a main screen area and a sub screen area on a basis of a bent region, wherein the sub screen area includes the bent region, and

output first information in the main screen area and second information in the sub screen area on the surface of the flexible display, wherein the first information is related to the second information.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, when the flexible display is unbent, the controller is configured to release the main screen area and the sub screen area and, through a whole screen of the flexible display, output only the first information or output an integration of the first information and the second information.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, when control information is designated to the sub screen area, the controller is configured to control the main screen area according to the control information, and output the first information in the main screen area.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the control information comprises any one of information associated with control of scrolling displayed contents of the main screen area to a corresponding direction, information associated with control of zooming in or out displayed contents of the main screen area, and information associated with control of turning displayed contents of the main screen area to previous displayed contents or next displayed contents.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to distinguish a non-bent region and the bent region, and allot the main screen area as the non-bent region and allot the sub screen area as the bent region.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to distinguish a non-bent region and the bent region and change the sub screen area as the bent region is changed.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to allot the main screen area as a preset first region, and allot the sub screen area as a preset second region.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to decide a whole screen of the flexible display as the main screen area, construct an overlaid screen on the main screen area, and determine the overlaid screen to be the sub screen area.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to output the second information in the sub screen area when the second information associated with the first information exits.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to output the second information to the sub screen area when a program operated as a background is confirmed and the second information about the program operated as the background exits.