Transparent display apparatus and display method thereof

• US 9,865,224 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2013
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yun, Il-kook, Seo, Joon-kyu, Lee, Chang-soo
• Primary Examiner(s): Merouan, Abderrahim
• Application Number:
  US13/957,027
• Publication Number:
  US 20140035942A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,622 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13471 in which all the liquid crystal cells or layers remain transparent, e.g. FLC, ECB, DAP, HAN, TN, STN, SBE-LC cells G02F1/13475 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1601 Constructional details related to the housing of computer displays, e.g. of CRT monitors, of flat displays constructional details related to flat displays integrated in a portable computer, e.g. laptop, handheld computer G06F1/1637; constructional details related to television receivers H04N5/64
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• 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 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1431 using a single graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/023 Display panel composed of stacked panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• 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

Abstract

A transparent display apparatus is provided. The transparent display includes a display including a plurality of transparent display layers, and a controller configured to control the display, when a first event occurs, to display a first screen on a first transparent display layer from among the plurality of transparent display layers, and to display a second screen on a second transparent display layer that is from among the plurality of transparent display layers, wherein the controller controls the display to display the first screen that is currently displayed on the first transparent display layer to be displayed on the second transparent display layer for a predetermined time when a second event occurs.

Claims

1. A transparent display apparatus, the transparent display apparatus comprising:

a display including a plurality of transparent displays, the plurality of transparent displays comprising a first transparent display and a second transparent display which is lower than the first transparent display; and

at least one processor configured to;

control the display to display a first screen on the first transparent display,

control to receive a first touch input while the first transparent display displays the first screen,

in response to the first touch input, control the display to display a second screen related to contents provided within the first screen on the second transparent display and to maintain a state in which the first transparent display displays the first screen,

control to receive a second touch input, and

in response to the second touch input, control the display to display the first screen on the second transparent display and the second screen on the first transparent display for a predefined time before reverting.

2. The transparent display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first screen and the second screen have independent sources respectively providing independent multimedia contents.

3. The transparent display apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to separately adjust display features of the first screen and the second screen according to surrounding situation information, and

wherein the display features include at least one of transparency, color, size, display position, display time, display shape, or resolution.

4. The transparent display apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a first touch sensor configured to sense user touches on the transparent display placed in a first direction from among the plurality of transparent displays; and

a second touch sensor configured to sense user touches on the transparent display placed in a second direction opposite to the first direction from among the plurality of transparent displays,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control operations performed by the plurality of transparent displays according to user touches sensed in at least one of the first touch sensor or the second touch sensor.

5. The transparent display apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor configured to sense a user position,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to set a resolution of a screen displayed on the backside transparent display to be higher than that of a screen displayed on the transparent display placed toward user from among the plurality of the transparent displays.

6. The transparent display apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor configured to sense a rotation of the transparent display apparatus,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to;

reverse at least one of the first screen and the second screen vertically or horizontally, and

display the at least one of the first screen and the second screen so as to correspond to the rotation, when the rotation of the transparent display apparatus is sensed by the sensor.

7. The transparent display apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to move and display the first screen or objects within the first screen to a corresponding transparent display from among the plurality of transparent displays, and

wherein the corresponding transparent display being disposed at a depth corresponding to user touches when the user touches are performed on the first screen.

8. The transparent display apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the first event corresponds to a touch on the first screen, and

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

generate a previous screen or a next screen of the first screen as second screen, and

display the second screen on the second transparent display when the first event occurs.

9. The transparent display apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the second transparent display is a lower than the first transparent display,

wherein the second screen is displayed on an overlapping area with the first screen from among a whole area of the second transparent display, and

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

display the first screen while the second screen is being rendered, and

remove the first screen when the rendering the second screen is completed.

10. The transparent display apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the second transparent display is a lower than the first transparent display,

wherein the second screen is displayed on an overlapping area with the first screen from among a whole area of the second transparent display, and

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to modify a shape of the first screen to expose the second screen which is shielded by the first screen when a user touches the first screen.

11. The transparent display apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the first screen is a download implementing screen to implement contents downloading, and

wherein the second screen is a download situation displaying screen to display at least one of a download processing degree of the selected contents, an expected completion time, a contents feature information or a contents source information, when contents is selected and a download begins in the download implementing screen.

12. The transparent display apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the first screen is contents playing screen to play and output contents, and

wherein the second screen is an information screen to display at least one of feature information of the contents playing on the first screen, information indicating a contents playing degree, a controlling menu to control a contents playing operation, a previous contents information, a next contents information, or a contents list.

13. The transparent display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second screen is an additional information screen including at least one of a remaining battery amount, a communication situation, time information, system informing information, volume information, network connecting information, setup information, date information, weather information, text message receiving situation information, or missed call information.

14. The transparent display apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when user touches are performed on the transparent display to display the first screen, the at least one processor is further configured to display feedback effects corresponding to the user touches at an area corresponding to the touched point of the second transparent display that is arranged on a lower of the first transparent display.

15. The transparent display apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to adjust display features of the second screen differently from display features of the first screen, and

wherein the display features are at least one of transparency, color, size, display position, display time, display shape, or resolution.

16. The transparent display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to display the second screen at an area that is not overlapped with the first screen from among a whole area of the second transparent display.

17. The transparent display apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the first event includes at least one of an event to input user touches, an event to input a command to implement additional applications, an event to input a command to play additional contents, an event to approach a predetermined time, or an event to generate system informing messages, and

wherein the second event includes at least one of an event to perform a long touch, an event to perform a double touch, an event to perform a touch &

drag, an event to perform a flick, an event to approach another predetermined time, or an event to generate new informing messages.

18. A display method of the transparent display apparatus including a plurality of transparent displays, the plurality of transparent displays having a first transparent display and a second transparent display which is lower than the first transparent display, the display method comprising:

displaying a first screen on the first transparent display from among the plurality of transparent displays;

receiving a first touch input while the first transparent display displays the first screen;

in response to the first touch input, displaying a second screen related to contents provided within the first screen on the second transparent display and maintaining a state in which the first transparent display displays the first screen;

receiving a second touch input; and

in response to the second touch input, displaying the first screen on the second transparent display and the second screen on the first transparent display for a predetermined time before reverting.