Foldable portable device including different folded states

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10289258-B2
Application number	US-201415513007-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 1, 2014
Priority date	Oct 1, 2014
Publication date	May 14, 2019
Grant date	May 14, 2019

Abstract

A method for controlling a portable device comprising a first body in the center thereof, a second body positioned on the left side of the first body and a third body positioned on the right side of the first body, according to one embodiment of the present specification, may comprise the steps of; detecting a first triggering signal if a first faulted state is converted to a second faulted state; displaying a menu interface in the converted second faulted state on the basis of the detected first triggering signal; detecting a first control input with respect to the displayed menu interface; and if the second faulted state is converted to a third faulted state, displaying a first application in the third faulted state on the basis of the first control input.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A portable device containing a first body positioned at the center, a second body positioned on the left side of the first body, and a third body positioned on the right side of the first body, comprising:
a display unit configured to display visual information in at least one of a first display area of the first body, a second display area of the second body, or a third display area of the third body;
a folding sensor unit configured to detect whether or not at least one of the second body and the third body is folded into the first body; and
a processor configured to control the display and the folding sensor unit,
wherein the processor is configured to:
when a first folded state of the portable device is switched to a second folded state, display a menu interface in the second display area, the menu interface including a plurality of icons, and
when the switched second folded state of the portable device is switched to a third folded state after a first icon and a second icon are selected from the menu interface, display a first execution screen of a first application corresponding to the selected first icon in the second display area and a first partial area of the first display area, and display a second execution screen of a second application corresponding to the selected second icon in the third display area and a second partial area of the first display area.

2. The portable device of claim 1 , wherein when folding of the second body folded to the first body and folding of the third body folded to the first body are detected, the processor is configured to set the first folded state.

3. The portable device of claim 1 , wherein when unfolding of the second body unfolded from the first body and unfolding of the third body unfolded from the first body are detected, the processor is configured to set the third folded state.

4. The portable device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to set a middle state between the first folded state and the third folded state as the second folded state.

5. The portable device of claim 4 , wherein when either a first folding angle between the first body and the second body or a second folding angle between the first body and the third body corresponds to a first angle or is within a threshold angle range from the first angle, the processor is configured to set the second folded state.

6. The portable device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to display the first execution screen of the first application and the second execution screen of the second application with the same size.

7. The portable device of claim 1 , wherein when the first icon is displayed in a first position of the menu interface and the second icon is displayed in a second position of the menu interface, the processor is configured to display the first execution screen of the first application in a third position of the display unit and display the second execution screen of the second application in a fourth position of the display unit in the third folded state and wherein the third position and the fourth position correspond to the first position and the second position, respectively.

8. The portable device of claim 1 , wherein when the first folded state is switched to the second folded state after first visual information is displayed in the second display area in the first folded state, the processor is configured to display the menu interface related to the first visual information in the second display area.

9. The portable device of claim 1 , wherein the menu interface includes at least one of a multitasking menu interface, a bookmark menu interface, or a history menu interface.

10. The portable device of claim 1 , further comprising a camera unit configured to be positioned at the second body and capture an image,
wherein the processor is further configured to:
when the first folded state is switched to the second folded state, activate the camera unit in the second folded state, and
when the switched second folded state of the portable device is switched to the first folded state after an image is captured via the camera unit, display the captured image in the third display area in the first folded state.

11. The portable device of claim 10 , wherein when the portable device is in a landscape mode, the processor is configured to activate the camera unit.

12. A method of displaying information of a portable device containing a first body positioned at the center, a second body positioned on the left side of the first body, and a third body positioned on the right side of the first body, comprising:
when a first folded state of the portable device is switched to a second folded state, displaying a menu interface in a second display area of the second body, the menu interface including a plurality of icons; and
when the switched second folded state of the portable device is switched to a third folded state after a first icon and a second icon are selected from the menu interface, displaying a first execution screen of a first application corresponding to the selected first icon in the second display area and a first partial area of a first display area of the first body, and displaying a second execution screen of a second application corresponding to the selected second icon in a third display area of the third body and a second partial area of the first display area.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lee Doyoung
• Chun Sinae
• Lee Juhwan
• Park Sihwa

Classifications

• H04M1/0268

  including a flexible display panel · CPC title

• G06F1/1677

  for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment · CPC title

• H04M1/0243

  using the relative angle between housings · CPC title

• H04M1/0214

  Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position (combined with translation movement H04M1/0235) · CPC title

• G06F3/0481

  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 title