Apparatus and method for providing information via portion of display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10732793-B2
Application number	US-201615131900-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2016
Priority date	Apr 16, 2015
Publication date	Aug 4, 2020
Grant date	Aug 4, 2020

Abstract

An electronic device and method are provided for displaying information in the electronic device. The electronic device includes a display; and a processor configured to display an application (App) bar including at least one object through a first area of the display, display an execution screen through a second area of the display, and change at least one of the displayed App bar and the displayed execution screen, in response to a first user input received through the first area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a display; and
a processor configured to:
display an application (App) bar including a plurality of user representations through a first area of the display;
display an execution screen of a first application through a second area of the display in response to a first input of selecting an icon corresponding to the first application displayed in the second area;
receive a second user input of dragging a first object included in the execution screen of the first application to a target user representation displayed in the first area, the target user representation being one of the plurality of user representations; and
in response to the second user input:
execute a second application corresponding to the target user representation in a background state, the background state being a state in which the execution screen of the first application is displayed through the second area of the display and an execution screen of the second application is not displayed through the second area of the display, and
transmit data associated with the first object to a device corresponding to the target user representation using the second application executed in the background state.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to identify an event related to one of the plurality of user representations included in the App bar and display information related to the event adjacent to the one of the plurality of user representations in the App bar.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to identify an attribute of the first user input and to modify the App bar based on the attribute of the first user input.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to maintain the displayed execution screen of the second area while detecting the first user input through the first area.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first user input selects one of the plurality of user representations included the App bar displayed in the first area, and
wherein the processor is further configured to display an object related to the one of the plurality of user representations in the execution screen displayed in the second area, in response to the first user input for selecting the one of the plurality of user representations from the App bar.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to change the App bar to a status bar in response to the first user input.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to switch off the second area of the display, and to control the display to maintain the display of the status bar through the first area of the display, while the second area of the display is switched off.

8. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to change the status bar displayed through the first area to another status bar according to a user setting.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first area is configured with a first sub-display module and the second area is configured with a second sub-display module, and
wherein the first sub-display module and the second sub-display module are independently controlled by the processor.

10. A method for operating an electronic device including a display, the method comprising:
displaying an application (App) bar including a plurality of user representations through a first area of the display, wherein each of the plurality of user representations indicates one or more applications used by a respective user;
displaying an execution screen of a first application through a second area of the display in response to a first input of selecting an icon corresponding to the first application displayed in the second area;
receiving a second user input of dragging a first object included in the execution screen of the first application to a target user representation displayed in the first area, the target user representation being one of the plurality of user representations; and
in response to the second user input:
executing a second application corresponding to the target user representation in a background state, the background state being a state in which the execution screen of the first application is displayed through the second area of the display and an execution screen of the second application is not displayed through the second area of the display, and
transmitting data associated with the first object to a device corresponding to the target user representation using the second application executed in the background state.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising identifying an event related to one of the plurality of user representations included in the App bar,
wherein displaying the App bar comprises displaying information related to the event adjacent to the one of the plurality of user representations.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein changing the displayed App bar comprises:
identifying an attribute of the first user input; and
changing the App bar based on the identified attribute of the first user input.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising maintaining the displayed execution screen of the second area, while detecting the first user input through the first area.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising identifying the first user input as selecting one of the plurality of user representations from the App bar displayed in the first area,
wherein changing the displayed execution screen comprises displaying an object related to the one of the plurality of user representations in the displayed execution screen, in response to the first user input.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein changing the displayed App bar comprises changing the App bar to a status bar.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
switching off the second area of the display; and
maintaining displaying the status bar through the first area of the display, while the second area of the display is switched off.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising changing the status bar displayed through the first area to another status bar according to a user setting.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage media for storing instructions, which when executed by a processor included in an electronic device, control the processor to:
display an application (App) bar including a plurality of user representations through a first area of a display, wherein each of the plurality of user representations indicates one or more applications used by a respective user;
display an execution screen of a first application through a second area of the display in response to a first input of selecting an icon corresponding to the first application displayed in the second area;
receive a second user input of dragging a first object included in the execution screen of the first application to a target user representation displayed in the first area, the target user representation being one of the plurality of user representations; and
in response to the second user input:
execute a second application corresponding to the target user representation in a background state, the background state being a state in which the execution screen of the first application is displayed through the second area of the display and an execution screen of the second application is not displayed through the second area of the display,

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Jihyun
• Lee Gwanghui
• Shin Yongjoo
• Yu Yongju
• Yun Yongseob
• Lee Juyeong

Classifications

• H04M1/72484

  wherein functions are triggered by incoming communication events · CPC title

• H04M1/724

  User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones · CPC title

• G06F3/04817

  using icons (graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34) · CPC title

• G06F3/04886

  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 title

• G06F2203/04804

  Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows · CPC title