Method of controlling display and electronic device supporting the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11348490-B1
Application number	US-202117326923-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	May 21, 2021
Priority date	Nov 6, 2020
Publication date	May 31, 2022
Grant date	May 31, 2022

Abstract

An electronic device and method are provided. The electronic device includes a flexible display including a first state in which a display area has a first size and a second state in which the display area is expanded in a first direction to have a second size larger than the first size, an actuator driven to change a state of the flexible display, and a processor configured to detect a touch input on a point of the display area, which is located adjacent to a side surface of the electronic device, and identify whether a touch point of the touch input is moved from the point of the display area by a specified distance or more in a same direction as a direction in which the state of the flexible display is changed in a state in which the touch input is maintained.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a flexible display including a first state in which a display area has a first size and a second state in which the display area is expanded in a first direction to have a second size that is larger than the first size;
an actuator driven to change a state of the flexible display between the first state and the second state; and
a processor operatively connected to the flexible display and the actuator,
wherein the processor is configured to:
detect a touch input on a first point of the display area, which is located adjacent to a side surface of the electronic device;
identify whether the touch input is maintained and the touch input is moved from the first point of the display area by a specified distance or more in the first direction while the flexible display is in the first state;
drive the actuator so as to change the state of the flexible display based on identifying that the touch input is maintained and the touch input is moved from the first point of the display area by the specified distance or more in the first direction while the flexible display is in the first state;
display, through the flexible display a first object at the first point for guiding the movement of the touch input from the first point to a second point of the display area; and
display, through the flexible display, a second object at the second point different from the first point when the touch input is located at the first point,
wherein a position of the second point is set based on where the first point is located.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
drive the actuator so as to change the state of the flexible display based on identifying that a moving direction of the touch input is changed and the touch input passes through at least one third point of the display area on a path in which the touch input is moved from the first point of the display area to the second point of the display area.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
display, through the flexible display, a third object at the at least one third point when the touch input is located at the first point; and
display, through the flexible display, a fourth object at the second point when the touch input is located at the at least one third point.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
drive the actuator so as to change the state of the flexible display from the first state to the second state based on identifying that the touch input is detected in the first state and that the touch input is moved from the first point of the display area, which is located adjacent to at least one first side surface among side surfaces of the electronic device, to the second point of the display area, which is located adjacent to a second side surface in the first direction among the side surfaces,
wherein the at least one first side surface includes a third side surface in a second direction opposite the first direction among the side surfaces or a fourth side surface in a third direction substantially perpendicular to the second direction while being located adjacent to the third side surface among the side surfaces.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
identify whether the touch input is maintained and the touch input is moved from a third point of the display area by the specified distance or more in a second direction opposite the first direction while the flexible display is in the second state;
drive the actuator so as to change the state of the flexible display from the second state to the first state based on identifying that the touch input is detected in the second state and that the touch input is moved from a third point of the display area, which is located adjacent to at least one first side surface among side surfaces of the electronic device, to a fourth point of the display area, which is located adjacent to a second side surface in the second direction among the side surfaces,
wherein the at least one first side surface includes a third side surface in the first direction among the side surfaces or a fourth side surface in a third direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction while being located adjacent to the third side surface among the side surfaces.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
detect another touch input on the display area of the flexible display within a specified time from a time point at which the touch input is terminated after the touch input is moved by a first distance less than the specified distance;
identify a second distance by which the another touch input is maintained and the another touch input is moved on the display area; and
drive the actuator so as to change the state of the flexible display based on identifying that a sum of the first distance and the second distance is greater than or equal to the specified distance.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the touch input includes a single touch input or a multi-touch input.

8. A method of controlling a display of an electronic device, the method comprising:
detecting a touch input at a first point of a display area, which is located adjacent to a side surface of the electronic device, on a flexible display including a first state in which the display area has a first size and a second state in which the display area is expanded in a first direction to have a second size that is larger than the first size;
identifying whether the touch input is maintained and the touch input is moved from the first point of the display area by a specified distance or more in the first direction while the flexible display is in the first state;
driving an actuator so as to change the state of the flexible display based on identifying that the touch input is maintained and the touch input is moved from the first point of the display area by the specified distance or more in the first direction while the flexible display is in the first state;
displaying, through the flexible display, a first object at the first point for guiding the movement of the touch input from the first point to a second point of the display area; and
displaying, through the flexible display, a second object at the second point different from the first point when the touch input is located at the first point,
wherein a position of the second point is set based on where the first point is located.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
driving the actuator so as to change the state of the flexible display based on identifying that a moving direction of the touch input is changed and the touch input passes through at least one third point of the display area on a path in which the touch input is moved from the first point of the display area to the second point of the display area.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
displaying, through the flexible display, a third object at the at least one third point when the touch input is located at the first point; and
displaying, through the flexible display, a fourth object at the second point when the touch input is located at the at least one third point.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
driving the actuator so as to change the state of the flexible display from the first state to the second state based on identifying that the touch input is detected in the first state and that the touch input moved from the first point of the display area, which is located adjacent to at least one fi

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kwak Myunghoon
• Lee Sangeun
• Lee Soyoung

Classifications

• H04M1/0268 Primary

  including a flexible display panel · CPC title

• G06F3/0488 Primary

  using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures · CPC title

• G06F3/0484

  for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range · CPC title

• G09G2340/04

  Changes in size, position or resolution of an image · CPC title

• G09F9/301 Primary

  flexible foldable or roll-able electronic displays, e.g. thin LCD, OLED · CPC title