Electronic device and method for displaying application used therein

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11550468-B2
Application number	US-202117226726-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2021
Priority date	Feb 15, 2016
Publication date	Jan 10, 2023
Grant date	Jan 10, 2023

Abstract

Various examples of the present invention relate to an electronic device and a method for displaying applications used in the electronic device. The electronic device includes a wireless communication unit; a touch screen; a processor coupled to the wireless communication unit and the touch screen; and a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory, when executed, stores instructions to cause the processor to control to: display, on the touch screen, an execution screen of a first application being executed among a plurality of applications having a stack order, display, on the touch screen, an execution screen of a second application among the plurality of applications according to the stack order, instead of the execution screen of the first application, in response to a first swipe gesture input from a first position of the touch screen while the execution screen of the first application is displayed, display, on the touch screen, an execution screen of a third application among the plurality of applications according to the stack order, instead of the execution screen of the first application, in response to a second swipe gesture input from a second position of the touch screen while the execution screen of the first application is displayed, and change the stack order of the first application, the second application, and the third application, based on a user input for interacting with one of the first application, the second application, and the third application. Other various examples are possible other than the examples disclosed in the present invention.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a wireless communication circuitry;
a touch screen;
a memory; and
a processor coupled to the wireless communication circuitry, the touch screen and the memory,
wherein the memory stores instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to control to:
display, on the touch screen, an execution screen of a first application as a foreground application among a plurality of applications including the first application, a second application and a third application, while an application order for switching applications is the third application, the first application and the second application,
display, on the touch screen, an execution screen of the second application as the foreground application, instead of the execution screen of the first application, in response to a first swipe gesture input from a first position of the touch screen, the first swipe gesture input being received while the execution screen of the first application is displayed as the foreground application while the application order for switching applications is the third application, the first application and the second application,
display, on the touch screen, an execution screen of the third application as the foreground application, instead of the execution screen of the first application, in response to a second swipe gesture input from a second position of the touch screen, the second swipe gesture input being received while the execution screen of the first application is displayed as the foreground application while the application order for switching applications is the third application, the first application and the second application, and the second swipe gesture input having a direction different from a direction of the first swipe gesture input,
receive a user input on the execution screen of the first application displayed as the foreground application while the application order for switching applications is the third application, the first application and the second application, and
based on receiving the user input on the execution screen of the first application displayed as the foreground application, change the application order for switching applications to be the first application, the third application and the second application.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the execution screen of each of the first application, the second application and the third application is displayed on an entirety of the touch screen.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 ,
wherein the first swipe gesture input is a gesture moving in a rightward direction along a bottom of the touch screen, and
wherein the second swipe gesture input is a gesture moving in a leftward direction along the bottom of the touch screen.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 ,
wherein the second application is executed earlier than the first application, and
wherein the third application is executed later than the first application.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the memory further stores instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to control to display an arrangement of at least a part of the plurality of applications being executed on one screen of the touch screen in the application order for switching applications, based on a specific gesture being input to the touch screen.

6. A method for displaying applications, the method comprising:
displaying, by a processor of an electronic device, on a touch screen of the electronic device, an execution screen of a first application as a foreground application among a plurality of applications including the first application, a second application and a third application, while an application order for switching applications is the third application, the first application and the second application;
displaying, by the processor, on the touch screen, an execution screen of the second application as the foreground application, instead of the execution screen of the first application, in response to a first swipe gesture input from a first position of the touch screen, the first swipe gesture input being received while the execution screen of the first application is displayed as the foreground application while the application order for switching applications is the third application, the first application and the second application;
displaying, by the processor, on the touch screen, an execution screen of the third application as the foreground application, instead of the execution screen of the first application, in response to a second swipe gesture input from a second position of the touch screen, the second swipe gesture input being received while the execution screen of the first application is displayed as the foreground application while the application order for switching applications is the third application, the first application and the second application, and the second swipe gesture input having a direction different from a direction of the first swipe gesture input;
receiving a user input on the execution screen of the first application displayed as the foreground application while the application order for switching applications is the third application, the first application and the second application; and
based on receiving the user input on the execution screen of the first application displayed as the foreground application, changing, by the processor, the application order for switching applications to be the first application, the third application and the second application.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the execution screen of each the first application, the second application and the third application is displayed on an entirety of the touch screen.

8. The method of claim 6 ,
wherein the first swipe gesture input is a gesture moving in a rightward direction along a bottom of the touch screen, and
wherein the second swipe gesture input is a gesture moving in a leftward direction along the bottom of the touch screen.

9. The method of claim 8 ,
wherein the second application is executed earlier than the first application, and
wherein the third application is executed later than the first application.

10. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
displaying by the processor, on the touch screen, an arrangement of at least a part of the plurality of applications being executed on one screen of the touch screen in the application order for switching applications, based on a specific gesture being input to the touch screen.

11. An electronic device comprising:
a wireless communication circuitry;
a touch screen;
a memory; and
a processor coupled to the wireless communication circuitry, the touch screen and the memory,
a memory coupled to the processor,
wherein the memory stores instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to control to:
display, on an entirety of the touch screen, an execution screen of a first application as a foreground application among a plurality of applications including the first application, a second application and a third application, while an application order for switching applications is the third application, the first application and the second application,
display, on the entirety of the touch screen, an execution screen of the second application as the foreground application, instead of the execution screen of the first application, in response to a swipe gesture input from a specific position of the touch screen while the application order for switching applications is the third application, the first application and the second application,
receive a user input o

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Jongkee
• Oh Jungyeob
• Choi Bonghak

Classifications

• 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

• G06F3/0482

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · 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

• G06F2203/0339

  Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys · CPC title

• G06F3/0488 Primary

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