Slidable electronic device and control method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12596403-B2
Application number	US-202318101339-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2023
Priority date	Jul 29, 2020
Publication date	Apr 7, 2026
Grant date	Apr 7, 2026

Abstract

An electronic may include: a housing; a flexible display at least a part of which is viewable to the outside through the housing; and at least one processor operatively connected to the flexible display, wherein the at least one processor may be configured to: in a state where a first portion of the flexible display is viewable to the outside, when a first user input for a sliding operation for exposing a second portion including at least a part of the first portion of the flexible display to the outside is received through the flexible display, display, on the at least a part of the first portion, an object for receiving a user input for performing at least one function; receive a second user input through a region in which the object is displayed; when the second user input is received, slide at least one region of the flexible display to expose the second portion of the flexible display to the outside; and display, on at least a part of the second portion, at least one screen obtained by performing at least one function corresponding to the second user input.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . An electronic device comprising:
a housing; a flexible display at least a part of which is viewable to the outside; and at least one processor operatively connected to the flexible display, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: in a state where a first portion of the flexible display is viewable to the outside, based on a first user input for a sliding operation for exposing to be viewable a second portion of the flexible display comprising at least a part of the first portion of the flexible display being received via the flexible display, display, on the at least a part of the first portion, an object for receiving a user input for performing at least one function, wherein the object is displayed to overlap content displayed in the first portion and a function related to the overlapped content is deactivated, receive a second user input via an area in which the object is displayed, based on the second user input being received, slide at least one area of the flexible display to expose to be viewable the second portion of the flexible display, and display, on at least a part of the second portion, at least one screen on which at least one function corresponding to the second user input is to be performed.

2 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to display at least one application execution screen corresponding to the second user input in a split screen of at least a part of the second portion, in a pop-up screen, or in full screen of the second portion.

3 . The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the second portion comprises the first portion and an additionally extended area configured by an extension sliding of the flexible display, and
the at least one processor is configured to display the at least one application execution screen on the additionally extended area.

4 . The electronic device of claim 2 , further comprising a memory,
wherein the at least one application and a display type of the at least one application execution screen are to be matched to the second user input by user configuration and stored in the memory.

5 . The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to,
based on the second user input being received, display a screen for selecting a display type of at least one application execution screen corresponding to the second user input, and based on a third user input for selecting the display type being received, display the at least one application execution screen in a split screen of at least a part of the second portion, in a pop-up screen, or in full screen of the second portion, based on the third user input.

6 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to display a screen on which a function related to a user account corresponding to the second user input is to be performed in a split screen of at least a part of the second portion, in a pop-up screen, or in full screen of the second portion.

7 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
perform user recognition, and display, on at least a part of the second portion, at least one screen on which at least one function corresponding to the second user input and a user recognition result is to be performed.

8 . The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to,
based on the at least one function being a secure function, release security of the function based on a user account corresponding to the user recognition result, and display, on at least a part of the second portion, at least one screen on which the at least one function is to be performed.

9 . The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
perform user recognition through a fingerprint detected while the first user input and/or the second user input is received, based on the at least one function being a secure function, release security of the function based on a user account corresponding to the second user input and a fingerprint recognition result, and display, on at least a part of the second portion, at least one screen on which the at least one function is to be performed.

10 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the second user input comprises a user input for user recognition, and
the at least one processor is configured to: perform user recognition based on the second user input, and display, on at least a part of the second portion, at least one screen on which at least one function corresponding to a user recognition result is to be performed.

11 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the second user input comprises a touch input on an area among multiple areas included in the object displayed according to the first user input, and
the at least one processor is configured to display, on at least a part of the second portion, at least one screen on which a function corresponding to a position of the touch input is to be performed.

12 . An electronic device comprising:
a housing; a flexible display at least a part of which is viewable to the outside; at least one processor operatively connected to the flexible display; and a communication module comprising communication circuitry, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: in a state where a first portion of the flexible display is viewable to the outside, based on a first user input for a sliding operation for exposing to be viewable a second portion of the flexible display comprising at least a part of the first portion of the flexible display being received via the flexible display, display, on the at least a part of the first portion, an object for receiving a user input for performing at least one function, receive a second user input via an area in which the object is displayed, based on the second user input being received, slide at least one area of the flexible display to expose to be viewable the second portion of the flexible display, display, on at least a part of the second portion, at least one screen on which at least one function corresponding to the second user input is to be performed, and transmit, through the communication module, a command for a sliding operation of a display included in an external electronic device and information related to at least one screen to the external electronic device so that the at least one screen on which at least one function corresponding to the second user input is to be performed can be displayed on the display included in the external electronic device.

13 . A control method of an electronic device, the control method comprising:
in a state where a first portion of a flexible display is viewable to the outside, based on a first user input for a sliding operation for exposing to be viewable a second portion comprising at least a part of the first portion of the flexible display to the outside being received through the flexible display, displaying, on the at least a part of the first portion, an object for receiving a user input for performing at least one function, wherein the object is displayed to overlap content displayed in the first portion and a function related to the overlapped content is deactivated; receiving a second user input through an area in which the object is displayed; based on the second user input being received, sliding at least one area of the flexible display to expose the second portion of the flexible display to be viewable to the outside; and displaying, on at least a part of the second por

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Cheon Kawon
• Yoon Yeojun
• Lee Soojung
• Kim Yejin
• Park Youngseok
• Lee Joayoung
• Choi Duyeong

Classifications

• G06F1/1624

  with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display · CPC title

• H04M1/0245

  using open/close detection · CPC title

• G06F3/0488

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

• G06F3/0484 Primary

  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

• H04M1/0268

  including a flexible display panel · CPC title