Electronic device having bended display and method for controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018164850-A1
Application number	US-201715809936-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 10, 2017
Priority date	Dec 8, 2016
Publication date	Jun 14, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

An electronic device having a bended display and a method for controlling the same. The electronic device includes a front display area and at least two separate side display areas that are physically connected with at least one side of the front display area and form a convex curved surface in at least one space between the front and the rear of the electronic device. The electronic device also includes and a non-display area that physically connects at least two side display areas of the at least two separate side display areas and forms a convex double curvature surface in at least another space between the front and the rear of the electronic device. The at least two physically connected side display areas may be bent in directions so that an acute angle, a right angle or an obtuse angle is formed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electronic device comprising:
a front display area; at least two separate side display areas that are physically connected with at least one side of the front display area and form a convex curved surface in at least one space between the front and a rear of the electronic device; and a non-display area that physically connects adjacent two side display areas among the at least two separate side display areas and forms a convex double curvature surface in at least another space between the front and the rear of the electronic device, wherein the adjacent two side display areas are bent in directions and form at least one of an acute angle, a right angle or an obtuse angle.

2 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least two separate side display areas include side display areas bent in opposite directions and side display areas bent in directions perpendicular to each other.

3 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein at least one display area among the front display area and the at least two separate side display areas includes an external interface.

4 . The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the external interface includes at least one of a USB terminal, a microphone hole, a speaker hole, a key button, and an earphone interface.

5 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the front display area includes a plurality of fine holes in at least one space.

6 . The electronic device of claim 5 , further comprising at least one of a speaker, a microphone, a camera, and a sensor at a position corresponding to the fine holes.

7 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the front display area is connected with one of the at least two separate side display areas and a physically separate space is included there between.

8 . The electronic device of claim 7 , further comprising at least one of a speaker, a microphone, a camera, and a sensor at a position corresponding to the physically separate space.

9 . An electronic device comprising:
a display; and at least one display driver chip (DDI) to drive the display, wherein the display includes a transparent window enclosing a front and at least a portion of the lateral side of the electronic device, a three-dimensional film of a shape corresponding to the shape of the transparent window, and a flexible panel including a front display area and at least two separate side display areas, wherein adjacent two side display areas among the at least two separate side display areas are bent in directions and form at least one of an acute angle, a right angle or an obtuse angle.

10 . The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the three-dimensional film includes a region corresponding to a display area and a region corresponding to a non-display area and the regions are marked to visually distinguished from each other.

11 . The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the region of the three-dimensional film corresponding to a display area is transparent, and the region corresponding to a non-display area is at least opaque.

12 . The electronic device of claim 9 , further comprising at least one of a speaker, a microphone, a camera, and a sensor.

13 . The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the speaker or the microphone includes a piezo element that converts electric vibrations into sound waves.

14 . The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the camera is included in the flexible panel.

15 . The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the display includes a plurality of fine holes in at least one region, and wherein at least one of the speaker, the microphone, the camera, and the sensor is disposed close to a position corresponding to the fine holes.

16 . The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the display includes a physically separate space between the front display area and one of the at least two separate side display areas, and wherein at least one of the speaker, the microphone, the camera, and the sensor is disposed close to a position corresponding to the physically separate space.

17 . A method for an electronic device including a front display area and at least two separate side display areas to control the display areas, the method comprising:
receiving an input for setting a display mode; and controlling each display area to display specific content according to the display mode set by the received input.

18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprises:
when the received input sets a full vertical display mode, displaying one piece of content is in both the front display area and at least one side display area, and arranging the content on each of the display areas where a long sides among the sides of the front display area are parallel to a vertical direction of each of the display areas displaying the content.

19 . The method of claim 17 , further comprises:
when the received input sets a full horizontal display mode, displaying one piece of content in both the front display area and at least one side display area, and arranging the content on each of the display areas where a long sides among the sides of the front display area are parallel to a horizontal direction of each of the display areas displaying the content.

20 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
when the received input sets a stereoscopic effect mode, displaying on the front display area a piece of content containing an object, and displaying on the at least two separate side display areas, side portions corresponding to the object displayed in the front display area.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sim Hyunwoo
• Kim Yonghwa
• Park Junghoon
• An Jungchul
• CHOI Seungbum
• Son Dongil

Classifications

• H04M1/0269

  mounted in a fixed curved configuration, e.g. display curved around the edges of the telephone housing · CPC title

• G06F1/1647

  including at least an additional display (G06F1/1692 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F2200/1614

  Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode · CPC title

• G09G5/14

  Display of multiple viewports · CPC title

• G06F1/165 Primary

  the additional display being small, e.g. for presenting status information · CPC title