Electronic device with changeable shape on basis of user's gesture on screen and control method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025321671-A1
Application number	US-202519250716-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 26, 2025
Priority date	Dec 26, 2022
Publication date	Oct 16, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

An electronic device with changeable shape on the basis of a user's gesture on a screen and/or a control method thereof. There may be provided operations of: detecting a user's gesture on a first screen displayed on a flexible display of the electronic device; determining whether the user's gesture is held in a designated area of the flexible display for at least a designated time; displaying, around the area in which the user's gesture is held, a first icon for inserting a second housing of the electronic device into a first housing of the electronic device and at least one second icon for extending the second housing out of the first housing by a designated length; changing the shape of the electronic device by inserting the second housing into the first housing or by extending the second housing out of the first housing by a designated length; and displaying a second screen, which is different from the first screen, on the electronic device of which the shape has been changed.

First claim

1 . An electronic device, comprising:
a first housing; a second housing configured to be movable with respect to the first housing and overlapping at least a portion of the first housing; a driving device, comprising a motor and/or a gear, configured to slide in and/or slide out the second housing; and a flexible display at least partially mounted on a surface of the second housing and at least partially visible from an outside of the electronic device, wherein a portion of the flexible display is configured to be inserted into the first housing and/or drawn out from the first housing based on sliding in and/or sliding out of the second housing, a trigger button configured to slide in and/or slide out the second housing; a touchscreen configured to receive a user's touch input; at least one processor, comprising processing circuitry, operably connected to the first housing, the second housing, the driving device, the flexible display, the trigger button, and the touchscreen; and memory configured to store instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the at least one processor, individually and/or collectively, to: when receiving a first input for sliding out the second housing while operating in slide-in state, extend a display screen while maintaining a window mode in the slide-in state; and when receiving a second input for sliding out the second housing, terminate a window mode and extend a display screen in a changed window mode while being in the slide-in state.

2 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first input includes an input by manipulation of the trigger button, and the second input includes an input through the touchscreen.

3 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the changed window mode includes a mode set so that a first execution screen of a first application and a second execution screen of a second application are displayed in a multi-window view mode.

4 . The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the display screen includes a third execution screen of a third application,
wherein a user gesture includes a drag gesture starting at a portion of the third execution screen and held and released in a designated area, and wherein the at least one processor is further configured, individually and/or collectively, to scroll the third execution screen based on a drag gesture on the third execution screen.

5 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the second input includes a user gesture to move a visual object into a designated area on the touchscreen, and
wherein the designated area includes an area around an upper edge of a portion where the touchscreen is exposed and/or visible.

6 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further include an instruction to, based on detecting that a user gesture is held and then released in the designated area when the electronic device is in a closed state, draw out the second housing to the outside of the first housing by a designated length while terminating the changed window mode.

7 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further include an instruction to display at least one first icon when the visual object is positioned in a designated area, and
wherein the at least one first icon includes a plurality of icons each representing screen ratios.

8 . The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to:
based on a user gesture being held, determine whether the electronic device is in a closed state; and when the electronic device is in the closed state, not display the at least one first icon.

9 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further include an instruction to, based on the user gesture being held, display at least one indicator indicating a drawn-out direction of the touchscreen.

10 . The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the at least one indicator is not displayed when a user gesture is released.

11 . A method, comprising:
detecting a user gesture on a first screen displayed on a flexible display of an electronic device; based on detecting the user gesture, determining whether the user gesture is held in a designated area of the flexible display for a designated time or more; based on the determination, displaying, around an area where the user gesture is held, a first icon for inserting a second housing of the electronic device into a first housing of the electronic device and at least one second icon for drawing out the second housing to an outside of the first housing by a designated length; based on a user input to the first icon and/or the at least one second icon, changing a shape of the electronic device by inserting the second housing into the first housing and/or drawing out the second housing to the outside of the first housing by the designated length; and displaying a second screen different from the first screen on the shape-changed electronic device.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the first screen includes a screen where a first execution screen of a first application and a second execution screen of a second application are displayed in a multi-window view mode, and
wherein the user gesture includes a drag gesture for a first visual element representing a boundary between the first execution screen and the second execution screen.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the first screen includes a third execution screen of a third application,
wherein the user gesture includes a drag gesture starting at a portion of the third execution screen and held and released in the designated area, and wherein the method further comprises, based on the drag gesture on the third execution screen, scrolling the third execution screen.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the designated area includes an area around an upper edge of a portion where the flexible display is exposed and/or visible.

15 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the method for controlling the electronic device further comprises, based on detecting that the user gesture is held and then released in the designated area when the electronic device is in a fully closed state, drawing out the second housing to the outside of the first housing while terminating the multi-window mode.

16 . The method of claim 11 , comprising:
based on a user input to the first icon, changing a shape of the electronic device by inserting the second housing into the first housing, and based on a user input to the second icon, drawing out the second housing to the outside of the first housing by the designated length.

17 . One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of an electronic device individually or collectively cause the electronic device to perform operations, the operations comprising:
detecting a user gesture on a first screen displayed on a flexible display of an electronic device; based on detecting the user gesture, determining whether the user gesture is held in a designated area of the flexible display for a designated time or more; based on the determination, displaying, around an area where the user gesture is held, a first icon for inserting a second housing of the electronic device into a first housing of the electronic device and at least one second icon for drawing out the second housing to an outside of the first housing by a designated length; based on a user input to the first icon and/or the at least one second icon, changing a shape of the electronic device by inse

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Song Taeyang
• Lee Sangeun
• Park Jihea
• Kim Sukdong
• Seo Soohyun
• Hong Hyunju

Classifications

• G06F1/1677

  for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment · CPC title

• G06F2203/04803

  Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas · CPC title

• G06F1/1624

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

• G06F1/1652

  the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable · CPC title

• G06F3/04883

  for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text · CPC title