Late last month the US Patent and Trademark Office published a patent from Samsung titled "Foldable Electronic Device and Method of Managing Visible Regions Thereof." In September Samsung introduced the Galaxy Note Edge that has a distinct curve on one side of its display which fulfilled a 2013 patent application that Patently Mobile covered. Samsung has many patents regarding possible future bendable and foldable displays that you could review in our archives. In one of Samsung's latest bendable display inventions, they go far beyond a mere bent edge to the entire display being able to be bent if not rolled to extremes. While it could be considered the ultimate bendable smartphone, the oddity of it makes you wonder why Samsung would even consider such a contorted design to begin with. Samsung has some fairly interesting dual display based smartphone concepts on record that make more sense. Then again, perhaps there's more to this design than first meets the eye.
Samsung notes in their introduction that "In a foldable display, when folded, only a portion of the foldable display is visible. Additionally, the size of a visible region of the foldable display depends on the extent to which the foldable display is folded. Further, the foldable display may display content in multiple regions thereof, when the foldable display is partially folded.
However, electronic devices including a conventional foldable display fail to identify visible regions for displaying content, when the foldable displays are bent, folded or rolled.
Samsung Invents Foldable Electronic Devices & Method of Managing Visible Regions
Samsung notes in their patent filing that an aspect of their present invention is to provide a foldable electronic device and a method of managing visible regions thereof, which are capable of identifying visible regions for displaying content, when a foldable display is bent, folded, or rolled.
A second aspect of the present invention is to provide a foldable electronic device and a method of managing visible regions thereof, in which a layout of at least one application can be set in a predetermined manner when two visible regions, i.e., a curved visible region and a flat visible region, are generated by folding and/or rolling the foldable electronic device."
Fragment Mode
In Samsung's patent FIG. 3A noted below we're able to see their fragment mode which is determined using sensor components such as accelerometers, gyroscopes etc., which are placed on each side of the foldable electronic device.
An array of gyroscopes also helps in determining visible regions where one or more events occurs on the screen. More than one gyroscope is used to determine the relative angle of the folding and/or the rolling of the foldable electronic device according to the folding and/or rolling of the foldable electronic device.
In Samsung's patent FIG. 3B noted below we're able to see another view of the fragment mode of operation wherein the full screen of the foldable electronic device is folded and/or rolled halfway to near a middle of the screen. The folding and/or rolling of the foldable electronic device create at least two visible regions. The at least two visible regions may include a curved visible region and a flat straight visible region. That is, the fragment mode may include the two visible regions, i.e., the curved visible region and the flat straight visible region.
Samsung further notes than in another embodiment both the curved visible region and the straight visible region display a single application executed on the foldable electronic device.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the curved visible region and the straight visible region correspond to different applications. That is, a single application executed in the foldable electronic device may be displayed through both the curved visible region and the straight visible region, or differently executed applications may also be displayed in the curved visible region and the straight visible region, respectively.
As illustrated in Samsung's patent FIG. 5A, in the fragment mode, multiple applications can be displayed at one time. We see that one of the applications is moved to and displayed in the curved visible region, and other applications continue to be executed in the flat visible region.
In recent smart devices, a small overlay window executed by an operation of a user is set (or manufactured) to display executed applications, e.g., an active video call, a post-it, etc., as illustrated in FIG. 5B. In order to utilize functions of the overlay window more conveniently, during the fragment mode, the user interface associated with the predetermined overlay window of the application is moved and displayed to the curved visible region, and the user interface associated with the predetermined foreground application is displayed on the flat visible region.
As illustrated in Samsung's patent FIG. 5E, in the fragment mode, a notification may be displayed in the curved visible region. The notifications may vary, and for example, include a notification of an incoming call, a notification of a Short Messaging Service (SMS), a notification of an upgrade of the foldable electronic device, and a notification of an upgrade of an application of the foldable electronic device.
Specifically in Samsung's patent FIG. 5E we see that a user is receiving an incoming call, and the incoming call is notified to the user in the curved visible region while a background running application is still displayed in the flat visible region.
Samsung provides another example of how in the flat section a user can display an overview of a map while the curved visible region could illustrate a zoomed in image of your final destination in more detail.
Samsung's patent FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a foldable electronic device that contains a flexible battery. Last month Samsung revealed their ultimate bendy battery is now a reality.
Samsung note that the foldable electronic may be a mobile phone, a smart phone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a tablet Personal Computer (PC), a phablet and/or a laptop.
Samsung filed their U.S. and Korean patent application back in Q2 2014. Samsung also notes that the original filing was made in India in Q2 2013. Considering that this is a patent application, the timing of such a product to market is unknown at this time.
A Note for Tech Sites covering our Report: We ask tech sites covering our report to kindly limit the use of our graphics to one image. Thanking you in advance for your cooperation.
Patently Mobile presents a detailed summary of patent applications with associated graphics for journalistic news purposes as each such patent application is revealed by the U.S. Patent & Trade Office. Readers are cautioned that the full text of any patent application should be read in its entirety for full and accurate details. About Posting Comments: Patently Mobile reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments.
Comments