U.S. patent application number 17/147929 was filed with the patent office on 2021-05-06 for electronic device and method for configuring display thereof.
The applicant listed for this patent is Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Jinwan AN, Daesik HWANG, Hyesoon JEONG, Yeongi JIN, Kyuchul KONG, Jaeyoung YANG.
Application Number | 20210132779 17/147929 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005341497 |
Filed Date | 2021-05-06 |
![](/patent/app/20210132779/US20210132779A1-20210506\US20210132779A1-2021050)
United States Patent
Application |
20210132779 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
JEONG; Hyesoon ; et
al. |
May 6, 2021 |
ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CONFIGURING DISPLAY THEREOF
Abstract
An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes
a rectangular display, at least one sensor, a processor
electrically connected to the display and the at least one sensor,
and a memory electrically connected to the processor, wherein the
memory stores an application program including a first layout to be
displayed when the display is substantially oriented in a
horizontal orientation and a second layout displayed when the
display is substantially oriented in a vertical orientation, and
the memory stores instructions which, when executed by the
processor, causes the process to perform operations including:
displaying a window including one of the first and second layouts
on a part of the display, detecting a change in the orientation of
the electronic device by using the at least one sensor, rotating
the window about 90 degrees based on the detected orientation
change, and continuously maintaining one of the first and second
layout in the window.
Inventors: |
JEONG; Hyesoon;
(Chilgok-gun, KR) ; KONG; Kyuchul; (Gumi-si,
KR) ; YANG; Jaeyoung; (Seongnam-si, KR) ; JIN;
Yeongi; (Seoul, KR) ; HWANG; Daesik; (Daegu,
KR) ; AN; Jinwan; (Daegu, KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. |
Suwon-si |
|
KR |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005341497 |
Appl. No.: |
17/147929 |
Filed: |
January 13, 2021 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
15341364 |
Nov 2, 2016 |
10921967 |
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17147929 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 2203/04803
20130101; G06F 2200/1614 20130101; G06F 3/04886 20130101; G06F
3/04845 20130101; G06F 3/0346 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/0484 20060101
G06F003/0484; G06F 3/0488 20060101 G06F003/0488; G06F 3/0346
20060101 G06F003/0346 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 18, 2015 |
KR |
10-2015-0161994 |
Claims
1. An electronic device comprising: a display; at least one sensor;
a processor; and a memory storing instructions which, when executed
by the processor, cause the electronic device to perform operations
comprising: displaying, on the display, a multi window split into a
first window and a second window such that a first application
being executed is displayed on the first window and a second
application being executed is displayed on the second window; while
the multi window split into the first window and the second window
is displayed, changing a size of the first window and the second
window, based on a touch input on the display; and while the multi
window split into the first window and the second window is
displayed, changing a layout of the first application from one of a
first layout or a second layout to the other of the first layout or
the second layout, based on the changing of the size of the first
window relative to the size of the second window, wherein the first
layout is a landscape layout having a first user interface with a
first number of user selectable inputs, and the second layout is a
portrait layout having a second user interface with a second number
of user selectable inputs.
2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions
stored in the memory executed by the processor cause the electronic
device to perform operations comprising: in a state in which the
display is oriented in a horizontal orientation, initially
splitting the multi window into the first window and the second
window, the first application being displayed in the first window
using the second layout; and while the display is oriented in the
horizontal orientation and the multi window is split into the first
window and the second window, changing the layout of the first
application from the second layout to the first layout based on a
horizontal length of the first window relative to a vertical length
thereof increasing beyond a threshold.
3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions
stored in the memory executed by the processor cause the electronic
device to perform operations comprising: in a state in which the
display is oriented in a horizontal orientation, initially
splitting the multi window into the first window and the second
window; and while the display is oriented in the horizontal
orientation and the multi window is split into the first window and
the second window, changing the layout of the first application
from the one of the first layout or the second layout to the other
of the first layout or the second layout based on a horizontal
length of the first window relative to a vertical length thereof
increasing beyond a threshold.
4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the changing of the
layout of the first application from the one of the first layout or
the second layout to the other of the first layout or the second
layout comprises: changing the layout of the first application from
the first layout to the second layout, based on a horizontal length
of the first window increasing beyond a threshold.
5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first application
is configured to change the layout of the first application based
on an orientation of the display being changed or a size of at
least one window of the multi window being changed.
6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions
stored in the memory executed by the processor cause the electronic
device to perform operations comprising: determining whether to
change a layout of the first application based on configuration
information of the first application.
7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first layout of
the first application includes more keys than the second layout of
the first application.
8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second application
is partially displayed in the second window when the size of the
second window decreases.
9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first application
is a calculator application, and wherein the instructions stored in
the memory executed by the processor cause the electronic device to
perform operations comprising: displaying, on the first window or
the second window, the calculator application with the portrait
layout including a plurality of UI items of a basic calculator,
when entering to a multi window mode while the electronic device is
oriented horizontally; and changing layout of the calculator
application to the landscape layout including a plurality of UI
items of a scientific calculator, when a size of the first window
or the second window displaying the calculator application
increases beyond a threshold while the electronic device is
oriented horizontally.
10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the changing of the
layout of the first application from the one of the first layout or
the second layout to the other of the first layout or the second
layout occurs while the orientation of the display stays the
same.
11. An electronic device comprising: a display; a processor; and a
memory storing instructions which, when executed by the processor,
cause the electronic device to perform operations comprising:
displaying, on the display, a first window for displaying a first
application being executed and a second window for displaying a
second application being executed, adjacent to each other; and
based on a touch input on the display received while the first
window and the second window are displayed adjacent to each other:
changing a size of the first window, changing a size of the second
window according to the changing of the size of the first window,
and changing a layout of the first application displayed in the
first window from one of a first layout or a second layout to the
other of the first layout or the second layout according to the
changing of the size of the first window, wherein the first layout
has a first user interface (UI) with a first number of selectable
UI items, and the second layout has a second UI with a second
number of selectable UI items.
12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the layout of the
first application is changed from one of the first layout and the
second layout to the other of the first layout and the second
layout based on a horizontal length of the first window relative to
a vertical length thereof.
13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the touch input
comprises a drag input, wherein as a touch of the drag input moves
on the display, the size of the first window and the size of the
second window are changed together.
14. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the first layout of
the first application is associated with a horizontal orientation
of the electronic device, and the second layout of the first
application is associated with a vertical orientation of the
electronic device.
15. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the first
application is configured to change the layout of the first
application based on an orientation of the display being
changed.
16. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the operations
further comprise: determining whether to change the layout of the
first application based on configuration information of the first
application.
17. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the selectable UI
items comprise keys.
18. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein a portion of the
second application is displayed in the second window without a
layout of the second application being changed when the size of the
second window decreases.
19. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the first
application is a calculator application, and wherein the
instructions stored in the memory executed by the processor cause
the electronic device to perform operations comprising: displaying,
on the first window or the second window, the calculator
application with a portrait layout including a plurality of UI
items of a basic calculator, when entering to a multi window mode
while the electronic device is oriented horizontally; and changing
layout of the calculator application to a landscape layout
including a plurality of UI items of a scientific calculator, when
a size of the first window or the second window displaying the
calculator application increases beyond a threshold while the
electronic device is oriented horizontally.
20. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the changing of the
layout of the first application from the one of the first layout or
the second layout to the other of the first layout or the second
layout occurs while the orientation of the display stays the same.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] This application is a divisional application of prior
application Ser. No. 15/341,364, filed on Nov. 2, 2016, which
claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119(a) of a Korean patent
application filed on Nov. 18, 2015 in the Korean Intellectual
Property Office and assigned Serial number 10-2015-0161994, the
entire disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by
reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device. More
particularly, the present disclosure relates to a display
configuration for an electronic device.
BACKGROUND
[0003] With the development of a mobile communication technology
and a processor technology, a portable terminal device
(hereinafter, refer to as "electronic device") has been able to
implement various applications as well as a call function of the
related art. For example, various applications such as internet
browsers, games, calculators, etc. are developed and utilized on
the electronic device.
[0004] A display of the electronic device is prepared in a
rectangular shape whose height is generally longer than its width,
and for a user's convenience, it has been defined to implement the
orientation of an application in a vertical or horizontal
orientation at the time of development of each application. In
addition, the electronic device may sense the orientation of the
electronic device itself through a gravity sensor (or a gyro
sensor), and some applications such as an internet browser may be
configured to change the orientation of an application based on
whether the electronic device is vertically or horizontally
oriented as sensed through a sensor. An application which defines
the orientation change may include a separate layout corresponding
to a vertical direction or a horizontal direction.
[0005] Recent electronic devices have been implemented with a
multi-window function for displaying two or more applications on a
single screen at the same time. That is, the electronic device may
display, on split areas by which the display is split into two or
more areas, a window on which two or more simultaneously executed
applications are displayed and an execution screen of each
application, or may overlay each window and display the overlaid
window.
[0006] The above information is presented as background information
only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No
determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to
whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with
regard to the present disclosure.
SUMMARY
[0007] When a plurality of applications are displayed on respective
windows according to a display mode (horizontal or vertical mode)
in an electronic device that supports a multi-window function, the
electronic device may be rotated from horizontal to vertical
orientation or vice versa, and thus all of the plurality of
applications may be rotated in the same display mode. That is, in a
state where the electronic device is in a vertical mode and two
applications are being executed thereon, the electronic device is
configured to display both of the two applications in a vertical
mode, and when the electronic device is rotated in a horizontal
orientation and switched to a horizontal mode, the electronic
device is configured to display both of the two applications being
executed thereon in a horizontal mode.
[0008] Since the electronic device may only display applications
being executed at the same time in a display mode of the same
direction, even if the electronic device is rotated, the display
mode may not be changed and a multi-window function may be
terminated.
[0009] Aspects of the present disclosure are to address at least
the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at
least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the
present disclosure is to provide an electronic device which can
configure an appropriate orientation for each of the windows of a
plurality of applications simultaneously being executed in a
multi-window environment.
[0010] In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, an
electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a
rectangular display, at least one sensor, a processor electrically
connected to the display and the at least one sensor, and a memory
electrically connected to the processor, wherein the memory stores
an application program including a first layout to be displayed
when the display is substantially oriented in a horizontal
orientation and a second layout to be displayed when the display is
substantially oriented in a vertical orientation, and the memory
stores instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause
the processor to perform operations including displaying a window
including one of the first and second layouts on a part of the
display, detecting a change in the orientation of the electronic
device by using the at least one sensor, rotating the window about
90 degrees at least partially based on the detection of the
orientation change, and continuously maintaining one of the first
and second layouts in the window.
[0011] In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure,
an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a
rectangular display, at least one sensor, a processor electrically
connected to the display and the at least one sensor, and a memory
electrically connected to the processor, wherein the memory stores
an application program including a first layout to be displayed
when the display is substantially oriented in a horizontal
orientation and a second layout when the display is substantially
oriented in a vertical orientation, and the memory stores
instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the
processor to perform operations including displaying a window
including one of the first and second layouts on a part of the
display, managing selection of the layout in a window displayed on
the display at the center, detecting a change in the orientation of
the electronic device by using the at least one sensor,
identifying, when the orientation of the electronic device is
changed in response to the detection, whether the displayed window
is configured to continuously maintain one of the first and second
layouts or to include one other layout thereof, selecting a layout
to be included in the displayed window based on the identification,
and displaying the window including the selected layout.
[0012] In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure,
an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a
display, at least one sensor, a processor electrically connected to
the display and the at least one sensor, and a memory electrically
connected to the processor, wherein the memory stores a plurality
of applications including at least one of a first layout to be
displayed when the display is oriented in a vertical orientation
and a second layout to be displayed when the display is oriented in
a horizontal orientation, and the memory stores instructions which,
when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform
operations including creating, when the plurality of applications
are executed, windows on which the plurality of applications are
displayed and displaying the plurality of applications in the first
layout or the second layout, and determining, when an event for the
change of the layout occurs, a layout of each of the plurality of
applications on the basis of configuration information on each of
the plurality of applications.
[0013] In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure,
a method for configuring a display of an electronic device is
provided. The method includes executing a plurality of
applications, creating windows on which the plurality of
applications are displayed, respectively, and displaying the
plurality of applications, on the windows, in a first layout to be
displayed when a display is vertically oriented and a second layout
to be displayed when the display is horizontally oriented, sensing
an event for a change in the layout, and determining a layout of
each of the plurality of applications based on the configuration
information on each of the plurality of applications.
[0014] Various embodiments of the present disclosure may provide an
electronic device which can configure an appropriate orientation
for each of the windows of a plurality of applications
simultaneously being executed in a multi-window environment.
[0015] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
since an orientation for each window of each application can be
configured, the display mode may not be changed or a multi-window
function may not be terminated even when the electronic device is
rotated, thereby providing convenience to a user. That is, the
present disclosure may determine an orientation of a multi-window
such that the orientation is suitable for the user's intent and
attributes of each application, and thus the effectiveness of the
multi-window can be further increased.
[0016] Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the
disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from
the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction
with the annexed drawings, discloses various embodiments of the
present disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of
certain embodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent
from the following description taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates an electronic device within a network
environment according to various embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0019] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electronic device according
to various embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0020] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a program module according to
various embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0021] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an electronic device according
to various embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0022] FIG. 5 illustrates software components of an electronic
device according to various embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0023] FIGS. 6A, 6B, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 illustrate an
application screen displayed on a display of an electronic device
according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; and
[0024] FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method for configuring
a display of an electronic device according to various embodiments
of the present disclosure.
[0025] Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals will be
understood to refer to like parts, components, and structures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] The following description with reference to the accompanying
drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of
various embodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the
claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details
to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as
merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art
will recognize that various changes and modifications of the
various embodiments described herein can be made without departing
from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. In addition,
descriptions of well-known functions and constructions may be
omitted for clarity and conciseness.
[0027] The terms and words used in the following description and
claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are
merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent
understanding of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be
apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description
of various embodiments of the present disclosure is provided for
illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the
present disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their
equivalents.
[0028] It is to be understood that the singular forms "a," "an,"
and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly
dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a component
surface" includes reference to one or more of such surfaces.
[0029] An expression "comprising" or "may comprise" used in the
present disclosure indicates presence of a corresponding function,
operation, or element and does not limit additional at least one
function, operation, or element. Further, in the present
disclosure, a term "comprise" or "have" indicates presence of a
characteristic, numeral, operation, element, component, or
combination thereof described in a specification and does not
exclude presence or addition of at least one other characteristic,
numeral, operation, element, component, or combination thereof.
[0030] In the present disclosure, an expression "or" includes any
combination or the entire combination of together listed words. For
example, "A or B" may include A, B, or A and B.
[0031] An expression of a first and a second in the present
disclosure may represent various elements of the present
disclosure, but do not limit corresponding elements. For example,
the expression does not limit order and/or importance of
corresponding elements. The expression may be used for
distinguishing one element from another element. For example, both
a first user device and a second user device are user devices and
represent different user devices. For example, a first constituent
element may be referred to as a second constituent element without
deviating from the scope of the present disclosure, and similarly,
a second constituent element may be referred to as a first
constituent element.
[0032] When it is described that an element is "coupled" to another
element, the element may be "directly coupled" to the other element
or "electrically coupled" to the other element through a third
element. However, when it is described that an element is "directly
coupled" to another element, no element may exist between the
element and the other element.
[0033] Unless differently defined, entire terms including a
technical term and a scientific term used here have the same
meaning as a meaning that may be generally understood by a person
of common skill in the art. It should be analyzed that generally
using terms defined in a dictionary have a meaning corresponding to
that of a context of related technology and are not analyzed as an
ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined.
[0034] In this disclosure, an electronic device may be a device
that involves a communication function. For example, an electronic
device may be a smart phone, a tablet personal computer (PC), a
mobile phone, a video phone, an e-book reader, a desktop PC, a
laptop PC, a netbook computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA),
a portable multimedia player), a Moving Picture Experts Group phase
1 or phase 2 (MPEG-1 or MPEG-2) audio layer 3 (MP3) player, a
portable medical device, a digital camera, or a wearable device
(e.g., a head-mounted device (HMD) such as electronic glasses,
electronic clothes, an electronic bracelet, an electronic necklace,
an electronic appcessory, or a smart watch).
[0035] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, an
electronic device may be a smart home appliance that involves a
communication function. For example, an electronic device may be a
television (TV), a digital versatile disc (DVD) player, audio
equipment, a refrigerator, an air conditioner, a vacuum cleaner, an
oven, a microwave, a washing machine, an air cleaner, a set-top
box, a TV box (e.g., Samsung HomeSync.TM., Apple TV.TM., Google
TV.TM., etc.), a game console, an electronic dictionary, an
electronic key, a camcorder, or an electronic picture frame.
[0036] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, an
electronic device may be a medical device (e.g., magnetic resonance
angiography (MRA), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed
tomography (CT), ultrasonography, etc.), a navigation device, a
global positioning system (GPS) receiver, an event data recorder
(EDR), a flight data recorder (FDR), a car infotainment device,
electronic equipment for ship (e.g., a marine navigation system, a
gyrocompass, etc.), avionics, security equipment, or an industrial
or home robot.
[0037] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, an
electronic device may be furniture or part of a building or
construction having a communication function, an electronic board,
an electronic signature receiving device, a projector, or various
measuring instruments (e.g., a water meter, an electric meter, a
gas meter, a wave meter, etc.). An electronic device disclosed
herein may be one of the above-mentioned devices or any combination
thereof. As well understood by those skilled in the art, the
above-mentioned electronic devices are not to be considered as a
limitation of this disclosure.
[0038] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic
apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0039] Referring to FIG. 1, the electronic apparatus 101 may
include a bus 110, a processor 120, a memory 130, a user input
module (input/output interface) 150, a display 160, and a
communication interface 170.
[0040] The bus 110 may be a circuit for interconnecting elements
described above and for allowing a communication, e.g. by
transferring a control message, between the elements described
above.
[0041] The processor 120 can receive commands from the
above-mentioned other elements, e.g. the memory 130, the user input
module 150, the display 160, and the communication interface 170,
through, for example, the bus 110, can decipher the received
commands, and perform operations and/or data processing according
to the deciphered commands.
[0042] The memory 130 can store commands received from the
processor 120 and/or other elements, e.g. the user input module
150, the display 160, and the communication interface 170, and/or
commands and/or data generated by the processor 120 and/or other
elements. The memory 130 may include software and/or programs 140,
such as a kernel 141, middleware 143, an application programming
interface (API) 145, and an application 147. Each of the
programming modules described above may be configured by software,
firmware, hardware, and/or combinations of two or more thereof.
[0043] The kernel 141 can control and/or manage system resources,
e.g. the bus 110, the processor 120 or the memory 130, used for
execution of operations and/or functions implemented in other
programming modules, such as the middleware 143, the API 145,
and/or the application 147. Further, the kernel 141 can provide an
interface through which the middleware 143, the API 145, and/or the
application 147 can access and then control and/or manage an
individual element of the electronic apparatus 101.
[0044] The middleware 143 can perform a relay function which allows
the API 145 and/or the application 147 to communicate with and
exchange data with the kernel 141. Further, in relation to
operation requests received from at least one of an application
147, the middleware 143 can perform load balancing in relation to
the operation requests by, for example, giving a priority in using
a system resource, e.g. the bus 110, the processor 120, and/or the
memory 130, of the electronic apparatus 101 to at least one
application from among the at least one of the application 147.
[0045] The API 145 is an interface through which the application
147 can control a function provided by the kernel 141 and/or the
middleware 143, and may include, for example, at least one
interface or function for file control, window control, image
processing, and/or character control.
[0046] The user input module 150 can receive, for example, a
command and/or data from a user, and transfer the received command
and/or data to the processor 120 and/or the memory 130 through the
bus 110. The display 160 can display an image, a video, and/or data
to a user.
[0047] The communication interface 170 can establish a
communication between the electronic apparatus 101 and other
electronic devices 102 and 104 and/or a server 106. The
communication interface 170 can support short range communication
protocols 164, e.g. a Wi-Fi protocol, a Bluetooth (BT) protocol,
and a near field communication (NFC) protocol, communication
networks, e.g. internet, local area network (LAN), wide area
network (WAN), a telecommunication network, a cellular network, and
a satellite network, or a plain old telephone service (POTS), or
any other similar and/or suitable communication networks, such as
network 162, or the like. Each of the electronic devices 102 and
104 may be a same type and/or different types of electronic
apparatus.
[0048] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device
201 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The
electronic device 201 may form, for example, the whole or part of
the electronic device 101 shown in FIG. 1.
[0049] Referring to FIG. 2, the electronic device 201 may include
at least one application processor (AP) 210, a communication module
220, a subscriber identification module (SIM) card 224, a memory
230, a sensor module 240, an input unit 250, a display 260, an
interface 270, an audio module 280, a camera module 291, a power
management module 295, a battery 296, an indicator 297, and a motor
298.
[0050] The AP 210 may drive an operating system (OS) or
applications, control a plurality of hardware or software
components connected thereto, and also perform processing and
operation for various data including multimedia data. The AP 210
may be formed of system-on-chip (SoC), for example. According to an
embodiment of the present disclosure, the AP 210 may further
include a graphics processing unit (GPU) (not shown).
[0051] The communication module 220 (e.g., the communication
interface 260) may perform a data communication with any other
electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 204 or the server
206) connected to the electronic device 200 (e.g., the electronic
device 201) through the network. According to an embodiment of the
present disclosure, the communication module 220 may include
therein a cellular module 221, a Wi-Fi module 223, a BT module 225,
a GPS module 227, an NFC module 228, and a radio frequency (RF)
module 229.
[0052] The cellular module 221 may offer a voice call, a video
call, a message service, an internet service, or the like through a
communication network (e.g., long-term evolution (LTE),
LTE-advanced (LTE-A), code division multiple access (CDMA),
wideband CDMA (WCDMA), universal mobile telecommunication system
(UMTS), wireless broadband (WiBro), or global system for mobile
communication (GSM), etc.). Additionally, the cellular module 221
may perform identification and authentication of the electronic
device in the communication network, using the SIM card 224.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cellular
module 221 may perform at least part of functions the AP 210 can
provide. For example, the cellular module 221 may perform at least
part of a multimedia control function.
[0053] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the
cellular module 221 may include a communication processor (CP).
Additionally, the cellular module 221 may be formed of SoC, for
example. Although some elements such as the cellular module 221
(e.g., the CP), the memory 230, or the power management module 295
are shown as separate elements being different from the AP 210 in
FIG. 2, the AP 210 may be formed to have at least part (e.g., the
cellular module 221) of the above elements in an embodiment of the
present disclosure.
[0054] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the AP
210 or the cellular module 221 (e.g., the CP) may load commands or
data, received from a nonvolatile memory connected thereto or from
at least one of the other elements, into a volatile memory to
process them. Additionally, the AP 210 or the cellular module 221
may store data, received from or created at one or more of the
other elements, in the nonvolatile memory.
[0055] Each of the Wi-Fi module 223, the BT module 225, the GPS
module 227 and the NFC module 228 may include a processor for
processing data transmitted or received therethrough. Although FIG.
2 shows the cellular module 221, the Wi-Fi module 223, the BT
module 225, the GPS module 227 and the NFC module 228 as different
blocks, at least part of them may be contained in a single
integrated circuit (IC) chip or a single IC package in an
embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, at least part
(e.g., the CP corresponding to the cellular module 221 and a Wi-Fi
processor corresponding to the Wi-Fi module 223) of respective
processors corresponding to the cellular module 221, the Wi-Fi
module 223, the BT module 225, the GPS module 227 and the NFC
module 228 may be formed as a single SoC.
[0056] The RF module 229 may transmit and receive data, e.g., RF
signals or any other electric signals. Although not shown, the RF
module 229 may include a transceiver, a power amp module), a
frequency filter, a low noise amplifier (LNA), or the like. Also,
the RF module 229 may include any component, e.g., a wire or a
conductor, for transmission of electromagnetic waves in a free air
space. Although FIG. 2 shows that the cellular module 221, the
Wi-Fi module 223, the BT module 225, the GPS module 227 and the NFC
module 228 share the RF module 229, at least one of them may
perform transmission and reception of RF signals through a separate
RF module in an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0057] The SIM card 224 may be a specific card formed of SIM and
may be inserted into a slot formed at a certain place of the
electronic device 201. The SIM card 224 may contain therein an IC
card identifier (ICCID) or an international mobile subscriber
identity (IMSI).
[0058] The memory 230 (e.g., the memory 230) may include an
internal memory 232 and an external memory 234. The internal memory
232 may include, for example, at least one of a volatile memory
(e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM),
synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), etc.) or a nonvolatile memory (e.g., one
time programmable read only memory (OTPROM), programmable ROM
(PROM), erasable and programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically
erasable and programmable ROM (EEPROM), mask ROM, flash ROM, NAND
flash memory, NOR flash memory, etc.).
[0059] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the
internal memory 232 may have the form of a solid state drive (SSD).
The external memory 234 may include a flash drive, e.g., compact
flash (CF), secure digital (SD), micro-SD, mini-SD, extreme digital
(xD), memory stick, or the like. The external memory 234 may be
functionally connected to the electronic device 201 through various
interfaces. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure,
the electronic device 201 may further include a storage device or
medium such as a hard drive.
[0060] The sensor module 240 may measure physical quantity or sense
an operating status of the electronic device 201, and then convert
measured or sensed information into electric signals. The sensor
module 240 may include, for example, at least one of a gesture
sensor 240A, a gyro sensor 240B, an atmospheric sensor (barometer)
240C, a magnetic sensor 240D, an acceleration sensor 240E, a grip
sensor 240F, a proximity sensor 240G, a color sensor 240H (e.g.,
red, green, blue (RGB) sensor), a biometric sensor 240I, a
temperature-humidity sensor 240J, an illumination (illuminance)
sensor 240K, and an ultraviolet (UV) sensor 240M. Additionally or
alternatively, the sensor module 240 may include, e.g., an E-nose
sensor (not shown), an electromyography (EMG) sensor (not shown),
an electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor (not shown), an
electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor (not shown), an infrared (IR) sensor
(not shown), an iris scan sensor (not shown), or a finger scan
sensor (not shown). Also, the sensor module 240 may include a
control circuit for controlling one or more sensors equipped
therein.
[0061] The input device 250 may include a touch panel 252, a
(digital) pen sensor 254, a key 256, or an ultrasonic input unit
258. The touch panel 252 may recognize a touch input in a manner of
capacitive type, resistive type, infrared type, or ultrasonic type.
Also, the touch panel 252 may further include a control circuit. In
case of a capacitive type, a physical contact or proximity may be
recognized. The touch panel 252 may further include a tactile
layer. In this case, the touch panel 252 may offer a tactile
feedback to a user.
[0062] The digital pen sensor 254 may be formed in the same or
similar manner as receiving a touch input or by using a separate
recognition sheet. The key 256 may include, for example, a physical
button, an optical key, or a keypad. The ultrasonic input unit 258
is a specific device capable of identifying data by sensing sound
waves with a microphone 288 in the electronic device 201 through an
input tool that generates ultrasonic signals, thus allowing
wireless recognition. According to an embodiment of the present
disclosure, the electronic device 201 may receive a user input from
any external device (e.g., a computer or a server) connected
thereto through the communication module 220.
[0063] The display 260 (e.g., the display 250) may include a panel
262, a hologram 264, or a projector 266. The panel 262 may be, for
example, liquid crystal display (LCD), active matrix organic light
emitting diode (AM OLED), or the like. The panel 262 may have a
flexible, transparent or wearable form. The panel 262 may be formed
of a single module with the touch panel 252. The hologram 264 may
show a stereoscopic image in the air using interference of light.
The projector 266 may project an image onto a screen, which may be
located at the inside or outside of the electronic device 201.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the display
260 may further include a control circuit for controlling the panel
262, the hologram 264, and the projector 266.
[0064] The interface 270 may include, for example, a
high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) 272, a universal serial
bus (USB) 274, an optical interface 276, or a D-sub
(D-subminiature) 278. The interface 270 may be contained, for
example, in the communication interface 260 shown in FIG. 2.
Additionally or alternatively, the interface 270 may include, for
example, a mobile high-definition link (MHL) interface, an SD
card/multi-media card (MMC) interface, or an infrared data
association (IrDA) interface.
[0065] The audio module 280 may perform a conversion between sounds
and electric signals. The audio module 280 may process sound
information inputted or outputted through a speaker 282, a receiver
284, an earphone 286, or a microphone 288.
[0066] The camera module 291 is a device capable of obtaining still
images and moving images. According to an embodiment of the present
disclosure, the camera module 291 may include at least one image
sensor (e.g., a front sensor or a rear sensor), a lens (not shown),
an (image signal processor (ISP), not shown), or a flash (e.g., LED
or xenon lamp, not shown).
[0067] The power management module 295 may manage electric power of
the electronic device 201. Although not shown, the power management
module 295 may include, for example, a power management IC (PMIC),
a charger IC, or a battery or fuel gauge.
[0068] The PMIC may be formed, for example, of an IC chip or SoC.
Charging may be performed in a wired or wireless manner. The
charger IC may charge a battery 296 and prevent overvoltage or
overcurrent from a charger. According to an embodiment of the
present disclosure, the charger IC may have a charger IC used for
at least one of wired and wireless charging types. A wireless
charging type may include, for example, a magnetic resonance type,
a magnetic induction type, or an electromagnetic type. Any
additional circuit for a wireless charging may be further used such
as a coil loop, a resonance circuit, or a rectifier.
[0069] The battery gauge may measure the residual amount of the
battery 296 and a voltage, current or temperature in a charging
process. The battery 296 may store or create electric power therein
and supply electric power to the electronic device 201. The battery
296 may be, for example, a rechargeable battery or a solar
battery.
[0070] The indicator 297 may show thereon a current status (e.g., a
booting status, a message status, or a recharging status) of the
electronic device 201 or of its part (e.g., the AP 210). The motor
298 may convert an electric signal into a mechanical vibration.
Although not shown, the electronic device 201 may include a
specific processor (e.g., GPU) for supporting a mobile TV. This
processor may process media data that comply with standards of
digital multimedia broadcasting), digital video broadcasting (DVB),
or media flow.
[0071] Each of the above-discussed elements of the electronic
device disclosed herein may be formed of one or more components,
and its name may be varied according to the type of the electronic
device. The electronic device disclosed herein may be formed of at
least one of the above-discussed elements without some elements or
with additional other elements. Some of the elements may be
integrated into a single entity that still performs the same
functions as those of such elements before integrated.
[0072] The term "module" used in this disclosure may refer to a
certain unit that includes one of hardware, software and firmware
or any combination thereof. The module may be interchangeably used
with unit, logic, logical block, component, or circuit, for
example. The module may be the minimum unit, or part thereof, which
performs one or more particular functions. The module may be formed
mechanically or electronically. For example, the module disclosed
herein may include at least one of application-specific IC (ASIC)
chip, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and
programmable-logic device, which have been known or are to be
developed.
[0073] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a
programming module 310 according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0074] The programming module 310 may be included (or stored) in
the electronic device 201 (e.g., the memory 230) illustrated in
FIG. 2 or may be included (or stored) in the electronic device 201
(e.g., the memory 230) illustrated in FIG. 2. At least a part of
the programming module 310 may be implemented in software,
firmware, hardware, or a combination of two or more thereof. The
programming module 310 may be implemented in hardware, and may
include an OS controlling resources related to an electronic device
(e.g., the electronic device 101 or 201) and/or various
applications (e.g., an application 370) executed in the OS. For
example, the OS may be Android, iOS, Windows, Symbian, Tizen, Bada,
and the like.
[0075] Referring to FIG. 3, the programming module 310 may include
a kernel 320, a middleware 330, an API 360, and/or the application
370.
[0076] The kernel 320 (e.g., the kernel 241) may include a system
resource manager 321 and/or a device driver 323. The system
resource manager 321 may include, for example, a process manager
(not illustrated), a memory manager (not illustrated), and a file
system manager (not illustrated). The system resource manager 321
may perform the control, allocation, recovery, and/or the like of
system resources. The device driver 323 may include, for example, a
display driver (not illustrated), a camera driver (not
illustrated), a BT driver (not illustrated), a shared memory driver
(not illustrated), a USB driver (not illustrated), a keypad driver
(not illustrated), a Wi-Fi driver (not illustrated), and/or an
audio driver (not illustrated). Also, according to an embodiment of
the present disclosure, the device driver 323 may include an
inter-process communication (IPC) driver (not illustrated).
[0077] The middleware 330 may include multiple modules previously
implemented so as to provide a function used in common by the
applications 370. Also, the middleware 330 may provide a function
to the applications 370 through the API 360 in order to enable the
applications 370 to efficiently use limited system resources within
the electronic device. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the
middleware 330 (e.g., the middleware 243) may include at least one
of a runtime library 335, an application manager 341, a window
manager 342, a multimedia manager 343, a resource manager 344, a
power manager 345, a database manager 346, a package manager 347, a
connectivity manager 348, a notification manager 349, a location
manager 350, a graphic manager 351, a security manager 352, and any
other suitable and/or similar manager.
[0078] The runtime library 335 may include, for example, a library
module used by a complier, in order to add a new function by using
a programming language during the execution of the application 370.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the runtime
library 335 may perform functions which are related to input and
output, the management of a memory, an arithmetic function, and/or
the like.
[0079] The application manager 341 may manage, for example, a life
cycle of at least one of the applications 370. The window manager
342 may manage graphical user interface (GUI) resources used on the
screen. The multimedia manager 343 may detect a format used to
reproduce various media files and may encode or decode a media file
through a codec appropriate for the relevant format. The resource
manager 344 may manage resources, such as a source code, a memory,
a storage space, and/or the like of at least one of the
applications 370.
[0080] The power manager 345 may operate together with a basic
input/output system (BIOS), may manage a battery or power, and may
provide power information and the like used for an operation. The
database manager 346 may manage a database in such a manner as to
enable the generation, search and/or change of the database to be
used by at least one of the applications 370. The package manager
347 may manage the installation and/or update of an application
distributed in the form of a package file.
[0081] The connectivity manager 348 may manage a wireless
connectivity such as, for example, Wi-Fi and BT. The notification
manager 349 may display or report, to the user, an event such as an
arrival message, an appointment, a proximity alarm, and the like in
such a manner as not to disturb the user. The location manager 350
may manage location information of the electronic device. The
graphic manager 351 may manage a graphic effect, which is to be
provided to the user, and/or a UI related to the graphic effect.
The security manager 352 may provide various security functions
used for system security, user authentication, and the like.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the
electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 201) has a telephone
function, the middleware 330 may further include a telephony
manager (not illustrated) for managing a voice telephony call
function and/or a video telephony call function of the electronic
device.
[0082] The middleware 330 may generate and use a new middleware
module through various functional combinations of the
above-described internal element modules. The middleware 330 may
provide modules specialized according to types of OSs in order to
provide differentiated functions. Also, the middleware 330 may
dynamically delete some of the existing elements, or may add new
elements. Accordingly, the middleware 330 may omit some of the
elements described in the various embodiments of the present
disclosure, may further include other elements, or may replace the
some of the elements with elements, each of which performs a
similar function and has a different name.
[0083] The API 360 (e.g., the API 245) is a set of API programming
functions, and may be provided with a different configuration
according to an OS. In the case of Android or iOS, for example, one
API set may be provided to each platform. In the case of Tizen, for
example, two or more API sets may be provided to each platform.
[0084] The applications 370 (e.g., the applications 247) may
include, for example, a preloaded application and/or a third party
application. The applications 370 (e.g., the applications 247) may
include, for example, a home application 371, a dialer application
372, a short message service (SMS)/multimedia message service (MMS)
application 373, an instant message (IM) application 374, a browser
application 375, a camera application 376, an alarm application
377, a contact application 378, a voice dial application 379, an
electronic mail (e-mail) application 380, a calendar application
381, a media player application 382, an album application 383, a
clock application 384, and any other suitable and/or similar
application.
[0085] At least a part of the programming module 310 may be
implemented by instructions stored in a non-transitory
computer-readable storage medium. When the instructions are
executed by one or more processors (e.g., the AP 210), the one or
more processors may perform functions corresponding to the
instructions. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium
may be, for example, the memory 220. At least a part of the
programming module 310 may be implemented (e.g., executed) by, for
example, the one or more processors. At least a part of the
programming module 310 may include, for example, a module, a
program, a routine, a set of instructions, and/or a process for
performing one or more functions.
[0086] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure
for adjusting a display mode will be described through FIGS. 4, 5,
6A, 6B, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 in more detail.
[0087] In various embodiments of the present disclosure, an
electronic device may include a processor and a memory so as to
execute various applications and include a display for displaying
the executed applications, and the electronic device may be, for
example, a smart phone, a tablet PC, etc. According to various
embodiments of the present disclosure, an electronic device may
provide a multi-window function for simultaneously executing two or
more applications and displaying each of the applications on one
screen at the same time.
[0088] In various embodiments of the present disclosure, the
application is a well-known application program which can be
stored, installed, and executed in the electronic device, and may
include, for example, a dialer, an SMS/MMS, an internet browser, a
game, a calculator, etc.
[0089] In various embodiments of the present disclosure, the
electronic device may include a display of a rectangular shape
whose height is longer than its width, and identify whether the
display is oriented in a horizontal direction or a vertical
direction through at least one sensor. That is, it may be defined
that when a short side of the display faces up/down with respect to
the ground, the display is vertically oriented, and when the long
side of the display faces up/down with respect to the ground, the
display is horizontally orientated.
[0090] Here, the electronic device may determine the orientation of
the display according to the a range of an angle between the
display and the ground, and when the orientation of the display is
changed from horizontal to vertical or vice versa, the electronic
device may determine such that the orientation of the display is
maintained within a predetermined angle range, in order to prevent
iterative changes in the layout of the application.
[0091] In various embodiments of the present disclosure, a window
may correspond to each of the applications, and may be defined as
an area on the display on which a screen is displayed according to
the execution of the plurality of applications. As described above,
the electronic device may support a multi-window function, and when
two applications are executed at the same time on the electronic
device, two windows are individually defined on the display.
[0092] Here, a plurality of windows corresponding to a plurality of
applications may be displayed such that separate layers are
overlapped with each other. In this case, one of the plurality of
windows may be a background window displayed on the background and
one or more other windows may be pop-up windows displayed on a
layer above the background window. In addition, the plurality of
windows corresponding to the plurality of applications may be split
windows defined on areas divided from each other on the display.
The display format of multiple windows as described above may be
determined according to the configuration information of each
application or the user's configuration.
[0093] In various embodiments of the present disclosure, each
application may define at least one layout. At least one
application may include a first layout to be displayed when the
display is vertically oriented and a second layout to be displayed
when the display is horizontally oriented. The first layout is a
shape whose horizontal direction is short and vertical direction is
long, and the second layout is a shape whose horizontal direction
is long and vertical direction is short, and for example, a part of
the information displayed at the bottom on the first layout may be
displayed on the right side on the second layout.
[0094] In addition, at least one other application may have a fixed
layout regardless of the orientation of the display. That is, for
an application whose layout is fixed to be vertical, even when the
orientation of the display is changed from vertical to horizontal,
the layout may be not changed and maintain a shape whose vertical
length is short and horizontal length is long.
[0095] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
an electronic device and a method for configuring a display thereof
may individually configure (vertically or horizontally), for each
window, display modes of the plurality of applications being
executed. Therefore, the display mode can be individually
configured for each window according to the user's input operation
such as the rotation of the electronic device and change in the
size of a window, or characteristics of an application UI being
executed.
[0096] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an electronic device 400
according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0097] Referring to FIG. 4, the electronic device 400 may include a
display 410, a touch panel 420, a processor 430, a memory 440, and
a sensor 450, and there is no problem to implement various
embodiments of the present disclosure even if a part of the
illustrated configuration is omitted or replaced. The electronic
device may include at least a part of the configurations of the
electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 and/or the electronic device 201 of
FIG. 2.
[0098] The display 410 may display an image generated according to
the execution of an application, and is implemented with a known
display panel such as an LCD, an OLED display, etc. The display 410
may include at least a part of the configuration of the display 160
of FIG. 1. The display 410 may be implemented in a rectangular
shape.
[0099] The touch panel 420 may be prepared on the display 410 and
sense the user's touch through at least one of a capacitive scheme,
a resistive scheme, an infrared scheme, and an ultrasonic
scheme.
[0100] The processor 430 may be configured to perform an operation
or data processing regarding control and/or communication of each
elements of the electronic device 400, and include at least one of
the configurations of the processor of FIG. 1 and/or the AP of FIG.
2. The processor 430 may be electrically connected to the display
410, at least one sensor 450, and the memory 440.
[0101] The memory 440 may temporarily or permanently store various
digital data and include at least one of the configurations of the
memory 130 of FIG. 1 and/or the memory 230 of FIG. 2. The
electronic device 400 may include a plurality of memories and it
can be construed that the memory 440 in FIG. 4 includes at least a
part of the plurality of memories included in the electronic device
400.
[0102] The memory 440 may include a volatile memory and a
non-volatile memory. The non-volatile may include at least one of
an OTPROM, a PROM, an EPROM, an EEPROM, a mask ROM, a flash ROM, a
flash memory (for example, a NAND flash memory or a NOR flash
memory), a hard disk drive, an SSD, and the like, and the volatile
memory may include at least one of a DRAM, an SRAM, or an
SDRAM.
[0103] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
the memory 440 may store at least one application and instructions
for determining each layout when the application is executed.
[0104] In various embodiments of the present disclosure, the
instructions may include a control command such as arithmetic and
logic operations, data movement, and input/output that can be
recognized by the processor 430. In addition, the instructions may
be defined on a framework of a platform for the electronic device
400. Hereinafter, according to various embodiments of the present
disclosure, various operations related to the determination of a
window and layout and performed by the processor 430 may be
operations performed by the instructions stored in the memory 440
and executed by the processor 430.
[0105] The electronic device 400 may include at least one sensor
450, and the at least one sensor 450 may include a gravity sensor
(or a gyro sensor) for sensing the orientation of the electronic
device 400.
[0106] The processor 430 may create a window on which each
application is displayed when the plurality of applications are
executed.
[0107] The processor 430 may create a plurality of windows for
displaying a plurality of applications, respectively, when the
plurality of applications are executed, and display the plurality
of applications in a first layout or the second layout. Thereafter,
when an event for changing the layout occurs, the processor 430 may
determine layouts of the plurality of applications based on each
piece of configuration information of the plurality of
applications. According to various embodiments of the present
disclosure, the processor 430 may individually determine the window
and layout for each application being executed and allow each
application to have different orientation information.
[0108] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
an event for changing the layout may occur when the orientation of
the display 410 is changed from horizontal to vertical or vice
versa, or the size of one of the pop-up windows is changed
according to the user's input so that one of the horizontal length
or vertical length of the pop-up window increases by a threshold
value or more than the length of the other.
[0109] When the event for changing the layout occurs, the processor
430 may identify configuration information for each application.
According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, each
application may include configuration information related to the UI
characteristics, and the configuration information may include
information on the orientation and layout of a window in which the
application is displayed.
[0110] For example, when a multi-window function is executed, an
internet browser application may include a first layout in a
vertical orientation and a second layout in a horizontal
orientation and be configured to maintain the window size and
position according to the rotation of the display 410. In addition,
a game application includes a fixed layout in a horizontal
direction, and the orientation of the window may be configured to
rotate about 90 degrees to the horizontal and vertical directions
according to the horizontal or vertical direction of the display
410.
[0111] The processor 430 may determine layouts of a plurality of
applications, respectively, based on the configuration information
of each application. For example, when the orientation of the
display 410 is changed from a vertical direction to a horizontal
direction and an application is configured to change a layout, the
size and coordinates of the window may change the orientation from
a vertical direction to a horizontal direction and change a
conventionally displayed first layout to a second layout. In
addition, when the orientation of the display 410 is fixed in a
vertical direction, the orientation of the display 410 is changed
from a vertical direction to a horizontal direction, and an
application is configured to have a fixed layout in a vertical
direction, the direction of a window may be rotated about 90
degrees and continuously include the fixed layout in the rotated
window.
[0112] At the time of the event occurrence, when a window for each
application and a layout to be displayed in the window are
determined, the processor 430 may combine windows of applications
to create a single screen.
[0113] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
one of the windows corresponding to a plurality of applications is
a background window displayed on the background, and one or more
other windows may be pop-up windows displayed on a layer above the
background window. In addition, the plurality of windows
corresponding to the plurality of applications may be split windows
defined on areas divided from each other on the display 410. The
display format of multiple windows as described above may be
determined according to the configuration information of each
application or the user's configuration.
[0114] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
the display 410 may include a first area and a second area divided
from each other, and for example, the first area may be an area on
the front surface of the display 410, and the second area may be an
edge area on the right side or left side of the display 410. The
processor 430 may allow determining of the layout of a screen
displayed on each area according to the orientation of the display
410.
[0115] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
when an application is executed, the processor 430 may display, on
a part of the display 410, a window including one of a first layout
to be displayed when the display 410 is substantially horizontally
oriented or a second layout to be displayed when the display is
substantially vertically oriented. In a state where one of the
layouts is displayed on the display 410, the sensor 450 may detect
the change in the orientation of the electronic device 400 and
output a signal corresponding thereto to the processor 430. The
processor 430 may allow the window including one of the first
layout and second layout according to the change of the orientation
to be rotated by about 90 degrees and allow the window to
continuously include the conventionally displayed layout. In this
case, at the time of rotating the window, the size thereof can be
reduced or enlarged, and the application to be displayed in the
window may also be reduced or enlarged according to the size of the
window. When the orientation of the electronic device 400 is
changed, the processor 430 may allow the window to select whether
to include the conventional layout, that is, one of the first and
second layouts or one other layout of the first layout and the
second layout, based on the user's input. The processor 430 may
provide a UI for the selection and select whether to maintain or
change a layout for each application. In addition, when the
orientation of the electronic device 400 is rotated, the processor
430 may determine whether to maintain or change the layout
according to the user's input pattern on the display 410 or a hard
key (not shown) provided at the side of the electronic device.
[0116] When the orientation of the electronic device 400 is
changed, the processor 430 may allow the window to select whether
to include the conventional layout, that is, one of the first and
second layouts, or one other layout of the first layout and the
second layout, based on at least one piece of information
associated with the displayed application. As described earlier,
some applications may be configured to include a first layout in a
vertical direction and a second layout in a horizontal direction
and maintain the size and location of the window depending on the
rotation of the display 410, and other applications may be
configured to include a fixed layout in the horizontal and vertical
directions and rotate about 90 degrees in the horizontal and
vertical directions according to the orientation of the display
410. Here, at least one piece of information associated with the
application may include at least a part of the configuration
information of the application described above, and when an event
for changing the layout occurs, the processor 430 may determine
layouts of the plurality of applications, respectively, based on
the configuration information of each of the plurality of
applications to be displayed on the display 410 and the orientation
of the electronic device 410 sensed through the sensor 450.
[0117] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
in response to the orientation change detected through the sensor,
the processor 430 may identify whether the displayed window is
configured to include the conventional displayed layout or one
other layout of the first layout or the second layout. This can be
identified by calling the configuration information for each
application.
[0118] FIG. 5 illustrates software components of an electronic
device 500 according to various embodiments of the present
disclosure.
[0119] Referring to FIG. 5, an activity manager 520, a window
manager 530, and a phone window manager 540 may be defined on an
application framework, and may include instructions that can be
performed by the above-described processor 430. The illustrated
configuration may be only an example, and at least one part thereof
may be partially changed depending on the structure of the
platform, which is implemented in the electronic device 500. The
above-described software components may be stored in memory 440 and
executed by the processor 430.
[0120] The electronic device 500 may store a plurality of
applications 510 and execute at least a part of the applications at
the same time. In this case, screens of applications 510 may be
displayed at the same time. Each of the applications 510 may store
the configuration information associated with the layout to be
displayed according to the orientation of the electronic device
500, which may be called by the window manager 530. Only two
applications 500 are illustrated in FIG. 5, but the number of
applications is not limited.
[0121] A sensor 560 may include a gravity sensor (or gyro sensor)
for sensing the orientation of the electronic device 500. When
sensing a change in the orientation of the electronic device 500,
the sensor 560 may inform of whether the orientation is changed to
the window manager 530.
[0122] The activity manager 520 may perform a function for managing
the execution and a life cycle of each of the applications 510. The
window manager 530 may execute a function of individually managing
windows on which the plurality of applications 510 are displayed,
and include a selective orientation module 532 capable of
individually selecting orientations of the plurality of
applications 510. The phone window manager 540 may combine
individually created windows to perform the function of managing
all windows displayed on the whole area of the display 410.
[0123] In a state where the plurality of applications 510 are
executed, when an event for changing the layout has occurred such
that the electronic device 500 is rotated or the size of a pop-up
window is changed, the window manager 530 may sense the same. In
order to change configuration information of each of the
applications 510, the window manager 530 may identify, through the
selective orientation module 532, whether each of the applications
510 has a layout fixed in a vertical or horizontal orientation and
whether the current window is in a vertical or horizontal
direction, and transmit the event information to the activity
manager 520. The activity manager 520 may update the configuration
information of an application window according to the configuration
information for each of the applications 510, and transfer the
updated information, that is, rotation and/or resizing of the
window, and the change of the layout, to the window manager
530.
[0124] The window update content is received by the window manager
530 and transferred to the phone window manager 540 through the
selective orientation module 532 in order to configure an
individual window for each of the applications 510, and the phone
window manager 540 may create a window in a state where each of the
applications 510 has different orientation information.
[0125] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
operations related to the generation and updating of the
configuration information of the window may be performed by each of
the applications 510. When an event for changing the layout occurs,
the corresponding event information is transmitted to each of the
applications 510, and each of the applications 510 may update the
configuration information of the application window according to
the configuration information and transfer the updated information
to the window manager 530. In this case, the selective orientation
module 532 may be omitted in the window manager 530.
[0126] The phone window manager 540 may transmit, from the window
manager 530, the information on the created window, to the display
550, and the display 550 may display the information.
[0127] According to the execution of the above-described
components, the electronic device 500 may configure a different
display mode for each window of each of the applications 510
according to the configuration information of each of the
applications 510 to be executed at the same time.
[0128] FIGS. 6A, 6B, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 illustrate an
application screen displayed on the display 410 of an electronic
device 400 according to various embodiments of the present
disclosure.
[0129] Referring to FIG. 6A, FIG. 6A shows an embodiment of a case
where the orientation of the display 410 is changed in a state
where an application which can be changed to a first layout and a
second layout and an application having a layout fixed in a
vertical orientation are being executed on the electronic device
400 at the same time.
[0130] An internet browser application having a first layout
displayed in a vertical direction and a second layout displayed in
a horizontal direction is displayed on the background window 610,
and a call application having a layout fixed in a vertical
direction may be displayed as a pop-up window 620. When the
orientation of the display 410 is in the vertical direction, the
processor 430 may display the internet browser application as the
first layout on the background window 610, and the call application
may be displayed on the pop-up window 620 as a vertically fixed
layout.
[0131] Hereinafter, the orientation of the display 410 is rotated
in a horizontal direction, a result of sensing by the sensor 450 is
transferred to the processor 430, and the processor 430 may execute
instructions configured to determine a layout of each of the
plurality of applications based on the configuration information of
each of the plurality of applications.
[0132] The processor 430 may check the configuration information of
the internet browser application and change the layout from the
first layout to the second layout in a state of maintaining a
background window of the internet browser (indicated by reference
numeral 630). In addition, the processor 430 may check the
configuration information of the call application to identify the
layout fixed in a vertical direction, and may be configured to
rotate the pop-up window of the call application by 90 degrees and
display the vertically fixed layout as it is on the rotated pop-up
window (indicated by reference numeral 640).
[0133] At this time, when the vertical length of the pop-up window
is longer than the vertical length of the display 410 as the pop-up
window 640 rotates, the size of the pop-up window 640 may be
reduced according to the size of the display 410.
[0134] Referring to FIG. 6B, when an entirety of the rotated pop-up
window 692 may not be displayed with regard to the vertical length
of screen, at least a part (e.g., a part of the upper and lower
ends) thereof is excluded and then a remaining part 694 is
displayed.
[0135] Accordingly, when the internet browser application and the
call application having different configuration information for the
layout are displayed as a multi-window, even when the orientation
of the display 410 is changed, an orientation for each application
may be determined in a direction suitable to the field of view of
the user.
[0136] FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a case of executing an
application having a horizontally fixed layout in a multi-window in
a state where an application which can be changed to the first
layout and the second layout is executed on the electronic device
400 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0137] Referring to FIG. 7, the internet browser application may be
displayed as a first layout in a state where the display 410 is
vertically oriented (indicated by reference numeral 710).
Thereafter, when a game application having a horizontally fixed
layout is executed according to the user's selection, the processor
430 may maintain the window and the layout of the internet browser
application as it is in the background (indicated by reference
numeral 720), and maintain a pop-up window of the game application
in a shape whose horizontal length is long and determine the
orientation thereof in a vertical direction (indicated by reference
numeral 730).
[0138] In this case, when compared to a case where the game
application alone is executed in the entire area of the display
410, the game application may be displayed as the pop-up window 730
in a state where the size thereof is reduced and rotated 90 degrees
in a state of maintaining the horizontal and vertical ratio. In
addition, as described above through FIG. 6B, when a pop-up window
may not be completely displayed with regard to the aspect ratio of
the screen, at least a part of the game application may be excluded
and then displayed.
[0139] FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of a case where an
application having a vertically fixed layout is executed in a state
where an application having a horizontally fixed layout is executed
on the electronic device 400 according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure.
[0140] Referring to FIG. 8, a game application having a
horizontally fixed layout in a state where the display 410 is
horizontally oriented may be displayed in a background window 810.
Thereafter, when a call application having a vertically fixed
layout is executed according to the user's selection, the processor
430 may determine the orientation of the window 830 in the
horizontal direction while maintaining the window 830 of the call
application in a shape whose vertical length is longer in a state
where the background window of the game application is maintained
as it is (indicated by reference numeral 820).
[0141] In this case, the window 830 may be displayed as a pop-up
window where the size thereof is reduced and rotated by 90 degrees
in a state of maintaining the horizontal and vertical ratio when
compared to a case where the call application alone is executed in
the entire area of the display 410.
[0142] FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of a case where an
application having a horizontally fixed layout is executed on the
background in a state where an application having a vertically
fixed layout is executed as the pop-up window on the electronic
device 400 according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0143] Referring to FIG. 9, the internet browser application having
a vertically fixed layout in a state where the display 410 is
vertically oriented may be displayed on a part of the display 410
as a pop-up window (indicated by reference numeral 910).
Thereafter, when the orientation of the display 410 is horizontally
rotated and the game application having a horizontally fixed layout
is executed, the game application is horizontally oriented across
the entire area of the display 410 and displayed in the background
window 930, and the pop-up window of internet applications can be
displayed by including the first layout as it is in a state of
being rotated 90 degrees (indicated by reference numeral 920).
[0144] FIG. 10 illustrates an embodiment of a case of changing the
size of the pop-up window in the electronic device 400 in a state
where an application having a vertically fixed layout is displayed
in a background window and an application which can be changed into
the first layout and second layout is displayed in a pop-up window
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0145] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
an event for changing the layout may occur when the size of one of
the pop-up windows is changed and one of the horizontal length or
vertical length of the pop-up window increases by a threshold value
or more than the length of the other.
[0146] Referring to FIG. 10, in a state where the display 410 is
vertically oriented, the internet browser application fixed in a
vertical layout is displayed in the background window (indicated by
reference numeral 1010), a calculator application having the first
layout and second layout may be displayed in a pop-up window in a
first layout in a vertical direction (indicated by reference
numeral 1020). Here, the size of the calculator application
displayed in the pop-up window may be adjusted according to the
user's input.
[0147] When the size of the pop-up window 1020 is adjusted
according to the user's input and the horizontal length of the
pop-up window increases by a threshold value or more than the
vertical length, the processor 430 may change the pop-up window of
the calculator application to a second layout (indicated by
reference numeral 1040).
[0148] FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment of a case where the size
of one of split windows in the electronic device 400 is changed
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0149] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
a plurality of windows corresponding to a plurality of applications
may be displayed on split areas divided from each other in the
display 410.
[0150] Referring to FIG. 11, when the calculator application and
internet browser application having first and second layouts are
simultaneously displayed in a split window and the display 410 is
horizontally oriented, the display 410 may be divided and displayed
as the first layout in a vertical direction (indicated by reference
numerals 1110 and 1120).
[0151] When the size of the window 1110 of a calculator application
is changed according to the user's input and the horizontal length
of the window of the calculator application increases by a
threshold value or more than the vertical length thereof, the
processor 430 may change the window of the calculator application
to the second layout in a horizontal direction (indicated by
reference numeral 1130). At this time, the window 1140 of the
internet browser application may be displayed with a reduced ratio
of the vertical length in a state where the first layout is
maintained, or at least a part thereof may be displayed in the
background area.
[0152] FIG. 12 shows an embodiment of a case where the orientation
of the electronic device 400 is changed in a state where an
application A, which can be changed to the first and second layouts
and an application B having a layout fixed in a vertical
orientation are displayed on the split window according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0153] Referring to FIG. 12, when the electronic device 400 is
horizontally oriented, the screen may be divided in two and both of
two applications are displayed in a vertical direction (indicated
by reference numerals 1210 and 1220). Here, when the orientation of
the display is changed to the vertical direction, the application
A, which can be changed to the first and second layouts may be
changed to the horizontal layout (indicated by reference numeral
1230), and the application B having a vertically fixed layout may
be displayed in the vertical layout (indicated by reference numeral
1240). At this time, as shown in drawing, a window of the
application B may be reduced while maintaining the ratio thereof,
and at least a part thereof may be omitted and then displayed.
[0154] FIG. 13 illustrates an embodiment of a case where the
display 410 of the electronic device 400 has an edge area and the
orientation of the electronic device 400 is changed according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0155] Referring to FIG. 13, various types of indicators and icons
may be displayed on an edge area 1320 of the electronic device 400,
and at least a part of the displayed indicators or icons may be
configured such that the orientation thereof is changed according
to the orientation change of the electronic device 400.
[0156] When the electronic device 400 is in the vertical direction,
an application which can be changed to the first and second layouts
is displayed in the vertical direction (indicated by reference
numeral 1310), and the screen of the edge area may also be
displayed in the vertical direction (indicated by reference numeral
1320). Thereafter, when the orientation of the electronic device
400 is changed to a horizontal direction, the application is
changed to the layout of the horizontal direction (indicated by
reference numeral 1330) and the layout of the edge area may also be
changed to a horizontal direction (indicated by reference numeral
1340).
[0157] Unlike those illustrated in FIG. 13, when an application
having a fixed layout in the horizontal or vertical direction is
displayed, the layout of the application is not changed according
to the rotation of the electronic device 400 and only the layout of
the edge area is changed.
[0158] Although various embodiments of the present disclosure have
been described with reference to FIGS. 6A, 6B, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12,
and 13, FIGS. 6A, 6B, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 have described a
case where two applications operate in a multi-window environment,
and various embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to
a case where three or more applications operate therein. In
addition, the display 410 may include a first area and a second
area, and the processor 430 may determine, when an event for
changing the layout occurs, window layouts of the first area and
second area.
[0159] An electronic device according to various embodiments of the
present disclosure may include: a rectangular display; at least one
sensor; a processor electrically connected to the display and the
at least one sensor; and a memory electrically connected to the
processor, wherein the memory stores an application program
including a first layout to be displayed when the display is
substantially oriented in a horizontal orientation and a second
layout to be displayed when the display is substantially oriented
in a vertical orientation, and the memory stores instructions
which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to
perform operations including: displaying a window including one of
the first and second layouts on a part of the display; detecting a
change in the orientation of the electronic device by using at
least one sensor; rotating the window about 90 degrees at least
partially based on the detection of the orientation change, and
continuously maintaining one of the first and second layouts in the
window.
[0160] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
the instructions may be configured to cause the processor to
select, when the orientation of the electronic device is changed,
whether to continuously maintain one of the first and second
layouts in the window, or whether to include one other layout of
the first layout or the second layout based on a user input.
[0161] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
the instructions may be configured to cause the processor to
select, when the orientation of the electronic device is changed,
whether to continuously maintain one of the first and second layout
in the window, or whether to include one other layout of the first
layout or the second layout, based on at least one piece of
information associated with the application.
[0162] An electronic device according to various embodiments of the
present disclosure may include: a rectangular display; at least one
sensor; a processor electrically connected to the display and the
at least one sensor; and a memory electrically connected to the
processor, wherein the memory stores an application program
including a first layout to be displayed when the display is
substantially oriented in a horizontal orientation and a second
layout when the display is substantially oriented in a vertical
orientation, and the memory stores instructions which, when
executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform
operations including: displaying a window including one of the
first and second layouts on a part of the display; managing the
selection of the layout in a window displayed on the display at the
center; detecting a change in the orientation of the electronic
device by using the at least one sensor; when the orientation of
the electronic device is changed in response to the detection,
identifying whether the displayed window is configured to
continuously maintain one of the first and second layouts or to
include one other layout thereof; selecting a layout to be included
in the displayed window based on the identification; and displaying
the window including the selected layout.
[0163] An electronic device according to various embodiments of the
present disclosure may include: a display; at least one sensor; a
processor electrically connected to the display and the at least
one sensor; and a memory electrically connected to the processor,
wherein the memory stores a plurality of applications including at
least one of a first layout to be displayed when the display is
oriented in a vertical orientation and a second layout to be
displayed when the display is oriented in a horizontal orientation,
and the memory stores instructions which, when executed by the
processor, cause the processor to perform operations including:
when the plurality of applications are executed, creating windows
on which the plurality of applications are displayed and displaying
the plurality of applications in the first layout or the second
layout; and when an event for the change of the layout occurs,
determining a layout of each of the plurality of applications on
the basis of configuration information on each of the plurality of
applications.
[0164] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
wherein the at least one sensor may include a sensor for detecting
the orientation of the display, and the event may occur when the
orientation of the display is changed.
[0165] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
the configuration information may include information on whether to
change the orientation and layout of the window when the event
occurs.
[0166] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
when one of the plurality of applications is an application
configured to have a fixed layout, the memory may store, when the
event occurs, instructions configured to rotate the window in a
horizontal or vertical direction and continuously include the fixed
layout in the window, with reference to the configuration
information.
[0167] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
when one of the plurality of applications is an application
configured to change the layout, the memory may store, when the
event occurs, instructions configured to maintain the window and
include a changed layout of the first layout or the second layout
in the window, with reference to the configuration information.
[0168] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
the memory may include an instruction configured to call the
configuration information of the at least one application currently
being executed when the event occurs; and an instruction configured
to create a single screen by combining windows of applications
created on the basis of the configuration information.
[0169] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
one of windows corresponding to a plurality of applications is a
background window displayed on the background, and one or more
other windows may be pop-up windows displayed on a layer above the
background window.
[0170] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
the event may occur when the size of one of the pop-up windows is
changed according to the user input and one of the horizontal
length or vertical length of the pop-up window increases by a
threshold value or more than the length of the other.
[0171] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
the windows corresponding to the plurality of applications may be
displayed on areas divided from each other in the display.
[0172] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
the display may include the first area and the second area divided
from each other, and the memory may include, when the event occurs,
an instruction configured to determine layouts of the first area
and the second area.
[0173] FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method for setting a
display of an electronic device according to various embodiments of
the present disclosure.
[0174] The illustrated method may be performed by an electronic
device described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 7,
8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 above, and hereinafter, the description
will be omitted herein for technical features that are identical to
the previously described technical features or can be inferred
therefrom.
[0175] Referring to FIG. 14, in operation 1410, the electronic
device may execute two or more applications at the same time.
[0176] In operation 1420, the electronic device may create a window
for displaying each of the plurality of applications being
executed. At this time, one of a plurality of windows may be a
background window displayed on the background, and one or more
windows may be pop-up windows displayed on a layer above the
background window. In addition, the plurality of windows
corresponding to the plurality of applications may be split windows
defined on areas divided from each other in the display.
[0177] In operation 1430, the electronic device may display
applications corresponding to the windows as a first layout to be
displayed when the display is vertically oriented or a second
layout to be displayed when the display is horizontally oriented.
The first layout is a shape whose horizontal direction is short and
vertical direction is long, and the second layout is a shape whose
horizontal direction is long and vertical direction is short, and
for example, a part of the information displayed at the bottom on
the first layout may be displayed on the right side on the second
layout. In addition, at least one other application may have a
fixed layout regardless of the orientation of the display. That is,
for an application whose layout is fixed in a vertical orientation,
even when the orientation of the display is changed from vertical
to horizontal, the layout may be not changed and maintain a shape
whose vertical length is short and horizontal length is long.
[0178] In operation 1440, the electronic device may sense an event
for changing the layout. Here, the event for changing the layout
may occur when the orientation of the display is changed from
horizontal to vertical or vice versa, or the size of one of the
pop-up windows is changed according to the user's input so that one
of the horizontal length or vertical length of the pop-up window
increases by a threshold value or more than the other length of the
pop-up window.
[0179] In operation 1450, when an event for changing the layout
occurs, the electronic device may identify configuration
information for each application. According to various embodiments
of the present disclosure, each application may include
configuration information related to the UI characteristics, and
the configuration information may include information on the
orientation and layout of a window in which the application is
displayed.
[0180] In operation 1460, the electronic device may determine the
layout of each of the plurality of applications on the basis of the
configuration information on each of the plurality of applications.
The above description is the same as those previously described in
detail through the embodiments of FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11,
12, and 13.
[0181] A method for configuring a display of an electronic device
according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may
include operations of: executing a plurality of applications;
creating windows on which the plurality of applications are
displayed, respectively, and displaying the plurality of
applications, on the window, in a first layout to be displayed when
a display is vertically oriented and a second layout to be
displayed when the display is horizontally oriented; sensing an
event for a change in the layout; and determining a layout of each
of the plurality of applications based on the configuration
information on each of the plurality of applications.
[0182] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
the operation for sensing of the event may include an operation for
detecting the change in the orientation of the display.
[0183] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
the configuration information may include information on whether to
change the orientation and layout of the window when the event
occurs.
[0184] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
the operation for determining of the layout may include, when one
of the plurality of applications is an application configured to
have a fixed layout, rotating the window in a horizontal or
vertical direction and continuously including the fixed layout in
the window, with reference to the configuration information.
[0185] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
the operation for determining of the layout may include, when one
of the plurality of applications is an application configured to
change the layout, maintaining the window and including a changed
layout of the first layout or the second layout in the window, with
reference to the configuration information.
[0186] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
the operation for determining of the layout may include: calling
the configuration information of the at least one application
currently being executed when the event occurs; and creating a
single screen by combining windows of applications created on the
basis of the configuration information.
[0187] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
one of windows corresponding to a plurality of applications may be
a background window displayed on the background, and one or more
other windows may be pop-up windows displayed on a layer above the
background window.
[0188] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
the operation for sensing of the event may include: sensing a case
where the size of one of the pop-up windows is changed according to
the user input so that one of the horizontal length or vertical
length of the pop-up window increases by a threshold value or more
than the length of the other.
[0189] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
windows corresponding to the plurality of applications may be
displayed on areas divided from each other in the display.
[0190] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure,
the operation for determining of the layout may include:
determining layouts of the first area and second area,
respectively, when the event occurs.
[0191] While the present disclosure has been shown and described
with reference to various embodiments thereof, it will be
understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form
and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit
and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended
claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *