Electronic device for displaying one or more screens on basis of state and method therefor

Abstract

A processor of an electronic device, according to an embodiment, may display at least one executed application by using a first display in a folded state of the electronic device. When the electronic device is changed from the folded state to a sub-folded state, the processor may display information related to the at least one executed application in a first display area of a second display. In the sub-folded state, the processor may receive a user input regarding the information displayed in the first display area. When the electronic device is changed from the sub-folded state to an unfolded state, the processor may display at least one screen corresponding to the user input in at least one of the first display area, the second display, and a third display area.

Description

Electronic device and method for displaying one or more screens based on a state

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device and method for displaying one or more screens based on a state.

[0002] The shape and / or size of electronic devices are diversifying. To enhance mobility, electronic devices with reduced size and / or volume are being designed. Electronic devices may include a display for visualizing information. As the number of functions supported by electronic devices increases, the size of the display may increase to visualize more information to the user and / or to support the execution of the functions. For example, electronic devices may be designed such that the size and / or volume of the electronic device is reduced, while the size of the display is maintained or increased.

[0003] The above information may be provided as background art to aid in understanding the present disclosure. No claim or determination is made as to whether any of the above is applicable as prior art related to the present disclosure.

[0004] According to an embodiment, an electronic device may include a first housing, a second housing rotatably coupled to the first housing, a third housing rotatably coupled to the second housing, a first display disposed on a first surface of the first housing, a second display including a first display area corresponding to a second surface of the first housing, a second display area corresponding to a third surface of the second housing, and a third display area corresponding to a fourth surface of the third housing, a first sensor for detecting an angle between the first housing and the second housing, a second sensor for detecting an angle between the second housing and the third housing, a memory for storing instructions, and a processor for executing the instructions. The processor may be configured to display at least one executed application using the first display in a folded state of the electronic device. The processor may be configured to display information related to the at least one executed application on the first display area of ​​the first housing when the electronic device changes from a folded state to a sub-fold state. The processor may be configured to receive a user input for the information displayed on the first display area in the sub-fold state. The processor may be configured to display at least one screen corresponding to the user input on at least one area among the first display area, the second display area, and the third display area of ​​the second display when the electronic device changes from the sub-fold state to an unfolded state. According to one embodiment, the electronic device may select or identify at least one screen to be displayed within the unfolded state before switching to the unfolded state.

[0005] According to one embodiment, a method of an electronic device may include an operation of displaying at least one executed application using a first display disposed on a first surface of a first housing of the electronic device in a folded state. The method may include an operation of displaying information related to the at least one executed application in a first display area of ​​a second display disposed on a second surface of the first housing opposite the first surface when the electronic device changes from the folded state to a sub-folded state. The method may include an operation of receiving a user input for the information displayed in the first display area in the sub-folded state. The method may include an operation of displaying at least one screen corresponding to the user input in at least one area among the first display area of ​​the second display, a second display area on a third surface of the second housing rotatably coupled to the first housing, and a third display area on a fourth surface of a third housing rotatably coupled to the second housing when the electronic device changes from the sub-folded state to an unfolded state.

[0006] In one embodiment, an electronic device may include a first housing, a second housing rotatably coupled to the first housing, a third housing rotatably coupled to the second housing, a flexible display including portions disposed on each of a first surface of the first housing, a second surface of the second housing, and a third surface of the third housing, one or more sensors, a memory for storing instructions, and a processor for executing the instructions. The processor may be configured to display at least one screen executed by the processor on a portion of the flexible display disposed on the first surface in a sub-fold state in which a portion of the flexible display disposed on the first surface among the portions identified based on the one or more sensors is exposed to the outside. The processor may be configured to display at least one screen related to a user input received within the sub-fold state in an unfolded state in which the directions of the parts are aligned with each other, in the entire display area of ​​the flexible display including the parts, while being switched from the sub-fold state.

[0007] In one embodiment, a method of an electronic device may include an operation of displaying at least one screen executed by a processor of the electronic device on a first portion of a flexible display of the electronic device in a sub-fold state in which a first portion is exposed to the outside, the first portion being identified based on one or more sensors of the electronic device. The method may include an operation of displaying at least one screen related to a user input received in the sub-fold state on an entire display area of ​​the flexible display including the first portion in an unfolded state of the electronic device switched from the sub-fold state.

[0008] FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of an electronic device including a multi-foldable housing.

[0009] FIG. 2 illustrates an example block diagram of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0010] Figures 3a and 3b illustrate one embodiment of a deformable electronic device.

[0011] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary flowchart of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0012] Figures 5a, 5b and 5c illustrate exemplary user interfaces displayed by an electronic device in a subfold state.

[0013] FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, and 6D illustrate exemplary UIs of an electronic device displayed based on input received within a subfold state.

[0014] FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate exemplary UIs of an electronic device displayed based on input received within a subfold state.

[0015] FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate exemplary UIs of an electronic device displayed based on input received within a subfold state.

[0016] FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary flowchart of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0017] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary UI of an electronic device displayed based on input received within a folded state.

[0018] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an electronic device within a network environment according to various embodiments.

[0019] Hereinafter, various embodiments of this document are described with reference to the attached drawings.

[0020] The various embodiments of this document and the terminology used therein are not intended to limit the technology described in this document to a specific embodiment, but should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, and / or substitutes of the embodiment. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar components. The singular expression may include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this document, expressions such as "A or B", "at least one of A and / or B", "A, B, or C", or "at least one of A, B, and / or C" may include all possible combinations of the items listed together. Expressions such as "first", "second", "first", or "second" may modify the corresponding components regardless of order or importance, and are only used to distinguish one component from another, but do not limit the corresponding components. When it is said that a component (e.g., a first component) is “(functionally or communicatively) connected” or “connected” to another component (e.g., a second component), said component may be directly connected to said other component, or may be connected via another component (e.g., a third component).

[0021] The term "module" as used in this document includes a unit composed of hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit. A module may be an integral component, or a minimal unit or portion thereof that performs one or more functions. For example, a module may be composed of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0022] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of an electronic device (101) including a multi-foldable housing. In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may be referred to as a terminal (or user terminal) in terms of being owned by a user. The terminal may include, for example, a personal computer (PC) such as a laptop or desktop. The terminal may include, for example, a smartphone, a smartpad, and / or a tablet PC. The terminal may include a smart accessory such as a smartwatch and / or a head-mounted device (HMD). An example of a hardware configuration included in the electronic device (101) is described with reference to FIG. 2 and / or FIG. 11.

[0023] Referring to FIG. 1, according to one embodiment, an electronic device (101) may include a deformable housing. The housing of the electronic device (101) may be referred to as a multi-foldable housing (or foldable housing). The multi-foldable housing of the electronic device (101) may be divided into a plurality of housings (assemblies and / or assemblies). In one or more embodiments, the multi-foldable housing of the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 may include a first housing (111), a second housing (112), and a first hinge assembly (121) for rotatably coupling the first housing (111) and the second housing (112). Based on the first hinge assembly (121), the relative positions, angles, shapes, and / or distances of the first housing (111) and the second housing (112), which are rigid bodies, can be changed by an external force. The second housing (112) can be rotatably coupled to the first housing (111).

[0024] The multi-foldable housing of the electronic device (101) may include a second housing (112), a third housing (113), and a second hinge assembly (122) for rotatably coupling the second housing (112) and the third housing (113). Based on the second hinge assembly (122), the relative position, angle, shape, posture, and / or distance of the second housing (112) and the third housing (113) may be changed by an external force. Based on the first hinge assembly (121) and the second hinge assembly (122), the electronic device (101) may have a structure that can be folded more than once. In one embodiment, the first housing (111), the second housing (112), and the third housing (113) may be referred to as a housing assembly, a housing part, a sub-housing, a flat housing, and / or a rigid housing. In one embodiment, a hinge assembly including a first hinge assembly (121) and a second hinge assembly (122) may be referred to as a hinge device. The third housing (113) may be rotatably coupled to the second housing (112).

[0025] Referring to FIG. 1, a first folding axis (131) formed along the longitudinal direction of the first hinge assembly (121) and / or a second folding axis (132) formed along the longitudinal direction of the second hinge assembly (122) are illustrated. The first folding axis (131) may be a rotation axis of the first housing (111) and the second housing (112) connected through the first hinge assembly (121), and may be formed within the first hinge assembly (121). As the first housing (111) and / or the second housing (112) rotates around the first folding axis (131), a first angle (141) between the first housing (111), the first hinge assembly (121), and the second housing (112) may change. The second folding axis (132) is a rotation axis of the second housing (112) and the third housing (113) connected through the second hinge assembly (122), and may be formed within the second hinge assembly (122). As the second housing (112) and / or the third housing (113) rotate around the second folding axis (132), the second angle (142) between the second housing (112), the second hinge assembly (122), and the third housing (113) may change. In terms of including a plurality of deformable folding axes, such as the first folding axis (131) and the second folding axis (132), the electronic device (101) may be referred to as a multi-foldable electronic device.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 1, different states (191, 192, 193) of an electronic device (101) are illustrated, distinguished by shape and / or appearance. Referring to state (191) of FIG. 1, the electronic device (101) may include a cover display (152) disposed on a first surface of a first housing (111) (e.g., a front surface of the electronic device (101). Referring to states (192, 193) of FIG. 1, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may include a flexible display (150) disposed on a second surface of the first housing (111) (e.g., a second surface opposite the first surface of the first housing (111), a third surface of the second housing (112), and a fourth surface of the third housing (113). The second surface of the first housing (111), the third surface of the second housing (112), and the fourth surface of the third housing (113) may form a rear surface (or back surface) of the electronic device (101).

[0027] Referring to FIG. 1, the flexible display (150) may extend from the second surface of the first housing (111) across the third surface of the second housing (112) to the fourth surface of the third housing (113). In one or more embodiments, the flexible display (150) may be arranged from the first housing (111) across the first hinge assembly (121), the second housing (112), and the second hinge assembly (122) to the third housing (113). Hereinafter, the first angle (141) may correspond to an angle between the second surface of the first housing (111) and the third surface of the second housing (112) where the flexible display (150) is arranged, which can be folded by the first folding axis (131) of the first hinge assembly (121). Hereinafter, the second angle (142) may correspond to an angle between the third side of the second housing (112) and the fourth side of the third housing (113) in which the flexible display (150) is arranged, which can be folded by the second folding axis (132) of the second hinge assembly (122).

[0028] In one or more embodiments, the flexible display (150) may be referred to as a display, a deformable display, and / or a deformable panel. In terms of size, the flexible display (150) may be referred to as a large display, and the cover display (152) may be referred to as a small display. In terms of location, the flexible display (150) may be referred to as a back display (or front display) and / or an inner display, and the cover display (152) may be referred to as a front display (or back display) and / or an outer display. In terms of deformability, the flexible display (150) may be referred to as a deformable display, and the cover display (152) may be referred to as a rigid display.

[0029] In one or more embodiments, the cover display (152) may be referred to as a first display and the flexible display (150) may be referred to as a second display. The embodiments are not limited thereto, and the flexible display (150) may be referred to as a first display and the cover display (152) may be referred to as a second display. An exemplary hardware configuration of an electronic device (101) including a flexible display (150) and / or a cover display (152) is described with reference to FIG. 2. An embodiment is described in which the cover display (152) is disposed on a first surface of the first housing (111), but the embodiments are not limited thereto. An exemplary appearance of an electronic device (101) including a flexible display (150) and a cover display (152) is described with reference to FIG. 3A and / or FIG. 3B.

[0030] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can organize one or more screens provided from a software application on a display (e.g., a flexible display (150) and / or a cover display (152)). For example, the electronic device (101) in a state (191) of displaying a screen on the cover display (152) can be deformed by an external force. By the deformation, the state of the electronic device (101) can be sequentially switched from state (191) to state (192) and from state (192) to state (193).

[0031] Within the state (192), the electronic device (101) may display a user interface (UI) for organizing one or more screens to be displayed on the flexible display (150) within the state (193) following the state (192). The UI may include a list of one or more screens that have been displayed on the display of the electronic device (101) (e.g., the flexible display (150) and / or the cover display (152)) prior to the state (192). In terms of displaying screens that have been displayed by the electronic device (101), the UI may be referred to as a recent UI. In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may select one or more screens to be displayed on the flexible display (150) within the state (193) following the state (192) from the list displayed within the state (192). For example, the electronic device (101) may select one or more screens based on user input received within the state (192). The operation of the electronic device (101) for determining one or more screens to be displayed on the flexible display (150) based on the UI displayed within the state (192) is described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 10. Various examples of the UI displayed within the state (192) are described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5C and FIGS. 7A to 7B.

[0032] Referring to FIG. 1, in a state (193) subsequent to a state (192), the electronic device (101) can display a plurality of screens (e.g., screen A, screen B, and / or screen C) on the flexible display (150). The plurality of screens can be designated by at least one user input related to the UI displayed in the state (192). The plurality of screens can be provided from different software applications executed by the electronic device (101). The electronic device (101) can display the plurality of screens on different portions (171, 172, 173) of the flexible display (150). The portions (171, 172, 173) on which the plurality of screens are displayed on the flexible display (150) may not overlap each other and may be separated from each other. A layout in which multiple screens are displayed on non-overlapping portions (171, 172, 173) of a flexible display (150) may be referred to as picture-by-picture (PBP). Exemplary layouts of multiple screens displayed on a flexible display (150) are described with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6D.

[0033] As described above, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may execute a function for organizing one or more screens to be displayed on a display (e.g., the flexible display (150) and / or the cover display (152)) based on different states (191, 192, 193) of the electronic device (101) distinguished by the shape of the multi-foldable housing. For example, the electronic device (101) may display a UI for organizing the one or more screens within an exemplary state (192) in which a portion of the flexible display (150) (e.g., a portion of the flexible display (150) disposed on the first housing (111)) is exposed to the outside. Based on the UI, a user of the electronic device (101) may select a screen to be displayed on a display of the electronic device (101) having a relatively large size, such as the flexible display (150). When selecting multiple screens, the user of the electronic device (101) can change the positions (or order) of the multiple screens to be displayed on the flexible display (150) and / or the sizes of each of the multiple screens based on the UI.

[0034] Below, with reference to FIG. 2, an example of a hardware configuration included in the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 is described.

[0035] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a block diagram of an electronic device (101), according to one embodiment. The electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 may include hardware of the electronic device (101) described with reference to FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 2, the electronic device (101) according to one embodiment may include at least one of a processor (210), a memory (215), a flexible display (150), a cover display (152), or a sensor (230). The processor (210), the memory (215), the flexible display (150), the cover display (152), and the sensor (230) may be electronically and / or operably coupled with each other by an electronic component, such as a communication bus (202).

[0036] In one embodiment, the operative coupling of the hardware components of the electronic device (101) may mean that a direct connection or an indirect connection is established, either wired or wireless, between the hardware components such that a second hardware component is controlled by a first hardware component among the hardware components. Although illustrated based on different blocks, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and some of the hardware of FIG. 2 (e.g., at least a portion of the processor (210), the memory (215), and the sensor (230)) may be included in a single integrated circuit such as a system on a chip (SoC). The hardware components of the electronic device (101), which are divided into blocks, may be located in or included in at least one of the first housing (111), the second housing (112), or the third housing (113) described with reference to FIG. 1. The type and / or number of hardware components included in the electronic device (101) is not limited to that illustrated in FIG. 2. For example, the electronic device (101) may include only some of the hardware components illustrated based on the blocks of FIG. 2.

[0037] According to one embodiment, the processor (210) of the electronic device (101) may include hardware and / or circuitry for processing data based on one or more instructions. The hardware and / or circuitry for processing data may include, for example, an arithmetic and logic unit (ALU), a floating point unit (FPU), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a central processing unit (CPU), and / or an application processor (AP). The number of processors (210) may be one or more. For example, the processor (210) may have a multi-core processor structure such as a dual core, a quad core, or a hexa core.

[0038] According to one embodiment, the memory (215) of the electronic device (101) may include hardware components for storing data and / or instructions input and / or output to the processor (210). The memory (215) may include, for example, volatile memory such as random-access memory (RAM) and / or non-volatile memory such as read-only memory (ROM). The volatile memory may include, for example, at least one of dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), cache RAM, and pseudo SRAM (PSRAM). The non-volatile memory may include, for example, at least one of programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disc, solid state drive (SSD), and embedded multi-media card (eMMC).

[0039] According to one embodiment, a flexible display (150) of an electronic device (101) can output visualized information to a user (e.g., screens of FIGS. 1, 5A to 5C, 6A to 6D, 7A to 7B, and 8A to 8B). For example, the flexible display (150) can be controlled by a controller, such as a graphic processing unit (GPU) and / or a processor (210), to output visualized information to the user. The flexible display (150) can include a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), and / or one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs). The LEDs can include organic LEDs (OLEDs). The flexible display (150) can include electronic paper. The flexible display (150) may have an at least partially curved shape and / or a deformable shape, as described above with reference to FIG. 1. Hereinafter, the active area and / or displaying area of ​​the flexible display (150) may correspond to at least a portion of the flexible display (150) that includes one or more enabled or activated pixels.

[0040] According to one embodiment, the flexible display (150) of the electronic device (101) may include a sensor (e.g., a touch sensor panel (TSP)) for detecting an external object (e.g., a user's finger) on the flexible display (150). For example, based on the TSP, the electronic device (101) may detect an external object that is in contact with the flexible display (150) or floating on the flexible display (150). In response to detecting the external object, the electronic device (101) may execute a function associated with a specific visual object corresponding to a location of the external object on the flexible display (150) among visual objects displayed within the flexible display (150).

[0041] According to one embodiment, the cover display (152) of the electronic device (101) can output visualized information to the user, similar to the flexible display (150). The cover display (152) can be placed in a different part of the electronic device (101) from the part where the flexible display (150) is placed. In the description of the cover display (152), parts that overlap with the flexible display (150) can be omitted.

[0042] According to one embodiment, the sensor (230) of the electronic device (101) may generate electrical information from non-electronic information related to the electronic device (101), which may be processed by the processor (210) and / or stored in the memory (215). For example, the sensor (230) may include a global positioning system (GPS) sensor for detecting the geographic location of the electronic device (101). In addition to the GPS method, the sensor (230) may generate information indicating the geographic location of the electronic device (101) based on a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), such as, for example, Galileo or Beidou (compass). The information may be stored in the memory (215), processed by the processor (210), and / or transmitted to another electronic device distinct from the electronic device (101) via a communication circuit (not shown). The sensor (230) is not limited to those described above, and may include an image sensor, a light sensor, a proximity sensor, a grip sensor, and / or a ToF sensor for detecting electromagnetic waves including light.

[0043] In one or more embodiments, the processor (210) of the electronic device (101) may sense or identify a posture, shape, and / or orientation of the electronic device (101) using a sensor (230). The sensor (230) may include an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a Hall sensor, a proximity sensor, and / or an ambient light sensor for identifying the posture, shape, and / or orientation of the electronic device (101). The Hall sensor may include a magnet and a magnetic field sensor that measures a change in a magnetic field formed by the magnet. The magnet and the magnetic field sensor may be disposed in different assemblies of a housing of the electronic device (101) (e.g., the first housing (111), the second housing (112), and / or the third housing (113) of FIG. 1). Based on a change in the magnetic field measured by the magnetic field sensor, the Hall sensor may output sensor data indicating a distance between the parts.

[0044] In one or more embodiments, where the electronic device (101) includes a deformable housing, the processor (210) of the electronic device (101) can use the magnets and the magnetic field sensors disposed in different parts of the housing (e.g., the first housing (111), the second housing (112), and / or the third housing (113) of FIG. 1) to identify a shape of the housing or a parameter associated with the shape (e.g., the first angle (141) and / or the second angle (142) of FIG. 1). For example, the Hall sensor can output sensor data indicative of the distance and / or the shape of the housing.

[0045] In one embodiment, the IMU may include an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, or any combination thereof. The acceleration sensor may output an electrical signal representing gravitational acceleration and / or acceleration along each of a plurality of axes (e.g., an x-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis) that are perpendicular to each other. The gyro sensor may output an electrical signal representing an angular velocity (e.g., an angular velocity based on roll, pitch, and / or yaw) along each of the plurality of axes. The geomagnetic sensor may output an electrical signal representing a magnitude of a magnetic field formed in the electronic device (101) along each of the plurality of axes (e.g., an x-axis, a y-axis, and / or a z-axis). The processor (210) may repeatedly acquire data representing acceleration, angular velocity, and / or magnitude of a magnetic field from the IMU based on a specified period (e.g., 1 millisecond). Using a Hall sensor and / or an IMU, the processor (210) can identify parameters related to the shape of the electronic device (101) (e.g., the first angle (141) and / or the second angle (142) of FIG. 1). Based on the parameters, the processor (210) can identify the current shape of the electronic device (101) among designated shapes for distinguishing the shape of the electronic device (101) (e.g., the unfolded state, the folded state, and / or the sub-folded state described with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B). For example, the processor (210) of the electronic device (101) can identify the first angle (141) between the first housing (111) and the second housing (112) of FIG. 1 and / or the second angle (142) between the second housing (112) and the third housing (113) of FIG. 1 using the sensor (230).

[0046] Although not shown, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may include an output means for outputting information in a form other than a visualized form. For example, the electronic device (101) may include a motor for providing haptic feedback based on vibration. For example, the electronic device (101) may include one or more speakers for outputting an audio signal, such as the first speaker (161), the second speaker (162), the third speaker (163), and the fourth speaker (164) of FIGS. 3A and 3B .

[0047] According to one embodiment, one or more instructions (or commands) representing operations and / or actions to be performed on data by the processor (210) may be stored within the memory (215) of the electronic device (101). A set of one or more instructions may be referred to as firmware, an operating system, a process, a routine, a sub-routine, and / or an application. For example, the electronic device (101) and / or the processor (210) may perform at least one of the operations of FIG. 4 and / or FIG. 9 when a set of a plurality of instructions distributed in the form of an operating system, firmware, a driver, and / or an application is executed. Hereinafter, the fact that an application is installed in an electronic device (101) may mean that one or more instructions provided in the form of an application are stored in the memory (215) of the electronic device (101), and that the one or more applications are stored in a format executable by the processor (210) of the electronic device (101) (e.g., a file having an extension specified by the operating system of the electronic device (101)).

[0048] According to one embodiment, the processor (210) of the electronic device (101) can selectively activate or turn on either the flexible display (150) or the cover display (152). The embodiment is not limited thereto, and the processor (210) can deactivate (or turn off) both the flexible display (150) and the cover display (152), or activate (or turn on) both the flexible display (150) and the cover display (152). The processor (210) can activate either the flexible display (150) or the cover display (152) based on the shape of the multi-foldable housing of the electronic device (101) identified by the sensor (230). On the activated display, the processor (210) can display a screen provided from at least one software application executed by the processor (210).

[0049] In one embodiment, the processor (210) of the electronic device (101) may display a UI for configuring a screen to be displayed through either the flexible display (150) or the cover display (152). The UI may be displayed based on a specified shape of the electronic device (101) verified by the sensor (230) (e.g., the shape of the electronic device (101) illustrated with reference to the state (192) of FIG. 1). For example, while the electronic device (101) has the specified shape, the processor (210) may display the UI on a portion of the flexible display (150). Based on the UI, the processor (210) may receive a user input for selecting one or more screens to be displayed on the flexible display (150). The processor (210) that receives the user input may display one or more screens selected by the user input on the entire display area when the shape of the electronic device (101) is changed to a shape that can utilize the entire display area of ​​the flexible display (150) based on the sensor (230) (e.g., the shape of the electronic device (101) illustrated with reference to the state (193) of FIG. 1). Accordingly, the processor (210) may be configured to receive a user input for selecting at least one screen from among the plurality of screens while displaying a plurality of screens including at least one screen on the first display area.

[0050] Hereinafter, different forms of the electronic device (101) sensed by the sensor (230) are exemplarily described with reference to FIG. 3a and / or FIG. 3b.

[0051] Figures 3a and 3b illustrate one embodiment of a deformable electronic device (101). The electronic device (101) of Figures 1 and / or 2 may have the exterior or appearance of the electronic device (101) described with reference to Figures 3a and / or 3b.

[0052] Referring to FIGS. 3A and / or 3B , different configurations of an electronic device (101) supporting deformability based on multiple folding axes (e.g., a first folding axis (131) and / or a second folding axis (132)) are illustrated. Referring to FIG. 3A , an electronic device (101) is illustrated including a flexible display (150) that is visually completely obscured by first housings (111) to third housings (113) folded along the first folding axis (131) and the second folding axis (132).

[0053] The electronic device (101) may include a first speaker (161) and / or a third speaker (163) disposed in a first housing (111). The electronic device (101) may include a second speaker (162) and / or a fourth speaker (164) disposed in a third housing (113). The third speaker (163) may be disposed at a second edge of the first housing (111) opposite a first edge of the first housing (111) where the first speaker (161) is disposed. The fourth speaker (164) may be disposed at a second edge of the third housing (113) opposite a first edge of the third housing (113) where the second speaker (162) is disposed. Although the second speaker (162) disposed on one side of the third housing (113) where the flexible display (150) is disposed and the first speaker (161), the third speaker (163) and the fourth speaker (164) disposed on the side connected to the front of the electronic device (101) are exemplarily illustrated, the positions of the speakers (e.g., the first speaker (161) to the fourth speaker (164)) included in the electronic device (101) are not limited to the positions illustrated in FIG. 3A.

[0054] Referring to FIG. 3A, different states (e.g., a first state (301), a second state (302), and / or a third state (303)) of the electronic device (101) are illustrated, distinguished by a first angle (141) and a second angle (142). The first state (301) of the electronic device (101), in which the first angle (141) and the second angle (142) are substantially straight angles (e.g., about 180º), may be referred to as a fully unfolded state, an outspread state, an opened state, an unfolded state, a flat state, and / or a planar state. Within the first state (301), the flexible display (150) arranged from the first housing (111) across the second housing (112) to the third housing (113) may have a substantially flat shape. Within the first state (301), a single plane may be formed on the front surface of the electronic device (101) on which the flexible display (150) is arranged. Within the first state (301), the directions of the front surfaces of the first housing (111), the second housing (112), and the third housing (113) may be parallel to and / or the same as each other. The state (193) of FIG. 1 may correspond to or be included in the first state (301) and / or the unfolded state of FIG. 3A.

[0055] Referring to FIG. 3A, a second state (302) of the electronic device (101) is illustrated, wherein at least one of the first angle (141) or the second angle (142) is less than parallel. The state of the electronic device (101) in which the first angle (141) and / or the second angle (142) are less than parallel, including the second state (302), may be referred to as an in-fold state, a sub-unfolded state (or sub-folded state), an intermediate state, and / or a concave state. Although only the second hinge assembly (122) among the first hinge assembly (121) and the second hinge assembly (122) is illustrated as being folded, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the sub-folded state may include a state in which both the first angle (141) and the second angle (142) are less than parallel and exceed 0°. Within the sub-fold state, a plurality of planes may be formed by the flexible display (150) folded by at least one hinge assembly. Within the sub-fold state, such as the second state (302), a boundary line between flat portions of the flexible display (150) may be formed on either the first hinge assembly (121) and / or the second hinge assembly (122). In one or more embodiments, the flat portions of the flexible display (150) separated by the second hinge assembly (122) may face different, non-parallel directions. The state (192) of FIG. 1 may correspond to or be included in the second state (302), the sub-fold state, and / or the in-fold state of FIG. 3A.

[0056] Referring to FIG. 3A, the third state (303) of the electronic device (101), in which the first angle (141) and the second angle (142) are substantially all 0°, may be referred to as a fully folded state, a folded state, and / or a closed state. Within the third state (303), the flexible display (150) may be visually completely covered by the first housing (111) to the third housing (113). For example, within the folded state, the size of the flexible display (150) of the electronic device (101) exposed to the outside may be substantially 0. The state (191) of FIG. 1 may correspond to or be included in the third state (303) and / or the folded state of FIG. 3A. In the third state (303), both sides of the third housing (113) can be covered by the first housing (111) and the second housing (112).

[0057] In a folded state such as the third state (303), an electronic device (101) including a visually completely covered flexible display (150) may include a cover display (152) disposed on a rear surface opposite to the front surface on which the flexible display (150) is disposed. Referring to FIG. 3A, one surface of the first housing (111) on which the flexible display (150) is disposed and the other surface of the first housing (111) on which the cover display (152) is disposed may be opposite to each other.

[0058] The location of the cover display (152) is not limited to the first housing (111) illustrated in FIG. 1 and / or FIG. 3A. Referring to FIG. 3B, the electronic device (310) may include a cover display (152) disposed on one side of the second housing (112) among the first housing (111), the second housing (112), and the third housing (113) (e.g., the other side opposite to the side of the second housing (112) on which the flexible display (150) is disposed). The electronic device (310) including the cover display (152) disposed on one side of the second housing (112) may include a plurality of cameras (320) disposed on a housing different from the second housing (112) (e.g., the first housing (111)). The electronic device (310) of FIG. 3B can also be switched between an unfolded state, a sub-folded state, and / or a folded state, which are distinguished by a first angle (141) and / or a second angle (142). Although an embodiment based on the electronic device (101) of FIG. 3A is described within FIGS. 5A to 5C, 6A to 6D, 7A to 7B, and 8A to 8B, the electronic device (310) of FIG. 3B can also perform the operations of the electronic device (101) described with reference to the drawings.

[0059] An electronic device (101) including a flexible display (150) configured to be folded at an angle less than or equal to a horizontal angle along a first folding axis (131) and a second folding axis (132), as described with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B, may be referred to as a G-shaped foldable electronic device.

[0060] According to one embodiment, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device (101) of FIG. 3A and / or electronic device (310) of FIG. 3B) can identify a state of the electronic device (e.g., one of an unfolded state, a folded state, an in-fold state, and / or an out-fold state) determined by a sensor (e.g., sensor (230) of FIG. 2) and distinguished by the postures of the first housing (111), the second housing (112), and the third housing (113). In one or more embodiments, an electronic device (101) including a flexible display (150) disposed on a second side of a first housing (111), a third side of a second housing (112), and a fourth side of a third housing (113) opposite a first side of a first housing (111) on which a cover display (152) is disposed, can identify a folded state of the electronic device (101) based on identifying the third side and the fourth side that face each other and identifying the second side and the third side that face each other. In the above example, the electronic device (101) can identify a sub-folded state of the electronic device (101) based on identifying the third side and the fourth side that face each other and identifying that the directions of the second side and the third side are the same. Within the above example, the electronic device (101) can identify the unfolded state of the electronic device (101) based on identifying that the directions of the second side, the third side, and the fourth side are identical to each other.

[0061] As described above, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can display a first screen using the cover display (152) within a folded state of the electronic device (101) identified by a sensor (e.g., the third state (303) of FIG. 3A). The electronic device (101) can display one or more screens including the first screen on a portion of the flexible display (150) (e.g., a portion of the flexible display (150) disposed on a second surface of the first housing (111)) within a sub-folded state of the electronic device (101) switched based on the rotation of the first housing (111) from the folded state. The list of the one or more screens displayed on the portion can include a recent UI described with reference to FIG. 1. The electronic device (101) can receive a user input related to one or more screens displayed on the portion of the flexible display (150) within the sub-fold state. The electronic device (101) can display at least one screen corresponding to the user input on the entire display area of ​​the flexible display (150) within the unfolded state of the electronic device (101) (e.g., state (301) of FIG. 3A) switched based on the rotation of the third housing (113) from the sub-fold state.

[0062] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 4, the operation of the electronic device (101) based on the form of the electronic device (101) described with reference to FIG. 3a and / or FIG. 3b is described.

[0063] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary flowchart of an electronic device according to one embodiment. The electronic device (101) of FIGS. 1 and 2 and / or the electronic device (310) of FIG. 3B may perform the operations of the electronic device described with reference to FIG. 4. For example, the electronic device (101) of FIG. 2 and / or the processor (210) may perform at least one of the operations of FIG. 4.

[0064] Referring to FIG. 4, in operation (410), according to an embodiment, a processor of an electronic device may display a first screen on a first display based on a folded state. The first display of operation (410) may include the cover display (152) of FIG. 1 , FIG. 3A and / or FIG. 3B . The first screen displayed based on operation (410) may be displayed based on the execution of at least one software application executed by the processor. Based on operation (410), the processor may display a first screen having a width, height, size, extent and / or aspect ratio of the entire display area of ​​the first display on the first display. For example, the first screen displayed based on operation (410) may occupy the entire display area of ​​the first display.

[0065] Referring to FIG. 4, within operation (415), according to one embodiment, a processor of an electronic device may display a first list of screens including a first screen on a portion of a second display based on a state of the electronic device corresponding to a sub-fold state. The second display of operation (415) may include the flexible display (150) of FIG. 1 , FIG. 3A and / or FIG. 3B . According to one embodiment, the processor may identify the sub-fold state of operation (415) based on a shape of the electronic device identified based on the sensor (230) of FIG. 2 . Within the sub-fold state of operation (415), the electronic device may have a shape in which a portion of the second display (e.g., a portion of the flexible display (150) disposed on the first housing (111) of FIG. 3A ) is exposed to the outside.

[0066] Within the operation (415), the processor may display a UI based on the width, height, size, area, and / or aspect ratio of a portion of the second display exposed to the outside. Within the UI, a first list of one or more screens including the first screen displayed based on the operation (410) may be displayed. Within the first list, the processor may display a thumbnail (or image) corresponding to the first screen of the operation (410). The thumbnail corresponding to the first screen may have a smaller size than the first screen. One or more screens included in the first list of the operation (415) may correspond to screens displayed based on one or more software applications executed by the processor prior to the sub-fold state of the operation (415). Using the first list displayed based on the operation (415), the processor may determine one or more screens (or one or more software applications) selected by the user within the first list as one or more screens to be displayed in the unfold state.

[0067] Referring to FIG. 4, in operation (420), according to one embodiment, a processor of an electronic device may identify whether a first user input related to a first list has been received. The first user input may include a touch input (or click) on one or more screens displayed in the first list. If the first user input has been received (420 - Yes), the processor may perform operation (430). If the first user input has not been received (or before being received) (420 - No), the processor may perform operation (425).

[0068] Referring to FIG. 4, in operation (425), according to one embodiment, the processor of the electronic device may display a second screen related to the first screen on the entire display area of ​​the second display based on the state of the electronic device corresponding to the unfolded state. If the state of the electronic device is switched to the unfolded state before receiving the first user input of operation (420), the processor may perform operation (425). The second screen of operation (425) may be displayed based on the execution of the software application that provided the first screen of operation (410). The width, height, size, area, and / or aspect ratio of the second screen may correspond to the width, height, size, area, and / or aspect ratio of the entire display area of ​​the second display. For example, in operation (425), the processor may display the first screen that was displayed before the unfolded state on the entire second display. The first software application corresponding to the first screen may be a software application that was last executed by the processor.

[0069] Referring to FIG. 4, in operation (430), according to one embodiment, the processor of the electronic device may identify whether the state of the electronic device has switched to the unfolded state while the first user input is maintained. For example, while the touch input on any one screen of the first list is maintained, the processor may identify whether the state of the electronic device has changed from the sub-folded state to the unfolded state. If the state of the electronic device has switched to the unfolded state, including the first state (301) of FIG. 3A (430 - Yes), the processor may perform operation (435). If the first user input is not maintained (430 - No), the processor may perform operation (450).

[0070] Referring to FIG. 4 , in operation (435), according to an embodiment, a processor of an electronic device may display, on a second display, a screen corresponding to a first user input and a second list of software applications installed on the electronic device. While the first user input of operation (420) is maintained, the processor may perform operation (435). In operation (435), the processor may display, on a first portion (e.g., a portion where a first user input based on a touch gesture is received) among different portions of the second display (e.g., portions separated by one or more hinge assemblies that are foldable), a screen of operation (435) corresponding to the first user input, and may display a second list of operation (435) on another portion of the second display that is different from the first portion. The second list may include a list of one or more software applications installed on the electronic device.

[0071] Referring to FIG. 4, in operation (440), according to one embodiment, a processor of an electronic device may change at least one screen associated with a first user input based on a second user input received via a second list. In one or more embodiments, the processor may display a software application corresponding to the second user input and / or a screen provided from the software application below the screen displayed based on operation (435). The screen of operation (435) and at least one screen of operation (440) may be stacked on a portion of the second display on which the screen of operation (435) is displayed. A plurality of screens stacked on a portion of the second display are exemplarily described with reference to FIG. 8A and / or FIG. 8B.

[0072] Referring to FIG. 4, within operation (445), the processor of the electronic device according to one embodiment may determine whether a first user input has been released. Before the first user input is released (445—No), the processor may perform operation (440). If the first user input is released (445—Yes), the processor may perform operation (450).

[0073] Referring to FIG. 4, in operation (450), a processor of an electronic device according to an embodiment may identify whether the number of screens selected by a first user input is less than three. The processor may perform operation (450) after the first user input is released (445-Yes) and / or if the first user input is released before the state of the electronic device is switched to an unfolded state (445-Yes). If the number of screens of operation (450) is less than three (450-Yes), the processor may perform operation (455). If the number of screens of operation (450) is three or more (450-Yes), the processor may perform operation (460).

[0074] In one or more embodiments, the number of operations (450) may correspond to the number of portions of the second display separated by the folding axis of the deformable electronic device. For example, the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 including a first housing (111), a second housing (112), and a third housing (113) may set the number of operations (450) to 3. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the number of screens of the operations (450) may increase to 3 or more based on the diversification of the multi-foldable housing.

[0075] Referring to FIG. 4, in operation (455), according to one embodiment, the processor of the electronic device may display screens selected by the first user input and a home screen on the second display. The home screen of operation (455) may be referred to as a launcher screen. The home screen of operation (455) may include icons, a list, and / or at least one widget (or gadget) of software applications installed on the electronic device.

[0076] A processor of an electronic device including a first housing (111), a second housing (112), and a third housing (113) may display screens of operation (455) and a home screen on portions of second displays positioned on each of the first housing (111), the second housing (112), and the third housing (113). For example, when two screens are selected by a first user input, the processor may display a first screen of the screens on a first portion of the second display positioned on the first housing (111), a second screen of the screens on a second portion of the second display positioned on the second housing (112), and a home screen on a third portion of the second display positioned on the third housing (113). For example, when a screen is selected by a first user input, the processor may display the screen selected by the first user input in the first portion, and may display a home screen in the second portion and the third portion. An example of an electronic device that displays multiple screens including a home screen based on operation (455) is described with reference to FIG. 6A and / or FIG. 6B.

[0077] Based on the operation (455), the home screen displayed on a portion of the second display may be used to select a software application to be executed based on the portion. For example, the processor may receive a third user input for executing a software application through the home screen. In response to the third user input, the processor may display a screen provided from a software application designated by the third user input on the portion of the second display where the home screen is displayed.

[0078] Referring to FIG. 4, in operation (460), according to one embodiment, a processor of an electronic device may display screens based on a multi-window on a second display. If three or more screens are selected by a first user input, the processor may display the screens selected by the first user input in portions that equally divide the entire display area of ​​the second display. The processor performing operation (460) may display the screens of operation (460) based on the PBP. For example, the screens may occupy different portions of the second display. The operation of the processor displaying a plurality of screens based on operation (460) is described with reference to FIG. 6c and / or FIG. 6d.

[0079] As described above, according to one embodiment, the processor of the electronic device may display one or more screens or a combination thereof that were displayed through the first display and / or the second display when the housing is switched to an unfolded state by rotation. As described above with reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 3A and / or FIG. 3B, an electronic device including a plurality of folding axes (e.g., the first folding axis (131) and / or the second folding axis (132) of FIG. 1) can be switched from a folded state (e.g., the third state (303) of FIG. 3A and / or the state (191) of FIG. 1) to a sub-folded state (e.g., the second state (302) of FIG. 3A and / or the state (192) of FIG. 1)) and then switched from the sub-folded state to an unfolded state (e.g., the first state (301) of FIG. 3A and / or the state (193) of FIG. 1).

[0080] According to one embodiment, a processor of an electronic device may display a UI for organizing screens to be displayed on a display (e.g., the second display of FIG. 4 and / or the flexible display (150) of FIGS. 1, 2, 3A, and / or 3B) to be activated in an unfolded state within a sub-folded state. The UI may include one or more screens provided from one or more software applications executed by the processor, such as the first list of FIG. 4. Using the UI, the processor may provide a user experience based on multitasking by utilizing the display having a relatively large size.

[0081] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5C, an exemplary operation of a processor displaying a first list based on operation (415) is described.

[0082] FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C illustrate exemplary user interfaces (UIs) displayed by an electronic device (101) in a sub-fold state. The electronic device (101) of FIGS. 1, 2, and / or 3A may perform the operations of the electronic device (101) described with reference to FIGS. 5A, 5B, and / or 5C. The electronic device (101) of FIG. 2 and / or the processor (210) of FIG. 2 may perform the operations of the electronic device (101) described with reference to FIGS. 5A, 5B, and / or 5C. At least one of the operations of FIG. 4 may be related to the operations of the electronic device (101) of FIGS. 5A, 5B, and / or 5C. Although the operations of FIGS. 5A, 5B and / or 5C are described based on the electronic device (101) of FIG. 3A, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the electronic device (310) of FIG. 3B can also perform the operations of FIGS. 5A, 5B and / or 5C.

[0083] Referring to FIGS. 5A to 5C, exemplary states (501, 502, 503) of an electronic device (101) included in a sub-fold state are illustrated. Within states (501, 502, 503), a portion of a flexible display (150) disposed on the first housing (111) may be exposed to the outside by rotation of the first housing (111) relative to the second housing (112). In states (501, 502, 503), since the rear surfaces (e.g., surfaces on which the flexible display (150) is disposed) of the second housing (112) and the third housing (113) face each other, other parts of the flexible display (150) that are distinct from the part of the flexible display (150) disposed on the first housing (111) may be occluded by the second housing (112) and / or the third housing (113). A state in which only the part of the flexible display (150) disposed on the first housing (111) is exposed to the outside, such as states (501, 502, 503), may be referred to as a half fold state (half fold or half folding). The half fold state may be included in the sub-fold state described with reference to FIG. 3A and / or FIG. 3B.

[0084] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can identify a half-fold state of the electronic device (101) using a sensor (e.g., sensor (230) of FIG. 2). Within the half-fold state, the electronic device (101) can display at least one screen executed by a processor (e.g., processor (210) of FIG. 2) of the electronic device (101) on a portion of the flexible display (150). The portion of the flexible display (150) may correspond to a portion of the flexible display (150) exposed to the outside, for example, a portion of the flexible display (150) disposed on a first housing (111). Using at least one screen, the electronic device (101) can receive user input to select at least one software application to be executed based on the flexible display (150) in another state (e.g., unfolded state) after the half-fold state (e.g., states (501, 502, 503) of FIGS. 5A to 5C).

[0085] Referring to FIGS. 5A to 5C , different layouts of UIs displayed on a portion of the flexible display (150) in a half-fold state are illustrated. Referring to state (501) of FIG. 5A , the electronic device (101) may display a plurality of screens corresponding to each of a plurality of software applications executed by the processor on a portion of the flexible display (150). The plurality of screens may be symbols representing the plurality of software applications. Each of the plurality of screens displayed on a portion of the flexible display (150) may be a thumbnail and / or screenshot of a screen displayed based on the execution of the corresponding software application. Together with the plurality of screens, the electronic device (101) may display names (e.g., package names) of software applications corresponding to each of the plurality of screens.

[0086] Within an exemplary state (501) of FIG. 5A, the electronic device (101) may display a list (520) of a plurality of scrollable screens. Referring to FIG. 5A, an exemplary state (501) is illustrated that displays a plurality of scrollable screens along a horizontal direction (e.g., a direction perpendicular to the first folding axis (131) and / or the second folding axis (132)) of the flexible display (150). Within the state (501), the electronic device (101) may display at least one of the plurality of screens (e.g., screen A, screen B, screen C, screen D, and / or screen E) included in the list (520) on a portion of the flexible display (150). Each of the plurality of screens may have a smaller size than a portion of the flexible display (150). In response to a swipe gesture performed on the plurality of screens along the horizontal direction of the flexible display (150), the electronic device (101) can change at least one screen displayed on a portion of the flexible display (150) based on the order of the plurality of screens arranged in the list (520).

[0087] In state (501) of FIG. 5A, the electronic device (101) may receive a user input for selecting at least one screen from among a plurality of screens included in a list (520). To receive the user input, the electronic device (101) may display visual objects (521, 522, 523, 524, 525) having a mode toggled by the user input on each of the plurality of screens. Referring to FIG. 5A, exemplary visual objects (521, 522, 523, 524, 525) having a check box shape are illustrated, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. Each of the visual objects (521, 522, 523, 524, 525) may overlap each of the plurality of screens included in the list (520).

[0088] Each of the visual objects (521, 522, 523, 524, 525) may include a first mode or a second mode different from the first mode, which indicates a selection of a screen and / or software application corresponding to the visual object. As with the visual objects (521, 523, 524), the visual object in the first mode may include an image (e.g., an image and / or icon in the shape of a "V") and / or text to indicate that it has been selected by the user. The visual object in the second mode may have the shape of an empty shape (e.g., a circle) to indicate that it has not been selected by the user. Based on user input for each of the visual objects (521, 522, 523, 524, 525), the modes of each of the visual objects (521, 522, 523, 524, 525) can be toggled between the first mode or the second mode. Accordingly, the processor (210) can be configured to be toggled by user input and can be configured to display visual objects overlaid on each of a plurality of screens.

[0089] In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may receive user input for adjusting the positional relationship between a plurality of screens selected within a list (520). Referring to the exemplary state (501) of FIG. 5A, the electronic device (101) may display a visual object (511) for changing the order of the plurality of screens within the flexible display (150). Although a button-shaped visual object (511) including designated text such as “change order” is illustrated, the embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0090] Based on an input indicating a selection of a visual object (511), the electronic device (101) may be switched to a state (e.g., state (701) of FIG. 7A) capable of receiving another input for adjusting the order of a plurality of screens selected within the list (520). The embodiment is not limited thereto, and the electronic device (101) may be switched to the state capable of receiving the other input for adjusting the order of the plurality of screens based on a long-touch (or long-press) gesture for any one screen within the list (520). The positional relationship may include the order of screens to be displayed within the entire display area of ​​the flexible display (150) within the unfolded state after the half-folded state.

[0091] In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may receive user input for adjusting the ratio of areas and / or sizes of a plurality of screens selected from a list (520) that occupy the entire display area of ​​the flexible display (150). Referring to the exemplary state (501) of FIG. 5A , the electronic device (101) may display a visual object (512) for adjusting the ratio. Although the visual object (512) is illustrated as a button containing designated text such as “resizing” (or “respacing”), the embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0092] In response to an input indicating a selection of a visual object (512), the electronic device (101) may be switched to a state (e.g., state (701) of FIG. 7B) capable of receiving another input for adjusting the sizes and / or area ratios of the plurality of screens selected within the list (520). The embodiment is not limited thereto, and the electronic device (101) may be switched to the state capable of receiving the other input for adjusting the area ratio based on a long-touch (or long-press) gesture on an area between the plurality of screens within the list (e.g., a border line and / or padding or spacing between the plurality of screens). The area ratios of the sizes of the screens to be displayed on the flexible display (150) within the unfolded state after the half-folded state may correspond to the area ratio adjusted within the state. The processor (210) may be configured to adjust the ratio of sizes of a plurality of screens occupying the entire display area of ​​the second display, including the first display area, the second display area, and the third display area, at least based on a second user input selecting a boundary between the plurality of screens.

[0093] In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may display a visual object (513) for confirming a user input received within the half-fold state and / or a visual object (514) for canceling the user input. A visual object (513) in the form of a button including a designated text such as “OK” and / or a visual object (514) in the form of a button including a designated text such as “Cancel” are illustrated, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. In response to an input indicating selection of a visual object (513), the electronic device (101) may determine at least one screen selected based on the list (520) at the time of receiving the input as at least one screen to be displayed in the unfolded state. The electronic device (101) that has received an input related to the visual object (514) may reset the mode of the visual objects (521, 522, 523, 524, 525) that has been adjusted by other inputs received through the list (520) prior to the time of receiving the input. For example, the electronic device (101) can change the mode of all visual objects, such as visual objects (521, 522, 523, 524, 525), indicating whether each of the plurality of screens in the list has been selected by the user, to the second mode.

[0094] The layout of the UI displayed by the electronic device (101) within a sub-fold state including a half-fold state is not limited to the state (501) of FIG. 5A. Referring to an exemplary state (502) of FIG. 5B, the electronic device (101) may display a list (529) of a plurality of software applications executed by the processor on a portion of the flexible display (150) exposed to the outside. The electronic device (101) may display the list (529) including icons and / or images (e.g., a plurality of screens of FIG. 5A) representing each of the plurality of software applications.

[0095] Referring to FIG. 5B, the electronic device (101) can display a vertically scrollable list (529). Within the list (529), the electronic device (101) can display images (e.g., screenshots) corresponding to each of a plurality of software applications. The images can be arranged two-dimensionally along the row direction and the column direction within the list (529). Based on a swipe gesture performed along the vertical direction on the list (529), the electronic device (101) can replace or change the images displayed on the flexible display (150) based on the order of the images within the list (529).

[0096] Within state (502) of FIG. 5b, the electronic device (101) may display visual objects (e.g., check boxes) for receiving an input for selecting at least one screen to be displayed within the unfolded state, together with images included within the list (529). The visual objects may be displayed overlapping each of the images included within the list (529) to visualize the relationship between the visual objects and the images.

[0097] Referring to an exemplary state (503) of FIG. 5c, the electronic device (101) may display a list (531) based on icons of each of a plurality of software applications executed by the processor on a portion of the flexible display (150) disposed on the first housing (111). Within the list (531), the electronic device (101) may display names (e.g., package names) of each of the plurality of software applications together with the icons. The electronic device (101) displaying the list (531) in which the icons are arranged along the vertical direction of the flexible display (150) may scroll the list (531) based on a swipe gesture performed along the vertical direction on the portion of the flexible display (150) on which a portion of the list (531) is displayed.

[0098] Referring to state (503) of FIG. 5c, the electronic device (101) may display visual objects (532, 533, 534) for adjusting the layout of screens to be displayed in the unfolded state after the half-folded state, together with a list (531). The visual objects (532, 533, 534) may each correspond to different parts of the flexible display (150) in the unfolded state (e.g., parts corresponding to each of the first housing (111), the second housing (112), and the third housing (113). The electronic device (101) may receive an input (e.g., an input based on a drag gesture) for moving an icon from the list (531) to any one of the visual objects (532, 533, 534).

[0099] Referring to FIG. 5C, an exemplary state (503) of an electronic device (101) that has received an input for moving an icon corresponding to software application A to a visual object (532) is illustrated. The electronic device (101) that has received the input may display an icon and / or an image (e.g., a screenshot) corresponding to software application A within the visual object (532). The input for moving the icon to the visual object (532) may be an input for displaying a screen corresponding to software application A corresponding to the icon on a portion of the flexible display (150) corresponding to the visual object (532) within an unfolded state (e.g., a portion of the flexible display (150) disposed on the first housing (111).

[0100] Similarly, the electronic device (101) can receive an input for matching each of the visual objects (533, 534) with any one of the icons in the list (531). After receiving the input, in a state of the electronic device (101) switched to an unfolded state, the electronic device (101) can execute at least one software application matched to each of the visual objects (532, 533, 534) by the input, thereby displaying at least one screen on different parts of the flexible display (150).

[0101] As described above, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may display a list (e.g., lists (520, 529, 531)) of a plurality of software applications that have been executed by the electronic device (101) within a half-fold state and / or a sub-fold state, such as states (501, 502, 503) of FIGS. 5A to 5C . While displaying a plurality of screens (or items within the list) based on the list, the electronic device (101) may receive a user input for selecting at least one of the plurality of screens (or items). Within an unfolded state following the half-fold state and / or the sub-fold state, the electronic device (101) may display at least one screen related to the user input on the entire display area of ​​the flexible display (150).

[0102] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6D, the operation of the electronic device (101) that receives user input within the states (501, 502, 503) of FIGS. 5A to 5C is described.

[0103] FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, and 6D illustrate exemplary UIs of an electronic device (101) displayed based on input received within a subfold state. The electronic device (101) of FIGS. 1, 2, and / or 3A may perform the operations of the electronic device (101) described with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6D . The electronic device (101) and / or the processor (210) of FIG. 2 may perform the operations of the electronic device (101) described with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6D . The operations of the electronic device (101) described with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6D may be related to at least one of the operations of FIG. 4 . Although different states (601, 602, 603, 604) of the electronic device (101) of FIG. 3a are illustrated in FIGS. 6a to 6d, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the electronic device (310) of FIG. 3b can also perform the operations of FIGS. 6a to 6d.

[0104] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may display a list (520) of a plurality of software applications that were executed based on a display (e.g., the cover display (152) and / or the flexible display (150) of FIGS. 1 and 2) within a state (501) included in a sub-fold state and / or a half-fold state. Within the list (520), the electronic device (101) may display a plurality of screens (e.g., screen shots) that were displayed by each of the plurality of software applications.

[0105] As described above with reference to FIG. 5A, the electronic device (101) can display visual objects (521, 522, 523, 524, 525) overlapped on each of the plurality of screens. Based on a user input received within the state (501), the electronic device (101) can determine at least one software application to be executed based on the flexible display (150) within an unfolded state subsequent to the state (501) (e.g., states (601, 602, 603, 604) of FIGS. 6A to 6D). The user input can include an input for selecting and / or touching at least one of the plurality of screens displayed based on the list (520).

[0106] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may, in an unfolded state after receiving a user input for selecting a plurality of screens, display the plurality of screens on the flexible display (150), separated by at least one of designated boundary lines. The designated boundary lines may include boundary lines between sides of a first housing (111) to a third housing (113) in which the flexible display (150) is disposed. For example, the designated boundary lines may include a first boundary line between a first side on the first housing (111) in which the flexible display (150) is disposed and a second side on the second housing (112). The designated boundary lines may include a second boundary line between the second side and a third side on the third housing (113). The flexible display (150) may be disposed from the first side across the second side to the third side.

[0107] Referring to FIG. 6A, an exemplary state (601) of an electronic device (101) corresponding to an unfolded state is illustrated after receiving an input for selecting a software application (e.g., a software application corresponding to screen A) based on a list (520) within a state (501). Within the state (601), the electronic device (101) may display screen A corresponding to the software application selected based on the list (520) on a portion (611) of a flexible display (150). Referring to FIG. 6A, an exemplary state (601) is illustrated for displaying screen A on a portion (611) of a flexible display (150) disposed on a first housing (111), but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0108] Within the state (601) after less than three screens are selected, the electronic device (101) can display a home screen on another part (612) of the flexible display (150) that is different from a part (611), based on the operation (455) of FIG. 4. Referring to FIG. 6A, a boundary line between the part (611) on which screen A is displayed and the part (612) on which the home screen is displayed can be formed on the first hinge assembly (121) connecting the first housing (111) and the second housing (112). The boundary line can correspond to the first folding axis (131).

[0109] In a state (601) of displaying a home screen on a portion (612) of a flexible display (150), the electronic device (101) may receive a user input for executing a software application through the home screen. The electronic device (101) may display icons representing each of the software applications installed in the electronic device (101) on the home screen. The icons may be grouped based on one or more categories within the portion (612). The one or more categories may include a history of applications executed by the electronic device (101) (e.g., recently executed applications) and / or designated categories for classifying software applications. In response to the user input, the electronic device (101) may display a screen (e.g., an execution screen) provided from a software application corresponding to the user input on the portion (612). For example, the electronic device (101) may display an execution screen related to the user input on a portion (612) together with the A screen displayed on a portion (611).

[0110] Referring to FIG. 6A, when a software application and / or screen is selected in the half-fold state and / or the sub-fold state, the electronic device (101) may display the home screen together with the selected screen in the unfolded state. The embodiment is not limited thereto, and the electronic device (101) may display the selected screen on the entire display area of ​​the flexible display (150). Although an exemplary state (601) is illustrated in which the A screen and the home screen having sizes of 1:2 are displayed based on the first boundary line formed on the first hinge assembly (121), the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the electronic device (101) may display the A screen and the home screen having the same sizes on different parts of the flexible display (150).

[0111] Referring to FIG. 6B, an exemplary state (602) of the electronic device (101) corresponding to an unfolded state is illustrated after receiving an input for selecting two software applications (e.g., software applications corresponding to screen A and screen C, respectively) based on a list (520) within the state (501). Within the state (602), the electronic device (101) can display screens of the two software applications, respectively, on different portions of the flexible display (150). For example, the electronic device (101) can display screen A on a portion (611) of the flexible display (150) disposed on the first housing (111). While displaying screen A on the portion (611) corresponding to the first housing (111), the electronic device (101) can display screen C on a portion (622) next to the portion (611). The portion (622) of the flexible display (150) on which the C screen is displayed may be a portion disposed on the second housing (112). The A screen and the C screen may be provided from a plurality of software applications selected based on the list (520). By displaying the A screen and the C screen substantially simultaneously, the electronic device (101) may provide a multi-window-based user experience in response to user input received within the half-fold state.

[0112] Similar to state (601) of FIG. 6a, when less than three screens and / or software applications are selected, the electronic device (101) may display a home screen on the remaining portion (623) distinct from the portions (611, 622) where the A screen and the C screen are displayed, respectively. The portion (623) where the home screen is displayed may be a portion of the flexible display (150) disposed on the third housing (113). Referring to FIG. 6b, boundary lines between the portions (611, 622, 623) may be formed on the first hinge assembly (121) and the second hinge assembly (122), respectively.

[0113] Based on the home screen displayed on the portion (623), the electronic device (101) may receive a user input for selecting an execution screen to be displayed together with the A screen and the C screen. For example, in response to a user input for selecting an icon displayed through the home screen, the electronic device (101) may display an execution screen provided from a software application corresponding to the icon on the portion (623). In the above example, the electronic device (101) may display the execution screen on the portion (623) together with the A screen and the C screen displayed on each of the portions (611, 622).

[0114] Referring to FIG. 6C, an exemplary state (603) of the electronic device (101) corresponding to an unfolded state is illustrated after receiving an input for selecting three software applications (e.g., software applications corresponding to each of screen A, screen C, and screen E) based on a list (520) within a state (501). Within the state (603), the electronic device (101) can display screens of the three software applications on different portions (611, 622, 633) of the flexible display (150), respectively.

[0115] Within the exemplary state (603) of FIG. 6c, the electronic device (101) can display screen A on a portion (611) of the flexible display (150) disposed on a first housing (111), screen C on a portion (622) of the flexible display (150) disposed on a second housing (112), and screen E on a portion (633) of the flexible display (150) disposed on a third housing (113). By displaying screen A, screen C, and screen E substantially simultaneously, the electronic device (101) can provide a user experience based on multi-window and / or multi-tasking.

[0116] Referring to FIG. 6c, within a state (603) included in the unfolded state, the electronic device (101) can display three screens on each of the portions (611, 622, 633) that equally divide the flexible display (150). The boundary line between the portions (611, 622) can be formed on the first hinge assembly (121). The boundary line between the portions (622, 633) can be formed on the second hinge assembly (122).

[0117] Referring to FIG. 6D , an exemplary state (604) of an electronic device (101) corresponding to an unfolded state after receiving an input for selecting more than three software applications based on a list (520) within a state (501) is illustrated. In one or more embodiments, the electronic device (101) that has received user inputs for selecting each of screen A, screen C, screen D, and screen E may display visual objects (521, 523, 524, 525) overlapping each of screen A, screen C, screen D, and screen E within the list (520) based on a different mode (e.g., a first mode) and / or shape than the visual object (522). After screen A, screen C, screen D, and screen E in the list (520) are selected, the electronic device (101) that has identified that the screens have been switched from a half-fold state to an unfolded state can execute software applications corresponding to the screens A, C, D, and E selected in the list (520). The electronic device (101) can display the screens A, C, D, and E provided from the executed software applications on the entire display area of ​​the flexible display (150).

[0118] Referring to FIG. 6D, an exemplary state (604) is illustrated in which screens A, C, D, and E are respectively displayed on different portions (641, 642, 643, 644) of the flexible display (150). Within the state (604), the electronic device (101) can provide a user experience based on multi-window and / or PBP by utilizing portions (641, 642, 643, 644) that equally divide the entire display area of ​​the flexible display (150). For example, the portions (641, 642, 643, 644) can have matching widths and / or heights.

[0119] An embodiment is illustrated in which the heights of the portions (641, 642, 643, 644) match the height of the flexible display (150) and the sum of the widths of the portions (641, 642, 643, 644) matches the width of the flexible display (150), but the embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, within state (604), the electronic device (101) may change the width, height, and / or size of at least one of the portions (641, 642, 643, 644) based on a user input (e.g., a user input including a drag gesture) with respect to a boundary line (or frames) between the portions (641, 642, 643, 644).

[0120] As described above, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can determine a screen to be displayed in the unfolded state by using the UI displayed in the sub-fold state and / or the half-fold state. If it is determined to display multiple screens in the unfolded state, the electronic device (101) can display the multiple screens on different parts of the flexible display (150). The sizes of each of the parts on which the multiple screens are displayed may be identical to or different from each other.

[0121] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B, an exemplary operation of an electronic device (101) for adjusting the order and / or size of screens to be displayed in an unfolded state and / or a sub-folded state and / or a half-folded state is described.

[0122] FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate exemplary UIs of an electronic device (101) displayed based on input received within a subfold state. The electronic device (101) of FIGS. 1, 2, and / or 3A may perform the operations of the electronic device (101) described with reference to FIGS. 7A and / or 7B . The electronic device (101) and / or the processor (210) of FIG. 2 may perform the operations of the electronic device (101) described with reference to FIGS. 7A and / or 7B . The operations of the electronic device (101) described with reference to FIGS. 7A and / or 7B may be related to at least one of the operations of FIG. 4 . Although different states (701, 702, 703, 704) of the electronic device (101) of FIG. 3a are illustrated in FIG. 7a and / or FIG. 7b, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the electronic device (310) of FIG. 3b can also perform the operations of FIGS. 7a and 7b.

[0123] Referring to FIGS. 7A and / or 7B , different states (701, 702, 703, 704) of an electronic device (101) included in a half-fold state and / or a sub-fold state are illustrated. Within the state (701), the electronic device (101) may display a list (520) of a plurality of software applications that were executed by the electronic device (101) prior to the state (701). Within the list (520), the electronic device (101) may display a plurality of screens corresponding to each of the plurality of software applications.

[0124] Referring to FIG. 7A, in a state (701) where screen A and screen B are selected by a user, the electronic device (101) may receive a user input for adjusting the order of screen A and screen B. The user input may include a gesture (e.g., a tap gesture) indicating selection of a visual object (511). The user input may include a gesture performed on screen A and / or screen B. For example, the user input may include a long touch gesture performed on screen A or screen B. For example, the user input may include a drag gesture that is initiated on a point (p1) on screen B and ends on a point (p2) on screen A. The electronic device (101) that receives the user input for adjusting the order of screen A and screen B may switch from state (701) of FIG. 7A to state (702).

[0125] Referring to FIG. 7A, within a state (702) after receiving a drag gesture that starts at a point (p1) on screen B and stops at a point (p2) on screen A, the electronic device (101) can change the order of screens A and B being displayed on the flexible display (150) based on the drag gesture. For example, within a state (702) switched based on the drag gesture from a state (701) in which screen B was displayed on the right side of screen A, the electronic device (101) can display screen A on the right side of screen B. After the state (702), when the state of the electronic device (101) is switched to an unfolded state, the electronic device (101) can display screen A on the right side of screen B on the entire display area of ​​the flexible display (150).

[0126] Referring to FIG. 7B, in a state (703) where screen A, screen B, and screen D are selected by the user, the electronic device (101) may receive a user input for adjusting the sizes of screens (e.g., screen A, screen B, and screen D) to be displayed in an unfolded state. The user input may include a gesture (e.g., a tap gesture) indicating selection of a visual object (512). The user input may include a gesture performed on a boundary line of screens displayed on the flexible display (150). For example, the user input may include a long touch gesture performed at a point (p3) on a space (spacing, margin, or padding) between screen A and screen B. The user input may include a drag gesture that starts at the point (p3) and ends at a point (p4) on screen A.

[0127] The electronic device (101) that receives the user input may stop displaying screens other than the screens selected by the user (e.g., screen A, screen B, and screen D) within the list of multiple screens. For example, the electronic device (101) may switch to a designated mode and / or designated state for adjusting the positional relationship (e.g., order and / or size) between the screens in response to the user input exemplified above. For example, the electronic device (101) may display a list (731) including the screens selected by the user on a portion of the flexible display (150) (e.g., a portion of the flexible display (150) disposed on the first housing (111). The list (731) displayed on the portion of the flexible display (150) may include screen A, screen B, and screen D, which are scrollable along a designated direction (e.g., a horizontal direction of the flexible display (150).

[0128] Referring to FIG. 7B, an electronic device (101) that receives a drag gesture that starts at a point (p3) between screens A and B and stops at a point (p4) on screen A can increase the size of screen B based on the drag gesture, as shown in the list (732). The electronic device (101) that has increased the size of screen B can exclude or remove screen A, which has been reduced by the drag gesture, from the list (732). Based on the drag gesture, the electronic device (101) can adjust the ratio of the sizes of the screens that occupy at least a portion of the entire display area.

[0129] An electronic device (101) displaying a list (732) including a B screen and a D screen having increased sizes, when switched to an unfolded state, may display the B screen and the D screen in the entire display area of ​​the flexible display (150) based on the ratio of the sizes of the B screen and the D screen within the list (732), as in the state (704) of FIG. 7B. For example, the ratio between the size of the portion (741) of the flexible display (150) occupied by the B screen within the state (704) and the size of the portion (742) of the flexible display (150) occupied by the D screen within the state (704) may match the ratio of the sizes of the B screen and the D screen displayed within the list (732).

[0130] As described above, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can identify a user input related to a boundary line between a plurality of screens in a half-fold state and / or a sub-fold state in which the plurality of screens are selected. For example, based at least on a user input for selecting the user input, the electronic device (101) can adjust a ratio of sizes of the plurality of screens occupying the entire display area of ​​the flexible display (150). By adjusting the ratio of sizes, the electronic device (101) can configure the plurality of screens to be displayed in the unfolded state.

[0131] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may perform an operation for displaying a specific screen within the unfolded state based on a user input maintained on the specific screen while switching from a half-fold state and / or a sub-fold state to an unfolded state. Hereinafter, exemplary operations of the electronic device (101) that receive the user input will be described with reference to FIG. 8A and / or FIG. 8B.

[0132] FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate exemplary UIs of an electronic device (101) displayed based on input received within a subfold state. The electronic device (101) of FIGS. 1, 2, and / or 3A may perform the operations of the electronic device (101) described with reference to FIGS. 8A and / or 8B . The electronic device (101) and / or the processor (210) of FIG. 2 may perform the operations of the electronic device (101) described with reference to FIGS. 8A and / or 8B . The operations of the electronic device (101) described with reference to FIGS. 8A and / or 8B may be related to at least one of the operations of FIG. 4 . Although different states (801, 802, 803) of the electronic device (101) of FIG. 3a are illustrated, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the electronic device (310) of FIG. 3b may also perform the operations of FIG. 8a and / or FIG. 8b.

[0133] Referring to FIG. 8A, a state (501) of the electronic device (101) corresponding to a half-fold state and / or a sub-fold state is illustrated. Within the state (501), the electronic device (101) may display a list of a plurality of software applications and / or a plurality of screens that have been executed by the electronic device (101) on a portion exposed to the outside of the flexible display (150) (e.g., a portion disposed on the first housing (111). Within the state (501) of displaying the list, the electronic device (101) may identify a gesture of touching a point (e.g., point (p1)) on a specific screen (e.g., screen A) included in the list. While the gesture is maintained, the electronic device (101) may be switched from the half-fold state to the unfolded state. For example, a user of an electronic device (101) can switch to the unfolded state by rotating the third housing (113) around the second folding axis (132) while touching a point (p1) on the A screen. The electronic device (101), which has identified the unfolded state based on the rotation of the third housing (113), can enter the state (801) from the state (501) of FIG. 8A.

[0134] Referring to an exemplary state (801) of FIG. 8A, while switching from a sub-fold state to an unfolded state, the electronic device (101) that identifies a first user input (or touch input) maintained on a point (p1) within screen A may be switched to a designated state and / or designated mode for configuring one or more screens including screen A. For example, the electronic device (101) may display screen A (813) on a portion (811) of a flexible display (150) disposed on a first housing (111). While the touch input on the point (p1) within screen A (813) is maintained, the electronic device (101) may display a screen including a list of software applications (e.g., an application list) installed in the electronic device (101) on a portion (811) and another portion (812).

[0135] Referring to an exemplary state (801) of FIG. 8A, the electronic device (101) can display an A screen (813) related to the first user input on a portion (811) including a point (p1) where the first user input is maintained within the entire display area of ​​the flexible display (150). While the first user input is maintained, the electronic device (101) can display an A screen (813) having a smaller size than the portion (811) on the portion (811).

[0136] Within the exemplary state (801) of FIG. 8A, in response to the release of a first user input selecting screen A (813) based on a point (p1), the electronic device (101) can display screen A on a portion (811) of the flexible display (150). After the first user input is released, the electronic device (101) can display screen A having a size of the portion (811). While the first user input selecting screen A (813) is maintained, the electronic device (101) can further receive a second user input selecting another screen to be displayed together with screen A (813). Within the state (801) of FIG. 8A, the electronic device (101) can receive the second user input selecting the other screen from a list displayed on the portion (812). For example, while displaying a list including icons representing each of a plurality of software applications installed on the electronic device (101) in a portion (812), the electronic device (101) may receive a second user input selecting one of the icons.

[0137] Within the exemplary state (801) of FIG. 8A, the electronic device (101) that receives a second user input for selecting an icon corresponding to the B software application displayed within a portion (812) together with a first user input maintained on a point (p1) may switch to the state (802) of FIG. 8B. Within the state (802), the electronic device (101) may display, based on the second user input, a B screen (814) corresponding to the B software application together with the A screen (813). The B screen (814) may be a screenshot displayed by the B software application. Within the exemplary state (802) of FIG. 8B, the electronic device (101) may display the B screen (814) overlapping the A screen (813). The B screen (814) displayed within a portion (811) of the flexible display (150) may be displayed below the A screen (813).

[0138] Referring to FIG. 8B, the electronic device (101) may display a visual object (821) on an icon corresponding to a B software application based on a second user input. Although a visual object (821) in the form of a check box is illustrated, the embodiment is not limited thereto. Based on the visual object (821), the electronic device (101) may guide selection of the icon corresponding to the second user input. In a state (802) of displaying the visual object (821), the electronic device (101) that receives an input indicating selection of the visual object (821) may stop displaying a B screen (814) corresponding to an icon overlapping the visual object (821) on a portion (811) and may stop displaying the visual object (821).

[0139] Referring to FIG. 8B, within a state (802) of displaying screen B (814) together with screen A (813) based on the second user input, the electronic device (101) can identify the release of the first user input maintained on the point (p1). When the first user input is released, the electronic device (101) can switch from state (802) to state (803) of FIG. 8B. Within state (803), the electronic device (101) can display screen A (813) and screen B (814) selected by the first user input and / or the second user input on different parts (811, 832) of the flexible display (150).

[0140] Referring to an exemplary state (803) of FIG. 8B, the electronic device (101) can display two screens (e.g., screen A (813) and screen B (814) of state (802)) together with a home screen, similar to state (602) of FIG. 6B, based on the first user input and the second user input. For example, the electronic device (101) can display screen A on a portion (811) of the flexible display (150), screen B on a portion (832) of the flexible display (150) disposed on the second housing (112), and home screen on a portion (833) of the flexible display (150) disposed on the third housing (113). The electronic device (101) that receives an input for executing a specific software application through the home screen can display an execution screen of the software application on the portion (833).

[0141] As described above, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may enter a state (e.g., states (801, 802)) in which it may receive a second user input for configuring a combination of a plurality of screens including a specific screen (e.g., screen A) corresponding to the first user input, based on a first user input maintained while switching from a half-fold state and / or a sub-fold state to an unfolded state.

[0142] FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary flowchart of an electronic device according to one embodiment. The electronic device (101) of FIGS. 1 and 2 and / or the electronic device (310) of FIG. 3B may perform the operations of the electronic device described with reference to FIG. 9. For example, the electronic device (101) and / or the processor (210) of FIG. 2 may perform at least one of the operations of FIG. 9. At least one of the operations of FIG. 9 may be related to at least one of the operations of FIG. 4.

[0143] Referring to FIG. 9, in operation (910), according to one embodiment, a processor of an electronic device may display a list of screens that were displayed on one or more displays of the electronic device based on a sub-fold state (or a half-fold state). The one or more displays of operation (910) may include displays that were activated after the electronic device was turned on (e.g., the flexible display (150) and / or the cover display (152) of FIG. 2). The list displayed in operation (910) may include lists (520, 529, 530) of FIGS. 5A to 5C.

[0144] Referring to FIG. 9, in operation (920), according to one embodiment, a processor of an electronic device may receive a user input related to a list. The user input may include a touch gesture for selecting at least one software application and / or at least one screen included in the list. The processor receiving the user input may display a visual object (e.g., visual objects (521, 522, 523, 524, 525) of FIG. 5A) indicating a selection of a software application and / or screen corresponding to the user input within the list, or may change a mode of the visual object.

[0145] Referring to FIG. 9, in operation (930), according to one embodiment, a processor of an electronic device may identify whether a state of the electronic device is switched from a sub-folded state of operation (910) to an unfolded state. For example, the processor may obtain information indicating a posture of a multi-foldable housing of the electronic device using a sensor (e.g., sensor 230 of FIG. 2). The multi-foldable housing may include the first housing (111), the second housing (112), the third housing (113), the first hinge assembly (121), the second hinge assembly (122) of FIG. 3A and / or FIG. 3B , or a combination thereof. Based on the information, the processor may identify whether a state of the electronic device is switched from a sub-folded state to an unfolded state. Before switching to the unfolded state of operation (930), or while maintaining the sub-folded state (930-No), the processor may receive a user input based on operation (920). Based on switching to the unfolded state (930-yes), the processor can perform operation (940).

[0146] Referring to FIG. 9, in operation (940), a processor of an electronic device according to an embodiment may display one or more screens related to a user input received within a sub-fold state on a flexible display (e.g., the flexible display (150) of FIGS. 1 to 2, 3A and / or 3B). The one or more screens may include a screen selected by the user input of operation (920). If multiple screens are selected by the user input of operation (920), the processor may display the multiple screens respectively on different portions of the flexible display based on operations (455, 460) of FIG. 4.

[0147] While an embodiment has been described in which a processor displays a list of operations (910) based on a subfold state and / or a half-fold state, the embodiment is not limited thereto. Below, with reference to FIG. 10, an exemplary operation of an electronic device displaying the list within a fold state is described.

[0148] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary UI of an electronic device (101) displayed based on an input received within a folded state. The electronic device (101) of FIGS. 1, 2, and / or 3A may perform the operations of the electronic device (101) described with reference to FIG. 10. The electronic device (101) and / or the processor (210) of FIG. 2 may perform the operations of the electronic device (101) described with reference to FIG. 10. At least one of the operations of FIG. 10 may be related to the operations of the electronic device of FIG. 4 and / or FIG. 9. While the operation of FIG. 10 is described based on the electronic device (101) of FIG. 3A, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the electronic device (310) of FIG. 3B may also perform the operations of FIG. 10.

[0149] Referring to FIG. 10, exemplary states (191, 192) of the electronic device (101) corresponding to the folded state and the unfolded state, respectively, are illustrated. In the state (191) corresponding to the folded state, the electronic device (101) may display a list (520) of a plurality of software applications that have been executed by the processor of the electronic device (101) on the cover display (152). The list (520) may include a plurality of screens that have been displayed based on the plurality of software applications. As described above with reference to FIG. 5A, the electronic device (101) may receive a user input for selecting at least one screen to be displayed in the unfolded state by using the horizontally scrollable list (520) of the cover display (152). With a plurality of screens displayed based on a list (520), the electronic device (101) can display visual objects (521, 522, 523, 524, 525) superimposed on each of the plurality of screens.

[0150] Referring to FIG. 10, an exemplary state (191) is illustrated in which screen A, screen B, and screen C are selected based on one or more user inputs. Based on the one or more user inputs, the electronic device (101) can display visual objects (521, 522, 523) overlapping on screen A, screen B, and screen C based on a first mode indicating the selection of screens. Within the list (520), visual objects (524, 525) different from the visual objects (521, 522, 523) can be displayed based on a second mode different from the first mode. From the state (191), based on switching to an unfolded state based on the rotation of the first housing (111) and / or the third housing (113), the electronic device (101) can enter the state (192) of FIG. 10.

[0151] Referring to FIG. 10, in a state (192) after a state (191), the electronic device (101) can display each of the A screen, the B screen, and the C screen selected in the state (191) on different parts (171, 172, 173) of the flexible display (150). The A screen, the B screen, and the C screen displayed on the parts (171, 172, 173) that are spaced apart from each other can have a PBP layout on the flexible display (150). An electronic device (101) including three rotatably coupled housings (e.g., a first housing (111), a second housing (112), and a third housing (113)) in a state (192) of displaying three screens (e.g., screen A, screen B, and screen C) can display the screens on parts (171, 172, 713) of a flexible display (150) corresponding to each of the housings.

[0152] As described above, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may receive an input for selecting one or more screens to be displayed after switching to the unfolded state within a state prior to the unfolded state (e.g., a sub-fold state, a half-fold state, and / or a folded state). Based on the input, the electronic device (101) may display one or more screens specified by the input on a display area that is maximized within the unfolded state (e.g., the entire display area of ​​the flexible display (150)). Based on the input, the electronic device (101) may support a function for reserving one or more screens to be displayed within the unfolded state.

[0153] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an electronic device within a network environment according to various embodiments. Referring to FIG. 11, in a network environment (1100), an electronic device (1101) may communicate with an electronic device (1102) via a first network (1198) (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or may communicate with at least one of an electronic device (1104) or a server (1108) via a second network (1199) (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). In one embodiment, the electronic device (1101) may communicate with the electronic device (1104) via the server (1108). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (1101) may include a processor (1120), a memory (1130), an input module (1150), an audio output module (1155), a display module (1160), an audio module (1170), a sensor module (1176), an interface (1177), a connection terminal (1178), a haptic module (1179), a camera module (1180), a power management module (1188), a battery (1189), a communication module (1190), a subscriber identification module (1196), or an antenna module (1197). In some embodiments, the electronic device (1101) may omit at least one of these components (e.g., the connection terminal (1178)), or may have one or more other components added. In some embodiments, some of these components (e.g., sensor module (1176), camera module (1180), or antenna module (1197)) may be integrated into a single component (e.g., display module (1160)).

[0154] The processor (1120) may, for example, execute software (e.g., a program (1140)) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware or software component) of the electronic device (1101) connected to the processor (1120) and perform various data processing or operations. According to one embodiment, as at least a part of the data processing or operations, the processor (1120) may store commands or data received from other components (e.g., a sensor module (1176) or a communication module (1190)) in a volatile memory (1132), process the commands or data stored in the volatile memory (1132), and store result data in a non-volatile memory (1134). According to one embodiment, the processor (1120) may include a main processor (1121) (e.g., a central processing unit or an application processor) or an auxiliary processor (1123) (e.g., a graphics processing unit, a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor) that can operate independently or together with the main processor (1121). For example, when the electronic device (1101) includes the main processor (1121) and the auxiliary processor (1123), the auxiliary processor (1123) may be configured to use less power than the main processor (1121) or to be specialized for a given function. The auxiliary processor (1123) may be implemented separately from the main processor (1121) or as a part thereof.

[0155] The auxiliary processor (1123) may control at least a portion of functions or states associated with at least one component (e.g., a display module (1160), a sensor module (1176), or a communication module (1190)) of the electronic device (1101), for example, on behalf of the main processor (1121) while the main processor (1121) is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, or together with the main processor (1121) while the main processor (1121) is in an active (e.g., application execution) state. In one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (1123) (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as a part of another functionally related component (e.g., a camera module (1180) or a communication module (1190)). In one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (1123) (e.g., a neural network processing unit) may include a hardware structure specialized for processing artificial intelligence models. The artificial intelligence models may be generated through machine learning. This learning can be performed, for example, on the electronic device (1101) itself where the artificial intelligence model is executed, or can be performed through a separate server (e.g., server (1108)). The learning algorithm can include, for example, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning, but is not limited to the examples described above. The artificial intelligence model can include multiple artificial neural network layers.The artificial neural network may be one of a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM), a deep belief network (DBN), a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network (BRDNN), a deep Q-network, or a combination of two or more of the above, but is not limited to the examples described above. In addition to, or alternatively to, a hardware structure, an artificial intelligence model may include a software structure.

[0156] The memory (1130) can store various data used by at least one component (e.g., the processor (1120) or the sensor module (1176)) of the electronic device (1101). The data can include, for example, software (e.g., the program (1140)) and input data or output data for commands related thereto. The memory (1130) can include a volatile memory (1132) or a non-volatile memory (1134).

[0157] The program (1140) may be stored as software in memory (1130) and may include, for example, an operating system (1142), middleware (1144), or an application (1146).

[0158] The input module (1150) can receive commands or data to be used in a component of the electronic device (1101) (e.g., a processor (1120)) from an external source (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (1101). The input module (1150) can include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, a key (e.g., a button), or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

[0159] The audio output module (1155) can output audio signals to the outside of the electronic device (1101). The audio output module (1155) can include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker can be used for general purposes, such as multimedia playback or recording playback. The receiver can be used to receive incoming calls. In one embodiment, the receiver can be implemented separately from the speaker or as part of the speaker.

[0160] The display module (1160) can visually provide information to an external party (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (1101). The display module (1160) may include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector and a control circuit for controlling the device. In one embodiment, the display module (1160) may include a touch sensor configured to detect a touch, or a pressure sensor configured to measure the intensity of a force generated by the touch.

[0161] The audio module (1170) can convert sound into an electrical signal, or vice versa, convert an electrical signal into sound. According to one embodiment, the audio module (1170) can acquire sound through the input module (1150), output sound through the sound output module (1155), or an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (1102)) (e.g., speaker or headphone) directly or wirelessly connected to the electronic device (1101).

[0162] The sensor module (1176) can detect the operating status (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic device (1101) or the external environmental status (e.g., user status) and generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected status. According to one embodiment, the sensor module (1176) can include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an IR (infrared) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

[0163] The interface (1177) may support one or more designated protocols that may be used to directly or wirelessly connect the electronic device (1101) with an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (1102)). In one embodiment, the interface (1177) may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an SD card interface, or an audio interface.

[0164] The connection terminal (1178) may include a connector through which the electronic device (1101) may be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (1102)). In one embodiment, the connection terminal (1178) may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

[0165] The haptic module (1179) can convert electrical signals into mechanical stimuli (e.g., vibration or movement) or electrical stimuli that a user can perceive through tactile or kinesthetic sensations. In one embodiment, the haptic module (1179) may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulation device.

[0166] The camera module (1180) can capture still images and videos. In one embodiment, the camera module (1180) may include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

[0167] The power management module (1188) can manage the power supplied to the electronic device (1101). According to one embodiment, the power management module (1188) can be implemented as, for example, at least a part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0168] A battery (1189) may power at least one component of the electronic device (1101). In one embodiment, the battery (1189) may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

[0169] The communication module (1190) may support the establishment of a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device (1101) and an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (1102), electronic device (1104), or server (1108)), and the performance of communication through the established communication channel. The communication module (1190) may operate independently from the processor (1120) (e.g., application processor) and may include one or more communication processors that support direct (e.g., wired) communication or wireless communication. According to one embodiment, the communication module (1190) may include a wireless communication module (1192) (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module (1194) (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module, or a power line communication module). Any of these communication modules may communicate with an external electronic device (1104) via a first network (1198) (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, wireless fidelity (WiFi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or a second network (1199) (e.g., a long-range communication network such as a legacy cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a LAN or WAN)). These various types of communication modules may be integrated into a single component (e.g., a single chip) or implemented as multiple separate components (e.g., multiple chips). The wireless communication module (1192) may use subscriber information (e.g., an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identification module (1196) to verify or authenticate the electronic device (1101) within a communication network such as the first network (1198) or the second network (1199).

[0170] The wireless communication module (1192) can support 5G networks and next-generation communication technologies following the 4G network, such as NR access technology (new radio access technology). The NR access technology can support high-speed transmission of high-capacity data (eMBB (enhanced mobile broadband)), minimization of terminal power and connection of multiple terminals (mMTC (massive machine type communications)), or high reliability and low latency (URLLC (ultra-reliable and low-latency communications)). The wireless communication module (1192) can support, for example, a high-frequency band (e.g., mmWave band) to achieve a high data transmission rate. The wireless communication module (1192) may support various technologies for securing performance in a high-frequency band, such as beamforming, massive multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO), full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antenna, analog beam-forming, or large scale antenna. The wireless communication module (1192) may support various requirements specified in the electronic device (1101), an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (1104)), or a network system (e.g., the second network (1199)). According to one embodiment, the wireless communication module (1192) may support a peak data rate (e.g., 20 Gbps or more) for eMBB implementation, a loss coverage (e.g., 164 dB or less) for mMTC implementation, or a U-plane latency (e.g., 0.5 ms or less for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL), or 1 ms or less for round trip) for URLLC implementation.

[0171] The antenna module (1197) can transmit or receive signals or power to or from an external device (e.g., an external electronic device). In one embodiment, the antenna module (1197) may include an antenna including a radiator formed of a conductor or a conductive pattern formed on a substrate (e.g., a PCB). In one embodiment, the antenna module (1197) may include a plurality of antennas (e.g., an array antenna). In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication method used in a communication network, such as the first network (1198) or the second network (1199), may be selected from the plurality of antennas by, for example, the communication module (1190). A signal or power may be transmitted or received between the communication module (1190) and an external electronic device via the selected at least one antenna. In some embodiments, in addition to the radiator, another component (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) may be additionally formed as a part of the antenna module (1197). However, the materials described above should not be construed as limiting and other materials may also be used.

[0172] According to various embodiments, the antenna module (1197) may form a mmWave antenna module. In one embodiment, the mmWave antenna module may include a printed circuit board, an RFIC disposed on or adjacent a first side (e.g., a bottom side) of the printed circuit board and capable of supporting a designated high frequency band (e.g., a mmWave band), and a plurality of antennas (e.g., an array antenna) disposed on or adjacent a second side (e.g., a top side or a side side) of the printed circuit board and capable of transmitting or receiving signals in the designated high frequency band.

[0173] At least some of the above components can be interconnected and exchange signals (e.g., commands or data) with each other via a communication method between peripheral devices (e.g., a bus, GPIO (general purpose input and output), SPI (serial peripheral interface), or MIPI (mobile industry processor interface)).

[0174] According to one embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device (1101) and an external electronic device (1104) via a server (1108) connected to a second network (1199). Each of the external electronic devices (1102 or 1504) may be the same or a different type of device as the electronic device (1101). According to one embodiment, all or part of the operations executed in the electronic device (1101) may be executed in one or more of the external electronic devices (1102, 1504, or 1508). For example, when the electronic device (1101) is to perform a certain function or service automatically or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device (1101) may, instead of or in addition to executing the function or service itself, request one or more external electronic devices to perform the function or at least a part of the service. One or more external electronic devices that receive the request may execute at least a portion of the requested function or service, or an additional function or service related to the request, and transmit the result of the execution to the electronic device (1101). The electronic device (1101) may process the result as is or additionally and provide it as at least a portion of a response to the request. For this purpose, cloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), or client-server computing technology may be used, for example. The electronic device (1101) may provide an ultra-low latency service by using distributed computing or mobile edge computing, for example. In another embodiment, the external electronic device (1104) may include an Internet of Things (IoT) device. The server (1108) may be an intelligent server utilizing machine learning and / or a neural network.According to one embodiment, an external electronic device (1104) or server (1108) may be included within the second network (1199). The electronic device (1101) may be applied to intelligent services (e.g., smart homes, smart cities, smart cars, or healthcare) based on 5G communication technology and IoT-related technology.

[0175] Electronic devices according to the various embodiments disclosed in this document may take various forms. Electronic devices may include, for example, portable communication devices (e.g., smartphones), computer devices, portable multimedia devices, portable medical devices, cameras, wearable devices, or home appliances. Electronic devices according to the embodiments of this document are not limited to the aforementioned devices.

[0176] The various embodiments of this document and the terminology used therein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, but should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutes of the embodiments. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the items, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this document, each of the phrases "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", and "at least one of A, B, or C" can include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase among those phrases, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first," "second," or "first" or "second" may be used merely to distinguish one component from another, and do not limit the components in any other respect (e.g., importance or order). When a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as "coupled" or "connected" to another (e.g., a second component), with or without the terms "functionally" or "communicatively," it means that the component can be connected to the other component directly (e.g., wired), wirelessly, or through a third component.

[0177] The term "module" used in various embodiments of this document may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit. A module may be an integral component, or a minimum unit or part of such a component that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0178] Various embodiments of the present document may be implemented as software (e.g., a program (1140)) including one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (e.g., an internal memory (1136) or an external memory (1138)) readable by a machine (e.g., an electronic device (1101)). For example, a processor (e.g., a processor (1120)) of the machine (e.g., an electronic device (1101)) may call at least one instruction among the one or more instructions stored from the storage medium and execute it. This enables the machine to operate to perform at least one function according to the at least one called instruction. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, 'non-transitory' simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves), and the term does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently or temporarily on the storage medium.

[0179] According to one embodiment, the method according to various embodiments disclosed in this document may be provided as included in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a commodity between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)), or may be distributed online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) via an application store (e.g., Play Store™) or directly between two user devices (e.g., smart phones). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily generated in a machine-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or an intermediary server.

[0180] According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or a program) of the above-described components may include one or more entities, and some of the entities may be separated and arranged in other components. According to various embodiments, one or more components or operations of the aforementioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (e.g., a module or a program) may be integrated into a single component. In such a case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components identically or similarly to those performed by the corresponding component among the plurality of components prior to the integration. According to various embodiments, the operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added. The electronic device (1101) of FIG. 11 may be an example of the electronic device (101) of FIGS. 1 to 10 and / or the electronic device (310) described with reference to FIG. 3b.

[0181] In one embodiment, a method may be required to organize one or more screens to be displayed within a specified state (e.g., an unfolded state). According to one embodiment, as described above, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1, the electronic device (310) of FIG. 3B and / or the electronic device (1101) of FIG. 11) comprises a first housing (e.g., the first housing (111) of FIG. 3A and / or FIG. 3B), a second housing rotatably coupled to the first housing (e.g., the second housing (112) of FIG. 3A and / or FIG. 3B), a third housing rotatably coupled to the second housing (e.g., the third housing (113) of FIG. 3A and / or FIG. 3B), a first display disposed on a first surface of the first housing (e.g., the cover display (152) of FIG. 2), a first display area corresponding to a second surface of the first housing, a second display area corresponding to a third surface of the second housing, and a third display area corresponding to a fourth surface of the third housing, and a second display area including The electronic device may include a display (e.g., a flexible display (150) of FIG. 2), a first sensor for detecting an angle between the first housing and the second housing, a second sensor for detecting an angle between the second housing and the third housing (e.g., a sensor (230) of FIG. 2), a memory for storing instructions (e.g., a memory (215) of FIG. 2), and a processor for executing the instructions (e.g., a processor (210) of FIG. 2). The processor may be configured to display at least one executed application using the first display when the electronic device is in a folded state. The processor may be configured to display information related to the at least one executed application on the first display area of ​​the first housing when the electronic device is changed from a folded state to a sub-folded state.The processor may be configured to receive a user input for the information displayed in the first display area in the sub-fold state. The processor may be configured to display at least one screen corresponding to the user input in at least one area among the first display area, the second display area, and the third display area of ​​the second display when the electronic device changes from the sub-fold state to the unfold state. According to one embodiment, the electronic device may select or identify at least one screen to be displayed in the unfold state before switching to the unfold state.

[0182] An electronic device according to one embodiment of the present invention may be provided for configuring one or more screens provided from a software application on a display. Accordingly, the electronic device may execute a function for configuring one or more screens displayed on the display based on different states of the electronic device, which are distinguished by the shape of a multi-foldable housing. The electronic device according to the present invention may determine a screen to be displayed in an unfolded state using a UI displayed in a sub-fold state and / or a half-fold state, and the electronic device may display a plurality of screens, respectively, on different portions of the flexible display.

[0183] In one or more embodiments, within the folded state of the electronic device, the first housing and the third housing may be configured to fold sequentially with respect to the second housing.

[0184] In one or more embodiments, within the subfold state, the first housing may be configured to unfold relative to the second housing. The third housing may be configured to fold relative to the second housing.

[0185] In one or more embodiments, within the unfolded state, the first housing and the third housing may be configured to unfold relative to the second housing.

[0186] In one or more embodiments, the processor may be configured to receive a user input for selecting at least one screen from among the plurality of screens while displaying the plurality of screens including the at least one screen in the first display area.

[0187] In one or more embodiments, the processor may be configured to display overlapping visual objects, each of the plurality of screens configured to be toggled by the user input.

[0188] In one or more embodiments, the processor may be configured to adjust a ratio of sizes of the plurality of screens occupying the entire display area of ​​the second display, including the first display area, the second display area, and the third display area, based at least on a second user input for selecting a boundary line between the plurality of screens within the subfold state in which the plurality of screens are selected by the first user input.

[0189] In one or more embodiments, the processor may be configured to display the plurality of screens, separated by at least one of a first boundary line between the second side and the third side or a second boundary line between the third side and the fourth side, within the unfolded state after receiving the user input for selecting the plurality of screens.

[0190] In one or more embodiments, the processor may be configured to display the plurality of screens in each of the portions of the display area equally divided by the number of the plurality of screens within the unfolded state after receiving the user input for selecting more than three screens.

[0191] In one or more embodiments, the processor may be configured to display one or more screens that were displayed based on one or more software applications executed by the processor within the subfold state.

[0192] In one or more embodiments, the processor may be configured to, in the folded state of the electronic device, identify the third side and the fourth side facing each other, and display the at least one executed application based on identifying the second side and the third side facing each other. The processor may be configured to, based on the one or more sensors, identify the third side and the fourth side facing each other, and display the information based on identifying that the orientations of the second side and the third side are the same. The processor may be configured to, based on the unfolded state, display the at least one screen corresponding to the user input based on identifying that the orientations of the second side, the third side, and the fourth side are the same.

[0193] In one or more embodiments, the processor may be configured to display at least one executed application using a first display when the electronic device is in a folded state, display information related to the at least one executed application within the first display area of ​​the first housing when the electronic device switches from the folded state to a sub-folded state, receive a user input for the information displayed within the first display area within the sub-folded state, and display at least one screen corresponding to the user input within at least one of the first display area, the second display area, and the third display area of ​​the second display when the electronic device switches from the sub-folded state to an unfolded state.

[0194] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method of an electronic device as described above may include an operation of displaying at least one executed application using a first display disposed on a first surface of a first housing of the electronic device in a folded state of the electronic device. The method may include an operation of displaying information related to the at least one executed application in a first display area of ​​a second display disposed on a second surface of the first housing opposite to the first surface when the electronic device is changed from the folded state to a sub-folded state. The method may include an operation of receiving a user input for the information displayed in the first display area in the sub-folded state. The method may include an operation of displaying at least one screen corresponding to the user input in at least one area among the first display area of ​​the second display, a second display area on a third surface of the second housing rotatably coupled to the first housing, and a third display area on a fourth surface of a third housing rotatably coupled to the second housing when the electronic device is changed from the sub-folded state to an unfolded state.

[0195] In one or more embodiments, the receiving operation may include receiving a user input for selecting at least one screen from among a plurality of screens while displaying a plurality of screens including the first screen on the portion.

[0196] In one or more embodiments, the method may include displaying, on each of the plurality of screens, overlapping visual objects configured to be toggled by the user input.

[0197] In one or more embodiments, the receiving operation may include adjusting a ratio of sizes of the plurality of screens occupying the entire display area of ​​the second display, including the first display area, the second display area, and the third display area, based at least on a second user input for selecting a boundary line between the plurality of screens within the subfold state in which the plurality of screens are selected by the first user input.

[0198] In one or more embodiments, the act of displaying the at least one screen corresponding to the user input may include an act of displaying the plurality of screens separated by at least one of a first boundary line between the second side and the third side or a second boundary line between the third side and the fourth side, within the unfolded state after receiving the user input for selecting the plurality of screens.

[0199] In one or more embodiments, the act of displaying the at least one screen corresponding to the user input may include an act of displaying the plurality of screens in each of portions of the display area equally divided by the number of the plurality of screens, within the unfolded state after receiving the user input for selecting more than three screens.

[0200] In one or more embodiments, the act of displaying the one or more screens may include an act of displaying the one or more screens that were displayed based on one or more software applications executed by a processor of the electronic device within the subfold state.

[0201] In one or more embodiments, the method may include an operation of displaying the at least one executed application based on identifying the third side and the fourth side facing each other in the folded state of the electronic device and identifying the second side and the third side facing each other. The method may include an operation of displaying the information based on the sub-folded state based on identifying the third side and the fourth side facing each other and identifying that the orientations of the second side and the third side are the same, based on the one or more sensors. The method may include an operation of displaying the at least one screen corresponding to the user input based on the unfolded state based on identifying that the orientations of the second side, the third side, and the fourth side are the same, based on the one or more sensors.

[0202] According to one embodiment of the present invention, an electronic device as described above may include a first housing, a second housing rotatably coupled to the first housing, a third housing rotatably coupled to the second housing, a flexible display including portions disposed on each of a first surface of the first housing, a second surface of the second housing, and a third surface of the third housing, one or more sensors, a memory for storing instructions, and a processor for executing the instructions. The processor may be configured to display at least one screen executed by the processor on a portion of the flexible display disposed on the first surface in a sub-fold state in which a portion of the flexible display disposed on the first surface among the portions identified based on the one or more sensors is exposed to the outside. The processor may be configured to display at least one screen related to a user input received within the sub-fold state in an unfolded state in which the directions of the parts are aligned with each other, in the entire display area of ​​the flexible display including the parts, while being switched from the sub-fold state.

[0203] In one or more embodiments, the processor may be configured to display a plurality of screens, each corresponding to a plurality of software applications executed by the processor within the subfold state. The processor may be configured to receive a user input for selecting at least one screen from among the plurality of screens.

[0204] In one or more embodiments, the processor may be configured to display, on each of the plurality of screens, visual objects having a mode toggled by the user input.

[0205] In one or more embodiments, the processor may be configured to display the plurality of screens, separated by at least one of a first boundary line between the first side and the second side or a second boundary line between the second side and the third side, within the unfolded state after receiving the user input for selecting the plurality of screens.

[0206] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method of an electronic device as described above may include an operation of displaying, on a first portion of a flexible display of the electronic device, at least one screen that has been executed by a processor of the electronic device, in a sub-fold state in which a first portion is exposed to the outside among portions of the flexible display of the electronic device identified based on one or more sensors of the electronic device. The method may include an operation of displaying, in an unfolded state of the electronic device switched from the sub-fold state, at least one screen related to a user input received in the sub-fold state, in an entire display area of ​​the flexible display including the first portion.

[0207] In one or more embodiments, the act of displaying the at least one screen on the first portion may include an act of displaying a plurality of screens corresponding to each of the plurality of software applications executed by the processor within the subfold state. The method may include an act of receiving the user input for selecting at least one screen from among the plurality of screens.

[0208] In one or more embodiments, the act of displaying the plurality of screens may include displaying, on each of the plurality of screens, visual objects having a mode toggled by the user input.

[0209] In one or more embodiments, the act of displaying the at least one screen in the entire display area may include an act of displaying the plurality of screens separated by at least one of a first boundary line between a first housing in which the first part of the flexible display is disposed, and a second part of the flexible display disposed on a second housing rotatably coupled with the first housing, or a second boundary line between a third part of the flexible display disposed on a third housing rotatably coupled with the second housing, within the unfolded state after receiving a user input for selecting a plurality of screens.

[0210] The devices described above may be implemented as hardware components, software components, and / or a combination of hardware components and software components. In one or more embodiments, the devices and components described in the embodiments may be implemented using one or more general-purpose computers or special-purpose computers, such as a processor, a controller, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic unit (PLU), a microprocessor, or any other device capable of executing instructions and responding to them. The processing device may execute an operating system (OS) and one or more software applications running on the operating system. The processing device may also access, store, manipulate, process, and generate data in response to the execution of the software. For ease of understanding, the processing device is sometimes described as being used alone; however, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the processing device may include multiple processing elements and / or multiple types of processing elements. For example, a processing unit may include multiple processors, or a processor and a controller. Other processing configurations, such as parallel processors, are also possible.

[0211] Software may include a computer program, code, instructions, or a combination of one or more of these, which may configure a processing device to perform a desired operation or may independently or collectively command the processing device. The software and / or data may be embodied in any type of machine, component, physical device, computer storage medium, or device for interpretation by the processing device or for providing instructions or data to the processing device. The software may also be distributed over networked computer systems and stored or executed in a distributed manner. The software and data may be stored on one or more computer-readable recording media.

[0212] The method according to the embodiment may be implemented in the form of program commands that can be executed through various computer means and recorded on a computer-readable medium. In this case, the medium may be one that continuously stores a computer-executable program or one that temporarily stores it for execution or download. In addition, the medium may be various recording or storage means in the form of a single or multiple hardware combinations, and is not limited to a medium directly connected to a computer system, but may also be distributed over a network. Examples of the medium may include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, and those configured to store program commands, including ROM, RAM, and flash memory. In addition, examples of other media may include recording or storage media managed by app stores that distribute applications, sites that supply or distribute various software, servers, etc.

[0213] Although the embodiments described above have been described by way of limited examples and drawings, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and variations can be made based on the above teachings. For example, appropriate results can still be achieved even if the described techniques are performed in a different order than described, and / or components of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, etc. are combined or combined in a different manner than described, or are replaced or substituted with other components or equivalents.

[0214] Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents to the claims also fall within the scope of the claims described below.

Claims

1. In an electronic device (101; 310; 1101), First housing (111); A second housing (112) rotatably coupled to the first housing (111); A third housing (113) rotatably coupled with the second housing (112); A first display (152) arranged on the first surface of the first housing (111); A second display (150) including a first display area corresponding to the second surface of the first housing (111), a second display area corresponding to the third surface of the second housing (112), and a third display area corresponding to the fourth surface of the third housing (113); A first sensor (230) for detecting the angle between the first housing (111) and the second housing (112); A second sensor (230) for detecting the angle between the second housing (112) and the third housing (113); Memory (215) for storing instructions; and A processor (210, 1120) for executing the above instructions is included, and the processor (210, 1120) comprises: In the folded state of the electronic device (101, 310, 1101), at least one executed application (1146) is displayed using the first display; When the electronic device (101, 310, 1101) changes from a folded state to a sub-folded state, information related to the at least one executed application (1146) is displayed on the first display area of ​​the first housing (111); In the above subfold state, receiving a user input for the information displayed in the first display area; and When the electronic device (101, 310, 1101) changes from the sub-fold state to the unfolded state, it is configured to display at least one screen corresponding to the user input in at least one area among the first display area, the second display area, and the third display area of ​​the second display. Electronic devices (101, 310, 1101).

2. In claim 1, when the electronic device (101, 310, 1101) is in a folded state, The first housing (111) and the third housing (113) are configured to be folded in sequence with respect to the second housing (112). Electronic devices (101, 310, 1101).

3. In claim 1, within the subfold state, The first housing (111) is configured to unfold relative to the second housing (112), The third housing (113) is configured to fold with respect to the second housing (112). Electronic devices (101, 310, 1101).

4. In claim 1, within the unfolded state, The first housing (111) and the third housing (113) are configured to unfold with respect to the second housing (112). Electronic devices (101, 310, 1101).

5. In any one of claims 1 to 4, the processor (210, 1120) configured to receive a user input for selecting at least one screen among the plurality of screens while displaying a plurality of screens including at least one screen in the first display area; Electronic devices (101, 310, 1101).

6. In claims 1 to 5, the processor (210, 1120) Each of the above multiple screens is configured to display visual objects (521, 522, 523, 524, 525) in an overlapping manner, configured to be toggled by the user input. Electronic devices (101, 310, 1101).

7. In claims 1 to 6, the processor (210, 1120) In the subfold state in which a plurality of screens are selected by a first user input, a ratio of sizes of the plurality of screens occupying the entire display area of ​​the second display including the first display area, the second display area and the third display area is adjusted based at least on a second user input for selecting a boundary line between the plurality of screens. Electronic devices (101, 310, 1101).

8. In claims 1 to 7, the processor (210, 1120) configured to display the plurality of screens, separated by at least one of a first boundary line between the second side and the third side or a second boundary line between the third side and the fourth side, within the unfolded state after receiving the user input for selecting the plurality of screens. Electronic devices (101, 310, 1101).

9. In claims 1 to 8, the processor (210, 1120) After receiving the user input for selecting a plurality of screens exceeding three, within the unfolded state, the plurality of screens are configured to be displayed in each of the portions of the display area equally divided by the number of the plurality of screens. Electronic devices (101, 310, 1101).

10. In claims 1 to 9, the processor (210, 1120) Within the above subfold state, configured to display one or more screens that were displayed based on one or more software applications (1146) executed by the processor (210, 1120), Electronic devices (101, 310, 1101).

11. In claims 1 to 10, the processor (210, 1120) In the folded state of the electronic device (101, 310, 1101), identifying the third side and the fourth side facing each other, and based on identifying the second side and the third side facing each other, displaying the at least one executed application (1146); Based on the one or more sensors (230), identifying the third side and the fourth side facing each other, and displaying the information based on the sub-fold state based on identifying that the directions of the second side and the third side are the same; Based on the one or more sensors (230), based on identifying that the directions of the second side, the third side and the fourth side are the same, based on the unfolded state, configured to display the at least one screen corresponding to the user input. Electronic devices (101, 310, 1101).

12. In the method of electronic device (101, 310, 1101), An operation of displaying at least one executed application (1146) using a first display arranged on a first surface of a first housing (111) of the electronic device (101, 310, 1101) in a folded state of the electronic device (101, 310, 1101); An operation of displaying information related to the at least one executed application (1146) on a first display area of ​​a second display arranged on a second surface of the first housing (111) opposite to the first surface when the electronic device (101, 310, 1101) is changed from the folded state to a sub-folded state; An operation of receiving a user input for the information displayed in the first display area within the subfold state; and An operation of displaying at least one screen corresponding to the user input in at least one area among the first display area of ​​the second display, the second display area on the third surface of the second housing (112) rotatably coupled with the first housing (111), and the third display area on the fourth surface of the third housing (113) rotatably coupled with the second housing (112), when the electronic device (101, 310, 1101) is changed from the sub-folded state to the unfolded state. method.

13. In claim 12, the receiving operation comprises: An operation for displaying a plurality of screens including the first screen on the part, wherein the operation includes receiving a user input for selecting at least one screen among the plurality of screens. method.

14. In claim 12 or claim 13, Further comprising an action of displaying, on each of the plurality of screens, visual objects (521, 522, 523, 524, 525) in an overlapping manner, configured to be toggled by the user input. method.

15. In any one of claims 12 to 14, the receiving operation comprises: An operation of adjusting the ratio of the sizes of the plurality of screens occupying the entire display area of ​​the second display including the first display area, the second display area, and the third display area, based at least on a second user input for selecting a boundary line between the plurality of screens, within the subfold state in which the plurality of screens are selected by the first user input. method.

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