Application History Layout Restoration for Multi-Window Displays
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic devices with multi-windowing capabilities do not reflect the previous layouts of executed applications in their history, requiring users to manually set the layout again when selecting an application from the history.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device retrieves and displays a history of previously executed applications, including layout information, and outputs the selected application's execution screen according to its previous layout.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the electronic device displays a history of applications without layout information, then the history can be displayed simply, but the user cannot restore the previous layout when selecting an application from the history
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by storing layout information (screen sizes, positions, and arrangements) of executed applications in advance in the memory. When an application is selected from the history, the stored layout information is automatically retrieved and applied, allowing the user to restore the previous layout without manual reconfiguration. This resolves the contradiction by preserving layout information in advance so it can be restored when needed.
2Ease of operation
If the electronic device stores layout information for each executed application, then the layout can be restored when selecting from history, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing the processor to handle multiple functions: executing applications, managing their layouts, storing layout information in memory, retrieving it from history, and automatically restoring layouts. This multi-functional approach consolidates what could be separate complex systems into a unified processor-memory-controller architecture, reducing overall system complexity while enabling automatic layout restoration.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the electronic device supports multi-windowing with multiple application layouts, then users can run multiple applications simultaneously, but the history of applications does not reflect the previous layouts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by storing layout information (screen sizes, positions, and arrangements) of executed applications in advance in the memory. When an application is selected from the history, the stored layout information is automatically retrieved and applied, allowing the user to restore the previous layout without manual reconfiguration. This resolves the contradiction by preserving layout information in advance so it can be restored when needed.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Disclosed is an electronic device that includes a display that outputs execution screens of a plurality of applications, a memory that stores the plurality of applications, and a processor electrically connected with the display and the memory. The processor retrieves a history of one or more applications among the plurality of applications that were previously executed in the electronic device, in response to a user input detected by the electronic device and outputs the history on the display based on information about the one or more applications and information about layouts of execution screens of the one or more applications. If at least one of the one or more applications is selected from the history, the processor outputs an execution screen of the selected application on the display according to the corresponding layout.