Foldable Side-Screen Message Display Without Game Interruption

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electronic devices with foldable displays face issues in managing notifications and messages without disrupting ongoing user interactions, particularly during activities like gaming, leading to interruptions and degraded user experience.

Innovation Solution

A message display method for foldable electronic devices that utilizes a side screen for message viewing and allows flipping actions to manage notifications and messages, enabling seamless transitions between interfaces without interrupting primary screen operations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If the mobile phone displays a new message in the status bar and switches the game application to backend, then the user can view the message, but the game is interrupted and user experience deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemessage notificationVSAvoidgame continuity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The display screen is divided into a first display area and a second display area. The first display area displays the game interface in full screen, while the second display area displays message notifications. This segmentation allows both the game and message to be displayed simultaneously without interrupting the game, resolving the contradiction between message notification and game continuity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If the mobile phone displays the game interface in full screen, then the game experience is optimized, but message notifications cannot be prominently displayed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegame experienceVSAvoidmessage visibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of displaying messages in the traditional status bar area that competes with the game interface, the patent utilizes a second display area (side screen or folded display area) to display messages. This dimensional change allows full-screen game display while simultaneously providing prominent message visibility in another spatial dimension.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP3989525B1Message display method and electronic device
Publication Date: 2025.12.24 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP3989525B1 patent drawingFigure 1(a)
  • EP3989525B1 patent drawingFigure 1(b)
  • EP3989525B1 patent drawingFigure 1(c)

AI summary

This application provides a message display method and an electronic device. This application relates to the fields of human-computer interaction, foldable displays, and the like. The electronic device is provided with a foldable display. The foldable display includes a first region, a second region, and a third region. When the electronic device is in a folded form, the second region is bent. The method includes: displaying a first interface of a first application in the first region; receiving a first message of a second application; displaying the first message in the first region; detecting a first flipping action; and displaying the first message in the second region. The first flipping action is used to rotate the electronic device by a first preset angle along a first axis in a first direction, the first axis is an axis parallel to an unbent edge on the electronic device, and the first direction is a direction in which a second normal direction of the second region is rotated towards a first normal direction of the first region. When receiving a message, the electronic device in this application can display the message by using a side screen, so as to fully utilize the foldable display.