Mobile device including a flexible display device and method of operating the same

Abstract

A mobile device includes a touch-screen having an external touch-screen region, an internal foldable touch-screen region, and a curved-surface touch-screen region that couples the external touch-screen region and the internal foldable touch-screen region, and a body to which the touch-screen is attached, wherein the device is configured to move at least one icon corresponding to at least one executing application program to the curved-surface touch-screen region in response to a folding angle of the internal foldable touch-screen region when a folding operation of the internal foldable touch-screen region is performed.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A mobile device comprising:
 a touch-screen having an external touch-screen region, an internal foldable touch-screen region, and a curved-surface touch-screen region that couples the external touch-screen region and the internal foldable touch-screen region; and 
 a body to which the touch-screen is attached, 
 wherein the device is configured to move at least one icon corresponding to at least one executing application program to the curved-surface touch-screen region in response to a folding angle of the internal foldable touch-screen region when a folding operation of the internal foldable touch-screen region is performed. 
 
     
     
       2. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the touch-screen is a flexible touch-screen comprising a flexible display device and a touch sensor device. 
     
     
       3. The device of  claim 2 , wherein the body comprises a flexible material, and
 wherein the body is configured to support the folding operation of the internal foldable touch-screen region. 
 
     
     
       4. The device of  claim 2 , wherein the body comprises a non-flexible material, and
 wherein the body comprises a hinge configured to support the folding operation of the internal foldable touch-screen region. 
 
     
     
       5. The device of  claim 2 , wherein the internal foldable touch-screen region comprises a first internal touch-screen region and a second internal touch-screen region, and wherein the first internal touch-screen region and the second internal touch-screen region are physically coupled. 
     
     
       6. The device of  claim 2 , wherein the internal foldable touch-screen region comprises a first internal touch-screen region and a second internal touch-screen region, and wherein the first internal touch-screen region and the second internal touch-screen region are physically separated. 
     
     
       7. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the device is configured to display the at least one icon corresponding to the executing application program, when executed on the external touch-screen region, on the curved-surface touch-screen region when the internal foldable touch-screen region is unfolded to equal to or greater than a first folding angle, and
 wherein the device is configured to execute the executing application program on a part region or an entire region of the internal foldable touch-screen region when the at least one icon is moved to the internal foldable touch-screen region. 
 
     
     
       8. The device of  claim 7 , wherein the device is configured to display the at least one icon corresponding to the executing application program, when executed on the internal foldable touch-screen region, on the curved-surface touch-screen region when the internal foldable touch-screen region is folded to equal to or smaller than a second folding angle, and
 wherein the device is configured to execute the executing application program on a part region or an entire region of the external touch-screen region when the at least one icon is moved to the external touch-screen region. 
 
     
     
       9. The device of  claim 8 , wherein the at least one icon is moved from the curved-surface touch-screen region to the internal foldable touch-screen region or the external touch-screen region by a drag-and-drop operation or a click operation according to a user interface. 
     
     
       10. The device of  claim 9 , wherein the first folding angle is the same as the second folding angle, or is different from the second folding angle. 
     
     
       11. The device of claim  10  9, wherein the internal foldable touch-screen region is activated and the external touch-screen region is deactivated when the internal foldable touch-screen region is unfolded to equal to or greater than the first folding angle. 
     
     
       12. The device of  claim 11 , wherein the internal foldable touch-screen region is deactivated and the external touch-screen region is activated when the internal foldable touch-screen region is folded to equal to or smaller than the second folding angle. 
     
     
       13. A method of operating a mobile device, the method comprising:
 executing an application program on an external touch-screen region; 
 displaying an icon corresponding to the application program on a curved-surface touch-screen region that couples the external touch-screen region and an internal foldable touch-screen region when the internal foldable touch-screen region is unfolded to equal to or greater than a folding angle; and 
 executing the application program on a part region or an entire region of the internal foldable touch-screen region when the icon is moved to the internal foldable touch-screen region according to a user interface. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the external touch-screen region, the internal foldable touch-screen region, and the curved-surface touch-screen region correspond to respective regions of a flexible touch-screen comprising a flexible display device and a touch sensor device. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14 , wherein the internal foldable touch-screen region is activated and the external touch-screen region is deactivated when the internal foldable touch-screen region is unfolded to equal to or greater than the folding angle. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , wherein the icon is moved from the curved-surface touch-screen region to the internal foldable touch-screen region by a drag-and-drop operation or a click operation according to the user interface. 
     
     
       17. A method of operating a mobile device, the method comprising:
 executing an application program on an internal foldable touch-screen region; 
 displaying an icon corresponding to the application program on a curved-surface touch-screen region that couples an external touch-screen region and the internal foldable touch-screen region when the internal foldable touch-screen region is folded to equal to or smaller than a folding angle; and 
 executing the application program on a part region or an entire region of the external touch-screen region when the icon is moved to the external touch-screen region according to a user interface. 
 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17 , wherein the external touch-screen region, the internal foldable touch-screen region, and the curved-surface touch-screen region correspond to respective regions of a flexible touch-screen comprising a flexible display device and a touch sensor device. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 18 , wherein the internal foldable touch-screen region is deactivated and the external touch-screen region is activated when the internal foldable touch-screen region is folded to equal to or smaller than the folding angle. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 19 , wherein the icon is moved from the curved-surface touch-screen region to the external touch-screen region by a drag-and-drop operation or a click operation according to the user interface. 
     
     
       21. A flexible touch-screen device comprising:
 an external touch-screen region;   an internal foldable touch-screen region; and   a body to which the external touch-screen region and the internal foldable touch-screen region are attached,   wherein the device is configured to display an executing application program on the external touch-screen region while the internal foldable touch-screen region is in a folded state and to display the executing application program on a part region or an entire region of the internal foldable touch-screen region when a state of the internal foldable touch-screen region is changed from the folded state to an unfolded state.   
     
     
       22. The device of claim 21, wherein the device is further configured to display the executing application program on the internal foldable touch-screen region while the internal foldable touch-screen region is in the unfolded state and to display the executing application program on a part region or an entire region of the external touch-screen region when the state of the internal foldable touch-screen region is changed from the unfolded state to the folded state. 
     
     
       23. The device of claim 21, wherein the body comprises a hinge configured to support a folding operation of the internal foldable touch-screen region. 
     
     
       24. The device of claim 23, wherein the internal foldable touch-screen region comprises a first internal touch-screen region and a second internal touch-screen region physically coupled to the first internal touch-screen region, and the first internal touch-screen region and the second internal touch-screen region overlap each other when the internal foldable touch-screen region is in the folded state. 
     
     
       25. The device of claim 21, wherein the internal foldable touch-screen region is activated and the external touch-screen region is deactivated when the internal foldable touch-screen region is unfolded to equal to or greater than a first folding angle. 
     
     
       26. The device of claim 21, wherein the internal foldable touch-screen region is deactivated and the external touch-screen region is activated when the internal foldable touch-screen region is folded to equal to or smaller than a second folding angle. 
     
     
       27. A method of operating a flexible touch-screen device that comprises an external touch-screen region, an internal foldable touch-screen region, and a body to which the external touch-screen region and the internal foldable touch-screen region are attached, the method comprising:
 displaying an executing application program on the external touch-screen region while the internal foldable touch-screen region is in a folded state;   detecting whether a state of the internal foldable touch-screen region is changed from the folded state to an unfolded state; and   displaying the executing application program on a part region or an entire region of the internal foldable touch-screen region when the state of the internal foldable touch-screen region is changed from the folded state to the unfolded state.   
     
     
       28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:
 displaying the executing application program on the internal foldable touch-screen region while the internal foldable touch-screen region is in the unfolded state;   detecting whether the state of the internal foldable touch-screen region is changed from the unfolded state to the folded state; and   displaying the executing application program on a part region or an entire region of the external touch-screen region when the state of the internal foldable touch-screen region is changed from the unfolded state to the folded state.   
     
     
       29. The method of claim 27, further comprising:
 activating the internal foldable touch-screen region when the internal foldable touch-screen region is unfolded to equal to or greater than a first folding angle; and   deactivating the external touch-screen region when the internal foldable touch-screen region is unfolded to equal to or greater than the first folding angle.   
     
     
       30. The method of claim 27, further comprising:
 deactivating the internal foldable touch-screen region when the internal foldable touch-screen region is folded to equal to or smaller than a second folding angle, and activating the external touch-screen region when the internal foldable touch-screen region is folded to equal to or smaller than the second folding angle.