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SamsungGranted patentPhones & computersInterest 7/10

Samsung patents folding phone that splits app windows when folded

Samsung has been granted a patent for a flexible display device that automatically rearranges open application windows when the screen is folded. The system uses a sensor to detect the folding action and moves a secondary window to the other side of the fold, separating it from the main application view.

Why it mattersThis improves multitasking on foldable devices by using the physical fold as a natural divider for different apps, making it easier to view two things at once without manual resizing.

In the filing’s own words

An electronic device includes: a flexible display; and at least one processor configured to: display, via the flexible display, a first window of an application in a state in which the display is unfolded; display, via the flexible display, a second window on an area of the first window, based on an input for displaying the second window; and display, via the flexible display, the first window in a first display area and the second window in a second display area in a state in which the display is at least partially folded, the first display area and the second display area being separate from each other and divided by a folding in the flexible display.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. An electronic device, comprising: a flexible display; at least one sensor; at least one processor; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors individually or collectively, cause the electronic device: display, via the flexible display, a first window of an application in an entire display area that includes a first display area and a second display area in a state in which the flexible display is unfolded; display, via the flexible display, a second window to partially overlay at least a portion of the first window, based on an input for controlling the second window to move in a designated direction; detect a folding event of the flexible display using the at least one sensor; and based on the detection of the folding event and the controlling of the second window, display, via the flexible display, the first window in the first display area and the second window in the second display area in a state in which the flexible display is at least partially folded, the first display area and the second display area being separate from each other and divided by a folding in the flexible display.

Facts

Company
Samsung (SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.)
Official title
Electronic device comprising flexible display, operating method thereof, and storage medium
Patent number
US12726561B2
Application number
19092712
Filed
Mar 27, 2025
Granted
Sep 1, 2026
Inventors
2
Claims
20

Classified under

H04M 1/72454 Electricity & electronicsG06F 3/0481 Physics & computingG06F 3/0484 Physics & computingG06F 3/04886 Physics & computingH04M 1/0214 Electricity & electronicsH04M 1/0243 Electricity & electronics
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.