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SamsungGranted patentPhones & computersInterest 6/10

Samsung patents sliding phone that expands screen for notifications

Samsung has been granted a patent for a phone with a flexible display that slides out to reveal a larger screen. The device shows notifications on the smaller screen and lets users tap an icon to slide the housing open, displaying the full app on the expanded area.

Why it mattersThis design offers a physical way to expand the screen size for specific tasks, potentially improving usability for apps that need more space.

In the filing’s own words

An electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may comprise: a wireless communication module including wireless communication circuitry; a first housing; a second housing coupled to the first housing to be able to slide; a flexible display comprising a first display area visible when the second housing is in a slide-in state with regard to the first housing, and a second display area visible when the second housing is in a slide-out state with regard to the first housing; a memory; and at least one processor, comprising processing circuitry, operatively connected to the wireless communication module, the flexible display, and the memory. At least one processor, individually and/or collectively, may be configured to control the electronic device to: display a first application in the first display area based on the second housing being in a slide-in state with regard to the first housing, display, at a first location in the first display area, a notification received from an external electronic device using the wireless communication module, generate a state change icon at a second location in the first display area based on reception of the notification, switch the second housing from the slide-in state to the slide-out state based on the state change icon being touched, and display a second application corresponding to the notification in the second display area.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. An electronic device comprising: a wireless communication module comprising wireless communication circuitry; a first housing; a second housing slidably coupled to the first housing; a flexible display including a first display area exposed to outside in a slide-in state based on movement of the second housing in a first direction and a second display area exposed to outside in a slide-out state based on the movement of the second housing in a second direction, wherein the flexible display includes a touch panel to receive a user touch input; memory comprising one or more storage media storing instructions; and at least one processor comprising processing circuitry, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to: display a first application on the first display area in the slide-in state, in response to receiving a notification related to a second application from an external electronic device through the wireless communication module, display the notification at a first position of the first display area and a state change icon at a second position of the first display area, wherein the state change icon is an icon to transition the electronic device from the slide-in state to the slide-out state, in case that the user touch input is received with respect to the notification at the first position, display an execution screen of the second application on the first display area in the slide-in state, the execution screen corresponding to the received notification, and in case that the user touch input is received with respect to the state change icon at the second position, switch the electronic device from the slide-in state to the slide-out state and display the execution screen of the second application on the second display area.

Facts

Company
Samsung (Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.)
Official title
Electronic device comprising flexible display and method for controlling electronic device
Patent number
US12764208B2
Application number
18808964
Filed
Aug 19, 2024
Granted
Oct 13, 2026
Inventors
5
Claims
14

Classified under

H04M 1/0235 Electricity & electronicsG06F 3/04817 Physics & computingG06F 3/0488 Physics & computingG09G 3/035 Physics & computingH04M 1/0268 Electricity & electronicsH04M 1/72469 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.