# US 12,761,853 B2 · Electronic device for controlling display corresponding to direction of external electronic device, operation method thereof, and storage medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,761,853 B2 - Document ID: US12761853B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 19/033,483 - Filed: 2025-01-22 - Published: 2025-05-29 - Granted: 2026-10-13 - Earliest claimed: 2022-08-30 - Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Nina Lee; Sangheon Kim; Yeunwook Lim - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12761853B2 ## CPC - G06F 3/1423: {controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display} - G06F 1/1616: {with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position} - G06F 1/163: {Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt} - G06F 3/1454: {involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract An electronic device includes a first display, a second display disposed in a direction opposite to the first display, a processor and memory storing instructions, which when executed, cause the electronic device to output a content through the first display. The instructions are configured to cause the electronic device to identify a direction of an external electronic device connected to the electronic device through short-range communication scheme with respect to the electronic device while outputting the content. The instructions are configured to cause the electronic device to, in response to identifying that the direction of the external electronic device is within a first range of directions, keep outputting the content through the first display. The instructions are configured to cause the electronic device to, in response to identifying that the direction of the external electronic device is within a second range of directions, output the content through the second display. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electronic device (101) comprising: a first display (260) disposed in a front surface of the electronic device; a second display (261) disposed in a rear surface of the electronic device; at least one processor (120 or 520); and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to: output content through the first display, identify a direction from the electronic device toward an external electronic device, connected to the electronic device through a short-range communication scheme, while outputting the content, in response to identifying that the direction from the electronic device toward the external electronic device is within a first range of directions, keep outputting the content through the first display of the electronic device, identify whether the direction from the electronic device toward the external electronic device changes to fall outside the first range of directions while keeping outputting the content through the first display, and in response to identifying that the direction from the electronic device toward the external electronic device changes to fall outside the first range of directions, reduce a brightness of the first display, wherein the first range of directions correspond to a predetermined front-facing direction range of the first display. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein as the first display is partially folded, the first display is divided into a first display area and a second display area with a folding axis therebetween, wherein the first range of directions is within a predetermined azimuthal angle range with respect to a normal direction of the first display area. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the electronic device to: in response to identifying that the direction from the electronic device toward the external electronic device changes to fall outside the first range of directions while keeping outputting the content through the first display, identify whether the direction from the electronic device toward the external electronic device is within a second range of directions, and in response to identifying that the direction from the electronic device toward the external electronic device is within the second range of directions, output the content through the second display, wherein the second range of directions corresponds to a rear range of directions which is opposite to the first range of directions. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the electronic device to: in response to identifying that the direction from the electronic device toward the external electronic device changes to fall outside the first range of directions, identify that the external electronic device is positioned in a side range of the electronic device, and in response to identifying that the external electronic device is positioned in the side range of the electronic device, reduce the brightness of the first display while keeping outputting a sound of the content through a speaker. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the instructions further cause the electronic device to: in response to identifying that the direction from the electronic device toward the external electronic device changes to fall outside the first range of directions and outside the second range of directions, control the external electronic device to output information about the content being output while keeping outputting the content through the first display, and wherein the information includes at least one of a subtitle representing the content being output, playback time information about the content being output, or whether to stop playing the content being output. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the instructions further cause the electronic device to: in response to identifying that an input for stop playing the content being output is received from the external electronic device, stop outputting the content through the first display. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the instructions further cause the electronic device to: in response to identifying that the external electronic device is positioned in a side range of the electronic device and an input for stop playing the content being output is not received from the external electronic device, reduce a brightness of the first display while keeping playing the content. ### Claim 8 (depends on 3) The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the instructions further cause the electronic device to: in response to identifying that the direction from the electronic device toward the external electronic device is within the second range of directions after a predetermined time, provide a guide related to a playback timing of the content to be output through the second display. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the electronic device to identify the direction and/or distance from the electronic device toward the external electronic device based on at least one of an ultra-wide band (UWB) communication scheme or a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) communication scheme. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the electronic device to: identify a connection with the external electronic device, and identify whether the connected external electronic device is worn on a user's body portion and identify the direction from the electronic device toward the external electronic device, based on the external electronic device identified as worn. ### Claim 11 A method for controlling a display corresponding to a direction of an external electronic device by an electronic device, the method comprising: outputting content through a first display disposed in a front surface of the electronic device; identifying, by the electronic device, a direction from the electronic device toward the external electronic device connected to the electronic device through short-range communication scheme while outputting the content; in response to identifying that the direction from the electronic device toward the external electronic device is within a first range of directions, keeping outputting the content through the first display of the electronic device; identifying whether the direction from the electronic device toward the external electronic device changes to fall outside the first range of directions while keeping outputting the content through the first display; and in response to identifying that the direction from the electronic device toward the external electronic device changes to fall outside the first range of directions, reducing a brightness of the first display, wherein the first range of directions corresponds to a predetermined front-facing direction range of the first display. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein as the first display is partially folded, the first display is divided into a first display area and a second display area with a folding axis therebetween, wherein the first range of directions is within a predetermined azimuthal angle range with respect to a normal direction of the first display area. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: when the direction from the electronic device toward the external electronic device changes to fall outside the first range of directions while keeping outputting the content through the first display, identifying whether the direction from the electronic device toward the external electronic device is within a second range of directions; and in response to identifying that the direction from the electronic device toward the external electronic device is within the second range of directions, outputting the content through a second display disposed in a rear surface of the electronic device, wherein the second range of directions corresponds to a rear range of directions which is opposite to the first range of directions. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: in response to identifying that the direction from the electronic device toward the external electronic device changes to fall outside the first range of directions, identify that the external electronic device is positioned in a side range of the electronic device, and in response to identifying that the external electronic device is positioned in the side range of the electronic device, reducing the brightness of the first display while keeping outputting a sound of the content through a speaker. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising: when the direction from the electronic device toward the external electronic device changes to fall outside the first range of directions and outside the second range of directions, controlling the external electronic device to output information about the content being output while keeping outputting the content through the first display, wherein the information includes at least one of a subtitle representing the content being output, playback time information about the content being output, or whether to stop playing the content being output. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: in response to identifying that an input for stop playing the content being output is received from the external electronic device, stopping outputting the content through the first display. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: in response to identifying that the external electronic device is positioned in a side range of the electronic device and an input for stop playing the content being output is not received from the external electronic device, reducing a brightness of the first display while keeping playing the content. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising: in response to identifying that the direction from the electronic device toward the external electronic device is within the second range of directions after a predetermined time, providing a guide related to a playback timing of the content to be output through the second display. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein identifying the direction from the electronic device toward the external electronic device includes identifying the direction and/or a distance of the external electronic device with respect to the electronic device based on at least one of an ultra-wide band (UWB) communication scheme or a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) communication scheme. ### Claim 20 A non-transitory storage medium storing instructions configured to, when executed by at least one processor (120) of an electronic device (101), enable the electronic device to perform at least one operation, the at least one operation comprising: outputting a content through a first display disposed in a front surface of the electronic device; identifying a direction from the electronic device toward an external electronic device connected to the electronic device through short-range communication scheme with respect to the electronic device while outputting the content; in response to identifying that the direction from the electronic device toward the external electronic device is within a first range of directions, keeping outputting the content through the first display; identifying whether the direction from the electronic device toward the external electronic device changes to fall outside the first range of directions while keeping outputting the content through the first display; and in response to identifying that the direction from the electronic device toward the external electronic device changes to fall outside the first range of directions, reducing a brightness of the first display, wherein the first range of directions corresponds to a predetermined front-facing direction range of the first display.