Patent Description:
With the development of a semiconductor technology, an electronic device may provide a multimedia function. For example, the electronic device may provide a user with a variety of multimedia content by using an application.

An amount of information required by the user is increased since the multimedia function is provided through the electronic device, and thus an electronic device including a touch screen suitable for providing a greater amount of information is widely used.

The electronic device provides a function of displaying a soft key on the touch screen which performs a function of a physical button instead of a physical hard key in order to sufficiently ensure an area of a touch screen within a limited size.

<CIT> discloses a method for operating an electronic device that includes displaying a first input window on a screen, displaying a first input window in a first layer on a screen; displaying a virtual keyboard in a second layer over the first layer; determining whether the virtual keyboard is overlapped with the first input window; and in response to determine whether the virtual keyboard is overlapped with the first input window: displaying a second input window in a third layer over the second layer wherein the second input window is not overlapped with the virtual keyboard, or adjusting a transparency of the virtual keyboard.

<CIT> refers to an electronic device screen management method.

<CIT> refers to an input display control device, thin client system, input display control method, and recording medium.

Embodiments of the invention are set out in the appended set of claims.

An electronic device may display a soft key display region on at least one region of a display by using a fixed display variable (e.g., a graphic attribute variable, size, position, etc.). For example, the electronic device may display the soft key display region always in black. For another example, the electronic device may display the soft key display region always in blue with a transparency of <NUM>%. That is, the electronic device persistently maintains displaying of a soft key in at least one region of the display and thus provides a physical button by converting it into the soft key, but cannot effectively utilize an area of a touch screen which becomes wide.

Aspects of the present disclosure are to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a method and apparatus for displaying a soft key in an electronic device.

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a display, and a processor. The processor may be configured to control the display to display an execution screen of an application and a soft key, determine whether the execution screen of the application is changed, and control the display to change a graphic attribute for a soft key display region in response to changing the execution screen of the application.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of operating an electronic device is provided. The method includes displaying an execution screen of an application and a soft key, determining whether the execution screen of the application is changed, and changing a graphic attribute for a soft key display region in response to changing the execution screen of the application.

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of various embodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the will recognize that various changes and modifications of the various embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

As used herein, the expression "have", "may have", "include", or "may include" refers to the existence of a corresponding feature (e.g., numeral, function, operation, or constituent element such as component), and does not exclude one or more additional features.

In the present disclosure, the expression "A or B", "at least one of A or/and B", or "one or more of A or/and B" may include all possible combinations of the items listed. For example, the expression "A or B", "at least one of A and B", or "at least one of A or B" refers to all of (<NUM>) including at least one A, (<NUM>) including at least one B, or (<NUM>) including all of at least one A and at least one B.

The expression "a first", "a second", "the first", or "the second" used in various embodiments of the present disclosure may modify various components regardless of the order and/or the importance but does not limit the corresponding components. For example, a first user device and a second user device indicate different user devices although both of them are user devices. For example, a first element may be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element may be termed a first element without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

It should be understood that when an element (e.g., first element) is referred to as being (operatively or communicatively) "connected," or "coupled," to another element (e.g., second element), it may be directly connected or coupled directly to the other element or any other element (e.g., third element) may be interposer between them. In contrast, it may be understood that when an element (e.g., first element) is referred to as being "directly connected," or "directly coupled" to another element (second element), there are no element (e.g., third element) interposed between them.

The expression "configured to" used in the present disclosure may be exchanged with, for example, "suitable for", "having the capacity to", "designed to", "adapted to", "made to", or "capable of" according to the situation. The term "configured to" may not necessarily imply "specifically designed to" in hardware. Alternatively, in some situations, the expression "device configured to" may mean that the device, together with other devices or components, "is able to". For example, the phrase "processor adapted (or configured) to perform A, B, and C" may mean a dedicated processor (e.g., embedded processor) only for performing the corresponding operations or a generic-purpose processor (e.g., central processing unit (CPU) or application processor (AP)) that can perform the corresponding operations by executing one or more software programs stored in a memory device.

The terms used herein are merely for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of other embodiments. As used herein, singular forms may include plural forms as well unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as those commonly understood by a person skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. Such terms as those defined in a generally used dictionary may be interpreted to have the meanings equal to the contextual meanings in the relevant field of art, and are not to be interpreted to have ideal or excessively formal meanings unless clearly defined in the present disclosure. In some cases, even the term defined in the present disclosure should not be interpreted to exclude embodiments of the present disclosure.

An electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of, for example, a smart phone, a tablet personal computer (PC), a mobile phone, a video phone, an electronic book reader (e-book reader), a desktop PC, a laptop PC, a netbook computer, a workstation, a server, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG-<NUM> or MPEG-<NUM>) audio layer-<NUM> (MP3) player, a mobile medical device, a camera, or a wearable device. According to various embodiments, the wearable device may include at least one of an accessory type (e.g., a watch, a ring, a bracelet, an anklet, a necklace, glasses, a contact lens, or a head-mounted device (HMD)), a fabric or clothing integrated type (e.g., an electronic clothing), a body-mounted type (e.g., a skin pad, or tattoo), or a bio-implantable type (e.g., an implantable circuit).

According to some embodiments, the electronic device may be a home appliance. The home appliance may include at least one of, for example, a television, a digital versatile disc (DVD) player, an audio, a refrigerator, an air conditioner, a vacuum cleaner, an oven, a microwave oven, a washing machine, an air cleaner, a set-top box, a home automation control panel, a security control panel, a television (TV) box (e.g., Samsung HomeSync™, Apple TV™, or Google TV™), a game console (e.g., Xbox™ and PlayStation™), an electronic dictionary, an electronic key, a camcorder, or an electronic photo frame.

According to another embodiment, the electronic device may include at least one of various medical devices (e.g., various portable medical measuring devices (a blood glucose monitoring device, a heart rate monitoring device, a blood pressure measuring device, a body temperature measuring device, etc.), a magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a computed tomography (CT) machine, and an ultrasonic machine), a navigation device, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, an event data recorder (EDR) , a flight data recorder (FDR) , a vehicle info-tainment devices, an electronic devices for a ship (e.g., a navigation device for a ship, and a gyro-compass), avionics, security devices, an automotive head unit, a robot for home or industry, an automatic teller's machine (ATM) in banks, point of sales (POS) in a shop, or internet device of things (e.g., a light bulb, various sensors, electric or gas meter, a sprinkler device, a fire alarm, a thermostat, a streetlamp, a toaster, a sporting goods, a hot water tank, a heater, a boiler, etc.).

According to some embodiments, the electronic device may include at least one of a part of furniture or a building/structure, an electronic board, an electronic signature receiving device, a projector, or various kinds of measuring instruments (e.g., a water meter, an electric meter, a gas meter, and a radio wave meter). In various embodiments, the electronic device may be a combination of one or more of the aforementioned various devices. According to some embodiments, the electronic device may also be a flexible device. Further, the electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to the aforementioned devices, and may include a new electronic device according to the development of technology.

Hereinafter, an electronic device according to various embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present disclosure, the term "user" may indicate a person using an electronic device or a device (e.g., an artificial intelligence electronic device) using an electronic device.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating a network environment including an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, an electronic device <NUM> within a network environment <NUM>, according to various embodiments. The electronic device <NUM> may include a bus <NUM>, a processor <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, an input/output interface <NUM>, a display <NUM>, and a communication interface <NUM>. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device <NUM> may omit at least one of the above components or may further include other components.

The bus <NUM> may include, for example, a circuit which interconnects the components <NUM> to <NUM> and delivers a communication (e.g., a control message or data) between the components <NUM> to <NUM>.

The processor <NUM> may include one or more of a CPU, an AP, or a communication processor (CP). The processor <NUM> may perform operations or data processing with respect to control or communication of at least one other element of the electronic device <NUM>. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor <NUM> may perform an operation to receive first proximity service data and receive second proximity service data included in the first proximity service data using guide information which is used for receiving the second proximity service data. In addition, the processor <NUM> may control transmission of the first proximity service data including guide information which is used for receiving the second proximity service data.

According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to display a soft key and an execution screen of an application. For example, the processor <NUM> may determine whether to execute the application based on a user input detected via the input/output interface <NUM> or the display <NUM> (e.g., the touch screen). For another example, the processor <NUM> may determine whether to execute the application based on a user input received via the communication interface <NUM>. If the application is executed, the processor <NUM> may confirm a graphic attribute (e.g., color, transparency, brightness) of the execution screen of the application. The processor <NUM> may determine the graphic attribute of a soft key display region based on the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application. For example, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> such that color of the soft key display region overlaps with the soft key display region in the execution screen of the application or is displayed equally or similarly to color of an adjacent region.

According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may selectively change the graphic attribute of the soft key display region based on whether the execution screen of the application is switched. For example, the processor <NUM> may determine whether the execution screen of the application is switched according to a scroll operation. If the execution screen of the application is not switched, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to change the graphic attribute of the soft key display region based on the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application. If the execution screen of the application is switched, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to maintain the graphic attribute of the soft key display region.

According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may change the execution screen of the application. For example, the processor <NUM> may determine whether a scroll event occurs based on a signal corresponding to a user input provided via the input/output interface <NUM> or the display <NUM>. If the screen event occurs, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to display the execution screen of the application by switching it according to a scroll function. For another example, the processor <NUM> may determine whether the scroll event occurs based on a signal corresponding to a user input received via the communication interface <NUM>. If the screen event occurs, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to display the execution screen of the application by switching it according to the scroll function.

According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may change the graphic attribute of the soft key display region based on a change in the execution screen of the application. For example, if the execution screen of the application is scrolled, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to display the soft key display region with a predefined transparency (e.g., <NUM>%). For another example, if the execution screen of the application is scrolled, the processor <NUM> may confirm a change variable (e.g., a movement direction, a movement speed, a movement time, a movement distance, etc.) for the execution screen of the application according to the scroll operation. The processor <NUM> may determine the transparency based on the change variable. The processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to display the soft key display region with a transparency corresponding to the change variable.

According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may selectively change the graphic attribute of the soft key display region based on whether the execution screen of the application overlaps with the soft key display region. For example, if the execution screen of the application is scrolled, the processor <NUM> may determine whether the execution screen of the application overlaps with the soft key display region. If at least one portion of the application execution screen overlaps with the soft key display region, the processor <NUM> may control the transparency of the soft key display region so that the soft key display region becomes relatively transparent. For example, the processor <NUM> may determine the transparency of the soft key display region based on the change variables of the execution screen of the application. If the execution screen of the application is separated from the soft key display region, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to maintain the transparency of the soft key display region. Additionally or alternatively, if the execution screen of the application is separated from the soft key display region, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> such that the transparency of the soft key display region becomes relatively high. In this case, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> such that the execution screen of the application is displayed by being extended to up to the soft key display region.

According to an embodiment, if the scrolling operation is terminated, the processor <NUM> may restore the transparency of the soft key display region. For example, if the scroll operation is terminated, the processor <NUM> may restore the transparency of the soft key display region changed according to the occurrence of the scroll event to a previous transparency used before the scroll event occurs. The processor <NUM> may determine whether the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application is changed according to the scroll operation in response to the restoration of the transparency of the soft key display region. If the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application is changed, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to change the graphic attribute of the soft key display region based on the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application. If the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application is not changed, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to maintain the graphic attribute of the soft key display region. Herein, the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application may include color extracted from at least one pixel among a plurality of pixels included in a region overlapping with the soft key display region in the execution screen of the application or a region adjacent to the soft key display region in the execution screen of the application.

According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may hide a soft key. For example, if an input for hiding the soft key is detected in a state where the execution screen of the application is displayed together with the soft key, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to hide the soft key display region. In this case, the processor <NUM> may generate a menu bar including a function key corresponding to an attribute of the application, and thereafter may control the display <NUM> such that the generated menu bar is displayed at a position where the soft key display region is displayed.

According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may display the soft key based on whether an event for displaying the soft key occurs. For example, if an input for displaying the soft key is detected in a state where the execution screen of the application is displayed, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to display the soft key display region. For example, if the menu bar is displayed in the soft key display region, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to display the soft key display region at a position where the menu bar is displayed.

The memory <NUM> may include at least one of a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory. For example, the memory <NUM> may store commands or data related to at least one other element of the electronic device <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the memory <NUM> may store at least one of software or programs <NUM>. As illustrated in <FIG>, the at least one of software or programs <NUM> may include at least one or more of a kernel <NUM>, middleware <NUM>, an application programming interface (API) <NUM>, or an application program (or an application) <NUM>, etc. At least part of the kernel <NUM>, the middleware <NUM>, or the API <NUM> may be referred to as an operating system (OS).

According to an embodiment, the memory <NUM> may store information for determining the transparency of the soft key display region. For example, the memory <NUM> may store a transparency value corresponding to at least one of a movement direction, movement speed, movement time, or movement distance of the execution screen of the application to be scrolled. For example, the memory <NUM> may store a transparency value which indicates that the faster the movement speed of the execution screen of the application, the more transparent the soft key display region. For example, the memory <NUM> may store a transparency value which indicates that the longer the movement time of the execution screen of the application, the more transparent the soft key display region. For example, the memory <NUM> may store a transparency value which indicates that the farther the movement distance of the execution screen of the application, the more transparent the soft key display region.

The kernel <NUM> may control or manage system resources (e.g., the bus <NUM>, the processor <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, or the like) used for performing operations or functions implemented by the other programs (e.g., the middleware <NUM>, the API <NUM>, or the application program <NUM>). Additionally, the kernel <NUM> may provide an interface for allowing the middleware <NUM>, the API <NUM>, or the application program <NUM> to access an individual element of the electronic device <NUM> and to control or manage the system resources.

The middleware <NUM> may serve as an intermediary for allowing the API <NUM> or the application program <NUM> to communicate with the kernel <NUM> and exchange data with the kernel <NUM>. In addition, the middleware <NUM> may perform operations (e.g., scheduling or load balancing) for controlling work requests received from the application program <NUM>, for example, by assigning a priority to each work request for using the system resources (e.g., the bus <NUM>, the processor <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, or the like) of the electronic device <NUM> to at least one application of the application program <NUM>.

The API <NUM> may be an interface for allowing the application program <NUM> to control a function provided by the kernel <NUM> or the middleware <NUM>, and may include, for example, at least one interface or function (e.g., instructions) for controlling a file, controlling a window, processing an image, or controlling a text.

The input/output interface <NUM> may serve as an interface for transmitting instructions or data input from a user or another external device to the other element(s) of the electronic device <NUM>. Furthermore, the input/output interface <NUM> may output the instructions or data received from another element(s) of the electronic device <NUM> to the user or another external device.

Examples of the display <NUM> may include a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED) display, an organic LED (OLED) display, a microelectrome-chanical systems (MEMS) display, and an electronic paper display. The display <NUM> may display, for example, various types of contents (e.g., text, images, videos, icons, or symbols) to a user. The display <NUM> may include a touch screen, and may receive, for example, a touch, gesture, proximity, or hovering input using an electronic pen or a user's body part.

The communication interface <NUM> may establish communication, for example, between the electronic device <NUM> and an external device (e.g., a first external electronic device <NUM>, a second external electronic device <NUM>, or a server <NUM>). For example, the communication interface <NUM> may be connected to a network <NUM> through wireless or wired communication, and may communicate with an external device (e.g., the second external electronic device <NUM> or the server <NUM>).

The wireless communication may use at least one of, for example, long term evolution (LTE), LTE-advanced (LTE-A), code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband CDMA (WCDMA), universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), wireless broadband (WiBro), or global system for mobile communications (GSM), as a cellular communication protocol. In addition, the wireless communication may include, for example, short range communication <NUM>. The short-range communication <NUM> may include at least one of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth® (BT), near field connection (NFC), and global navigation satellite system (GNSS). GNSS may include, for example, at least one of GPS, global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), a BeiDou Navigation satellite system (hereinafter referred to as "BeiDou"), or European global satellite-based navigation system (GALILEO), based on a location, a bandwidth, or the like. Hereinafter, in the present disclosure, the "GPS" may be interchangeably used with the "GNSS". The wired communication may include, for example, at least one of a universal serial bus (USB), a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), recommended standard-<NUM> (RS-<NUM>), or a plain old telephone service (POTS). The network <NUM> may include at least one of a communication network such as a computer network (e.g., a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN)), the internet, or a telephone network.

Each of the first and second external electronic devices <NUM> and <NUM> may be of a type identical to or different from that of the electronic device <NUM>. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the server <NUM> may include a group of one or more servers. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, all or some of the operations performed in the electronic device <NUM> may be executed in another electronic device or a plurality of electronic devices (e.g., the electronic devices <NUM> and <NUM> or the server <NUM>). According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the electronic device <NUM> performs functions or services automatically or in response to a request, the electronic device <NUM> may request another device (e.g., the electronic device <NUM> or <NUM> or the server <NUM>) to execute at least some functions relating thereto instead of or in addition to autonomously performing the functions or services. Another electronic device (e.g., the electronic device <NUM> or <NUM>, or the server <NUM>) may execute the requested functions or the additional functions, and may deliver a result of the execution to the electronic device <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may process the received result as it is or further process the received result to provide the requested functions or services. To this end, for example, cloud computing, distributed computing, or client-server computing technologies may be used.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> may include, for example, all or a part of the electronic device <NUM> shown in <FIG>. The electronic device <NUM> may include one or more processors <NUM> (e.g., APs), a communication module (or communication circuit) <NUM>, a subscriber identification module (SIM) <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, a sensor module <NUM>, an input device <NUM>, a display <NUM>, an interface <NUM>, an audio module <NUM>, a camera module <NUM>, a power management module <NUM>, a battery <NUM>, an indicator <NUM>, and a motor <NUM>.

The processor <NUM> may control a plurality of hardware or software constitutional elements connected to the processor <NUM> by driving, for example, an OS or an application program, and may process a variety of data including multimedia data and may perform an arithmetic operation. The processor <NUM> may be implemented, for example, with a system on chip (SoC). According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may further include a graphic processing unit (GPU) and/or an image signal processor. The processor <NUM> may include at least one part (e.g., a cellular module <NUM>) of the aforementioned constitutional elements of <FIG>. The processor <NUM> may process an instruction or data, which is received from at least one of different constitutional elements (e.g., a non-volatile memory), by loading it to a volatile memory and may store a variety of data in the non-volatile memory. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to change the graphic attribute (e.g., transparency) of the soft key display region based on the change in the execution screen of the application. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to change the graphic attribute (e.g., color) of the soft key display region based on the graphic attribute (e.g., color) of the application in response to the switching of the execution screen of the application. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to display or hide the soft key in response to the input detection for displaying of hiding the soft key.

The communication module <NUM> may have a configuration equal or similar to that of the communication interface <NUM> of <FIG>. The communication module <NUM> may include, for example, a cellular module <NUM>, a Wi-Fi module <NUM>, a BT module <NUM>, a GNSS module <NUM> (e.g., a GPS module <NUM>, a GLONASS module, a BeiDou module, or a GALILEO module), an NFC module <NUM>, and a radio frequency (RF) module <NUM>.

The cellular module <NUM>, for example, may provide a voice call, a video call, a text message service, or an Internet service through a communication network. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cellular module <NUM> may distinguish and authenticate the electronic device <NUM> in a communication network using a SIM <NUM> (e.g., the SIM card). According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cellular module <NUM> may perform at least some of the functions that the processor <NUM> may provide. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cellular module <NUM> may include a CP.

Each of the Wi-Fi module <NUM>, the BT module <NUM>, the GNSS module <NUM>, and the NFC module <NUM> may include a processor for processing data transmitted/received through a corresponding module. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, at least some (e.g., two or more) of the cellular module <NUM>, the Wi-Fi module <NUM>, the BT module <NUM>, the GNSS module <NUM>, and the NFC module <NUM> may be included in a single integrated chip (IC) or IC package.

The RF module <NUM>, for example, may transmit/receive a communication signal (e.g., an RF signal). The RF module <NUM> may include, for example, a transceiver, a power amplifier module (PAM), a frequency filter, a low noise amplifier (LNA), and an antenna. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one of the cellular module <NUM>, the Wi-Fi module <NUM>, the BT module <NUM>, the GNSS module <NUM>, or the NFC module <NUM> may transmit/receive an RF signal through a separate RF module.

The SIM (SIM <NUM>) may include, for example, a card including a subscriber identity module or an embedded SIM, and may further include unique identification information (e.g., an integrated circuit card identifier (ICCID)) or subscriber information (e.g., an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)).

The memory <NUM> (e.g., the memory <NUM>) may include, for example, an embedded (or internal) memory <NUM> or an external memory <NUM>. The embedded memory <NUM> may include at least one of a volatile memory (e.g., a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a static RAM (SRAM), a synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), or the like) and a non-volatile memory (e.g., a one-time programmable read only memory (OTPROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable and programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable and programmable ROM (EEPROM), a mask ROM, a flash ROM, a flash memory (e.g., a NAND flash memory or a NOR flash memory), a hard disc drive, or a solid state drive (SSD)).

The external memory <NUM> may further include a flash drive, for example, a compact flash (CF), a secure digital (SD), a micro-SD, a mini-SD, an extreme digital (xD), a multimedia card (MMC), a memory stick, or the like. The external memory <NUM> may be functionally and/or physically connected to the electronic device <NUM> through various interfaces.

The sensor module <NUM> may be configured to measure a physical quantity or detect an operation state of the electronic device <NUM>, and convert the measured or detected information into an electrical signal. The sensor module <NUM> may include, for example, at least one of a gesture sensor 240A, a gyro sensor 240B, an atmospheric pressure sensor (barometer) 240C, a magnetic sensor 240D, an acceleration sensor 240E, a grip sensor 240F, a proximity sensor <NUM>, a color sensor <NUM> (e.g., red, green, and blue (RGB) sensor), a biometric sensor (medical sensor) 240I, a temperature/humidity sensor 240J, a light sensor <NUM>, or an ultraviolet light (UV) sensor <NUM>. Additionally or alternatively, the sensor module <NUM> may further include one or more sensors (not shown), including an electronic nose (E-nose) sensor, an electromyography (EMG) sensor, an electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor, an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, an iris scan sensor, and a finger scan sensor. The sensor module <NUM> may further include a control circuit for controlling one or more sensors included therein. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device <NUM> may further include another processor configured to control the sensor module <NUM>, as a part of the processor <NUM> or a separate component from the processor <NUM> in order to control the sensor module <NUM> while the processor <NUM> is in a sleep state.

The input device <NUM> may include, for example, a touch panel <NUM>, a (digital) pen sensor <NUM>, a key <NUM>, or an ultrasonic input device <NUM>. The touch panel <NUM> may use, for example, at least one of a capacitive type, a resistive type, an IR type, or an ultrasonic type. The touch panel <NUM> may further include a control circuit. The touch panel <NUM> may further include a tactile layer, and provide a tactile reaction to the user.

The (digital) pen sensor (digital pen or stylus) <NUM> may include, for example, a recognition sheet which is a part of the touch panel or is separated from the touch panel. The key <NUM> may include, for example, a physical button, an optical key or a keypad. The ultrasonic input device <NUM> may detect, through a microphone (e.g., the microphone <NUM>), ultrasonic waves generated by an input tool, and identify data corresponding to the detected ultrasonic waves.

The display <NUM> (e.g., the display <NUM>) may include a panel <NUM>, a hologram device <NUM>, or a projector <NUM>. The panel <NUM> may include a configuration identical or similar to the display <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>. The panel <NUM> may be implemented to be, for example, flexible, transparent, or wearable. The panel <NUM> may be embodied as a single module with the touch panel <NUM>. The hologram device <NUM> may show a three-dimensional (3D) image in the air by using an interference of light. The projector <NUM> may project light onto a screen to display an image. The screen may be located, for example, in the interior of or on the exterior of the electronic device <NUM>. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the display <NUM> may further include a control circuit for controlling the panel <NUM>, the hologram device <NUM>, or the projector <NUM>.

The interface <NUM> may include, for example, an HDMI <NUM>, a USB <NUM>, an optical interface <NUM>, or a d-subminiature (D-sub) <NUM>. The interface <NUM> may be included in, for example, the communication interface <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>. Additionally or alternatively, the interface <NUM> may include, for example, a mobile high-definition link (MHL) interface, an SD card/MMC interface, or an IR data association (IrDA) standard interface.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the audio module <NUM>, for example, may be configured to bilaterally convert a sound and an electrical signal. At least some components of the audio module <NUM> may be included in, for example, the input/output interface <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>. The audio module <NUM> may process voice information input or output through, for example, a speaker <NUM>, a receiver <NUM>, earphones <NUM>, or the microphone <NUM>.

The camera module <NUM> is, for example, a device which may photograph a still image, a moving image, or a video. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the camera module <NUM> may include one or more image sensors (e.g., a front sensor or a rear sensor), a lens, an internet service provider (ISP) or a flash (e.g., LED or xenon lamp).

The power management module <NUM> may manage, for example, power of the electronic device <NUM>. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the power management module <NUM> may include a power management IC (PMIC), a charger IC, or a battery or fuel gauge. The PMIC may use a wired and/or wireless charging method. Examples of the wireless charging method may include, for example, a magnetic resonance method, a magnetic induction method, an electromagnetic wave method, and the like. Additional circuits (e.g., a coil loop, a resonance circuit, a rectifier, etc.) for wireless charging may be further included. The battery gauge may measure, for example, a residual quantity of the battery <NUM>, and a voltage, a current, or a temperature while charging. The battery <NUM> may include, for example, at least one of a rechargeable battery or a solar battery.

The indicator <NUM> may indicate a state (e.g., a booting state, a message state, a charging state, or the like) of the electronic device <NUM> or a part (e.g., the processor <NUM>) of the electronic device <NUM>. The motor <NUM> may convert an electrical signal into a mechanical vibration, and may generate a vibration, a haptic effect, or the like. Although not illustrated, the electronic device <NUM> may include a processing device (e.g., a GPU) for supporting a mobile TV. The processing device for supporting a mobile TV may process, for example, media data according to certain standards such as digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB), digital video broadcasting (DVB), or media flow.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, an electronic device may include a display, and a processor. The processor may be configured to control the display to display an execution screen of an application and a soft key, determine whether the execution screen of the application is changed, and control the display to change a graphic attribute of a soft key display region in response to changing the execution screen of the application.

According to various embodiments, the processor may be configured to identify the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application, determine a graphic attribute of the soft key display region based on the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application, and control the display to display the execution screen of the application and the soft key based on the graphic attribute of the soft key.

According to various embodiments, the processor may be configured to determine whether the execution screen of the application overlaps with the soft key display region, determine a region for detecting the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application based on whether the execution screen of the application overlaps with the soft key display region, and detect the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application from the determined region.

According to various embodiments, the processor may be configured to determine that the execution screen of the application is changed if a scroll event occurs.

According to various embodiments, the processor may be configured to determine whether a scroll operation for the execution screen of the application is terminated, and control the display to restore the graphic attribute of the soft key display region if the scroll operation is terminated.

According to various embodiments, the processor may be configured to determine whether the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application is changed when the graphic attribute of the soft key display region is restored, control the display to change the graphic attribute of the soft key display region based on the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application if the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application is changed, and control the display to maintain the graphic attribute of the soft key display region if the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application is not changed.

According to various embodiments, the graphic attribute may include at least one of color, transparency, or brightness.

According to various embodiments, the processor may be configured to determine the graphic attribute of the soft key display region based on a change variable for the execution screen of the application.

According to various embodiments, the change variable may include at least one of a movement direction, movement speed, movement time, or movement distance of the execution screen of the application based on the scroll operation.

According to various embodiments, the processor may be configured to identify brightness of the soft key display region, and control the display to change color of an icon corresponding to the soft key based on the brightness.

<FIG> is a flowchart for a display control of a soft key in an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In the following description, the electronic device may include all or some parts (e.g., the processor <NUM>) of the electronic device <NUM> of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, in operation <NUM>, the electronic device may display a soft key and an execution screen of an application. For example, the processor <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may determine whether the application is executed. For example, the processor <NUM> may determine whether to execute the application based on a user input provided via the input/output interface <NUM> or the display <NUM> (e.g., a touch screen). If the application is executed, the processor <NUM> may confirm a graphic attribute (e.g., color, transparency, brightness) of the execution screen of the application. The processor <NUM> may determine a graphic attribute of a soft key display region based on the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device may change the execution screen of the application. For example, the processor <NUM> may determine whether a scroll event occurs to change the execution screen of the application. If the scroll event occurs, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to change the execution screen of the application according to a scroll operation.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device may change the graphic attribute of the soft key display region based on the change in the execution screen of the application. For example, if the execution screen of the application is scrolled, the processor <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may control a transparency of the soft key display region so that the soft key display region is relatively transparent. For example, the soft key display region may be pre-defined, or may be determined based on a change variable (e.g., a movement direction, a movement speed, a movement time, a movement distance, etc.) for the execution screen of the application. Additionally or alternatively, if the scroll operation of the execution screen of the application is terminated, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> so that the transparency of the execution screen of the application is restored to a previous transparency used before the screen event occurs. In this case, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to match a graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application and the graphic attribute of the soft key display region.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating an execution screen of an application and a soft key in an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. <FIG> and <FIG> illustrate screen configurations for displaying an execution screen of an application and a soft key in an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The following description is about an operation of displaying the execution screen of the application and the soft key in operation <NUM> of <FIG>. In the following description, the electronic device may include all or some parts (e.g., the processor <NUM>) of the electronic device <NUM> of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, in operation <NUM>, the electronic device may determine whether to execute the application. For example, the processor <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may determine whether to execute the application based on a signal corresponding to a user input provided via the input/output interface <NUM> or the display <NUM>. For another example, the processor <NUM> may determine whether to execute the application based on a signal corresponding to a user input received via the communication interface <NUM>. If the application is not executed, the processor <NUM> may persistently determine whether to execute the application.

In operation <NUM>, if the application is executed, the electronic device may confirm a graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application. For example, the processor <NUM> may determine whether a size of the execution screen of the application is greater than or equal to a reference size. If the size of the execution screen of the application is greater than or equal to the reference size, the processor <NUM> may extract color of a region overlapping with a soft key display region in the execution screen of the application. If the size of the execution screen of the application is less than the reference size, the processor <NUM> may determine a detection region for extracting color from a region adjacent to the soft key display region in the execution screen of the application. The processor <NUM> may extract color of the detection region.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device may determine a graphic attribute of the soft key display region based on the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application. For example, the processor <NUM> may convert color extracted from the detection region or the soft key display region in the execution screen of the application into a red-green-blue (RGB) value or a hue saturation value (HSV) value. The processor <NUM> may determine representative color based on the converted RGB value or HSV value. For example, the processor <NUM> may determine average color, of which a sum of color differences of the converted RGB values or the HSV values is minimum, as the representative color. For example, the processor <NUM> may determine most frequent color, which is the most frequently extracted from among the converted RGB values or the HSV values, as the representative color.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device may display the execution screen of the application and the soft key based on the graphic attribute of the soft key display region. For example, as shown in <FIG>, if a size of an execution screen <NUM> of an application is greater than or equal to a reference size, the processor <NUM> may change a transparency of representative color to a pre-defined value (e.g., <NUM>%). The processor <NUM> may determine the representative color of which the transparency is changed as color of the soft key display region. The processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> such that the execution screen <NUM> of the application and a soft key display region <NUM> are displayed in an overlapping manner. For another example, as shown in <FIG>, if a size of an execution screen <NUM> of an application is less than a reference size, the processor <NUM> may determine representative color as color of a soft key display region <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> such that the execution screen <NUM> of the application and the soft key display region <NUM> are displayed in a separated manner.

According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> such that color of an icon corresponding to the soft key is changed based on brightness of the soft key display region. For example, the processor <NUM> may confirm the brightness of the soft key display region. If the brightness is included in a reference range (e.g., <NUM>% to <NUM>%), the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> such that a transparency of #ffffff (white) is changed to <NUM>% among color codes of the icon corresponding to the soft key. If the confirmed brightness value is not included in the reference range (e.g., <NUM>% to <NUM>%), the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> such that a transparency of #<NUM> (black) is changed to <NUM>% among color codes of the icon corresponding to the soft key.

<FIG> illustrates a flowchart for extracting color from one region of an execution screen of an application in an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. <FIG> and <FIG> illustrate configurations for extracting color from one region of an execution screen of an application according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The following description is about an operation of confirming a graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application in operation <NUM> of <FIG>. In the following description, the electronic device may include all or some parts (e.g., the processor <NUM>) of the electronic device <NUM> of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, in operation <NUM>, the electronic device may determine whether a size of an execution screen of an application is greater than or equal to a reference size. For example, the processor <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may determine whether the size of the execution screen of the application is greater than or equal to <NUM>:<NUM>.

In operation <NUM>, if the size of the execution screen of the application is greater than or equal to the reference size, the electronic device may extract color of a region overlapping with the soft key display region in the execution screen of the application. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the processor <NUM> may confirm the region overlapping with a soft key display region <NUM> of an execution screen <NUM> of the application. The processor <NUM> may extract color from at least one pixel among a plurality of pixels included in the region overlapping with the soft key display region <NUM> of the execution screen <NUM> of the application (see <NUM>).

In operation <NUM>, if the execution screen of the application is less than the reference size, the electronic device may determine a detection region in the execution screen of the application. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the processor <NUM> may determine a region having the same size as a soft key display region <NUM> as a detection region <NUM> in a region adjacent to the soft key display region <NUM> in the execution screen <NUM> of the application.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device may extract color of the detection region. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the processor <NUM> may extract color from at least one pixel among a plurality of pixels included in the detection region <NUM> (see <NUM>).

<FIG> illustrates a flowchart for controlling a transparency of a soft key display region in an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The following description is about an operation of changing the execution screen of the application in operation <NUM> of <FIG> and an operation of changing a graphic attribute of a soft key display region based on the change in the execution screen of the application in operation <NUM> of <FIG>. In the following description, the electronic device may include all or some parts (e.g., the processor <NUM>) of the electronic device <NUM> of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, in operation <NUM>, the electronic device may determine whether a scroll event occurs. For example, the processor <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may determine whether the scroll event occurs based on a signal corresponding to a user input provided via the input/output interface <NUM> or the display <NUM>. For another example, the processor <NUM> may determine whether the scroll event occurs based on a signal corresponding to a user input received via the communication interface <NUM>. If the scroll event does not occur, the processor <NUM> may repeat operation <NUM> for determining whether the scroll event occurs.

In operation <NUM>, if the screen event occurs, the electronic device may change a transparency of the soft key display region. For example, if the execution screen of the application is scrolled, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to display the soft key display region with a predefined transparency (e.g., <NUM>%). For another example, if the execution screen of the application is scrolled, the processor <NUM> may confirm a change variable (e.g., a movement direction, a movement speed, a movement time, a movement distance, etc.) for the execution screen of the application. The processor <NUM> may determine the transparency based on the change variable of the execution screen of the application. The processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to display the transparency of the soft key display region with the transparency determined based on the change variable. For example, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> such that the greater the value of the movement speed, movement time, or movement distance of the execution screen of the application, the more transparent the soft key display region to be displayed. For example, if the movement direction of the execution screen of the application is a pre-defined direction, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> such that the greater the value of the movement speed, movement time, or movement distance of the execution screen of the application, the more transparent the soft key display region to be displayed.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device may determine whether the scroll operation of the execution screen of the application is terminated. For example, the processor <NUM> may determine whether the scroll operation of the execution screen of the application is terminated based on a signal corresponding to a user input provided via the display <NUM>. If the scroll operation of the execution screen of the application is not terminated, the processor <NUM> may repeat operation <NUM> in which the transparency of the soft key display region is changed.

In operation <NUM>, if the scroll operation of the execution screen of the application is terminated, the electronic device may restore the transparency of the soft key display region. For example, if all scroll operations based on the generation of the scroll event are performed and thus the execution screen of the application is no longer scrolled, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> so that the transparency of the soft key display region is restored to a previous transparency used before the scroll event occurs.

Although it has been described above that the electronic device changes the transparency of the soft key display region if the scroll event occurs in operation <NUM>, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, if the scroll event occurs in operation <NUM>, the electronic device may selectively change the transparency of the soft key display region based on whether the execution screen of the application overlaps with the soft key display region. For example, if the execution screen of the application overlaps with the soft key display region, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to increase the transparency of the soft key display region based on the change variable of the execution screen of the application. For another example, if the execution screen of the application is separated from the soft key display region, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to maintain the transparency of the soft key display region. Additionally or alternatively, if the execution screen of the application is separated from the soft key display region, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> such that the transparency of the soft key display region becomes high based on the change variable of the execution screen of the application. In this case, the processor <NUM> may extend a size of the execution screen of the application such that the execution screen of the application and the soft key display region are displayed in an overlapping manner.

<FIG> illustrates a flowchart for changing a transparency of a soft key display region in an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

<FIG> illustrate screen configurations for changing a transparency of a soft key display region in an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The following description is about an operation of changing the transparency of the soft key display region in operation <NUM> of <FIG>. In the following description, the electronic device may include all or some parts (e.g., the processor <NUM>) of the electronic device <NUM> of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, in operation <NUM>, the electronic device may confirm a change variable for the execution screen of the application. For example, as shown in <FIG>, in a state where an execution screen <NUM> of the application is being displayed by overlapping with a soft key display region <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>, the processor <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may confirm the change variable of an execution screen <NUM> of the application which is scrolled according to a first scroll input <NUM>. Herein, the change variable may include at least one of a movement direction, movement speed, movement time, or movement distance of the application to be scrolled.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device may determine a transparency based on the change variable. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the processor <NUM> may determine the transparency based on at least one of a movement direction, movement speed, movement time, or movement distance of the execution screen <NUM> of the application to be scrolled. For example, if the execution screen <NUM> of the application is scrolled, the processor <NUM> may determine a pre-set transparency (e.g., <NUM>%). For example, if the execution screen <NUM> of the application is switched to a pre-set direction (e.g., an upward direction, a downward direction, a left direction, a right direction) according to the scroll operation, the processor <NUM> may determine the transparency based on at least one of the movement speed, movement time, or movement distance of the execution screen <NUM> of the application. In this case, the processor <NUM> may determine a transparency such that the greater the value of the movement speed, movement time, and movement distance of the execution screen <NUM> of the application, the higher the value thereof. For example, after the transparency is determined based on at least one of the movement speed, movement time, or movement distance of the execution screen <NUM> of the application, the processor <NUM> may apply a weight based on the movement direction of the execution screen of the application to the transparency.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device may change the transparency of the soft key display region. For example, as shown in <FIG>, if the execution screen <NUM> of the application is scrolled by a first distance in an upward direction according to a first scroll input <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to display a soft key display region <NUM> with a transparency determined based on the first distance. For another example, as shown in <FIG>, if the execution screen <NUM> of the application is scrolled by a second distance in an upward direction according to a second scroll input <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to display a soft key display region <NUM> with a transparency determined based on the second distance. For another example, as shown in <FIG>, if an execution screen <NUM> of the application is scrolled by a first distance in a downward direction according to a third scroll input <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to display a soft key display region <NUM> with a transparency corresponding to the first distance. For another example, as shown in <FIG>, if an execution screen <NUM> of the application is scrolled by a first distance in a downward direction according to a fourth screen input <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> such that a transparency of a soft key display region <NUM> is not changed. Herein, the movement distance may be acquired based on a scroll input before a screen operation is performed on the execution screen of the application.

<FIG> illustrates a flowchart for controlling a graphic attribute of a soft key display region in an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The following description is about an operation of restoring a transparency of a soft key display region in operation <NUM> of <FIG>. In the following description, the electronic device may include all or some parts (e.g., the processor <NUM>) of the electronic device <NUM> of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, in operation <NUM>, the electronic device may restore the transparency of the soft key display region. For example, when the scroll operation is terminated, the processor <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to restore the transparency of the soft key display region changed according to the occurrence of the scroll event to a previous transparency used before the scroll event occurs.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device may confirm the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application in response to the restoration of the transparency of the soft key display region. For example, if the execution screen of the application and the soft key display region are displayed in an overlapping manner, the processor <NUM> may extract color from at least one pixel among a plurality of pixels included in the region overlapping with the soft key display region in the execution screen of the application. For another example, if the execution screen of the application and the soft key display region are displayed in a separated manner, the processor <NUM> may determine a region having the same size as the soft key display region as a detection region in a region adjacent to the soft key display region in the execution screen of the application. The processor <NUM> may extract color from at least one pixel among a plurality of pixels included in the detection region.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device may determine whether there is a change in the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application. For example, the processor <NUM> may determine whether color extracted from at least one pixel among the plurality of pixels included in the region overlapping with the soft key display region in the execution screen of the application is different from color extracted before the generation of the scroll event. For another example, the processor <NUM> may determine whether the color extracted from at least one pixel among the plurality of pixels included in the detection region is different from the color extracted before the generation of the scroll event.

In operation <NUM>, if the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application is changed, the electronic device may determine the graphic attribute of the soft key display region based on the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application. For example, the processor <NUM> may determine representative color based on the color extracted from the at least one pixel among the plurality of pixels included in the region overlapping with the soft key display region in the execution screen of the application. The processor <NUM> may determine the determined representative color as the color of the soft key display region. For another example, the processor <NUM> may determine the representative color based on the color extracted from the at least one pixel among the plurality of pixels included in the detection region. The processor <NUM> may determine the determined representative color as the color of the soft key display region.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device may change the graphic attribute of the soft key display region. For example, if the execution screen of the application and the soft key are displayed in a separated manner, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to display the soft key display region in the representative color. For another example, if the execution screen of the application and the soft key are displayed in an overlapping manner, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to display the soft key display region in the representative color of which a transparency is changed, after changing the transparency of the representative color to a pre-defined value (e.g., <NUM>%).

In operation <NUM>, if there is no change in the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application, the electronic device may maintain the graphic attribute of the soft key display region. For example, if the color extracted from the at least one pixel among the plurality of pixels included in the region overlapping with the soft key display region in the execution screen of the application is the same as the color extracted from the generation of the screen event, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to maintain the color of the soft key display region. For another example, if the color extracted from the at least one pixel among the plurality of pixels included in the detection region is the same as the color extracted before the generation of the scroll event, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to maintain the color of the soft key display region.

<FIG> illustrates a flowchart for a display control of a soft key in an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. <FIG> illustrate screen configurations in which a soft key is displayed in an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In the following description, the electronic device may include all or some parts (e.g., the processor <NUM>) of the electronic device <NUM> of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, in operation <NUM>, the electronic device may display an execution screen of an application and a soft key. For example, as shown in <FIG>, if the application is executed, the processor <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may confirm a graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application. The processor <NUM> may determine a graphic attribute of the soft key display region based on the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application. The processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to display the execution screen of the application and the soft key based on the graphic attribute of the soft key display region. For example, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> such that the execution screen of the application and the soft key are displayed in an overlapping manner or in a separated manner based on a size of the execution screen of the application.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device may determine whether the execution screen of the application is switched. For example, the processor <NUM> may determine whether the screen event occurs based on a signal corresponding to a user input provided via the input/output interface <NUM> or the display <NUM>. If the scroll event occurs, the processor <NUM> may determine that the execution screen of the application is switched. For another example, the processor <NUM> may determine whether the scroll event occurs based on the signal corresponding to the user input received via the communication interface <NUM>. If the scroll event occurs, the processor <NUM> may determine that the execution screen of the application is switched.

In operation <NUM>, if the execution screen of the application is not switched, the electronic device may confirm the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application. For example, as shown in operation <NUM> of <FIG>, if the scroll operation of the execution screen of the application with a size greater than or equal to a reference size is terminated, the processor <NUM> may extract color from at least one pixel among a plurality of pixels included in a region overlapping with the soft key display region in the execution screen of the application. For another example, as shown in operations <NUM> and <NUM> of <FIG>, if the scroll operation of the execution screen of the application with a size less than the reference size is terminated, the processor <NUM> may determine a detection region in a region adjacent to the soft key display region in the execution screen of the application. The processor <NUM> may extract the color from the at least one pixel among the plurality of pixels included in the detection region.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device may determine the graphic attribute of the soft key display region based on the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application. For example, the processor <NUM> may change the extracted color into an RGB value or an HSV value. The processor <NUM> may determine any one of average color of which a sum of color differences of the converted RGB values or the HSV values is minimum and most frequent color which is the most frequently occurring color among the changed RGB values or the HSV values as representative color. The processor <NUM> may determine the determined representative color as the color of the soft key display region.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device may change the graphic attribute of the soft key display region. For example, as shown in <FIG>, if an execution screen <NUM> of an application and a soft key display region <NUM> are displayed in a separated manner, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to display the soft key display region <NUM> in the representative color. For another example, as shown in <FIG>, if an execution screen <NUM> of an application and a soft key display region <NUM> are displayed in an overlapping manner, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to display the soft key display region <NUM> in the representative color of which a transparency is changed, after changing the transparency of the representative color to a pre-defined value (e.g., <NUM>%).

In operation <NUM>, if the execution screen of the application is switched, the electronic device may maintain the graphic attribute of the soft key display region. For example, if a scroll operation is performed on the execution screen of the application, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to display the soft key display region by maintaining color thereof.

<FIG> illustrates a flowchart for a display control of a soft key in an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

<FIG> illustrate screen configurations for a display control of a soft key in an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In the following description, the electronic device may include all or some parts (e.g., the processor <NUM>) of the electronic device <NUM> of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, in operation <NUM>, the electronic device may display an execution screen of an application and a soft key. For example, as shown in <FIG>, if the application is executed, the processor <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may determine a graphic attribute of the soft key display region based on a graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application. The processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to display the execution screen of the application and the soft key based on the graphic attribute of the soft key display region. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> such that an execution screen <NUM> of an application and a soft key display region <NUM> are displayed in an overlapping manner. For example, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> such that the execution screen of the application and the soft key display region are displayed in a separated manner.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device may determine whether an event for hiding a soft key occurs. For example, as shown in <FIG>, in a state where an execution screen <NUM> of an application and a soft key display region <NUM> are displayed in an overlapping manner, the processor <NUM> may detect an input <NUM> for hiding the soft key display region. Upon detection of the input <NUM> for hiding the soft key display region, the processor <NUM> may determine that the event for hiding the soft key occurs.

In operation <NUM>, if the event for hiding the soft key occurs, the electronic device may hide the soft key. For example, if the event for hiding the soft key occurs, as shown in <FIG>, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to display only an execution screen <NUM> of an application. For example, if function keys <NUM> are located in a region overlapping with the soft key display region in the execution screen <NUM> of the application, the processor <NUM> may activate the function keys <NUM> when the soft key display region is hidden. For example, if a user input for the function keys <NUM> is detected via the input/output interface <NUM> or the display <NUM> in a state where the soft key display region is hidden, the processor <NUM> may execute a function mapped to a function key corresponding to the user input. Herein, if the function keys <NUM> are hidden by the soft key display region, an inactivation state may be maintained.

According to an embodiment, if the soft key display region is hidden, the processor <NUM> may display a menu bar including a function key corresponding to an attribute of an application at a position where the soft key display region is previously displayed. For example, if the soft key display region is hidden, the processor <NUM> may confirm an attribute (e.g., a function) of an application currently being displayed on the display <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may generate a menu bar including a function key corresponding to the attribute of the application currently being displayed on the display <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may display the generated menu bar at the position where the soft key display region is previously displayed.

In operation <NUM>, whether the event for displaying the soft key occurs may be determined. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the processor <NUM> may detect a user input <NUM> for displaying the soft key via the input/output interface <NUM> or the display <NUM> in a state where an execution screen <NUM> of an application is displayed. If the input <NUM> for displaying the soft key is detected, the processor <NUM> may determine that the event for displaying the soft key occurs. For another example, as shown in <FIG>, the processor <NUM> may receive the user input <NUM> for displaying the soft key via the communication interface <NUM> in the state where the execution screen <NUM> of the application is displayed. If the input <NUM> for displaying the soft key is received, the processor <NUM> may determine that the event for displaying the soft key occurs. If the event for displaying the soft key does not occur, the processor <NUM> may persistently confirm whether the event for displaying the soft key occurs.

In operation <NUM>, if the event for displaying the soft key occurs, the electronic device may display the soft key. For example, if the input for displaying the soft key is detected via the input/output interface <NUM> or the display <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>, the processor <NUM> may display a soft key display region <NUM> together with the execution screen <NUM> of the application. For another example, if the input for displaying the soft key is received via the communication interface <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>, the processor <NUM> may display the soft key display region <NUM> together with the execution screen <NUM> of the application.

<FIG> illustrates a flowchart for displaying a menu bar including a function key corresponding to an attribute of an application in an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

<FIG> illustrate screen configurations for displaying a menu bar including a function key corresponding to an attribute of an application in an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

<FIG> illustrate screen configurations for utilizing a soft key display region in an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The following description is about an operation of hiding the soft key in operation <NUM> of <FIG>. In the following description, the electronic device may include all or some parts (e.g., the processor <NUM>) of the electronic device <NUM> of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, in operation <NUM>, the electronic device may hide a soft key display region. For example, as shown in <FIG>, in a state where an execution screen <NUM> of an application and a soft key display region <NUM> are display in a separated manner, the processor <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may detect an input <NUM> for hiding the soft key display region via the display <NUM>. If the input <NUM> for hiding the soft key display region is detected, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to hide the soft key display region.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device may confirm an attribute of an application currently being displayed on a screen. For example, the processor <NUM> may confirm a function (e.g., messages, web search, games, music, movie, etc.) performed by the application currently being displayed on the display <NUM>.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device may generate a menu bar including a function key corresponding to an attribute of an application currently being displayed on a screen. For example, as shown in <FIG>, if the application currently being displayed on the display <NUM> performs a message function, the processor <NUM> may generate a menu bar <NUM> including various function keys (e.g., a selection key, a paste key, a copy key, an undo key, etc.) related to a message writing function.

In operation <NUM>, the electronic device may display the menu bar at a position where the soft key display region is previously displayed. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> such that the menu bar <NUM> including a function key corresponding to an attribute of an application currently being displayed is displayed by being separated from an execution screen <NUM> of the application.

According to an embodiment, if a user input for the function key included in the menu bar is detected, the electronic device may perform a function of the function key corresponding to the user input. For example, as shown in <FIG>, if a touch input <NUM> for a paste key is detected from the menu bar <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> such that data stored in the memory <NUM> is displayed on an execution screen <NUM> of an application according to a clipboard input. If a user input <NUM> for an undo key of a menu bar <NUM> is detected via the display <NUM> in a state where the execution screen <NUM> of an application is displayed, as shown in <FIG>, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to display the execution screen <NUM> of the application in which added data is deleted.

According to an embodiment, if a soft key indication event occurs in a state where the menu bar is being displayed, the electronic device may hide the displayed menu bar. For example, the processor <NUM> may detect the event for displaying the soft key based on a signal output via the display <NUM> in a state where the execution screen of the application and the menu bar are being displayed. If the event for displaying the soft key is detected, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to display the soft key display region at a position where the menu bar is previously displayed, after hiding the menu bar.

Although it is described above that, if the soft key display region is hidden, the electronic device displays the menu bar including the function key corresponding to the attribute of the application at the position where the soft key display region is previously displayed, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, if the soft key display region is hidden, the electronic device may display one part of content provided by the application at the position where the soft key display region is previously displayed. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the processor <NUM> may detect an input <NUM> for hiding a soft key display region <NUM> in a state where the electronic device <NUM> is displaying an image <NUM> and a subtitle <NUM> via the display <NUM>. In response to the input <NUM> for hiding the soft key display region <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> to display an image <NUM> and a subtitle <NUM> at a position <NUM> where the soft key display region is previously displayed after hiding the soft key display region. If an input <NUM> for displaying the soft key display region is detected in a state where the subtitle <NUM> is displayed at the position where the soft key display region is displayed, as shown in <FIG>, the processor <NUM> may display an image <NUM> and a soft key display region <NUM> together. In this case, the processor <NUM> may control the display <NUM> such that a subtitle <NUM> previously displayed at the position of the soft key display region <NUM> is displayed at a position where the soft key display region <NUM> is displayed before being hidden.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a method of operating an electronic device may include displaying an execution screen of an application and a soft key, determining whether the execution screen of the application is changed, and changing a graphic attribute of a soft key display region in response to changing the execution screen of the application.

According to various embodiments, the displaying of the execution screen of the application and the soft key may include identifying the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application, determining a graphic attribute of the soft key display region based on the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application, and displaying the execution screen of the application and the soft key based on the graphic attribute of the soft key.

According to various embodiments, the determining of the graphic attribute of the soft key display region may include determining whether the execution screen of the application overlaps with the soft key display region, determining a region for detecting the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application based on whether the execution screen of the application overlaps with the soft key display region, and detecting the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application from the determined region.

According to various embodiments, the determining of whether the execution screen of the application is changed may include determining that the execution screen of the application is changed if a scroll event occurs.

According to various embodiments, the changing of the graphic attribute of the soft key display region may include determining whether a scroll operation for the execution screen of the application is terminated, and restoring the graphic attribute of the soft key display region if the scroll operation for the execution screen of the application is terminated.

According to various embodiments, the changing of the graphic attribute of the soft key display region may include determining whether the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application is changed when the graphic attribute of the soft key display region is restored, changing the graphic attribute of the soft key display region based on the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application if the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application is changed, and maintaining the graphic attribute of the soft key display region if the graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application is not changed.

According to various embodiments, the changing of the graphic attribute of the soft key display region may include determining the graphic attribute of the soft key display region based on a change variable for the execution screen of the application.

According to various embodiments, the method may further include identifying brightness of the soft key display region, and changing color of an icon corresponding to the soft key based on the brightness.

An electronic device and an operating method thereof according to various embodiments can efficiently utilize a touch screen by changing a graphic attribute of a soft key based on an execution screen of an application displayed on the touch screen of the electronic device.

The term "module" as used herein may, for example, mean a unit including one of hardware, software, and firmware or a combination of two or more of them. The "module" may be interchangeably used with, for example, the term "unit", "logic", "logical block", "component", or "circuit". The "module" may be a minimum unit of an integrated component element or a part thereof. The "module" may be a minimum unit for performing one or more functions or a part thereof. The "module" may be mechanically or electronically implemented. For example, the "module" according to the present disclosure may include at least one of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip, a field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or a programmable-logic device for performing operations which has been known or are to be developed hereinafter.

According to various embodiments, at least some of the devices (for example, modules or functions thereof) or the method (for example, operations) according to the present disclosure may be implemented by a command stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium in a programming module form. The instruction, when executed by a processor (e.g., the processor <NUM>), may cause the one or more processors to execute the function corresponding to the instruction. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, the memory <NUM>.

The programming module according to the present disclosure may include one or more of the aforementioned components or may further include other additional components, or some of the aforementioned components may be omitted. Operations executed by a module, a programming module, or other component elements according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may be executed sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or in a heuristic manner. Further, some operations may be executed according to another order or may be omitted, or other operations may be added.

Claim 1:
An electronic device comprising:
a display (<NUM>); and
at least one processor (<NUM>) configured to:
control the display to display an execution screen (<NUM>) of an application and a soft key display region (<NUM>); and
in response to a scroll operation for the execution screen of the application during the display of the soft key display region, wherein the execution screen of the application and the soft key display region overlap:
control the display to change a transparency graphic attribute of the soft key display region; and
in response to a termination of the scroll operation during the display of the soft key display region, wherein the execution screen of the application and the soft key display region either overlap or are adjacent:
restore the transparency graphic attribute of the soft key display region;
determine whether a colour graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application is changed after the scroll operation;
if the colour graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application is changed, control the display to change a colour graphic attribute of the soft key display region based on the colour graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application;
if the colour graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application is not changed, control the display to maintain the colour graphic attribute of the soft key display region;
wherein the colour graphic attribute of the execution screen of the application comprises a colour extracted from at least one pixel of a region of the execution screen of the application overlapping the soft key display region or a region adjacent to the soft key display region.