Fingerprint directed screen orientation

• US 10,229,658 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2015
• Issued: 03/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dow, Eli M., Fitzsimmons, Thomas D., Garrett, Tynan J., Metruck, Emily M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Samantha (Yuehan)
• Application Number:
  US14/841,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20160370907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,288 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1692 the I/O peripheral being a secondary touch screen used as control interface, e.g. virtual buttons or sliders
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/60 Rotation of whole images or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/242 by image rotation, e.g. by 90 degrees
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/13 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/121 using a cache memory
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/022 Centralised management of display operation, e.g. in a server instead of locally
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/38 with means for controlling the display position

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to directing orientation on a screen by determining an orientation of a user'"'"'s fingerprint. A user'"'"'s finger position may be determined when the user'"'"'s finger is a predetermined distance from or in contact with a touch-sensitive device. The user'"'"'s finger position may be compared with a finger position database. The finger position database may include known finger positions associated with a screen orientation. A match analysis may be performed to determine which known finger position most closely resembles the user'"'"'s finger position. A screen orientation associated with the known finger position most closely matching the user'"'"'s finger position may be selected. Once the screen orientation is selected, an image may be displayed on a screen corresponding with the selected screen orientation.

Claims

1. A method for displaying a screen orientation, the method comprising:

detecting, by a computer, an impression of a user'"'"'s finger in contact with a non-edge surface of a touch-sensitive device;

determining, by the computer, an orientation of the impression of the user'"'"'s finger;

comparing, by the computer, the orientation of the impression of the user'"'"'s finger with a finger impression orientation database, the finger impression orientation database comprising known finger impression orientations associated with a screen orientation display, wherein a match analysis is performed to determine which known finger impression orientation most closely resembles the orientation of the impression of the user'"'"'s finger in contact with the non-edge surface of the touch-sensitive device;

selecting, by the computer, the screen orientation display associated with the known finger impression orientation that most closely resembles the orientation of the impression of the user'"'"'s finger in contact with the non-edge surface of the touch-sensitive device; and

displaying an image on the touch-sensitive device corresponding with the selected screen orientation display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the orientation of the impression of the user'"'"'s finger comprises analyzing a shape of the impression of the user'"'"'s finger in contact with the non-edge surface of the touch-sensitive device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the orientation of the impression of the user'"'"'s finger comprises analyzing a pressure gradient of the impression of the user'"'"'s finger in contact with the non-edge surface of the touch-sensitive device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the orientation of the impression of the user'"'"'s finger comprises analyzing a captured fingerprint of the impression of the user'"'"'s finger based on common fingerprint patterns.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the orientation of the impression of the user'"'"'s finger comprises analyzing one or more captured colors of one or more areas of the impression of the user'"'"'s finger.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the orientation of the impression of the user'"'"'s finger comprises analyzing a captured temperature of one or more areas of the impression of the user'"'"'s finger.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the orientation of the impression of the user'"'"'s finger with a finger impression orientation database incorporates one or more historical orientations of the impressions of the user'"'"'s finger, one or more historical orientations of the impressions of one or more additional users, and motion sensor data associated with the touch-sensitive device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the orientation of the impression of the user'"'"'s finger further comprises:

detecting the orientation of the impression of the user'"'"'s finger in contact with, or within a pre-defined distance from, the non-edge surface of the touch-sensitive device.