Adjusting content display orientation on a screen based on user orientation

• US 10,324,526 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2017
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sullivan, Marc A., Pratt, James H., Stettler, Garrett L.
• Primary Examiner(s): McDowell, Jr., Maurice L.
• Application Number:
  US15/650,505
• Publication Number:
  US 20170315614A1
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/00 Geometric image transformations in the plane of the image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/60 Rotation of whole images or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/193 Preprocessing; Feature extraction
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0261 in the context of movement of objects on the screen or movement of the observer relative to the screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/028 by changing the viewing angle properties, e.g. widening the viewing angle, adapting the viewing angle to the view direction
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T

Abstract

A system for adjusting content display orientation on a screen is disclosed. The system may include a processor that may detect both eyes and a body part of a user that is proximal to one or more of the user'"'"'s eyes. The system may then determine an eye gaze plane based on the positions of the first and second eyes of the user. The eye gaze plane may be determined by identifying a first line of sight extending from the first eye and a second line of sight extending from the second eye. Additionally, the eye gaze plane may bisect a center of the first eye and a center of the second eye of the user. Once the eye gaze plane is determined, the system may adjust the orientation of content displayed on a display device based on the eye gaze plane and on the position of the body part.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory that stores instructions; and

a processor that executes the instructions to perform operations, the operations comprising;

adjusting a content display orientation associated with content displayed on a display device such that the content is aligned with an eye gaze plane of a user, and

wherein the content display orientation is based on the eye gaze plane and a position of a body part positioned proximally relative to a first eye of the user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining the eye gaze plane based on a position of the first eye and a position of a second eye of the user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining if a position of the user has changed by a threshold amount.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise readjusting, if the position of the user has changed by the threshold amount, the content display orientation such that the content is aligned with a new eye gaze plane of the user.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise maintaining the content display orientation if the position of the user has not changed by the threshold amount.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining a position of the first eye of the user.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining the position of the body part positioned proximally relative to the first eye of the user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise activating a screen timeout on the display device when a position of the first eye and a position of a second eye of the user are not detected.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise activating a program on the display device based on detection of the position of the body part.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise measuring a rate at which the user changes position.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise adjusting the content display orientation based on the rate at which the user changes position.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise adjusting an orientation for receiving a gesture from the user based on the content display orientation.

13. A method, comprising:

modifying, by utilizing instructions from a memory that are execute by a processor, a content display orientation associated with content displayed on a display device such that the content is aligned with an eye gaze plane of a user, and

wherein the content display orientation is based on the eye gaze plane and a position of a body part positioned proximally relative to a first eye of the user.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining a reference zone for adjusting the content display orientation.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising recording media content associated with the user.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining the position of the body part based on the media content.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining an amount of adjustment needed to align the content display orientation with the eye gaze plane.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising activating a program on the display device based on detection of the position of the body part.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising adjusting an orientation for receiving a gesture from the user in accordance with the content display orientation.

20. A computer-readable device comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

altering a content display orientation associated with content displayed on a device such that the content is aligned with an eye gaze plane of a user, and

wherein the content display orientation is based on the eye gaze plane and a position of a body part positioned proximally relative to a first eye of the user.