Information processing apparatus having function of changing orientation of screen image

• US 20050062715A1
• Filed: 09/13/2004
• Published: 03/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsuji, Hiroyuki, Gushiken, Hajime
• Granted Patent: US 7,411,579 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/162 changing, e.g. reversing, the face orientation of the screen with a two degrees of freedom mechanism, e.g. for folding into tablet PC like position or orienting towards the direction opposite to the user to show to a second user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1671 Special purpose buttons or auxiliary keyboards, e.g. retractable mini keypads, keypads or buttons that remain accessible at closed laptop G06F1/1666 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0212 with a two degrees of freedom mechanism, i.e. folding around a first axis and rotating around a second axis perpendicular to the first
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/905 Display device with housing structure

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a housing with a top surface, a keyboard placed on the top surface of the housing, a display unit with a front surface and a rear surface, supported by the housing and rotated between a closed position in which the keyboard is covered and an open position in which the keyboard is exposed, a sensor which senses an angle formed between the front surface of the display unit and the top surface of the housing, and a display device provided in the display unit to display a screen image in one of a first orientation in which a bottom-end portion of the screen image is located toward the housing and a second orientation in which a top-end portion of the screen image is located toward the housing in accordance with the angle sensed by the sensor.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a housing with a top surface;

a keyboard placed on the top surface of the housing;

a display unit with a front surface and a rear surface, supported by the housing and rotated between a closed position in which the keyboard is covered and an open position in which the keyboard is exposed;

a sensor which senses an angle formed between the front surface of the display unit and the top surface of the housing; and

a display device provided in the display unit to display a screen image in one of a first orientation in which a bottom-end portion of the screen image is located toward the housing and a second orientation in which a top-end portion of the screen image is located toward the housing in accordance with the angle sensed by the sensor.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor includes a switch which senses whether the angle is greater than a specific angle.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display device displays the screen image in the first orientation when the angle sensed by the sensor is not greater than the specific angle and displays the screen image in the second orientation when the angle sensed by the sensor is greater than the specific angle.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is supported by the housing rotatably between the closed position and the open position around a central axis parallel to the top surface of the housing.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit has a top-end portion and a bottom-end portion supported by the housing, and the sensor is provided in the display unit to sense which of the top-end portion of the display is unit and the bottom-end portion thereof is located below relative to force of gravity.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is supported by the housing rotatably between the closed position and the open position around a central axis parallel to the top surface of the housing, and the apparatus further comprises:

a placement position sensor which senses whether display unit is located in a position where the rear surface of the display unit covers the top surface of the housing and the front surface of the display unit is exposed;

an orientation sensor which senses an orientation of the display unit relative to force of gravity; and

means for changing an orientation of the screen image displayed on the display device in accordance with the orientation of the display unit relative to the force of gravity sensed by the orientation sensor when the placement position sensor senses that the rear surface of the display unit covers the top surface of the housing and the front surface of the display unit is exposed.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a switch which issues an event signal to inhibit the orientation of the screen image from being changed.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the switch includes a push button switch.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the display unit has a top-end portion, a bottom-end portion supported by the housing, a right-end portion, and a left-end portion, and the orientation sensor outputs a sensing signal indicative of which of the top-end portion of the display unit and the bottom-end portion thereof is located below relative to force of gravity and a sensing signal indicative of which of the right-end portion of the display unit and the left-end portion thereof is located below relative to the force of gravity.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the apparatus further comprises a switch which issues an event signal to inhibit the orientation of the screen image from being changed, and an orientation of the screen image formed immediately before the event signal is issued is maintained during issuance of the event signal.

11. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a housing with a top surface;

a keyboard placed on the top surface of the housing;

a display unit with a rear surface and a front surface in which a display screen is exposed, the display unit being supported by the housing and set in one of a first style which allows the display unit to rotate between a closed position in which the keyboard is covered and a first open position in which the display screen and the keyboard are exposed and a second style in which the rear surface covers the keyboard and the display screen is exposed;

an angle sensor which senses an angle formed between the display screen and the top surface of the housing;

an orientation sensor which senses an orientation of the display unit relative to force of gravity;

a placement position sensor which senses which of the first style and the second style the display unit is set in;

means for varying an orientation of a screen image displayed on the display screen between an orientation in which a bottom-end portion of the screen image is located toward the housing and an orientation in which a top-end portion of the screen image is located toward the housing in accordance with the angle sensed by the angle sensor when the placement position sensor senses that the display unit is set in the first style, and for varying the orientation of the screen image to locate the top-end portion of the screen image in a position higher than the bottom-end portion thereof relative to the force of gravity in accordance with the orientation of the display unit sensed by the orientation sensor when the placement position sensor senses that the display unit is set in the second style.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the display unit is supported by the housing rotatably around a first central axis that is parallel to the top surface of the housing and a second central axis that is perpendicular to the first central axis.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a switch which issues an event signal to inhibit the screen image from varying in orientation when the display unit is set in the second style.