DETERMINING A PREFERRED SCREEN ORIENTATION BASED ON KNOWN HAND POSITIONS

• US 20130154947A1
• Filed: 12/14/2011
• Published: 06/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Abrams, Zachary W., Woods, Eric, Besterman, Paula, Ross, Pamela S.
• Application Number:
  US13/325,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20130154947A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer

Abstract

Determining a display orientation on a screen of a portable device includes detecting a current hand position of a user on a touch sensitive surface that is applied to an entire body of the portable device; comparing the current hand position to pre-stored hand position templates that are each associated with a preferred display orientation; determining a matching hand position template; configuring the display orientation of the screen to match the preferred display orientation associated with the matching hand position template; learning hand position patterns of the user by monitoring whether the user changes the display orientation of the screen within a predetermined amount of time after the configuring of the display orientation; and modifying the preferred display orientation associated with the matching hand position template based on the learned hand position patterns of the user.

Claims

1. A method for determining a display orientation on a screen of a portable device, comprising:

detecting by a software component executing on a processor of the portable device, a current hand position of a user on a touch sensitive surface of the portable device, wherein the touch sensitive surface is applied to an entire body of the portable device;

comparing, by the software component, the current hand position to a plurality of pre-stored hand position templates, each of the hand position templates being associated with a preferred display orientation;

determining, by the software component, a matching hand position template based on which one of the hand position templates most closely matches the current hand position;

configuring, by the software component, the display orientation of the screen to match the preferred display orientation associated with the matching hand position template;

learning, by the software component, hand position patterns of the user by monitoring whether the user changes the display orientation of the screen within a predetermined amount of time after the configuring of the display orientation; and

modifying, by the software component, the preferred display orientation associated with the matching hand position template based on the learned hand position patterns of the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the touch sensitive surface to the entire body of the portable device further comprises, applying the touch sensitive surface to all sides of the body not covered by the touch screen.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising implementing the touch sensitive surface using at least one of heat sensitive sensors, capacitance multi-touch sensors, and pressure sensors.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the hand position templates as finger and palm contact points of common grips on the portable device along with the preferred display orientation for that grip.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising storing the finger and palm contact points as an image.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising storing the finger and palm contact points as coordinate data.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising storing the hand position templates in the portable device.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising storing the hand position templates remote from the portable device and performing the comparison of the current hand position to the hand position templates remote from the portable device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising incorporating acceptable ranges of finger and palm contact points when matching the current hand position with the hand position templates to identify the current hand position.

10. An executable software product stored on a computer-readable medium containing program instructions for determining a display orientation on a screen of a portable device, the program instructions for:

detecting by a software component executing on a processor of the portable device, a current hand position of a user on a touch sensitive surface of the portable device, wherein the touch sensitive surface is applied to an entire body of the portable device;

comparing, by the software component, the current hand position to a plurality of pre-stored hand position templates, each of the hand position templates being associated with a preferred display orientation;

determining, by the software component, a matching hand position template based on which one of the hand position templates most closely matches the current hand position;

configuring, by the software component, the display orientation of the screen to match the preferred display orientation associated with the matching hand position template;

learning, by the software component, hand position patterns of the user by monitoring whether the user changes the display orientation of the screen within a predetermined amount of time after the configuring of the display orientation; and

modifying, by the software component, the preferred display orientation associated with the matching hand position template based on the learned hand position patterns of the user.

11. The executable software product of claim 10, wherein the touch sensitive surface is applied to all sides of the body not covered by the touch screen.

12. The executable software product of claim 10, further comprising instructions for implementing the touch sensitive surface using at least one of heat sensitive sensors, capacitance multi-touch sensors, and pressure sensors.

13. The executable software product of claim 10, further comprising instructions for storing the hand position templates as finger and palm contact points of common grips on the portable device along with the preferred display orientation for that grip.

14. The executable software product of claim 13, further comprising instructions for storing the finger and palm contact points as an image.

15. The executable software product of claim 13, further comprising instructions for storing the finger and palm contact points as coordinate data.

16. The executable software product of claim 13, further comprising instructions for storing the hand position templates in the portable device.

17. The executable software product of claim 13, wherein the hand position templates are stored remote from the portable device and the comparison of the current hand position to the hand position templates is performed remote from the portable device.

18. The executable software product of claim 10, further comprising instructions for incorporating acceptable ranges of finger and palm contact points when matching the current hand position with the hand position templates to identify the current hand position.

19. A portable device, comprising:

a memory;

a display screen;

a processor coupled to the memory; and

a software component executed by the processor that is configured to;

detect by a software component executing on a processor of the portable device, a current hand position of a user on a touch sensitive surface of the portable device, wherein the touch sensitive surface is applied to an entire body of the portable device;

compare, by a software component executed by a processor, the current hand position to a plurality of pre-stored hand position templates, each of the hand position templates being associated with a preferred display orientation;

determine a matching hand position template based on which one of the hand position templates most closely matches the current hand position;

configure a display orientation of the screen to match the preferred display orientation associated with the matching hand position template;

learn hand position patterns of the user by monitoring whether the user changes the display orientation of the screen within a predetermined amount of time after the configuring of the display orientation; and

modify the preferred display orientation associated with the matching hand position template based on the learned hand position patterns of the user.

20. The portable device of claim 19, wherein the touch sensitive surface is applied to all sides of the body not covered by the touch screen.

21. The portable device of claim 19, wherein the touch sensitive surface is implemented using at least one of heat sensitive sensors, capacitance multi-touch sensors, and pressure sensors.

22. The portable device of claim 19, wherein the hand position templates are stored as finger and palm contact points of common grips on the portable device along with the preferred display orientation for that grip.

23. The portable device of claim 22, wherein the finger and palm contact points are stored as coordinate data.

24. The portable device of claim 22, wherein the hand position templates are stored remote from the portable device and the comparison of the current hand position to the hand position templates is performed remote from the portable device.

25. The portable device of claim 19, wherein acceptable ranges of finger and palm contact points are incorporated when the current hand position is matched with the hand position templates to identify the current hand position.