APPARATUS AND METHOD PERTAINING TO DISPLAY ORIENTATION

• US 20130154950A1
• Filed: 12/15/2011
• Published: 06/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Kvasnica, David
• Granted Patent: US 9,990,119 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A control circuit detects a touch-based user interaction with a touch-responsive portion of a display and responsively alters a display modality of the display. This touch-responsive portion of the display may be visually non-specific as regards any corresponding touch-based functionality. This touch-responsive portion can comprise a touch-responsive periphery of the display. The touch-based user interaction can comprise a gesture that begins and/or concludes in the touch-responsive portion. The resultant alteration of the display modality can comprise rotating the display about a center point. This rotation can comprise, by one approach, switching from a landscape modality to a portrait modality or vice versa.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a display;

a touch-based user interface including a touch-responsive portion that is visually non-specific as regards any corresponding touch-based functionality;

a control circuit operably coupled to the display and the touch-based user interface and that is configured to alter a display orientation for the display as a function of a user interaction that includes the touch-responsive portion.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the touch-responsive portion comprises a touch-responsive periphery of the display.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the touch-responsive portion is substantially uniform in appearance.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the user interaction at least begins with the touch-responsive portion.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the user interaction at least concludes with the touch-responsive portion.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the user interaction both begins and concludes with the touch-responsive portion.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the user interaction further includes user interaction with a touch-responsive portion of the touch-based user interface that is visually specific as regards corresponding touch-based functionality.

8. A method comprising:

at a device;

detecting a touch-based user interaction with a touch-responsive portion of a display wherein the touch-responsive portion comprises a display frame;

in response to detecting the touch-based user interaction, altering a display modality of the display.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the touch-based user interaction consists of a touch-based user interaction that at least one of:

begins in the touch-responsive portion;

concludes in the touch-responsive portion.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein altering the display modality of the display comprises at least one of:

switching from a landscape modality to a portrait modality;

switching from a portrait modality to a landscape modality.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein altering the display modality of the display comprises rotating the display about a centerpoint.

12. A portable hand-held apparatus comprising:

a touch-screen display;

a control circuit configured to;

use a portion of the touch-screen display as a frame for a remaining central portion of the touch-screen display; and

to switch a display of information via the touch-screen display between landscape modalities and portrait modalities as a function, at least in part, of touch gestures that specifically include, at least in part, the frame.

13. The portable hand-held apparatus of claim 12 further comprising:

a housing that includes the touch-screen display and the control circuit, wherein the housing has a tablet-based form factor.

14. The portable hand-held apparatus of claim 12 wherein the touch gesture specifically includes beginning the touch gesture within the frame.

15. The portable hand-held apparatus of claim 14 wherein the touch gesture specifically includes concluding the touch gesture within the frame.