METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING DISPLAY DIRECTION OF CONTENT

• US 20160132130A1
• Filed: 10/30/2015
• Published: 05/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced New Technologies Company Limited (Ant Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Lu, Yaran
• Granted Patent: US 10,482,578 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/60 Rotation of whole images or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored

Abstract

One embodiment provides a system that facilitates control of the display direction of content on a device. During operation, the system receives, by a client computing device, a first command to lock a state of a display for the device. The system sets a current display state to a locked state. In response to receiving a second command to terminate the first command, the system sets the current display state to a state that is the display state prior to receiving the first command. The system detects a change in a position of the device. In response to determining that the current display state is an unlocked state, the system changes a display direction for content displayed on the device. In response to determining that the current display state is the locked state, the system refrains from changing the display direction for content displayed on the device.

Claims

1. A computer system for controlling display direction of content on a device, the computer system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor and storing instructions, which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising;

receiving, by a client computing device, a first command to lock a state of a display for the device;

setting a current display state to a locked state;

in response to receiving a second command to terminate the first command, setting the current display state to a state that is the display state prior to receiving the first command;

detecting a change in a position of the device;

in response to determining that the current display state is an unlocked state, changing a display direction for content displayed on the device; and

in response to determining that the current display state is the locked state, refraining from changing the display direction for content displayed on the device.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the first command comprises an object initiating contact with a touch screen or a physical key on the device.

3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the object initiating contact with the touch screen or the physical key on the device is one or more of:

one or more fingers of a user of the device; and

any object comprised of a material recognizable by the touch screen or the physical key.

4. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the first command comprises the object initiating contact with the touch screen or the physical key by maintaining contact with the touch screen or the physical key, and wherein the second command comprises the object terminating contact with the touch screen or the physical key.

5. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the first command comprises the object initiating contact with the touch screen or the physical key by tapping an area on the touch screen or the physical key.

6. The computer system of claim 5, further comprising:

in response to receiving the first command, starting a timer for a predetermined duration of time; and

in response to an expiration of the timer, receiving the second command to terminate the first command.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein the area on the touch screen comprises a locking indicator or an icon that indicates a locking function.

8. The computer system of claim 5, further comprising:

in response to refraining from changing the display direction upon detecting a change in the position of the device, receiving the second command to terminate the first command.

9. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the device has a length not equal to a width, and wherein a vertical position of the device corresponds to a shorter side placed parallel to the ground and a horizontal position of the device corresponds to a longer side placed parallel to the ground.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein detecting a change in the position of the device further comprises:

detecting a change from the horizontal position to the vertical position or from the vertical position to the horizontal position.

11. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the device has a length not equal to a width, wherein a vertical display direction for the content corresponds to content displayed from a top to a bottom of the device along a longer side with a shorter side placed parallel to the ground, and wherein a horizontal display direction for the content corresponds to content displayed from the top to the bottom of the device along the shorter side with the longer side placed parallel to the ground.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein changing a display direction for content displayed on the device further comprises:

changing the display direction from the horizontal display direction to the vertical display direction or from the vertical display direction to the horizontal display direction.

13. A computer-implemented method for controlling display direction of content on a device, the method comprising:

receiving, by a client computing device, a first command to lock a state of a display for the device;

setting a current display state to a locked state;

in response to receiving a second command to terminate the first command, setting the current display state to a state that is the display state prior to receiving the first command;

detecting a change in a position of the device;

in response to determining that the current display state is an unlocked state, changing a display direction for content displayed on the device; and

in response to determining that the current display state is the locked state, refraining from changing the display direction for content displayed on the device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first command comprises an object initiating contact with a touch screen or a physical key on the device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the object initiating contact with a touch screen or the physical key on the device is one or more of:

one or more fingers of a user of the device; and

any object comprised of a material recognizable by the touch screen or the physical key.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first command comprises the object initiating contact with the touch screen or the physical key by maintaining contact with the touch screen or the physical key, and wherein the second command comprises the object terminating contact with the touch screen or the physical key.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the first command comprises the object initiating contact with the touch screen or the physical key by tapping an area on the touch screen or the physical key.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

in response to receiving the first command, starting a timer for a predetermined duration of time; and

in response to an expiration of the timer, receiving the second command to terminate the first command.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the area on the touch screen comprises a locking indicator or an icon that indicates a locking function.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

in response to refraining from changing the display direction upon detecting a change in the position of the device, receiving the second command to terminate the first command.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the device has a length not equal to a width, and wherein a vertical position of the device corresponds to a shorter side placed parallel to the ground and a horizontal position of the device corresponds to a longer side placed parallel to the ground.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein detecting a change in the position of the device further comprises:

detecting a change from the horizontal position to the vertical position or from the vertical position to the horizontal position.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the device has a length not equal to a width, wherein a vertical display direction for the content corresponds to content displayed from a top to a bottom of the device along a longer side with a shorter side placed parallel to the ground, and wherein a horizontal display direction for the content corresponds to content displayed from the top to the bottom of the device along the shorter side with the longer side placed parallel to the ground.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein changing a display direction for content displayed on the device further comprises:

changing the display direction from the horizontal display direction to the vertical display direction or from the vertical display direction to the horizontal display direction.