Self-orienting display

Abstract

A self-orienting display senses the characteristics of an object and automatically rotates and reformats a display image in accordance with those characteristics. In one embodiment, the object is the display device, such as a hand held device, that provides the display image. As the display device is rotated, the display image is automatically oriented to either a landscape orientation or a portrait orientation. Characteristics may be sensed by mechanical sensors, electrical sensors, optical sensors, acoustic sensors, gyroscopic sensors, or a combination thereof. Sensors may be positioned on the display device, a person, or a combination thereof. The display images may include graphic display images, textual display images, videos display images, and functional control buttons (e.g., functional displayed representations of control buttons such as play, rewind, stop, scroll). The self-orienting display may also include an authenticator that authenticates a user.

1 . A method of reorienting a display image portion of a display image rendered by a display device, the method comprising:
 rendering a first viewing perspective of the display image portion;   sensing an object other than the display device;   sensing a reorientation of the object; and   responsive to sensing the reorientation of the object, reorienting the display image portion from the first viewing perspective to a second viewing perspective,   wherein the display image portion is rendered by the display device as it is reoriented from the first viewing perspective to the second viewing perspective.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein reorienting the display image portion comprises rotating the display image portion. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the display image portion is rotated about an axis that is parallel with respect to a plane of the display image. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the reorientation of the object comprises activation of a button on the display device. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the button is a second display image portion of the display image comprising a display representation of a functional control. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the object comprises a portion of a body of a viewer of the display device and reorientation of the object comprises repositioning of the object with respect to the display image. 
     
     
         7 . A system for reorienting a display image portion of a display image rendered by a display device, the system comprising:
 a sensor portion configured to sense a reorientation of an object other than the display device and provide a sensor signal indicative of the reorientation; and   a display processor configured to:
 receive the sensor signal; 
 determine a second viewing perspective for the display image portion based upon the sensor signal; 
 reorient the display image portion from a first viewing perspective to the second viewing perspective; and 
 render the display image portion on the display device as it is reoriented. 
   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein reorienting the display image portion comprises rotating the display image portion. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the display image portion is rotated about an axis that is parallel with respect to a plane of the display image. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the reorientation of the object comprises activation of a button on the display device. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the button is a second display image portion of the display image comprising a display representation of a functional control. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the object comprises a portion of a body of a viewer of the display device and reorientation of the object comprises repositioning of the object with respect to the display image. 
     
     
         13 . A computer readable storage medium having program code stored thereon that when executed by a processor causes a display device to reorient a display image portion of a display image rendered by the display device, the program code comprising:
 a sense object code segment that causes one or more sensors to sense a reorientation of an object other than the display device;   a determine orientation code segment that causes the processor to determine a second viewing perspective for the display image portion based upon the sensed reorientation; and   an orient code segment that causes the display device to reorient the display image portion from a first viewing perspective to the determined second viewing perspective,   wherein the display image portion is rendered by the display device as it is reoriented.   
     
     
         14 . The computer readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein reorienting the display image portion comprises rotating the display image portion. 
     
     
         15 . The computer readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the display image portion is rotated about an axis that is parallel with respect to a plane of the display image. 
     
     
         16 . The computer readable storage medium of  claim 15 , wherein the reorientation of the object comprises activation of a button on the display device. 
     
     
         17 . The computer readable storage medium of  claim 16 , wherein the button is a second display image portion of the display image comprising a display representation of a functional control. 
     
     
         18 . The computer readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein the object comprises a portion of a body of a viewer of the display device and reorientation of the object comprises repositioning of the object with respect to the display image.