Self-orienting display

Abstract

A self-orienting display senses the characteristics of an object and automatically rote CS 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 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . 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 from a first orientation to a second orientation 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; 
 automatically reorient the display image portion from a first viewing perspective to the second viewing perspective, wherein automatically reorienting the display image portion from the first viewing perspective to the second viewing perspective includes reformatting the display image portion to conform to an image space of the display device based on the second viewing perspective; and 
 render the display image portion on the display device as it is reoriented. 
   
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein reorienting the display image portion comprises rotating the display image portion. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein the display image portion is rotated about an axis that is perpendicular with respect to a plane of the display image. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the reorientation of the object comprises activation, by the object, of a button on the display device. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the button is a second display image portion of the display image comprising a display representation of a functional control. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the object comprises a portion of a body of a viewer of the display device and wherein reorientation of the object comprises repositioning of the object with respect to the display image. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the sensor portion comprises one or more of an optical sensor, a mechanical sensor, a gravity sensor, a gyroscopic sensor, an electromagnetic sensor, an acoustic sensor, and a touch sensitive sensor. 
     
     
         28 . 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 on the display device;   sensing a first orientation of an object, with respect to the display device;   sensing a reorientation of the object from the first orientation, wherein sensing a reorientation of the object from the first orientation is accomplished via at least one sensor coupled to the display device; and   responsive to sensing the reorientation of the object, automatically reorienting the display image portion from the first viewing perspective to a second viewing perspective, wherein reorienting the display image portion from the first viewing perspective to the second viewing perspective includes reformatting the display image portion to conform to an image space of the display device based on the second viewing perspective, and 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.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein reorienting the display image portion comprises rotating the display image portion. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the display image portion is rotated about an axis that is perpendicular with respect to a plane of the display image. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the reorientation of the object comprises activation, by the object, of a button on the display device. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the button is a second display image portion of the display image comprising a display representation of a functional control. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the object comprises a portion of a body of a viewer of the display device and wherein reorientation of the object comprises repositioning of the object with respect to the display image. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the at least one sensor is one or more of an optical sensor, a mechanical sensor, a gravity sensor, a gyroscopic sensor, an electromagnetic sensor, an acoustic sensor, and a touch sensitive sensor. 
     
     
         35 . A computer readable tangible storage media encoding computer executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method to reorient 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 on the display device;   sensing a first orientation of an object other than the display device;   sensing a reorientation of the object from the first orientation, wherein sensing a reorientation of the object from the first orientation is accomplished via at least one sensor coupled to the display device; and   responsive to sensing the reorientation of the object, automatically reorienting the display image portion from the first viewing perspective to a second viewing perspective, wherein reorienting the display image portion from the first viewing perspective to the second viewing perspective includes reformatting the display image portion to conform to an image space of the display device based on the second viewing perspective, and 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.   
     
     
         36 . The computer readable tangible storage media of  claim 35 , wherein reorienting the display image portion comprises rotating the display image portion. 
     
     
         37 . The computer readable tangible storage media of  claim 36 , wherein the display image portion is rotated about an axis that is perpendicular with respect to a plane of the display image. 
     
     
         38 . The computer readable tangible storage media of  claim 37 , wherein the reorientation of the object comprises activation, by the object, of a button on the display device. 
     
     
         39 . The computer readable tangible storage media of  claim 38 , wherein the button is a second display image portion of the display image comprising a display representation of a functional control. 
     
     
         40 . The computer readable tangible storage media of  claim 35 , wherein the object comprises a portion of a body of a viewer of the display device and wherein reorientation of the object comprises repositioning of the object with respect to the display image portion.