Content Region Orientation Adjustment in Page Layouts
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
When handheld computing devices are rotated from portrait to landscape orientation, or vice versa, the layout of content regions often changes, leading to incomplete display of content and the need for scrolling, as the entire layout rotates and the aspect ratios of content regions adjust, causing content to be cut off or require horizontal/vertical scrolling.
Innovation Solution
The system maintains content regions in the same position relative to the display device's frame of reference, with content within these regions counter-rotating to maintain orientation, ensuring that the aspect ratio remains constant and content is always displayed right-side up, by determining and reversing the slot dimensions from one orientation to another.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the entire layout rotates when the device is rotated from portrait to landscape orientation, then the layout adapts to the new orientation, but the content regions change position and aspect ratio causing content to be cut off or require scrolling
Solution Approach 1:
The layout is segmented into a rotating frame (the page layout structure) and non-rotating content regions (the actual content containers). When the device orientation changes, only the frame rotates while the content regions maintain their orientation and position relative to the display, preventing content loss while still adapting to the new orientation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of rotating the content regions along with the layout frame, the patent inverts the approach by keeping content regions stationary while allowing the frame to rotate. This counter-intuitive approach ensures content remains visible and properly oriented even as the overall layout adapts to orientation changes.
2Productivity
If the aspect ratio of content regions changes to accommodate the new orientation, then the layout fills the display area, but content may no longer fit and scrolling is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic behavior where content regions adjust their rotation state based on device orientation. In portrait mode, content regions rotate with the layout; in landscape mode, they maintain their original orientation. This dynamic switching allows the layout to utilize the full display area while keeping content viewable without scrolling.
3Loss of information
If content regions maintain the same position relative to the display device frame of reference, then content remains visible without scrolling, but the layout cannot fully adapt to the new orientation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the rotation transformation from the content regions and applies it only to the layout frame. By separating the rotation operation from the content regions themselves, the layout can adapt to orientation changes while content regions remain stable and visible without requiring scrolling.
Data Source
AI summary
When a device is rotated from a portrait orientation to landscape orientation, or vice versa, the display device rotates the content items within distinct respective content regions of a page template (“slots”) that each appear to stay in their same position with respect to a frame of reference of the display device. While the content regions stay in their same positions, the content within each content region counter-rotates in place to offset the rotation of the display device. Thus, the content within the content regions maintains an orientation with respect to a constant (non-rotating) frame of reference, regardless of the orientation or rotation of the display device. In one embodiment, a slot's position, height, and width in a template in a second orientation are determined from the slot's position, height, and width in the template in a first orientation.