Portable Device Content Orientation Locking via Hover Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Portable electronic devices automatically rotate displayed content to match the device's orientation, which can be inconvenient for users performing tasks and may cause accidental changes in content positioning, leading to missed interactions, such as answering calls or sending messages, due to unintended device orientation changes.

Innovation Solution

The device detects user inputs, such as hover gestures over proximity-sensitive areas, to disassociate the content orientation from the device orientation during specific interactions, allowing the content to remain fixed in its original orientation until the user input is terminated, thereby preventing unwanted reorientation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the device automatically rotates displayed content to match device orientation, then the content orientation adapts to device orientation, but this causes accidental changes in content positioning during user interactions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent orientation adaptationVSAvoidcontent positioning stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection of user input gestures (such as hovering over proximity-sensitive areas) before the device orientation changes occur. By detecting the user's intent to interact with the display in advance, the system proactively prevents automatic content rotation during the interaction, thereby maintaining content positioning stability while preserving adaptability when no interaction is detected

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Ease of operation

If the device rotates content orientation to match display orientation, then content remains properly oriented, but user interactions may be missed due to unintended reorientation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent readabilityVSAvoidinteraction accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system introduces an intermediary detection mechanism (proximity-sensitive area detection) that acts as a mediator between the user and the content orientation system. When the user hovers over or interacts with proximity-sensitive areas, this intermediary detection triggers a state change that prevents automatic content rotation, thereby ensuring interaction accuracy while maintaining content readability through proper orientation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP2817700B1Portable device where the alignment of the displayed content with respect to the orientation of the display may be overruled by making a user input.
Publication Date: 2021.03.24 NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY
  • EP2817700B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP2817700B1 patent drawingFigure 4a~4c
  • EP2817700B1 patent drawingFigure 5a~5c

AI summary

An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: in response to user input, disassociate the linking of the orientation of content with respect to the orientation of a display of a portable electronic device to retain the particular orientation of the content with respect to the orientation of the display during the user input.