From Apple's patent filing: Some portable devices use one or more accelerometers to automatically adjust the orientation of the information on the screen. In t

From Apple's patent filing: Some portable devices use one or more accelerometers to automatically adjust the orientation of the information on the screen. In these devices, information is displayed on the display in a portrait view or a landscape view based on an analysis of data received from the one or more accelerometers. For these devices, the user may occasionally want to override the orientation displayed based on the accelerometer data. At present, such devices contain little, no, or confusing heuristics for ending the user override of the orientation displayed based on the accelerometer data. Accordingly, there is a need for portable multifunction devices with more transparent and intuitive portrait-landscape rotation heuristics. Such interfaces increase the effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction with portable multifunction devices. Sounds like Apple is fully admitting they were not the first to do this but their way of doing it is unique and better. It's more like they are patenting the user interface changing depending on orientation than the act of switching orientation itself?