Adaptable Toolbar for Mobile Browsing

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional toolbars on mobile devices degrade user experience due to limited screen real-estate and require heavy modifications for carriers to control user experience, leading to difficulties in software updates and user frustration.

Innovation Solution

An adaptable toolbar that integrates with mobile applications, providing customizable functionality and extensions, allowing carriers to target users without modifying the operating system or application software, and dynamically managing user experience through configuration files.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If traditional toolbars are installed to extend browser functionality on mobile devices, then user functionality is enhanced, but screen real-estate is reduced and user experience degrades

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebrowser functionalityVSAvoidscreen real-estate

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The toolbar is designed to be dynamic rather than static, automatically appearing and disappearing based on user interaction with web content. It responds to contextual triggers such as detecting clickable elements, forms, or media content, transforming from a permanent obstruction into a situational assistance tool that maximizes screen real-estate while providing functionality when needed

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The toolbar acts as an intermediary layer between the user and the web content, providing extended functionality without requiring direct modification of the browser or operating system. It mediates between the user's needs for additional features and the limited screen space by offering context-specific tools only when relevant

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If carriers brand third party operating system or application software, then carrier control over user experience is achieved, but software update complexity increases and user frustration increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecarrier controlVSAvoidsoftware update process

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The solution segments carrier control functionality into a separate, standalone toolbar component rather than integrating it deeply into the operating system or application software. This allows carriers to control and distribute toolbar updates independently from core system updates, reducing complexity and enabling faster deployment of branded features

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The toolbar serves as an intermediary layer that enables carrier control without requiring modification of the underlying operating system or application software. Carriers can brand and control user experience through the toolbar while the core software remains unchanged, simplifying the update process and avoiding user frustration associated with system-wide modifications

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Adaptability or versatility

If more toolbars are installed to provide additional functionality, then user capabilities increase, but browsing area decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser functionalityVSAvoidbrowsing area

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The toolbar is designed as a universal, multi-functional component that consolidates various user capabilities into a single interface. Rather than requiring multiple separate toolbars for different functions, this single toolbar provides diverse functionalities including content interaction, communication, and information access, thereby maximizing browsing area while maintaining versatility

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The toolbar dynamically adapts its functionality and visibility based on the context of the web content being viewed. It appears only when relevant functions are needed and disappears when not required, effectively providing multiple capabilities without permanently occupying screen space and reducing browsing area

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS9329755B2Mobile device toolbar architecture

Publication Date: 2016.05.03 TIR TECHNOLOGIES LTD

AI summary

A toolbar is integrated within an application or provided as a standalone component that interfaces with an existing application. The toolbar detects events corresponding to the application and generates a toolbar display corresponding to the event. On loading of a particular webpage in a browser, the toolbar may generate a toolbar display comprising a set of functions to be made available to the user for that webpage. The toolbar may generate different displays for different webpages and different events such as a page load event or a tab change event. Additionally, when provided as a standalone component, the toolbar may generate different displays for different applications. User experience at the toolbar may be controlled through a remote server without extensive modification of the application.