Android TV Icon Expansion for Instant Content Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

Consumers face difficulty in quickly accessing relevant content on audio video display devices like smart TVs due to the large number of viewing choices, with current search options being inefficient, especially for linear TV programming.

Innovation Solution

An Android TV application design featuring main icons for popular channels with sub-icons for live and related content, allowing instant access without navigating through multiple pages, using metadata, social trending information, or automatic content recommendation to filter content based on user preferences.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If traditional grid guides and search engines are used to help consumers find content, then content discovery is enabled, but consumers still spend excessive time (50% more than linear TV) locating relevant content

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetime to locate contentVSAvoidease of content discovery

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-organizes content by network affiliations and pre-loads sub-icons representing live and related content for each main network icon. When a consumer hovers over or selects a main icon, the relevant sub-icons are already prepared and immediately displayed, eliminating navigation delays and providing instant access to related content without requiring multiple page transitions or search operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The interface implements a nested hierarchy where main icons representing video networks contain or are associated with sub-icons representing live content and related content. This nested structure allows consumers to access multiple levels of content (network → live content → related content) through a compact, space-efficient layout that fits within the available display area while providing comprehensive content access.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple content sources and applications are provided on smart TVs, then content variety is increased, but the large number of viewing choices makes it difficult for consumers to quickly find relevant content

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent varietyVSAvoidease of content selection

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the large number of content sources by organizing them according to network affiliations (e.g., CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox). Each main icon represents a specific network, and sub-icons represent content from that network. This segmentation groups related content together, allowing consumers to quickly navigate to their preferred network and find relevant content without being overwhelmed by the total number of available options across all networks and applications.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The main icons serving as network identifiers also function as expandable containers that reveal sub-icons for live and related content. This multi-functionality allows the same interface element to serve both as a content source identifier and as a launcher for related content, reducing the number of interface elements needed while maintaining comprehensive content access.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Device complexity

If stacked or bracketed forms of content discovery are used to organize tiles, then content categorization is achieved, but the navigation becomes lengthy when the number of tiles is large

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent organization structureVSAvoidnavigation time

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system allows consumers to skip traditional multi-page navigation by directly accessing related content through the sub-icons displayed within or near main network icons. When a consumer selects a main icon, the system rushes through the intermediate navigation steps by immediately presenting the relevant sub-icons and allowing direct selection of related content, significantly reducing the time required to discover and access content.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #21Skipping (Rushing through)

Data Source

PatentUS10582264B2Display expansion from featured applications section of android TV or other mosaic tiled menu

Publication Date: 2020.03.03 SATURN LICENSING LLC

AI summary

For each network or type of content in an Android TV application, a main icon may be presented on a display, and when the screen cursor is positioned over a main icon, 3-5 sub-icons are presented under the main icon. Moving the screen cursor to another main icon causes the first sub-icons to disappear and new sub-icons relating to the new main icon to appear under the new main icon. Each sub-icon represents content associated with the main icon either using trending information, automatic content recommendation (ACR), time of day, etc. The user may select a sub-icon to show the related content. Thus, for each Android TV application, the most important, trending, live, or personal content is made available through the sub-icons such that a limited number of live content subsets is presented to choose from for that network at that moment.