Asynchronous UI Manipulation Handling for Responsive Rendering

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional user interface manipulation techniques often result in a poor user experience due to the single process handling multiple operations, leading to delayed positional responses and incomplete rendering of content, causing jerky or disconnected interactions.

Innovation Solution

Implementing asynchronous handling of user interface manipulations by separating processes for determining positions and rendering pixels, allowing for quick and consistent responses to user inputs, such as panning through content without displaying blank pages.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If a single process handles both position determination and content rendering, then device complexity is reduced, but response time increases and user experience deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocess structureVSAvoidresponse time
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the single process into two separate asynchronous processes: a first process dedicated to determining content positions in response to user interface manipulations, and a second process dedicated to rendering content at those positions. This segmentation allows each process to specialize and operate independently, improving response time without significantly increasing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The first process determines content positions in advance and provides this information to the second process before rendering is needed. This preliminary action allows the rendering process to prepare and execute faster, reducing the overall response time perceived by the user.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Device complexity

If a single process handles multiple operations, then device complexity is reduced, but rendering completeness worsens causing blank pages

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocess structureVSAvoidrendering completeness
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

By separating position determination and content rendering into distinct asynchronous processes, the patent ensures that each process can complete its specific task reliably. The first process focuses solely on calculating positions while the second process focuses solely on rendering, preventing the resource conflicts and timeouts that cause blank pages in single-process architectures.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The asynchronous nature of both processes ensures continuous operation without blocking. The first process continuously determines positions as user manipulations occur, while the second process continuously renders content based on received position information, eliminating the interruptions and delays that occur in synchronous single-process systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Device complexity

If position determination and rendering are performed in the same process, then device complexity is reduced, but interaction smoothness deteriorates causing jerky responses

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocess structureVSAvoidinteraction smoothness
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the processing pipeline into independent position determination and content rendering processes that run asynchronously. This allows position calculations to be performed continuously and smoothly in response to user manipulations, with rendering following independently, eliminating the jerky responses caused by sequential processing in a single thread.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The asynchronous process architecture introduces dynamic independence between position determination and rendering operations. Each process can adapt its execution rate and timing independently based on current system conditions and user input, creating smoother and more responsive interactions compared to the rigid sequential execution of a single process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP2715531B1Asynchronous handling of a user interface manipulation
Publication Date: 2020.09.09 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • EP2715531B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2715531B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2715531B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

This document describes techniques and apparatuses for asynchronous handling of a user interface manipulation. These techniques handle a user interface manipulation with two or more asynchronous processes. One asynchronous process, for example, may determine a position responsive to the user interface manipulation while another asynchronous process determines the pixels to render. By so doing, these techniques enable a quick and/or consistent response to a user interface manipulation.