3D Visual Orientation for Audio Page Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional audio devices fail to support key reading operations like skimming, browsing, and navigation of cognitively dense materials, particularly in mobile contexts, due to lack of visual orientation and navigation cues, leading to difficulties in finding and re-starting bookmarked locations.
Innovation Solution
Systems and methods provide a dynamic display of page-oriented information assets using both audio and visual output modes, with 3-dimension-like rendering for visual orientation and direct navigation controls, allowing users to select and navigate through elements like chapters, sections, and paragraphs, and optionally using speech input for navigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional audio devices are used for reading, then portability and ease of use are improved, but navigation and orientation capabilities deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines audio output with visual display elements and spatial context indicators into a single reading device. The system merges the advantages of audio portability with visual navigation cues, creating an integrated device that provides both audio book playback and graphical orientation indicators showing chapter progress and section hierarchy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a visual dimension to the traditional audio-only experience by introducing spatial context indicators and graphical representations of document structure. These visual elements provide orientation information in a new dimensional space, allowing users to see their location within the material while maintaining audio playback.
2Device complexity
If conventional audio devices provide audio output only, then device complexity is reduced, but information orientation and context display deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments information display into distinct visual components: spatial context indicators showing hierarchical structure, graphical representations of current location, and navigational cues. This segmentation allows complex context information to be presented in organized, manageable visual elements that supplement audio output without overwhelming the user.
3Ease of operation
If users rely on audio-only navigation controls, then ease of operation is improved, but navigation precision and orientation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements visual feedback mechanisms that provide continuous orientation information to users. Spatial context indicators and graphical displays show users their precise location within the material hierarchy, providing immediate feedback about navigation state and enabling more precise control over reading progress.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques provide for the dynamic display of a page-oriented information asset using an audio output mode. Pluralities of elements in the page-oriented information asset are determined based on chapters, sections, paragraphs, sentences, words and the like. The elements are rendered to an audio output mode. Optionally selectable representations of the elements are also determined and output using a 3-dimension-like rendering to a visual output mode. The 3-dimension-like rendering of the visual representations of the elements shows how the current element relates to the other elements and its location within the page-oriented information asset. The 3-dimension-like rendering provides visual orientation or context within the page-oriented information asset. The visual representations of the elements are optionally selectable as spatial context indicators providing direct navigation control to support reading, browsing and information retrieval tasks within the page-oriented information asset. Speech input is also optionally recognized as a direct navigation control.