Browser Touch Input Disambiguation via Enlarged Overlay View

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Solution Overview

Problem

On touchscreen devices with smaller display screens, users face difficulties in selecting interactive elements due to their small size and the obscuration by the user's finger or stylus, leading to incorrect selections and increased processing overhead.

Innovation Solution

A method that automatically displays an enlarged view of the document region around the touch point when the user attempts to select an interactive element, allowing for precise identification and selection without interrupting the user's original input, using a second view that overlays or is adjacent to the initial view and updates based on touch movement.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Area of stationary object

If the document is displayed at its original size, then the display area is maximized, but the interactive elements become too small to be easily selected and may be obscured by the user's finger

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisplay areaVSAvoidease of selecting interactive elements
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a second view that overlays the first view, creating a multi-layered display structure. This allows the document to be displayed at its original size in the first view while simultaneously providing an enlarged view of the region around the touch point in the second view, effectively adding a dimensional layer to resolve the contradiction between maximizing display area and improving ease of selection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The second view is implemented as an overlay that nests within the first view, with the enlarged region displayed in a popup or overlay manner. This nesting approach allows the enlarged view to be contained within the overall display area without completely replacing the original document view, thus maintaining both the original display area and the enhanced selection capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Ease of operation

If an enlarged view is displayed to help users select interactive elements, then the ease of operation is improved, but additional processing overhead and resource consumption occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of selecting interactive elementsVSAvoidprocessing overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by detecting the touch point and automatically displaying the enlarged region in the second view before the user completes their selection. This preliminary display of the enlarged view allows users to confirm their intended selection without requiring additional input actions, thereby improving ease of operation while minimizing processing overhead by using the existing touch input.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses the user's own touch input to automatically trigger and position the enlarged view in the second view. The touch point detected in the first view automatically becomes the center of the enlarged region, allowing the system to serve itself by using the user's input for both selection and view enhancement purposes, thus improving ease of operation without requiring additional processing for separate view management.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Measurement precision

If the user moves their finger to adjust the selection on a touchscreen, then the selection accuracy may improve, but the original touch point changes and may lead to incorrect selections

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveselection accuracyVSAvoidreliability of intended selection
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system provides visual feedback by displaying the enlarged region in the second view that shows the user exactly which interactive element will be selected based on their current finger position. This feedback loop allows users to see the relationship between their touch position and the resulting selection, enabling them to adjust their finger position with confidence to achieve the intended selection, thus improving both selection accuracy and reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP2755124B1Enhanced display of interactive elements in a browser
Publication Date: 2019.03.13 BLACKBERRY LTD
  • EP2755124B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2755124B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3A
  • EP2755124B1 patent drawingFigure 3B~3C

AI summary

A method, system and electronic device are provided for processing touch inputs on a touchscreen display. A starting touch input is detected on a document displayed at an initial scale on the touchscreen. If the starting touch input is within a disambiguation region for a number of interactive elements in the document, while contact is maintained on the display a further view of the document at an enlarged scale is displayed showing the area of the touch input. When an ending touch input is detected, one interactive element may be selected according to the location of the ending touch input, and an interaction function, such as requesting a resource hyperlinked by the selected interactive element, is automatically initiated.