Calendar GUI Coordinated Search Interface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing calendar graphical user interfaces (GUIs) often provide limited views and incomplete search functionality, requiring users to know specific event dates or times to locate events, which is inefficient for managing large numbers of calendar entries.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a coordinated search result presentation within the calendar GUI, where search results are dynamically emphasized on the calendar surface, allowing users to interactively update both the calendar surface and search result portions, using graphical emphasis and de-emphasis effects to highlight relevant events and hide irrelevant ones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If calendar GUI provides limited views due to screen constraints, then device complexity is reduced, but information completeness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a new dimension by adding a search result portion that exists alongside the calendar surface portion, allowing search results to be displayed without replacing or compressing the calendar view. This dimensional addition enables comprehensive information display while maintaining the constrained calendar GUI layout.
Solution Approach 2:
The calendar GUI is segmented into distinct functional portions: the calendar surface portion for displaying the calendar view and the search result portion for displaying search results. This segmentation allows each portion to independently fulfill its information display function without compromising the other, resolving the contradiction between limited view and information completeness.
2Device complexity
If calendar GUI uses basic search functionality, then device complexity is reduced, but search effectiveness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by dynamically updating the calendar surface portion based on search results and vice versa. When users interact with search results, the calendar view updates to reflect selected events, and when users interact with the calendar view, the search result portion updates accordingly. This bidirectional feedback loop enhances search effectiveness by providing real-time contextual information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs graphical emphasis effects including color changes to highlight relevant events in the calendar surface portion that correspond to search results. This visual differentiation helps users quickly identify and locate relevant events among many calendar entries, significantly improving event location efficiency without requiring complex search algorithms.
3Loss of information
If calendar GUI displays all events, then information completeness is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies graphical emphasis effects such as color changes, highlighting, and opacity adjustments to differentiate search-relevant events from other calendar events. This visual encoding allows all events to remain visible while making relevant events immediately distinguishable, thereby maintaining information completeness while dramatically improving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the interface receive different visual treatments based on their relevance to the search query. Events that match search criteria receive emphasis effects in both the search result portion and the calendar surface portion, while non-matching events display normally. This local differentiation maintains overall information visibility while making relevant information easily operable.
4Productivity
If calendar GUI provides interactive search results, then information retrieval is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the search result display with the calendar view by integrating the search result portion and calendar surface portion into a single coordinated interface. Both portions are updated together based on user interactions, and graphical emphasis effects are applied consistently across both portions. This merging approach improves information retrieval efficiency while managing interface complexity through unified coordination rather than separate independent systems.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and devices for presenting coordinated event search results in a user interface for a calendar are disclosed. In an example, operations include: generating a calendar surface user interface, to display at least one event in a calendar view; receiving a search query for a search of the calendar; generating a search result user interface, to display events from a result of the search query; and updating the calendar surface based on the search result, with the display of the events in the calendar surface being updated based on a match with the search query. As various examples, based on the search results or the search query: the search result portion may indicate that a corresponding event is displayed within the calendar surface portion; graphical emphasis effects may be applied to search results or events; or graphical de-emphasis effects may be applied to search results or events.