Coffee Machine Touch Interface for Symbol Gesture Commands
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional coffee machines complicate the activation of secondary functions, making it difficult for users to recall and execute these functions, especially after a prolonged period of non-use due to the need for simultaneous key presses or prolonged key holds.
Innovation Solution
A coffee machine with a touch-sensitive and swipe gesture-sensitive user interface that allows command input through symbols defined by sequences of points, enabling intuitive activation of all functions, including secondary functions like descaling, by comparing user inputs with an archive of symbols in the machine's memory.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If secondary functions are activated by simultaneously pressing multiple keys or holding keys for extended periods, then the user interface remains simple in structure, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in recalling and executing complex activation sequences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-defining symbolic gestures (sequences of points) that represent secondary functions. Instead of requiring users to recall complex key combinations, the system prepares a library of symbolic gestures in advance, allowing users to simply reproduce the visual symbol on the touch-sensitive surface. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining interface simplicity while dramatically improving operational ease for secondary functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by representing secondary function commands as visual symbols that users copy by tracing their shape on the touch-sensitive surface. The symbol archive stores reference patterns, and users create copies of these patterns through finger movements. This approach eliminates the need to remember complex activation sequences while keeping the interface structure simple, directly resolving the identified contradiction.
2Ease of manufacture
If a conventional keypad is used for primary functions, then the interface is simple to manufacture and understand, but it becomes cumbersome for activating secondary functions after prolonged non-use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dimensionality change by transitioning from discrete key presses (0D/1D interaction) to continuous two-dimensional finger movements on a touch-sensitive surface. Users trace symbolic paths across the surface, adding a spatial dimension to input. This allows secondary functions to be activated by reproducing visual symbols rather than recalling sequences, reducing time loss while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through integration with existing display technologies.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical keypad system with a touch-sensitive surface that can detect and interpret symbolic gestures. This substitution eliminates the need for physical key combinations, allowing users to activate secondary functions by tracing symbolic patterns. The system reduces time loss by providing visual cues that guide users through the activation process, while the touch-sensitive technology is now standard in modern devices, maintaining ease of manufacture.
Data Source
AI summary
The coffee machine comprises an electronic controller connected to a user interface, which, in turn, comprises an input unit that receives the input commands from a user, the input unit having a surface that is touch-sensitive and/or sensitive to swipe gestures with a finger, the input unit also being configured for the acquisition of commands in the form of symbols defined by sequences of points (n1, n2, . . . ni) of the sensitive surface that can be selected by touching and/or swiping the sensitive surface with a finger, the controller having a comparator configured to identify an acquired symbol by comparing it with an archive of symbols present in a memory of the machine and to activate the machine function command corresponding to the identified symbol.