Combined Navigation Objects for Small Display Recognition
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Solution Overview
Problem
The miniaturization of hand-held devices leads to display sizes that are significantly smaller than the content designed for them, causing web pages to require horizontal and vertical scrolling, which makes image maps on these devices unrecognizable and difficult to navigate, as they are scaled down beyond recognition, leading to user discomfort and complex navigation requirements.
Innovation Solution
Combining at least two navigation objects into a single, identifiable and selectable combined navigation object, which can be presented in a scaled format and switched to an unscaled format upon selection, allowing improved recognition and navigation by maintaining the properties of the original objects and providing additional icons for user interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If web pages are scaled down to fit the display width/height of hand-held devices, then horizontal and vertical scrolling is avoided, but image maps become unrecognizable and navigation becomes impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the image map into individual clickable regions, each represented by a distinct graphical icon. This segmentation allows each region to be independently identifiable and selectable on the small display, solving the problem of unrecognizable scaled-down image maps while maintaining navigation functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses different graphical icons with distinct visual characteristics to represent different image map regions. These icons maintain their recognizability even when scaled down, allowing users to easily identify and select regions without the need for traditional scaled-down image maps.
2Area of stationary object
If image maps are scaled down to fit hand-held device displays, then the display area is fully utilized, but the image regions become too small to be identifiable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple image map regions into a single compact graphical representation that maintains the functionality of multiple regions while occupying minimal display space. This combining approach allows full display area utilization while keeping individual regions identifiable through their graphical icon representations.
3Loss of information
If web pages are displayed in original size on hand-held devices, then image maps remain recognizable, but horizontal and vertical scrolling with scroll bars becomes necessary and uncomfortable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the navigational functionality from the traditional scaled-down image map and implements it through a separate set of graphical icons that represent image map regions. This extraction allows the main web page content to be displayed at optimal size while providing an alternative navigation mechanism that is both recognizable and comfortable for small displays.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method, a device, a computer program product, a browser and a network element for improved portrayal of navigation objects (1-1 . . . 1-6), wherein at least two navigation objects (1-1 . . . 1-6) are combined into one combined navigation object (4), wherein said combined navigation object (4) is presented, and wherein said at least two navigation objects (1-1 . . . 1-6) are presented, if said combined navigation object (4) is selected.