Configurable Calculator with Custom Keysets and Session Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional calculators are limited in their versatility, often suited for specific purposes and unable to display intermediate results or allow users to logically branch calculations based on these results, necessitating multiple devices for different tasks.
Innovation Solution
A flexible graphical user interface that allows users to configure a virtual keypad and display area, enabling the creation of custom key functions, multiple calculation sessions, and data sharing between sessions, with a processor and memory system that includes user-defined keys and session management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional calculators are designed for specific purposes, then they can provide specialized functions for particular tasks, but they lack versatility and require multiple devices for different tasks
Solution Approach 1:
The calculator is designed with a configurable keyset system that allows a single device to perform multiple specialized functions. Users can select from predefined keysets (scientific, financial, programming, etc.) or create custom keysets, enabling one calculator to replace multiple purpose-specific devices while maintaining specialized capabilities for each domain
2Loss of information
If conventional calculators output only final results, then they simplify the interface, but users cannot view intermediate results or perform logical branching based on intermediate values
Solution Approach 1:
The calculation process is segmented into discrete steps that can be individually viewed and manipulated. The step-by-step mode displays each intermediate result separately, allowing users to examine intermediate values without overwhelming the interface. This segmentation enables logical branching where users can choose to proceed, modify, or store intermediate results independently
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional calculators use fixed key configurations, then they simplify manufacturing and user learning, but they cannot be customized for different problem types
Solution Approach 1:
The calculator employs dynamic key configurations where the keypad layout and functions are not fixed but can be changed based on user needs. Multiple predefined keysets are available for different calculation types, and users can create custom keysets by selecting and configuring individual keys. This dynamic reconfigurability allows the same hardware to adapt to various problem types without requiring physical changes or complex manufacturing variants
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates generally to a user-configurable calculator. Embodiments of the invention provide, among other things, a flexible graphical user interface (GUI) that allows a user to configure a virtual keypad area and/or a display area. Accordingly, a user can select calculator's keys (and corresponding functions) and/or a display type that is best suited for the problem he or she wishes to solve. A user may also create a new function and associate the new function with a virtual key. Embodiments of the invention also permit a user to define and manage multiple calculation sessions. In one embodiment, data can be shared between sessions.