Contextual Zoom Display Management for Data Resolution

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users face difficulties in viewing and understanding large data sets when zooming in or out, as they often lose resolution, making it hard to locate or interpret the data, leading to frustration and wasted time.

Innovation Solution

A system that monitors user interactions and adjusts the display by determining what data to show at each zoom level, allowing for summary views, reordering, or removing less valuable information, while maintaining resolution and format changes, such as converting text to graphical formats, to ensure understanding.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Area of stationary object

If users zoom out on a data set to see more data, then the viewing area increases, but the resolution of the data becomes too small to read or understand

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveviewing areaVSAvoiddata resolution

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The display is segmented into multiple regions: a first region showing summarized data at higher zoom levels and a second region showing detailed data at lower zoom levels. This allows the system to maintain resolution by dividing the display area into functional zones with different levels of detail.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transitions from a single-dimensional zoom approach to a multi-dimensional display strategy by incorporating both summarized and detailed views simultaneously in different spatial regions. This dimensional change allows users to access both overview and detail without sacrificing resolution in either view.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Measurement precision

If users zoom in on a data set to see detailed data, then the resolution improves, but the viewing area decreases and less data is visible

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata resolutionVSAvoidviewing area

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges multiple views (summarized and detailed) into a single display interface. Users can simultaneously see both the big picture and detailed information without switching between different display modes or losing context.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Loss of information

If the display shows all data at once, then complete data visibility is achieved, but the data becomes too small to read without zooming

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata visibilityVSAvoiddata readability

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the display have different qualities: the first region provides summarized information for overview, while the second region provides detailed information for close examination. This local differentiation ensures that each area serves its specific purpose effectively.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

4Measurement precision

If the display shows only detailed data, then resolution is maintained, but the amount of visible data decreases and overview capability is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata resolutionVSAvoiddata overview

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP3262497B1Contextual zoom

Publication Date: 2020.10.07 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

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AI summary

Disclosed herein is a system and method for allowing a user to zoom in and out on a large data set and maintain resolution and understanding on the data. The system monitors how the user uses the data and also detects the user's actions with respect to zooming on the data. Based on the user's interactions and the type of data the system determines for each zoom level what data to display to the user on the display and if the display needs to be modified to maintain usability of the data. In some scenarios a display management component may change the format of the data such that the user may better understand the data.