Desktop Card Stacking for Multi-App Display Regions

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for adding application cards on terminal devices are cumbersome and limit each card to displaying information from a single application, affecting user experience and layout efficiency.

Innovation Solution

A method allowing users to add application cards by dragging icons or cards onto existing cards, enabling multiple cards to share a display region without occupying additional space, and allowing for user-controlled switching and sequencing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a card is added for each application, then each application can be accessed independently, but the desktop layout becomes cluttered and space is wasted

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveApplication access convenienceVSAvoidDesktop space
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple application cards into a single display region by allowing cards to be stacked and accessed through sequential operations. When a user drags a new card onto an existing card, the new card is placed on top of the stack, enabling multiple applications to share the same desktop space while maintaining individual accessibility through stack-based navigation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a vertical stacking dimension to the traditional horizontal desktop layout. Instead of placing cards side-by-side in two-dimensional space, cards are arranged in a vertical stack, adding a third dimension (z-axis) to the desktop organization. This allows multiple cards to coexist in the same planar region while maintaining distinct identities through their stack position.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Area of stationary object

If multiple cards are placed in the same display region, then desktop space is saved, but the layout complexity and user control difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveDesktop space utilizationVSAvoidCard management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic card stacking where the display order and accessibility of cards change based on user interactions. When a new card is added to the stack, it automatically positions itself in the correct sequence. The stack dynamically adjusts to user operations such as dragging, dropping, and hovering, providing adaptive behavior that simplifies complex card management while maintaining efficient space utilization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Manufacturing precision

If traditional card addition through system settings is used, then card placement is controlled, but the operation process becomes cumbersome and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveCard placement precisionVSAvoidCard addition time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enables self-service card addition by allowing users to directly drag and drop cards onto the desktop or onto existing cards. The system automatically handles the card creation, positioning, and stacking operations without requiring users to navigate through system settings menus. This direct manipulation approach maintains precise card placement control while dramatically reducing the time and steps required to add cards.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent prepares the desktop environment in advance by creating a card display region and establishing stacking rules before the user needs to add cards. The system pre-configures the acceptance criteria for card addition (such as hovering for specified duration) so that when users drag cards, the placement process is already optimized and requires minimal additional steps.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4386531B1Card display method and terminal device
Publication Date: 2025.12.24 HONOR DEVICE CO LTD
  • EP4386531B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP4386531B1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP4386531B1 patent drawingFigure 1C

AI summary

This application relates to the field of electronic technologies, and in particular, to a card display method and a terminal device. In the card display method in this application, after a user adds a card of a first application to a desktop of an electronic device, the card of the first application is displayed on the desktop of the electronic device, and the user may drag an icon or a card of another application to a display region corresponding to the card of the first application and hover for specified duration, to add the card of the another application. If the electronic device detects that the user drags the icon or the card of the another application to the display region and hovers for time longer than a period of time, the electronic device adds the card of the another application to the display region. In the foregoing method, after adding a card of an application, the user only needs to drag an icon or a card of another application to a card display region corresponding to the application, to add the another application as a card, thereby eliminating a series of operations performed through system settings each time a card is added, and improving user experience.