Electronic Device Supplemental Content Generation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for generating supplemental content, such as note cards and quizzes from electronic books, are cumbersome and inefficient, wasting energy and increasing cognitive burden on users, particularly in battery-operated devices.

Innovation Solution

An electronic device with a touch-sensitive surface and graphical user interface that allows users to annotate author-specified terms, automatically generating supplemental content by displaying corresponding additional information in a distinct user interface, reducing the need for manual creation and conserving power.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If manual methods are used to create supplemental content like note cards and quizzes, then users have full control over content creation, but the process is cumbersome and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of creating supplemental contentVSAvoidtime to generate supplemental content

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically generates supplemental content (note cards, quizzes) from the primary document content without requiring manual user input. The device extracts key terms and generates corresponding study materials autonomously, allowing the content to serve itself rather than requiring user creation efforts

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system pre-processes the primary document content to identify key terms and prepares supplemental content in advance. By analyzing the document structure and extracting important terms beforehand, the system has supplemental materials ready when users need them, eliminating last-minute creation efforts

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If traditional supplemental content generation methods are used, then content can be created, but energy is wasted and battery life is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveefficiency of supplemental content generationVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs automatic content extraction and generation using the device's existing processing capabilities without requiring additional high-power operations. By leveraging already-active system resources for content analysis and generation, the process minimizes additional energy consumption while maintaining high productivity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Adaptability or versatility

If manual annotation and content creation processes are used, then users can customize content precisely, but cognitive burden increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecustomization of supplemental contentVSAvoidcognitive burden on user

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically analyzes the primary document, identifies key terms, and generates appropriate supplemental content without requiring users to manually annotate or create materials. This self-service approach maintains adaptability to the specific document content while eliminating the cognitive burden of manual content creation processes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS8543905B2Device, method, and graphical user interface for automatically generating supplemental content

Publication Date: 2013.09.24 APPLE INC

AI summary

An electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface displays a portion of a document in a primary user interface for the document. The portion of the document includes a respective author-specified term. The respective author-specified term is associated with corresponding additional information supplied by an author of the document, and the corresponding additional information is not concurrently displayed with the author-specified term in the portion of the document. The device also receives a request to annotate the respective author-specified term in the portion of the document; and in response to the request to annotate the respective author-specified term: annotates the respective author-specified term in the primary user interface; and generates instructions for displaying, in a supplemental user interface for the document distinct from the primary user interface, the respective author-specified term and at least a portion of the corresponding additional information for the respective author-specified term.