Dynamic Cursor Guidance for Content Emphasis Targets

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing technologies fail to effectively induce user interest and attention to specific parts of content, such as advertisements, during content viewing, leading to reduced engagement and viewing time.

Innovation Solution

A viewing device and method that utilizes a cursor to indicate direction to emphasis targets within content, changing its form based on proximity to hidden link elements and automatically scrolling content to bring emphasis targets into view, while making certain elements visible or invisible based on cursor interaction.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the content is displayed in a conventional manner without special indicators, then the display screen shows the content clearly, but the user's attention is not effectively directed to specific important parts such as advertisements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser attention directionVSAvoidemphasis target visibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the cursor form to different shapes (such as hand-shaped, arrow-shaped, or circular cursors) to indicate directions to emphasis targets. This visual transformation of the cursor acts as a dynamic indicator that draws user attention to specific content areas without altering the content itself, effectively resolving the contradiction between maintaining clear content display and directing user attention.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #32Color changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a cursor as an intermediary element between the user and the content. The cursor serves as a mediator that carries directional information and guides user attention to emphasis targets without directly modifying the content structure or requiring changes to the display screen layout, thus maintaining content clarity while improving attention direction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If the cursor form is changed to indicate direction to emphasis targets, then user attention is directed to specific content parts, but the cursor functionality becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent guidanceVSAvoidcursor form management
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic cursor form changes based on the user's position relative to emphasis targets. The cursor automatically transforms into different shapes (hand-shaped when approaching, arrow-shaped when near, circular when at the target) based on real-time position detection. This dynamic behavior simplifies the system by using automatic form selection rather than requiring complex manual management of multiple cursor types, thus resolving the contradiction between providing effective guidance and maintaining simplicity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Measurement precision

If multiple cursor forms are used to indicate different directions and positions, then guidance precision is improved, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveposition indication accuracyVSAvoidcursor form system
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses a limited set of three representative cursor forms (hand-shaped, arrow-shaped, and circular) that provide sufficient directional guidance information without requiring an excessive number of different cursor types. This partial action approach achieves effective position indication accuracy by using only the necessary number of distinct forms, avoiding the complexity that would arise from implementing too many different cursor variations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP2624112B1Viewing device, viewing method, non-transitory computer-readable recording medium whereon program is recorded, and script program
Publication Date: 2019.06.19 RAKUTEN GROUP INC
  • EP2624112B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP2624112B1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP2624112B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

A viewing device (200) is provided which is suitable for letting a user to notice and take an interest in a piece of content or an emphasis target within the content. A display (201) displays, on a screen, a piece of content and a cursor moved based on an operation given by a user. An identifier (202) identifies a position where a portion of the content and set as an emphasis target is displayed on the screen. A changer (203) changes a cursor form in accordance with a direction from a position where the cursor is displayed to the identified position.