Dynamic Menu Image Switching for Clutter-Free Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing user interfaces for information processing apparatuses lack an efficient method to switch and manage multiple images on a screen, leading to clutter and user confusion when trying to navigate and select menu items.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus with menu image display, selection target image display, selected order storage, and image switching means that allows users to switch between images by specifying a direction on the screen, updating the selection order and redisplaying the menu image when necessary, along with symbol image display to differentiate and manage multiple menu items.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If multiple images are displayed simultaneously on the screen to provide more information, then the information completeness is improved, but the screen becomes cluttered and user confusion increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the display content into separate functional regions: a menu image display region showing multiple menu item images, and a selection target image display region showing one selected image at a time. This segmentation allows multiple images to coexist without clutter by giving each a dedicated spatial zone with clear functional distinction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a temporal dimension to image selection by implementing sequential display based on selection order. Instead of showing all images simultaneously in a cluttered manner, the system displays images in sequence according to their selection order, allowing users to navigate through multiple images over time rather than overwhelming them all at once.
2Device complexity
If a traditional tab interface is used to switch between multiple images, then the interface structure is simple, but the user cannot efficiently navigate and manage the selection order of multiple menu items
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic image switching based on selection order rather than static tab positioning. When users select menu items, the system dynamically updates the display sequence and allows navigation through images in the selected order, making the interface adaptable to user preferences rather than fixed in a predetermined arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent provides visual feedback by displaying representative images in the menu image display region that correspond to the current selection target image. This feedback mechanism helps users understand their current position in the selection sequence and facilitates efficient navigation through multiple menu items by showing which images have been selected and in what order.
3Quantity of substance
If all selected menu item images are displayed simultaneously, then the user can see all options, but the screen space is wasted and the main content area is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the menu item thumbnails and displays them in a dedicated menu image display region separate from the main selection target image display area. This extraction allows the menu items to be visible without encroaching on the main content space, as the menu region is specifically allocated for navigation purposes while the main area remains dedicated to displaying the selected image in full size.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an information processing apparatus including a novel user interface capable of switching a number of images for display on a screen. The information processing apparatus displays a menu image representing one or more menu item images on a screen, displays, when any one of the one or more menu item images is selected, a selection target image associated with the selected menu item image on the screen, stores a selected order of already-selected ones of the one or more menu item images, displays, when one direction along one side of the screen is specified, another selection target image, which is selected in accordance with the stored selected order and the one direction, and redisplays the menu image when an opposite direction to the one direction is specified in a state in which the selection target image associated with the menu image selected most recently is displayed.