Fragmented Scrolling Subportions for Document Focus

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing smartphone interfaces distract users with continuous scrolling, making it difficult to focus on content, as they often reveal excessive information at once, whereas there is a need for a simplified scrolling method that allows better focus on electronic documents.

Innovation Solution

The method involves fragmented scrolling, where the user accesses hidden portions of an electronic document in subportions smaller than the touch panel, allowing semi-continuous rendering and improved user focus by progressing through the document in predefined subportions rather than continuous sections.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If continuous scrolling is used to display electronic documents on smartphone interfaces, then information accessibility is improved, but user focus deteriorates due to excessive information being revealed at once

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation accessibilityVSAvoiduser focus
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies segmentation by dividing the electronic document into discrete subportions that are displayed one at a time during scrolling. Instead of continuously revealing information, the document is segmented into manageable chunks (subportions) that are presented in a controlled sequence, allowing users to focus on one segment before moving to the next. This is achieved through the scrolling control mechanism that retrieves and displays subportions sequentially based on scrolling input.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Productivity

If traditional scrolling displays large portions of the document at once, then scrolling speed is improved, but information control deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvescrolling speedVSAvoidinformation control
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamics by making the scrolling behavior adaptive and responsive to user input characteristics. The scrolling control dynamically adjusts the retrieval and display of subportions based on the scrolling input received, creating a flexible system that balances speed and control. The system dynamically determines which subportions to retrieve and display based on real-time user interaction, rather than following a fixed scrolling pattern.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Ease of operation

If fragmented scrolling displays subportions smaller than the touch panel, then user focus is improved, but scrolling efficiency deteriorates compared to continuous scrolling

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser focusVSAvoidscrolling efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-processing the electronic document into subportions before the scrolling operation begins. The document is divided into subportions in advance, and the scrolling control mechanism is pre-configured to retrieve and display these pre-segmented portions sequentially. This preliminary segmentation enables the efficient display of focused subportions without requiring complex real-time processing during scrolling, thus maintaining scrolling efficiency while improving user focus.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2746918B1Fragmented scrolling of a page
Publication Date: 2018.05.23 ORANGE SA
  • EP2746918B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2746918B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B
  • EP2746918B1 patent drawingFigure 2C~2D

AI summary

The present invention relates to a method method for displaying an electronic document comprising a first portion visible on a graphical user interface (GUI) rendered on a touch panel of an electronic device, and a second hidden portion accessible through a scrolling input received on said touch panel, the method comprising receiving a scrolling input on the touch panel from a user to access the second hidden portion, retrieving from the second hidden portion of the electronic document a subportion smaller than the touch panel in the scrolling direction, based on the received scrolling input, scrolling the electronic document to display the subportion in response to the scrolling input.