Graphical Scroll Wheel for Touchscreen Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing touch sensor devices face challenges in providing intuitive and efficient scrolling mechanisms, often requiring significant user attention and dexterity, and are prone to accidental actuation, which limits usability and occupies valuable screen space.
Innovation Solution
A touch screen interface that includes a touch sensor device and a processor to dynamically display a graphical scroll wheel on the screen in response to specific gestures, allowing users to scroll intuitively along a path indicated by the wheel, thereby reducing accidental scrolling and optimizing screen space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional scroll wheel is implemented on a touch sensor device, then scrolling can be performed in continuous motion, but the device occupies significant surface area and can be accidentally actuated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of a physical scroll wheel as a graphical user interface element on the touch sensor device. This graphical scroll wheel replicates the scrolling functionality of a physical wheel without requiring actual physical space, allowing users to interact with it through touch gestures while freeing up device surface area for other purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions the scroll wheel from a two-dimensional physical object occupying device surface area to a virtual representation within the graphical user interface layer. By moving the scroll wheel into the digital display dimension rather than physical device dimension, the solution eliminates surface area occupation while maintaining scrolling functionality.
2Ease of operation
If a jog dial is implemented at a set location on a touch screen, then scrolling can be performed with pen motion, but the set location makes input awkward and the dial takes up space on the graphical UI
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic graphical scroll wheel that can be positioned anywhere on the touch screen within the sensing region, rather than being fixed at a specific location. This dynamic positioning allows the scroll wheel to adapt to different user preferences and screen layouts, improving ease of operation while not permanently occupying specific graphical UI space.
Solution Approach 2:
The graphical scroll wheel serves multiple functions: it can be positioned dynamically across the screen, works with various input objects (fingers, styli), and can be integrated with different types of content and interfaces. This multi-functionality allows it to replace various specialized controls while maintaining versatile scrolling capability.
3Ease of operation
If scrollbars are implemented for navigating documents, then scrolling can be performed, but they require significant user attention and dexterity and can be accidentally actuated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional scrollbar interfaces with a graphical scroll wheel that can be manipulated through more natural touch gestures. The scroll wheel provides visual feedback through its rotation animation and allows users to scroll through documents with simpler circular motions rather than the precise clicking and dragging required by traditional scrollbars, reducing the attention and dexterity needed.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables intuitive scrolling with reduced accidental activations and frees up screen space by using a graphical scroll wheel that appears and disappears as needed, enhancing user experience and interface versatility.
Implementation Method 1
A touch sensor device is adapted to sense object motion in a sensing region that overlaps at least part of the display screen
Implementation Method 2
capacitive, resistive, inductive, optical, acoustic, or other technology to determine the presence, proximity, location and/or motion of one or more fingers
Implementation Method 3
capacitive, resistive, inductive, optical, acoustic, or other technology to determine the presence, proximity, location and/or motion of one or more fingers
Data Source
AI summary
A touch screen interface including a display screen, a touch sensor device, and a processor coupled to the display screen and the touch sensor is described. The touch sensor device is adapted to sense object motion in a sensing region that overlaps at least part of the display screen. The processor is adapted to cause a scroll wheel that indicates a scrolling path to appear on the display screen selectively, such as in response to the touch sensor sensing object motion that corresponds to a scrolling initiation gesture. The processor is further adapted to cause scrolling on a display screen selectively, such as in response to the touch sensor sensing subsequent object motion along the scrolling path after the touch sensor has sensed the object motion corresponding to the scrolling initiation gesture.