GUI Container Crossfade Transitions for Lag Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Designing and implementing smooth transitions between graphical elements on graphical user interfaces is difficult and resource-intensive, often resulting in laggy experiences on low-end hardware due to high rendering requirements.

Innovation Solution

A method that applies a condensed transition using a crossfade effect to fade out one child element while fading in another within a container, reducing the number of frames needed and eliminating the need for interpolation, thereby improving performance and maintaining a visually similar direct transition experience.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If traditional smooth transitions with multiple frames and interpolation are used, then visual quality and ease of user experience are improved, but computational resources increase and frame rates decrease causing lag on low-end hardware

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of user experienceVSAvoidframe rate
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes the computationally expensive interpolation step from the transition process. Instead of generating multiple intermediate frames through interpolation, the system directly transitions between key frames, eliminating unnecessary computational overhead while preserving the essential visual transformation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The transition is segmented into discrete key frames rather than continuous interpolation. The system identifies important state changes and represents them as separate key frames, then transitions between them directly. This segmentation reduces the total number of frames that need to be rendered while maintaining the semantic meaning of the transition.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Manufacturing precision

If traditional smooth transitions with interpolation are used, then visual quality is improved, but computational power usage increases making it unsuitable for mobile devices with limited resources

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevisual qualityVSAvoidcomputational power usage
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses simple, computationally inexpensive transition frames instead of complex interpolated sequences. These simplified transition frames consume far less computational power and energy, making them suitable for mobile devices with limited resources while still providing acceptable visual quality for the transition effect.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies partial action by using only the necessary key frames for the transition without generating excessive intermediate frames. This selective approach provides just enough visual information to convey the transition semantics while avoiding the computational burden of generating and rendering every possible intermediate frame.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Ease of operation

If traditional transitions are designed to be smooth and semantic, then ease of user experience is improved, but design and implementation complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of user experienceVSAvoiddesign and implementation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary action by pre-defining key frames that represent important transition states. These key frames are prepared in advance and stored, eliminating the need for complex real-time interpolation calculations during actual transitions. This preliminary preparation simplifies the runtime implementation while maintaining smooth visual transitions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3567480B1Condensed transitions of graphical elements presented in graphical user interfaces
Publication Date: 2022.06.15 GOOGLE LLC
  • EP3567480B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3567480B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3567480B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for identifying a graphical user interface including a container having a first child element and a second child element; providing for display the container on the graphical user interface in a first state, the first state including display of the first child element, but not the second child element; applying a transition to the container to effectuate a state change of the container from the first state to a second state, the second state including display of the second child element, but not the first child element, applying the transition including applying a crossfade to the container to graphically fade the first child element to the second child element during application of the transition to the container; and after applying the transition, providing for display the container on the graphical user interface in the second state.