Touch Screen Icon Scaling for Shortcut Menu Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of electronic devices with touch screens face inconvenience when accessing application functions, as they need to select application icons and navigate through multiple menus to execute desired functions, which can be time-consuming and cumbersome.
Innovation Solution
A method and electronic device that allow icons to be scaled up upon touch input, displaying a shortcut function menu, and further displaying a list related to the shortcut menu upon downward touch input, enabling quick and direct access to application functions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users select application icons and navigate through multiple menus to execute functions, then the device provides comprehensive function access, but the operation time and user effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent displays shortcut function menus in advance on the icon itself, showing frequently used functions before the user actually needs to access them. This preliminary display of available functions allows users to immediately see and select from common operations without navigating through multiple menu levels, thus resolving the contradiction between comprehensive function access and quick execution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the application functions into two categories: standard functions accessed through normal navigation, and shortcut functions displayed directly on the icon. By dividing the function access path into these segments, users can choose the quickest route (shortcut menu) for frequent operations while maintaining full access to all functions through traditional navigation when needed.
2Productivity
If the icon displays a shortcut function menu, then the user can quickly access functions, but the icon area and screen space are occupied
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the shortcut function menu downward from the bottom of the icon into the screen space below it, rather than expanding the icon horizontally or replacing it entirely. This vertical dimension utilization allows the shortcut menu to be displayed in an otherwise underutilized screen area, providing quick function access without significantly increasing the icon's footprint.
Solution Approach 2:
The shortcut function menu is nested within and attached to the icon structure, with the menu appearing to emerge from the icon itself. This nesting approach integrates the menu into the existing icon design, allowing the menu to share the icon's visual space while providing additional function access, thus minimizing the total area occupied.
3Ease of operation
If the icon is scaled up to display the shortcut menu, then the menu is more visible and accessible, but the number of icons that can be displayed on the screen decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making only the icon containing the shortcut menu larger than standard icons, while other icons remain at normal size. This selective scaling ensures that the shortcut menu is visible and accessible when needed, while maintaining a high density of icons on the screen by not increasing the size of all icons uniformly.
Data Source
AI summary
The purpose of the present disclosure is generally to display at least one icon in an electronic device. A method for operating an electronic device comprises the steps of: displaying, on a screen, a plurality of icons for a plurality of applications; as a touch input for enlargement is detected through the screen, enlarging an icon of at least one application among the plurality of applications, and displaying same on the screen so as to include a shortcut function menu; and as a downward touch input on the shortcut function menu is detected, displaying a list of shortcut function menus, wherein the shortcut function menu is an interface element for directly executing a function of the at least one application.