Image Navigation System for Mobile Web Browsing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Handheld devices lack the screen space and navigation capabilities to efficiently display web pages with significant image content, requiring users to manually scroll through extensive text and information, making it a slow process to navigate through images.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that includes a server browser and client browser combination to filter and display only desirable images from web content on handheld devices, allowing users to select and view images of interest, which are linked back to their associated locations on the webpage, enabling efficient image navigation and quick access to other areas of the content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional web browsing is used on handheld devices, then all web content including text and images can be displayed, but navigation becomes slow and inefficient due to manual scrolling through extensive content
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the web page content by extracting and separating images from the full HTML document. The browser renders only image elements rather than complete page content, dividing the navigation task into: (1) quickly scanning visible images, (2) selecting interested images, and (3) loading associated content only when needed. This segmentation eliminates the need to scroll through extensive text and information intermingled between images.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts desirable images from the information content for display on the handheld device. The system identifies and extracts image elements from the HTML document, displaying them in a simplified view that excludes non-essential text and information. This extraction allows users to focus solely on visual content without being burdened by extensive textual information.
2Area of stationary object
If all web content is displayed on handheld devices, then complete information is available, but screen space is insufficient to display content designed for large screens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and displays only desirable images from the web content, filtering out non-essential text and information elements. This selective extraction allows the limited screen area to be dedicated to displaying visual content that users are most likely to interact with, rather than attempting to display all content designed for larger screens.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the dimension of information presentation by displaying images in a simplified, thumbnail-like format that optimizes for small screen real estate. Instead of displaying full-resolution images and extensive text, the system presents a condensed visual overview that fits within the handheld device's display constraints while maintaining access to complete information through on-demand loading.
3Ease of operation
If manual scrolling is used to navigate web pages, then all content can be accessed, but the process is slow due to significant amount of text and information intermingled between images
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments navigation into distinct phases: (1) rapid visual scanning of displayed images, (2) selection of interested images through simple interaction, and (3) on-demand loading of associated content. This eliminates the continuous scrolling action required in traditional browsing, replacing it with discrete, faster navigation steps that reduce the time spent interacting with extensive textual information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional browsing approach by displaying images first without requiring users to scroll through intervening text. Instead of presenting content in document order with images embedded among text, the system presents a curated set of images upfront, allowing users to navigate visually before committing to loading specific content sections.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method is provided for accessing information content that enables handheld or mobile device users, for example, to quickly and efficiently navigate images contained within the information content to access other areas of the information content. A user of the handheld device will request and receive information content, such as requesting a web page, for viewing. The user can select a navigation mode to receive a display only of interesting images pertaining to the webpage. The user can then thumb through the images and select an image of interest. The device will then display the portion of the web page associated with the selected image. Thus, the user can select an image to switch the view on the device back to a conventional browser viewing mode, for example.