Intensity-Based Touch Gestures for Efficient User Interface Manipulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manipulating user interfaces on electronic devices with touch-sensitive surfaces are cumbersome and inefficient, leading to increased energy consumption and longer battery life in battery-operated devices.
Innovation Solution
Implementing intensity-based gestures that complement conventional tap, swipe, and pinch gestures, allowing for additional functionality such as operation/command shortcuts, which are seamlessly integrated and intuitive to use, reducing the number and extent of user inputs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional tap, swipe, and pinch gestures are used to manipulate user interfaces, then basic operations can be performed, but the manipulation process becomes cumbersome and inefficient, increasing energy consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by detecting contact intensity as an additional dimension beyond basic touch location. By measuring the intensity parameter of user contact, the system distinguishes between different gesture types (e.g., light tap vs. hard press) and triggers different operations, thereby reducing the number of gestures needed and improving manipulation efficiency while lowering energy consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the continuous range of contact intensity into discrete intensity thresholds that correspond to different operations. This segmentation allows the system to recognize multiple gesture types within a single contact interaction, reducing the need for multiple separate gestures and thereby improving productivity while reducing energy usage
2Loss of time
If conventional gestures require multiple steps and extensive user input to perform operations, then basic functionality is maintained, but the process takes longer and wastes energy
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-defining intensity thresholds and their corresponding operations. When a user applies contact to the touch-sensitive surface, the system has already prepared the mapping between intensity levels and operations, allowing for immediate recognition and execution without requiring multiple sequential gestures or prolonged interaction time
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements universality by making the touch-sensitive surface capable of multiple functions through intensity detection. A single contact interaction can trigger different operations based on intensity level, allowing one gesture to perform multiple functions that would otherwise require separate gestures, thereby reducing time and energy consumption
Data Source
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AI summary
An electronic device with a display, a touch-sensitive surface, and one or more sensors to detect intensity of contacts with the touch-sensitive surface: detects a first gesture that includes concurrently detecting a first contact and a second contact, detecting an intensity of the first contact, and detecting an intensity of the second contact; and, in response to detecting the first gesture: in accordance with a determination that the first gesture meets first operation criteria (including a criterion that is met when the intensities of the first and second contact satisfy a respective intensity threshold), performs a first operation; and, in accordance with a determination that the first gesture meets second operation criteria, wherein the second operation criteria are capable of being met when the intensities of the first and second contacts do not satisfy the respective intensity threshold, performs a second operation that is different from the first operation.