Portable Intercom Keypanel with Icon-Driven Interface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable intercom devices lack the functionality and advanced display capabilities of non-portable keypanels, and existing solutions fail to provide efficient international usability due to text-based interfaces.
Innovation Solution
A wireless beltpack device with an icon-driven graphical user interface that allows for easy assignment and reassignment of functions, displaying alphanumeric identifiers in the user's native language, and featuring a compact design with ergonomic display and button layout for international compatibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the keypanel is made portable with limited space, then the device can be carried by the user, but the number of buttons and display capabilities are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical button-based interface with a touch-sensitive display screen that provides both visual feedback and functional control. This substitution allows the device to maintain full keypanel functionality while achieving portability, as the touch interface consolidates multiple buttons into a single integrated display surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The display screen serves multiple functions simultaneously: it displays channel information, provides touch controls for navigation, shows status indicators, and enables menu access. This multi-functionality allows the single portable device to replicate the capabilities of multiple separate components found in traditional keypanels.
2Loss of information
If a text-based interface is used for the keypanel, then detailed information can be displayed, but international usability is limited due to language barriers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs color-coded icons that convey functional information through color rather than text. Different colors represent different channels, states, or functions, allowing users to quickly identify and navigate without reading. This color-based communication transcends language barriers while maintaining detailed information display capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces graphical icons as an intermediary between the system and the user. These icons serve as universal visual language that translates complex text-based information into intuitive graphical representations, enabling international usability without requiring text translation for every function.
3Ease of operation
If the display is made large and high-resolution for detailed icon display, then the interface becomes more usable, but the device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the display parameters by using high-contrast color coding and optimized icon scaling that maintains clarity at smaller sizes. By adjusting color brightness, icon density, and visual hierarchy rather than increasing physical size, the display achieves usability equivalent to larger screens within a compact form factor.
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile intercom device is described that is configured to facilitate the assignment and reassignment of functions during use. A plurality of button pairs, each including a talk button and a listen button, and a display screen are provided on the mobile intercom device. An electronic processor of the mobile intercom device is configured to display a list of alphanumeric identifiers on the display screen, each alphanumeric identifier in the list of alphanumeric identifiers corresponding to a different one of a plurality of channels on the intercom system. A selection of a first alphanumeric identifier from the list is received and a channel on the intercom system corresponding to the first alphanumeric identifier is assigned to a first button pair of the plurality of button pairs.