Invisible Control Gesture Activation on Mobile Device Borders
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile devices face challenges in providing adequate screen real estate for content due to the need for navigation controls, making it cumbersome for users to perform tasks and navigate between applications, especially with their small display sizes and limited keyboard space.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an invisible control system where soft buttons are activated by gestures on the device's border, allowing mode changes without occupying screen space, such as switching from browsing to search mode, enabling gestures like panning or zooming to be repurposed for different functions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If visible controls (buttons, menus) are displayed on the screen to facilitate navigation and interaction, then ease of operation is improved, but screen real estate for displaying content is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the control functionality from the visible display area by implementing invisible controls that respond to gestures performed in the margins or unused portions of the screen. This allows control functions to be 'taken out' from the content display area, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and screen real estate.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent moves controls from the two-dimensional display plane into a third dimension by utilizing the spatial margins and border areas around the content. Gestures are detected in these marginal zones, effectively adding a spatial dimension for control interaction without encroaching on the content display area.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple applications and controls are provided to enable comprehensive task performance, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal gesture recognition system that can perform multiple functions across different applications and contexts. A single gesture framework handles navigation, selection, search, and other operations, providing multi-functionality without requiring separate controls for each task, thus resolving the contradiction between adaptability and device complexity.
3Ease of operation
If gestures are made responsive to invisible controls in margin areas, then ease of operation is improved, but difficulty of detecting and measuring increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary gesture recognition layer that mediates between the user's physical gestures and the application's response. This intermediary system detects gestures in margin areas, interprets their intent, and translates them into appropriate actions, making the interaction intuitive while handling the detection complexity internally.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3D
AI summary
An invisible control may be implemented in a client device or in an application of the client device. A user may activate the invisible control by applying a gesture on a predetermined region of the client device or the application. In response to receiving the user gesture, a predetermined action associated with the invisible control may be activated. The predetermined action may be applied to the application or some or all of the content associated with the application. An Application Programming Interface may further be provided to allow the user, an application vendor or a content provider to customize the invisible control or operating modes associated with activation of the invisible control.