Magnification Window Cursor Selection for Touch Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
The precise selection of graphical elements on touch-sensitive displays is challenging due to occlusion, limited precision, and the need for zooming, which is cumbersome and resource-intensive.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that displays a graphical element on a touch-sensitive display, detects user interactions, and uses a window with a pointer that moves proportionally to user input, allowing precise selection without occlusion and reducing the need for zooming, by maintaining the primary touch location constant and using a secondary touch to move the pointer within the window.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a finger or stylus is used to select graphical elements on a touch-sensitive display, then the user can directly interact with the display, but the finger or stylus creates occlusion that blocks the user's view of the selection area and reduces precision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a virtual pointer as an intermediary element that is visually projected on the display at the location corresponding to the touch input. This virtual pointer serves as a mediator between the user's finger/stylus and the graphical elements, allowing the user to see precisely where the selection is occurring without the physical occlusion caused by direct finger contact. The virtual pointer is rendered on the screen and moves in correspondence with the touch input, providing visual feedback that eliminates the occlusion problem while maintaining direct interaction capability.
2Measurement precision
If the user zooms in to select small graphical elements precisely, then selection precision improves, but the operation becomes cumbersome and consumes additional computer resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the virtual pointer to provide its own visual feedback and guidance without requiring the user to perform additional zooming operations. The virtual pointer is rendered on the display and automatically adjusts its position and visibility based on the touch input, serving the function of enhancing selection precision without requiring the user to manually change the view scale. This self-service approach eliminates the need for cumbersome zoom-in/zoom-out operations while maintaining high selection precision.
3Ease of operation
If the touch pointer movement is directly coupled to finger movement, then the interaction is simple, but the precision of pointer movement is limited by the inherent jitter and control limitations of finger movement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the virtual pointer's position and movement are continuously updated and rendered on the display in response to touch input. This visual feedback allows the user to see the exact position of the pointer and make fine adjustments, effectively compensating for the inherent jitter and control limitations of finger movement. The feedback loop between touch input and visual pointer representation enables more precise control while maintaining the simplicity of direct touch interaction.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method for selecting a graphical element displayed on a touch-sensitive display. The method comprises displaying a graphical element on the touch-sensitive display; detecting a first location of a first user interaction on the touch-sensitive display; displaying a window on the display, the window comprising a pointer for selecting a graphical element; rendering in the window an area surrounding the first location of the first user interaction; detecting a second user interaction on the touch-sensitive display; detecting a move of the second user interaction on the touch-sensitive display; and moving the pointer within the window according to the move of the second user interaction.