Meta-Navigation Gesture Control on Portable Device Bezels

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing portable electronic devices with touch-sensitive displays face challenges in efficiently distinguishing between meta-navigation gestures and other touches, which limits their ability to provide intuitive and efficient user interface navigation.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a method using AT commands to emulate meta-navigation gestures on touch-sensitive displays, where gestures originating outside the display area and moving onto it are identified and processed, allowing for enhanced user interface control and navigation without the need for additional physical controls.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If additional physical controls or icons are added to the display area to improve navigation functionality, then the user interface navigation capability is improved, but the display area is occupied and the portability is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenavigation functionalityVSAvoiddisplay area
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extends the touch-sensitive display functionality to the non-display area (bezel), utilizing the third spatial dimension (depth/extension beyond the display surface) to provide navigation controls. This allows gestures in the non-display area to trigger system-level actions, effectively adding navigation capability without occupying display pixels.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Area of stationary object

If the touch-sensitive display area is reduced to improve portability, then the device size is reduced, but the user interface control capability is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisplay areaVSAvoiduser interface control capability
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the non-display area (bezel) multi-functional by enabling it to detect touch gestures and trigger system-level navigation actions. This allows the bezel to serve both as a structural boundary and as an active input zone, effectively expanding the functional input area without increasing the display area or device size.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Productivity

If meta-navigation gestures are implemented to improve navigation efficiency, then the user interface efficiency is improved, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring gestures is increased

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenavigation efficiencyVSAvoidgesture detection
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the touch-sensitive input area into distinct zones: the display area for application-specific interactions and the non-display area (bezel) for system-level meta-navigation gestures. This spatial segmentation allows the system to differentiate between regular touches and navigation gestures based on location, simplifying gesture detection and interpretation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3572921B1Portable electronic device and method of controlling same
Publication Date: 2021.10.06 BLACKBERRY LTD
  • EP3572921B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3572921B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3572921B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method for a User Equipment (UE), the method including responsive, at least in part, to an ATtention (AT) command for touch-sensitive input device action, emulating a meta-navigation gesture for a touch-sensitive input device including a display area and a non-display area; and responsive, at least in part, to an ATtention (AT) command for orientation information, providing orientation information comprising at least one of: unsolicited result codes, unsolicited ATtention (AT) commands, or unsolicited events; wherein the meta-navigation gesture comprises a gesture having an origin in the non-display area and moving in a direction into the display area, and wherein the direction is determined by the orientation information.