Mobile Terminal Tile Combination Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mobile terminals lack an efficient method for users to organize and manage multiple tiles on their home screens, leading to clutter and increased time searching for specific functions, as users must manually move and arrange tiles one by one.
Innovation Solution
A mobile terminal with a touch panel and processor that allows users to select and combine multiple tiles into a single 'combined tile' while retaining their shapes, enabling intuitive organization and easy access to frequently used functions through multi-touch operations like pinch-in and slide gestures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users manually move and arrange tiles one by one on the home screen, then each tile can be precisely positioned, but the time and effort required for organization increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual tile objects into a single composite tile object that can be moved and arranged as one unit. When users perform a multi-touch operation (touching multiple tiles simultaneously), the system merges these tiles into a combined tile, allowing them to be repositioned together without manual individual handling, thus reducing organization time while maintaining precise positioning capability
Solution Approach 2:
The combined tile object serves multiple functions: it acts as a single movable unit for repositioning, maintains the individual functionality of each constituent tile, and provides a unified selection interface. This multi-functionality allows users to organize tiles efficiently while preserving access to specific tile functions, resolving the contradiction between operation ease and time consumption
2Productivity
If multiple tiles are combined into a single unit, then organization efficiency improves, but the complexity of the tile system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the tile system into two distinct states: individual tiles and combined tiles. This segmentation allows the system to maintain simplicity for single tiles while enabling efficient organization through combined tiles. The segmentation strategy manages complexity by providing clear boundaries and distinct behavioral modes rather than a continuously complex system
Solution Approach 2:
The tile system dynamically transitions between individual and combined states based on user interaction. Tiles can be individually manipulated when separate, and automatically combined when selected together, providing adaptive complexity that matches user needs. This dynamic behavior resolves the contradiction by making the system simple during individual operations and efficient during organizational operations
3Adaptability or versatility
If tiles are combined while retaining their shapes, then individual tile functionality is preserved, but the visual and structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested structure where individual tile objects are contained within a parent combined tile object. Each tile retains its original shape, size, and functional properties while being logically grouped. This nesting approach preserves adaptability and versatility of individual tiles while managing structural complexity through a hierarchical organization model
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile terminal includes a display device, a touch panel, a selector, and a combination unit. The display device is a device on which a plurality of tiled objects for performing functions are displayed in particular shapes. The touch panel is disposed on the display device. The selector selects, when two positions are touched on the touch panel, one or more of the tiled objects based on the positions of the touch. The combination unit combines, when the selector selects two or more of the tiled objects, the two or more tiled objects together while retaining shapes of the two or more tiled objects.