Touchscreen Music Note Editing via Mediator Icon

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Users face difficulties in accurately editing musical notes on a touchscreen interface due to the notes being hidden behind their finger, making it hard to designate the end point and adjust the duration of musical notes.

Innovation Solution

A music information display control method and apparatus that displays musical notes with an operation iconic image nearby, allowing users to change the display length or position of the notes by interacting with the operation iconic image, which is only visible for selected notes and toggled based on magnification, preventing overlap and enhancing visibility.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the user touches the musical note directly to edit it, then the editing operation can be performed, but the musical note is hidden behind the finger and cannot be seen

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveediting operationVSAvoidvisibility of musical note
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an operation iconic image as an intermediary element between the user's finger and the musical note. Instead of touching the musical note directly, the user touches the operation iconic image displayed nearby, which then triggers the editing operation. This mediator allows the user to perform editing operations without obscuring the musical note with their finger, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and visibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If the operation iconic image is always displayed, then the editing operation is always accessible, but the display screen becomes cluttered and harder to read

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveediting accessibilityVSAvoiddisplay clutter
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a dynamic display mechanism where the operation iconic image is displayed only when a musical note is selected for editing, and hidden when no note is selected. This dynamic appearance and disappearance based on the selection state allows the interface to remain clean and uncluttered during normal viewing, while providing easy access to editing functions when needed, thus resolving the contradiction between editing accessibility and display clarity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple operation iconic images are displayed for multiple notes, then all notes can be edited independently, but the screen becomes overcrowded

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveindependent note editingVSAvoidscreen space
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by displaying operation iconic images selectively only for selected musical notes rather than for all notes simultaneously. When a user selects a specific note for editing, the operation iconic image appears only in the vicinity of that selected note, allowing independent editing capability while maintaining screen space efficiency. This localized approach resolves the contradiction between versatile independent editing and screen overcrowding.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP2698786B1Music information display control method and music information display control apparatus
Publication Date: 2016.11.30 YAMAHA CORP
  • EP2698786B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2698786B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2698786B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A music information display control apparatus includes one or more processors configured to display, on a display device, a musical note sequence image in which a musical note iconic image of each musical note is disposed in a musical score area where a time axis is set. The display controller disposes an operation iconic image which accepts an instruction from a user in a vicinity of the musical note iconic image, and changes a display length or a display position of the musical note iconic image in a direction of the time axis according to an instruction to move the operation iconic image.