OS-Level Screen Capture Trigger for High-Resolution Content

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing screen capture methods on portable electronic devices are limited in capturing high-resolution content from applications, requiring knowledge of how the application delivers content and are not operable for all types of applications, especially those that do not provide information in a virtual screen with scrollable content.

Innovation Solution

The method involves an OS-level screen capture trigger that reports a virtual resolution higher than the device's native resolution to the active application, allowing for the capture and storage of high-resolution content without requiring knowledge of the application's content delivery mechanism, and simultaneously reporting the native resolution to maintain seamless display.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If existing screen capture methods are used, then the capture process is simple, but the resolution is limited to native display resolution

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent resolutionVSAvoidcapture process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary virtual resolution layer between the application and the display. The system reports a virtual resolution to the application that is higher than the native display resolution, allowing the application to render content at high resolution. This virtual resolution acts as a mediator that enables high-resolution content capture without requiring changes to the application's native rendering logic or the display's physical capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically changes the resolution parameter reported to the application during the capture process. By temporarily reporting a higher virtual resolution to the application and then capturing the rendered content, the system achieves high-resolution capture without permanently altering the display configuration or application behavior.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Adaptability or versatility

If application-specific capture methods are used, then high resolution content can be captured from some applications, but the method is not universally applicable to all applications

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveapplication compatibilityVSAvoidcontent resolution
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a universal screen capture mechanism that works across all applications by intercepting and modifying the resolution parameter at the system level. Instead of requiring application-specific implementations, the system universally reports a virtual resolution to all applications, enabling high-resolution content capture from any application that renders to the display buffer, regardless of whether it originally supported high resolution.

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

3Measurement precision

If virtual resolution is reported to application, then high resolution content is captured, but the display must be refreshed which may interrupt user experience

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent resolutionVSAvoiddisplay refresh time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs the resolution parameter change and content capture in a preliminary manner before the display refresh cycle completes. By reporting the virtual resolution and capturing the high-resolution content buffer before the display is refreshed, the system obtains high-resolution content without causing visible interruptions or requiring additional display refresh cycles that would interrupt the user experience.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2720145B1Methods and systems for capturing high resolution content from applications
Publication Date: 2014.12.03 BLACKBERRY LTD
  • EP2720145B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2720145B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2720145B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method (200) of capturing information from an application at a portable electronic device (100) includes receiving (202) an OS-level screen-capture trigger from a user interface of the portable electronic device (100), and in response to the OS-level screen-capture trigger, reporting (204) to an active application running on the portable electronic device a virtual resolution higher than a native resolution available on a display (112) of the portable electronic device (100), receiving (206) high-resolution content from the active application formatted by the active application based on the virtual resolution, storing (208) the high-resolution content at the portable electronic device (100), and reporting (210) the native resolution to the active application.