Parent-Child Display Switching with Sliding Expansion and Transparency Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for switching between parent and child pages on electronic devices, such as mobile phones and tablets, result in long visual movement paths and abrupt transitions, leading to poor user experience.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus that involves displaying a parent page in full screen, superimposing a partial child page on one side of the display, and gradually moving and expanding it to full screen while narrowing the parent page, providing a natural visual effect and shortening the user's visual movement line.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Length of moving object

If a child page moves from the bottom to the top of the screen for display, then the switching between parent page and child page can be implemented, but the visual movement path is relatively long and user experience is poor

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevisual movement pathVSAvoiduser experience
Core Design Contradiction:
Length of moving objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of moving the child page from bottom to top (existing manner 1), the patent inverts the movement direction by displaying the child page from the top of the screen downward. This inversion principle directly addresses the contradiction by reversing the problematic bottom-to-top movement that creates long visual paths, thereby shortening the visual movement path and improving user experience.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Ease of operation

If a child page moves from the right side to the left side of the screen with changing transparency, then the switching between parent page and child page can be implemented, but the user may see a ghost image of the parent page and the switching effect is abrupt

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveswitching effect smoothnessVSAvoidghost image visibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies color changes by adjusting the transparency of the child page during its display movement. As the child page moves from top to bottom, its transparency dynamically changes, which eliminates ghost images of the parent page and creates a smooth transition effect. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining visual smoothness while preventing information loss through transparency modulation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #32Color changes

3Productivity

If switching between parent page and child page is performed quickly, then the operation efficiency is improved, but the visual effect becomes abrupt and user experience deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveswitching speedVSAvoidvisual effect quality
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamics by making the child page's transparency and position change continuously over time during the switching process. This dynamic adjustment allows the switching to occur quickly while maintaining smooth visual effects, resolving the contradiction between switching speed and visual quality. The continuous animation of transparency changes ensures pleasant user experience even during rapid switching operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3944079B1Method of switching between parent page and subpage, and related device
Publication Date: 2025.08.27 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP3944079B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP3944079B1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP3944079B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

A method for switching between a parent page and a child page and a related apparatus are provided. When an electronic device detects an operation used to switch from a parent page to a child page, in response to the operation, the electronic device switches from displaying the parent page in full screen to superimposing and displaying a middle part of the child page on a first side of a display; and controls the child page to gradually move toward a second side of the display and expands a displayed part of the child page on the display, until the child page is displayed on the display in full screen. Such a process of switching from a parent page to a child page can shorten a user's visual movement line, provide a better visual effect, and improve user experience.