Partial Screen Locking via Edge Sliding on Touchscreens
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing screen locking solutions for handheld devices with large touchscreens are inflexible, leading to accidental touches and poor user experience, as users cannot independently select and lock specific areas, resulting in uncomfortable operation and increased risk of hand fatigue and device dropping.
Innovation Solution
A method allowing users to select and lock a partial display area on a touchscreen by performing a sliding operation, with the locked area determined by the edge and touch point positions, enabling flexible selection and adjustment of the locked area based on user requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the entire screen is locked to prevent accidental touches, then the safety against erroneous operations is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates because users cannot access any part of the screen
Solution Approach 1:
The screen is divided into multiple independent lockable regions, allowing users to lock only specific areas (e.g., notification area, media controls) while keeping other areas accessible. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by providing granular control over which screen portions prevent accidental touches versus which portions remain operational.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the screen are assigned different functional qualities - some regions are locked to prevent accidental touches while other regions remain unlocked for normal interaction. This local differentiation allows simultaneous achievement of safety in critical areas and ease of operation in functional areas.
2Reliability
If a fixed screen locking function is provided in specific application programs, then the reliability against accidental touches is improved, but the adaptability deteriorates because different applications have different interfaces and operation methods
Solution Approach 1:
The screen locking function is implemented as a universal system that works across all applications and interfaces, not just within specific applications. The system provides a common locking mechanism that adapts to any application's interface, eliminating the need for application-specific implementations and ensuring consistent behavior across diverse software environments.
Solution Approach 2:
A system-level intermediary layer is introduced between the user and individual applications to provide unified screen locking control. This intermediary handles the locking logic centrally, allowing users to lock screen regions regardless of which application is active, thereby providing adaptability across different applications without requiring each application to implement its own locking mechanism.
3Area of stationary object
If the touch range occupies a large area to meet user requirements for large screens, then the area of the display is improved, but the reliability deteriorates because accidental touches become more frequent
Solution Approach 1:
The large touchscreen is segmented into multiple lockable zones, allowing users to lock specific high-risk areas (such as notification bars, media control regions, or system status areas) while maintaining full access to the rest of the large display. This enables the system to preserve the benefits of a large screen area while mitigating the reliability issues associated with accidental touches in specific regions.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3(a)
Figure 3(b)
AI summary
A screen locking method, a terminal, and a screen locking apparatus are provided. The method in the present invention is applied to a terminal with a touchscreen. The method in the present invention includes: when the terminal detects a first sliding operation performed from a first edge of the touchscreen is not released, performing a second sliding operation from a second edge of the touchscreen; selecting, by the terminal, a to-be-locked area on the touchscreen based on the first edge and the second edge of the touchscreen and respective touch point positions at which the first sliding operation and the second operation stop on the touchscreen; and locking, by the terminal, the to-be-locked area. The present invention can provide a more flexible screen locking solution, so that a user can independently select and lock the to-be-locked area, thereby improving user experience.