Persistent Session Region for Real-Time Status Updates

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for interacting with electronic devices with touch-sensitive surfaces are cumbersome and inefficient, particularly for tasks like navigating between application user interfaces and viewing status updates, leading to increased cognitive burden and energy consumption in battery-operated devices.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a method that utilizes a persistent session region on the display to provide real-time status updates for multiple applications, allowing users to view status information without needing to navigate back to individual application interfaces, combined with haptic feedback to enhance user interaction efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If conventional methods are used to navigate between application user interfaces and view status updates, then users can access status information, but the number of required inputs increases and cognitive burden increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestatus information accessibilityVSAvoiduser interaction complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The display area is segmented into a first display region for status information and a second display region for application user interfaces. This segmentation allows status information to be displayed separately and persistently, enabling users to view status updates without navigating away from application interfaces, thereby reducing interaction complexity while maintaining information accessibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Loss of information

If users navigate back to individual application interfaces to view status updates, then complete status information is available, but time is lost and productivity decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestatus update completenessVSAvoidnavigation time

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Status information is preliminarily displayed in the first display region before users need to view it. The status display application maintains persistent display of status information in the background, so when users need to check status updates, the information is already available in the first display region, eliminating the need to navigate back to application interfaces and saving time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of operation

If conventional interaction methods are used, then users can access controls and status information, but energy consumption increases in battery-operated devices

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrol accessibilityVSAvoiddevice power consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The status display application performs continuous useful action by maintaining status information display in the first display region without requiring user navigation. This continuous display approach consolidates the need for user actions, allowing the system to enter lower-power states more frequently since users don't need to repeatedly wake or activate application interfaces to check status, thereby reducing overall energy consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

4Productivity

If a persistent session region is implemented to display status information, then user interaction efficiency improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser interaction efficiencyVSAvoidinterface structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The first display region serves multiple functions: it displays status information from different applications, maintains persistent session state, and provides a consistent interface for accessing controls. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require separate mechanisms into a single universal display region, improving productivity while minimizing the increase in device complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS11842028B2Devices, methods, and graphical user interfaces for updating a session region

Publication Date: 2023.12.12 APPLE INC

AI summary

A computer system has a display area, wherein the display area at least partially encompasses a status region. The computer system detects a user input corresponding to the status region. In response to detecting the user input corresponding to the status region, the computer system, in accordance with a determination that the status region is associated with an active session of a respective application, performs an operation associated with the respective application and in accordance with a determination that the status region is not associated with an active session of a respective application, provides feedback associated with the user input without displaying information about a respective application in the status region and without performing an operation associated with a respective application.