Portable Menu Interface With Hierarchical Tabs for Small Screens
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing portable electronic devices, such as digital cameras, face challenges in displaying and navigating a large number of menu items due to limited screen size, making it difficult for users to efficiently search across multiple menu screens.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a hierarchical tab structure with main, sub, and sub-sub tabs, along with a touch-sensitive interface, to facilitate intuitive navigation and search across menu items on a small display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a large number of menu items are displayed on a small screen, then the quantity of information displayed increases, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to difficult navigation and search
Solution Approach 1:
The menu system is segmented into multiple hierarchical layers (main menu, sub-menus, and detail menus). Each layer displays a manageable subset of menu items, and users navigate through layers to access specific functions. This segmentation allows comprehensive menu coverage while maintaining small, navigable display areas at each level.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a hierarchical dimension to the menu structure, organizing menu items across multiple levels rather than attempting to display all items in a single flat list. This dimensional organization enables users to navigate through categories and sub-categories, making the overall system more manageable despite the large total number of menu items.
2Loss of time
If all menu items are displayed on a single screen, then the search efficiency improves, but the device complexity increases due to screen size requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The menu system is divided into hierarchical layers where each screen displays only the relevant subset of menu items for that level. This segmentation prevents the need for a single large screen while maintaining efficient navigation through organized categories and sub-categories.
Solution Approach 2:
The menu structure is pre-organized into hierarchical categories and sub-categories before the user interacts with the device. This preliminary organization allows users to quickly locate desired functions by navigating through predetermined categories, reducing search time without requiring additional screen real estate.
3Ease of operation
If multiple menu screens are created to organize menu items, then the ease of operation improves through better organization, but the loss of time increases due to screen transitions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a hierarchical dimension to menu organization, creating main menus, sub-menus, and detail menus that nest within each other. This hierarchical structure provides better organization and ease of operation while allowing users to navigate efficiently through the layered structure without excessive transitions.
Data Source
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AI summary
A portable electronic device includes a display (130), an operation receiver (150), and a controller (135). The display displays a menu screen including menu items. The operation receiver receives a user operation on the menu screen. The controller controls the display according to the user operation via the operation receiver. The menu screen further includes: first tab information (R31) indicating a category for classifying the menu items; second tab information (R32) indicating a plurality of sub categories included in the category; and third tab information (R33) indicating, for each of the sub categories, a menu item set number in which menu items in one sub category are partitioned to be displayed per a set on the menu screens. The controller changes menu items to be displayed on the menu screen, according to a user operation input via the operation receiver with the first, second, and third tab information displayed on the menu screen.