Power-off Gesture Control for Portable Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable electronic devices face unintentional activation or deactivation of functions due to accidental contact with touch screens or external buttons, leading to issues like unintended powering-off, which affects user experience and device security.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method in portable devices that detects activation of the power switch and displays a visual cue on the touch-screen display to guide users in completing a predefined gesture for powering-off, ensuring intentional user interaction to prevent accidental deactivation and provide feedback on the progress of power-off actions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a power switch is provided for easy power-off access, then ease of operation is improved, but unintentional activation occurs due to accidental contact
Solution Approach 1:
The system displays a visual cue indicating the required gesture before the power-off action is completed. This preliminary visual guidance allows the user to confirm their intention before the actual power-off occurs, preventing accidental deactivation while maintaining easy access through the touch interface.
Solution Approach 2:
A visual cue is displayed on the touch-sensitive display to provide feedback to the user about the power-off gesture requirement. This feedback mechanism confirms that the system has detected the power-off intent and is waiting for the correct gesture completion, thereby preventing unintentional activation while guiding intentional user actions.
2Ease of operation
If touch-screen display is used for user interaction, then ease of operation is improved, but unintentional contact activates functions accidentally
Solution Approach 1:
Before executing the power-off function, the system first displays a visual cue that indicates the specific gesture required. This preliminary action creates a confirmation step where the user must intentionally perform the correct gesture, preventing accidental activation from unintentional touches while maintaining the ease of touch-screen interaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The visual cue acts as an intermediary between the touch input and the power-off execution. It mediates the interaction by requiring a specific gesture pattern to be completed, thereby filtering out unintentional contacts while allowing intentional user commands to proceed.
3Reliability
If power-off gesture requires user completion, then reliability is improved by preventing accidental deactivation, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The touch-sensitive display serves multiple functions: it displays the visual cue and also detects the user's gesture completion. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate hardware components, maintaining reliability through gesture confirmation while avoiding increased device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The existing touch-sensitive display is used for dual purposes: normal user interface display and gesture detection for power-off confirmation. This multi-functionality allows the system to implement reliable intentional power-off without adding dedicated complexity, as the same hardware component serves multiple roles.
Data Source
AI summary
In some embodiments of the invention, a graphical user interface in an electronic device with a touch screen display and power switch includes one or more user-interface objects to assist a user in powering-off the device while avoiding unintended power-off events due to inadvertent contact with the power switch or the touch screen display.