Recursive Search Interface with Dynamic Pop-up Indicators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for accessing thesaurus functions in word processor applications divert user attention and lack visual cues, making it cumbersome to search and utilize items from a database within the main application.
Innovation Solution
A recursive search process that dynamically annotates the user interface with indicators and pop-up windows, allowing users to search and select similar items from a database without leaving the main application, using a cursor position to trigger searches and provide access to similar items through a pop-up display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If thesaurus function is accessed through menus or separate activation processes, then users can search for synonyms, but user attention is diverted from the main application and the process becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the thesaurus search function with the main application interface by displaying synonyms directly at the location of the target word within the document. This integration eliminates the need to switch between separate menus or activation processes, allowing users to access synonym information while remaining focused on the main application task.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a pop-up window as an intermediary element that appears at the cursor position when a user highlights or selects a word. This intermediary provides the thesaurus function in a localized, non-intrusive manner, serving as a bridge between the main application and the synonym search functionality without requiring complete context switching.
2Ease of operation
If thesaurus function is provided with visual cues in the active part of the screen, then users are invited to utilize the function, but the interface complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by placing visual indicators and interactive elements specifically at the location where the target word appears in the document, rather than distributing complexity throughout the entire interface. The pop-up window and highlighting effects are localized to the immediate context of the selected word, providing visual cues only where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic elements such as pop-up windows that appear and disappear based on user interaction, and highlighting effects that activate only when a word is selected. These dynamic features provide visual cues on-demand, reducing interface complexity by only displaying additional information when the user is actually using the thesaurus function.
3Ease of operation
If a pop-up window is used to display similar items near the target item, then access to database items is provided without leaving the main application, but the window management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by allowing the pop-up window to automatically appear at the cursor position when a word is selected, and to automatically close when the user selects a synonym or presses Escape. The system handles window creation and closure automatically based on user actions, reducing the need for manual window management and simplifying the user interaction model.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the interface into distinct functional areas: the main application document area and the temporary pop-up window area. This segmentation allows the pop-up window to be treated as a separate, manageable element that can be created and closed independently, simplifying window management by isolating the complexity of the thesaurus function from the main application interface.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is a graphical user interface and method of operation for searching, and selecting items from, a database. The invention provides a convenient mechanism to thoroughly search a database for useful items. The invention runs in the background, dynamically annotating the active part of a main application's user interface with an indicator, to show a user of a main application that useful items may be available in a database. The trigger for initially activating the mechanism for searching and selecting in a main application is the same as the trigger for activating another round of searching the database, thus minimizing the diversion of a user's attention away from the main application. A user may select an item from the database for use in the main application. This might involve inserting a word into text with a word processor; the items may be words, and the database may be a thesaurus or dictionary, for example. Other examples are utilizing an image with a graphics application, or placing an order to buy an item with a purchasing application. One aspect of the present invention is a method for searching, and selecting items from, a database. Another aspect of the present invention is a system for executing the method of the present invention. A third aspect of the present invention is as a set of instructions on a computer-usable medium, or resident in a computer system, for executing the method of the present invention.