Universal Remote Interface Using Circular Appliance Icon Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Universal remote controls become increasingly complex as more appliances are controlled, leading to diminished usability due to cluttered user interfaces.
Innovation Solution
A graphical user interface displaying iconic representations of appliances in a circular queue arrangement, allowing users to select and interact with appliances, with iconic representations being moved and distinguished for current operational mode indication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If more keys are added to control increasing number of appliances and operations, then the control capability of the universal remote control is improved, but the user interface becomes more cluttered and usability diminishes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the user interface into multiple pages or screens, each displaying a subset of control keys and appliance options. Instead of showing all controls simultaneously on a single cluttered interface, the system divides the comprehensive control set into organized groups that can be navigated sequentially, reducing visual complexity while maintaining full control capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces navigation through multiple pages or screens as an additional dimension for organizing controls. By arranging appliance icons and control keys across multiple display pages that can be scrolled or navigated through, the system transforms a two-dimensional cluttered layout into a multi-page hierarchical structure, allowing comprehensive controls to be accessed without overwhelming the user at any single moment.
2Adaptability or versatility
If more control keys are provided for diverse home appliances, then the versatility of the remote control is improved, but the interface complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The user interface is segmented into multiple pages, with each page displaying a manageable subset of appliance icons and control keys. This segmentation reduces interface complexity by preventing all controls from being displayed simultaneously, while the collective set of pages maintains comprehensive versatility for controlling diverse home appliances.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic page navigation that allows the interface to adapt to user needs. The system can dynamically switch between different pages displaying different appliance categories or control functions, and can dynamically adjust which appliances or controls are displayed based on usage patterns or user selection, thereby managing interface complexity while preserving versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
A user interface for displaying graphical operational mode information to a user of a universal remote control. The user interface displays to the user in a circular queue arrangement iconic representations of every home appliance which the universal remote control is setup to control. The user may then interact with the user interface to select an iconic representation of the one of the home appliances which the user desires to control. In response to this selection, the user interface will display the iconic representation of the home appliances such that the iconic representation of the home appliance indicated by the user is moved to a predetermined position in the circular queue arrangement relative to the remaining iconic representations and/or is given an appearance distinct from the appearance of the remaining iconic representations within the circular queue arrangement. In this manner, the user interface indicates to the user the current operational mode of the universal remote control.