Information Search Layout Preservation Across Multiple Pages
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing information search methods across multiple pages require users to manually navigate and display each page, making it difficult to efficiently find targeted information as the layout and position of search results are not preserved, leading to cumbersome searches.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus with a search module that maintains the original layout of objects on pages during the search process, allowing users to designate search conditions and display search results with objects' layouts unchanged, facilitating easy identification of desired information across multiple pages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If users manually navigate and display each page during search, then search coverage is complete, but search efficiency and ease of operation deteriorate due to cumbersome navigation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the search results by displaying them in a thumbnail preview format that shows multiple pages simultaneously. Each page is divided into a thumbnail image and associated information, allowing users to see multiple pages at once rather than navigating them one by one. This segmentation enables efficient browsing while maintaining complete search coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates visual copies of page content in the form of thumbnails that replicate the layout and appearance of the original pages. These thumbnail copies allow users to quickly scan and identify relevant information without accessing each full page individually, significantly improving search efficiency while preserving the original page structure for detailed viewing.
2Device complexity
If search results are displayed without preserving original layout, then display simplicity improves, but information recognition and ease of operation worsen due to loss of positional context
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by preserving the original layout characteristics of each page within the thumbnail display. Instead of using a uniform simplified display for all results, the system maintains the specific positional relationships, object arrangements, and visual structure of each page's content in its thumbnail representation. This allows users to recognize information context while keeping the overall interface relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from displaying full-page content in a single dimension to presenting condensed thumbnail versions that encode layout information in a compact format. The thumbnail images preserve spatial relationships and visual structure in a reduced dimension, enabling users to quickly assess page content and layout without the complexity of full-page displays, thus improving both simplicity and information recognition.
3Reliability
If users change-over pages sequentially to find objective information, then complete search is achieved, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by generating and displaying thumbnail previews of all search result pages simultaneously before the user needs to examine them in detail. This preliminary visual presentation allows users to quickly identify which pages contain relevant information based on their thumbnails, eliminating the need to sequentially navigate through all pages and significantly reducing time consumption while maintaining complete search coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by allowing users to focus on examining only the thumbnail previews and selected pages that appear relevant, rather than requiring complete sequential viewing of all pages. The system provides sufficient information in the thumbnails for users to make informed decisions about which full pages to access, achieving effective search results with partial examination rather than exhaustive page-by-page review.
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment provides an information processing apparatus, including: a search module configured to perform a search on a plurality of pages with a designated search condition, the pages being managed by an application program capable of managing information by arranging at least one object in any desired layout on each page; and a display controller configured to display at least one object extracted through the search on a screen of a display module as a search result, with a layout of each object on the page kept unchanged.