Seek Bar Grid Navigation for Precise Touchscreen Scrubbing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Navigating to a specific section of video or audio content on computing devices with touchscreens is difficult due to the fixed size of the seek bar relative to the content length, requiring multiple adjustments to accurately position playback.
Innovation Solution
A method that generates a grid on the device to track user input for precise seek bar navigation, allowing users to select between or within segments of content using a 2D grid, with options displayed based on user interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a fixed-size seek bar is used on touchscreen devices, then the interface layout remains consistent, but the precision of navigation to specific content sections deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the seek bar's effective length adaptive rather than fixed. The seek bar dynamically adjusts its scale based on the total duration of the media content, allowing it to accommodate both short and long videos while maintaining consistent interface layout. This resolves the contradiction by enabling the seek bar to be stable in structure but dynamic in measurement scale.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of seek bar length from a constant value to a variable that depends on content duration. By establishing a proportional relationship between seek bar length and media duration, the system achieves both layout consistency and improved navigation precision across different content lengths.
2Device complexity
If a constant-size seek bar is used regardless of content length, then the interface design remains simple, but the number of adjustments required for accurate positioning increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the seek bar's length parameter to be proportional to content duration rather than fixed. This simple parameter change eliminates the need for repetitive adjustments by allowing users to directly position the playback head at the desired location in a single action, regardless of whether the content is short or long.
Solution Approach 2:
The seek bar transitions from a static component to a dynamic one that automatically adapts its scale. This dynamic behavior reduces user interaction time by providing appropriate granularity for navigation without requiring multiple corrective adjustments.
3Ease of manufacture
If the seek bar size is fixed relative to the display, then the rendering is straightforward, but the granularity of playback position control deteriorates for long content
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the rendering parameter of seek bar length from a fixed display coordinate value to a proportional value based on content duration. This allows the seek bar to maintain appropriate resolution and control granularity for both short and long content while keeping the rendering logic relatively simple through proportional scaling.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided for adjusting a playback position of a media asset at a computing device. One example method includes receiving the media asset comprising a video and/or an audio component and outputting the video and/or audio component of the media asset at a first playback position at the computing device. A seek bar control is initiated and, in response to initiating the seek bar control, a grid is generated at the computing device. A user action for adjusting the playback position of the media asset is detected. The detecting the user action comprises determining a first location on the grid corresponding to a first playback position and determining a second playback position by determining that the user action has ended at a second location on the grid corresponding to the second playback position. The media asset is outputted at the second playback position.