Simultaneous Zoom Windows on Touch Screens
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Solution Overview
Problem
Touch-sensitive devices struggle with accuracy when using fingers or imprecise styluses, particularly on small screens, as users find it difficult to target specific areas without losing the bigger picture context, and existing solutions like zooming or reformating data are either ineffective or costly.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for touch-sensitive devices that allow users to zoom into specific portions of content while maintaining the original zoom size of other areas, enabling simultaneous zooming into multiple localized areas without expanding the entire screen, using a touch input device to create and manage multiple map windows with localized zooming capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the entire screen is zoomed in to show detailed information, then measurement precision is improved, but the area of the displayable content decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The display screen is divided into multiple independent map windows (first map window, second map window, etc.), each capable of independent zooming. This segmentation allows different regions to be displayed at different zoom levels simultaneously, resolving the contradiction between showing detailed information and maintaining overall context.
Solution Approach 2:
Different map windows can have different zoom levels and display qualities. Specifically zoomed windows provide detailed views for accurate touch targeting, while other windows maintain overview context. This local quality differentiation allows simultaneous detailed and contextual viewing without sacrificing display area.
2Measurement precision
If multiple areas are zoomed in separately, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each map window serves multiple functions: it can be independently zoomed, panned, and used for touch input. The same interaction mechanisms work across all windows, providing universal control while maintaining individual customization. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate controls for each zoomed area.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple map windows are merged into a single display screen, allowing simultaneous viewing of multiple zoomed areas. The windows share the display space and can be arranged in various configurations, combining the benefits of multiple detailed views without requiring separate display devices.
3Ease of operation
If data is reformatted to fit small screens, then ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The map windows are dynamic and can be resized, repositioned, and independently zoomed by the user. This dynamic flexibility allows the interface to adapt to user needs without requiring pre-formatted data for different screen sizes. The same data can be displayed in various configurations, eliminating costly data reformatting.
Data Source
AI summary
Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to a technique for generating simultaneous zoom in windows on a touch sensitive device. A first portion of the user content is zooming into by touching the display screen in a proximity of the first portion using the touch input device while retaining an original zoom size of a first remaining portion of the user content. A second portion of the user content from the first remaining portion is zoomed into by touching the display screen in a proximity of the second portion using the touch input device while retaining a zoomed in first portion and an original zoom size of a second remaining portion of the of the first remaining portion, the original zoom size of the first and the second remaining portions being the same.