Three-Dimensional Stacked Tab View for Web Browser Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tabbed graphical user interfaces (GUIs) in web browsers lack an intuitive and engaging way to navigate and manage multiple web pages, providing only a two-dimensional view that does not effectively utilize screen space for previews and does not offer a seamless animation experience.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a stacked tab view where content panes are arranged in a three-dimensional visual stack, allowing users to interact with snapshots of web pages through gestures for reordering, adding, and removing panes, with animated motions that simulate depth and parallax effects, enhancing navigation and memory management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional tabbed GUI is used, then the interface is simple to implement, but it lacks intuitive navigation and effective use of screen space for previews
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the traditional two-dimensional tab arrangement into a three-dimensional stacked view where tabs are arranged vertically with depth perception. This dimensional change allows users to see previews of multiple pages simultaneously while maintaining intuitive gesture-based navigation, resolving the contradiction between operational intuitiveness and interface simplicity.
2Area of stationary object
If stacked tab view with previews is implemented, then screen space utilization is improved, but the interface complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
By arranging tabs in a vertical stack with three-dimensional depth rather than horizontal alignment, the interface maximizes vertical screen space while displaying previews. This dimensional reorganization allows multiple content previews to be visible simultaneously without proportionally increasing interface complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses snapshot images (copies) of web page content within each tab to provide previews. This allows the interface to display multiple page representations simultaneously in the stacked view, improving screen space utilization for content display without requiring the actual full pages to be loaded and displayed.
3Ease of operation
If animated motion is added for rearranging tabs, then user experience is enhanced, but processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic animated transitions when tabs are rearranged through gestures. The animation provides smooth visual feedback showing tabs moving, ducking, and repositioning in the three-dimensional stack, enhancing the user experience by making the reordering operation intuitive and visually clear while managing processing requirements through efficient animation implementation.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 2C~2D
AI summary
Stacked tab views are described. A computing device can display multiple content panes in a web browser window. Each content pane can correspond to a different web site. The content panes can be arranged in a visual stack, where content pane are positioned one in front of another in a three-dimensional view. In the three-dimensional view, a distance between content panes can appear to separate the content panes. Each content pane can display snapshot image of content of a web site. The content panes can be used in place of tabs for navigating between web pages.