Storyboard Input Mapping Reduces Touch Latency

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional input processing systems experience latency issues with complex user inputs like touch input, leading to unresponsive applications and noticeable delays in visual output, which are not adequately addressed by existing techniques such as separate input and rendering threads.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of storyboards that provide declarative mappings of input to output, allowing the operating system to predefine responses to user input independently of the application, thereby bypassing application input processing and reducing latency by directly generating output transforms for touch manipulations and other inputs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If user input is processed through the operating system and application logic, then the application can generate appropriate responses, but processing time increases and application responsiveness decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveapplication responsivenessVSAvoidprocessing time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the input processing pipeline by separating storyboard evaluation from application logic execution. The operating system evaluates storyboards independently to determine output transforms, while application logic is bypassed for storyboard-defined operations. This segmentation eliminates the sequential processing bottleneck and reduces latency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Storyboards are prepared in advance during application launch, defining output transforms for various input types before user interaction occurs. This preliminary action allows the operating system to directly apply pre-defined transforms without real-time application processing, significantly reducing response latency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Manufacturing precision

If complex touch input manipulations are handled by application logic, then accurate response generation is possible, but visible delays occur in visual output

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinput response accuracyVSAvoidvisual output delay
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces storyboards as an intermediary layer between touch input and visual output. Storyboards contain pre-defined transforms that map input manipulations to output actions, serving as a mediator that eliminates the need for real-time application logic processing while maintaining response accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical processing system (application logic execution) with a data-driven system ( storyboard evaluation). Instead of executing application code to determine output, the system evaluates pre-defined storyboard rules, substituting computational mechanics with lookup and transformation operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Productivity

If the operating system handles input processing independently using storyboards, then application responsiveness improves, but the system requires a new processing mechanism

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveapplication performanceVSAvoidsystem architecture complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a universal storyboard evaluation mechanism that handles multiple input types (touch, mouse, keyboard) and multiple output transforms through a single unified system. This multi-functional approach improves productivity while managing complexity through standardization rather than requiring separate processing paths for each input type.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS9152395B2Response to user input based on declarative mappings
Publication Date: 2015.10.06 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • US9152395B2 patent drawing
  • US9152395B2 patent drawing
  • US9152395B2 patent drawing

AI summary

Systems and methods are provided that enable direct response to user input, e.g., in accordance with storyboards. For instance, applications can predefine storyboards which describe output in terms of received input. The predefined storyboards can be used externally and independently from the applications to process user input on behalf of the applications.