Swipe Gesture Tab Switching on Mobile Browser Toolbar

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Solution Overview

Problem

In applications like web browsers, switching between tabs can be cumbersome, especially on touch screen devices where space is limited and small tabs are difficult to select using a finger or stylus, leading to inefficiencies in user interface interactions.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a system that allows users to switch tabs by performing a swipe gesture on the toolbar, eliminating the need for additional tab switching interface elements and enabling convenient tab navigation on touch screens.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a tab toolbar is displayed to show open tabs, then users can switch between tabs, but the toolbar takes up valuable screen space

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetab switching capabilityVSAvoidscreen space

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the tab switching function from the traditional toolbar interface and implements it through a gesture-based interaction on the address bar. Users can swipe across the address bar to switch between tabs, eliminating the need for a separate tab toolbar and freeing up screen space while maintaining tab switching capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Ease of operation

If tabs are displayed in the tab toolbar, then users can select desired tabs, but the tabs are small and difficult to select on touch screens

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetab selectionVSAvoidtouch screen interaction difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical pointing and clicking interaction required for traditional tab selection with a gesture-based swiping mechanism on the address bar. This substitution allows users to interact with tabs using larger, more comfortable finger movements on touch screens, eliminating the difficulty of selecting small tab icons.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Adaptability or versatility

If additional interface elements are added for tab switching, then tab navigation is enabled, but the interface becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetab navigation functionalityVSAvoidinterface components

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the address bar multi-functional by enabling it to serve both its traditional purpose of displaying and editing URLs and as a gesture-based tab switching interface. This eliminates the need for separate tab toolbar components, reducing interface complexity while maintaining full tab navigation functionality through the unified address bar interaction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS9569004B2Swipe toolbar to switch tabs

Publication Date: 2017.02.14 GOOGLE LLC

AI summary

Aspects of the subject technology relate to switching tabs in an application. A system is configured to provide for the display an application interface. The application interface includes a toolbar and content associated with a first tab from a plurality of tabs open in the application. The system is further configured to receive, via an input device, a swipe gesture on the toolbar in the application interface and switch, in response to the receiving of the swipe gesture, from displaying in the application interface the content associated with the first tab to displaying content associated with a second tab in the plurality of tabs.