Touch Interface Cursor Control via Contact Intensity Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manipulating user interfaces on electronic devices with touch-sensitive surfaces are cumbersome and inefficient, leading to increased cognitive burden and energy consumption, particularly in battery-operated devices.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a method and graphical user interface that utilizes touch-sensitive surfaces with sensors to detect contact intensity and duration, providing visual and haptic feedback to facilitate faster and more intuitive interactions, such as changing control icon appearances and adjusting virtual brush properties based on contact intensity and gestures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional touch interface methods are used, then device complexity is reduced, but ease of operation deteriorates due to cumbersome interactions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by detecting contact intensity and duration before the user completes the interaction, anticipating the user's intent and preparing the interface response in advance. This reduces the cognitive burden and makes operations more intuitive without adding complex hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements continuous visual and haptic feedback that responds to contact intensity and duration, providing the user with real-time information about their interaction state. This feedback loop enhances ease of operation by making the system's response predictable and intuitive, without requiring complex additional devices.
2Productivity
If conventional touch interactions are used, then device simplicity is maintained, but productivity deteriorates due to inefficient interactions
Solution Approach 1:
The interface dynamically adapts its behavior based on contact intensity and duration, allowing the system to respond differently to light touches versus firm presses. This dynamic response enables more productive interactions by reducing the time needed to complete operations, without requiring additional hardware complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes interface parameters such as visual appearance and haptic feedback characteristics based on contact intensity and duration parameters. This allows the system to optimize interaction efficiency for different user intentions, improving productivity while maintaining device simplicity.
3Ease of operation
If intensive processing is used to enhance interaction, then ease of operation improves, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial processing intensity based on the contact characteristics detected. Rather than always performing intensive processing, the system adjusts the level of processing to match the user's interaction intensity, improving ease of operation while conserving energy in battery-operated devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes processing parameters dynamically based on contact intensity and duration, allowing the system to optimize energy consumption while maintaining ease of operation. By adjusting processing intensity to match interaction needs, the system reduces unnecessary energy consumption.
4Ease of operation
If detailed visual feedback is provided, then ease of operation improves, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides visual feedback intensity that matches the contact intensity detected. Rather than always displaying maximum detail, the system adjusts visual feedback to be proportional to the user's interaction, improving ease of operation while reducing energy consumption when full feedback is not needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic updates of visual feedback based on contact duration and intensity changes, rather than continuous maximum-intensity display updates. This periodic action maintains ease of operation by providing necessary feedback while significantly reducing energy consumption from continuous high-intensity display operation.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device with a display, a touch-sensitive surface and one or more sensors to detect intensity of contacts with the touch-sensitive surface displays a respective control icon with simulated three-dimensional characteristics and a cursor over the respective control icon. The device detects, on the touch-sensitive surface, a stationary press input that includes an increase in intensity of a contact that corresponds to the cursor. In response to detecting the stationary press input, the device changes an appearance of the respective control icon in accordance with the simulated three-dimensional characteristics of the control icon and moves the cursor laterally on the display in accordance with the change in appearance of the respective control icon.