Touch Display Magnification Overlay for Precise Input

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Solution Overview

Problem

The small size of displays and keys in mobile communication devices restricts the speed and precision of user interaction, making it difficult to enter information efficiently.

Innovation Solution

A touch-sensitive display with logic that provides an enlarged window of information based on user input, allowing selection through finger or stylus position on the screen, and a method to display a 'QWERTY' type keyboard with zoom functionality for character selection.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Volume of moving object

If the display and keys are made small to fit mobile devices, then device portability is improved, but user interaction speed and precision deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice sizeVSAvoiduser interaction speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transforms the 2D display surface into a multi-layered interaction space by introducing a magnified overlay layer. When a user touches a region of interest, the system creates a magnified view that appears as a additional dimension above the original display, allowing precise selection without requiring the base display to be larger.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The magnified overlay acts as an intermediary between the small display and the user's finger. Instead of directly selecting small elements on the original display, the user interacts with the magnified representation, which serves as a mediator that enhances precision while keeping the physical device size small.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Volume of moving object

If the display and keys are made small to fit mobile devices, then device portability is improved, but selection precision deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice sizeVSAvoidselection precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a magnified overlay layer that adds a new dimension to the display space. This overlay presents enlarged versions of selected regions, allowing users to precisely identify and select elements without needing larger physical keys or display elements on the main screen.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary magnification of the display content before the user makes a selection. By pre-enlarging the region of interest in the overlay, the system prepares the information in a more selectable state, allowing the user to make precise selections without manually adjusting viewports or zoom levels.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Measurement precision

If a magnified overlay is provided on the display, then selection precision is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveselection precisionVSAvoidinterface complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The magnified overlay is generated dynamically by the device itself using its existing display capabilities. The system reuses the same display hardware to create multiple layers of information, with the magnified overlay being a software-generated enhancement rather than a separate physical component, thus avoiding additional hardware complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The display system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it displays the original interface content and generates the magnified overlay using the same hardware resources. The overlay can be applied to different regions and contexts, making it a universal solution for various selection scenarios without requiring specialized components for each use case.

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

Data Source

PatentEP3101519B1Systems and methods for providing a user interface
Publication Date: 2020.08.19 QUALCOMM INC
  • EP3101519B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3101519B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3101519B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A mobile communication device is disclosed comprising a touch sensitive display, and a processor to display, in a first window of the touch sensitive display, first information to a user, display, in a second, different window of the touch sensitive display, enlarged, i.e. zoomed, information based on a determined first position of input on the touch sensitive display, the displayed enlarged information corresponding to a first portion of the displayed first information displayed in the first window and including at least one selectable icon, the second window, which acts as a magnification tool, is displayed simultaneously with the first window, and wherein the second window overlays or covers a portion of the first information, and detect, via the second window, selection of second information, from the displayed enlarged information, based on a determined second position of input within the second window. A corresponding method is also disclosed.