Touch Input Discrimination via Time Period Evaluation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Designing a user interface for computer games on devices with limited resources, such as smartphones, that maintains a consistent 'look and feel' and effectively distinguishes between intended touch inputs on small screens with low touch input resolution is challenging, particularly in selecting and removing objects in a touch context.
Innovation Solution
A method that displays an arrangement of selectable objects with characteristics, determines user input based on touch inputs, evaluates the input time period, and indicates a valid selection by highlighting or removing objects based on shared characteristics, using a processor and memory to manage the user interface and provide a valid status to the user.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If touch input resolution is increased to improve object selection accuracy, then selection precision improves, but device complexity and resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary time period mechanism between touch input and object selection. When a user touches the screen, the system waits for a predetermined time period to elapse before finalizing the selection. This temporal intermediary allows the system to distinguish between intentional selections and accidental touches, achieving high selection accuracy without requiring high-resolution touch input hardware.
2Loss of information
If object highlighting is added to indicate valid selections, then user feedback and selection accuracy improve, but processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by highlighting valid selectable objects before the user completes their selection. The system identifies and highlights objects that can be selected based on the current game state and rules, allowing users to make informed selections. This preliminary visualization reduces selection errors and improves user feedback without requiring complex real-time processing during the selection action itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses periodic action by implementing a time-based mechanism where highlighting is updated at specific intervals or triggers. The predetermined time period mechanism periodically checks for user input and updates the selection state, providing smooth user feedback while maintaining efficient processing by not continuously re-evaluating all possible selections.
3Measurement precision
If time period evaluation is implemented to distinguish selection intent, then input discrimination accuracy improves, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of time by introducing a predetermined time period as a critical parameter for distinguishing user intent. Instead of relying on complex spatial analysis or multiple input modalities, the system simply measures the duration of the touch input. This single parameter change provides a robust and computationally efficient method for discriminating between intentional selections and accidental touches, maintaining low processing complexity while achieving high input discrimination accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer implemented method of managing objects presented on a user interface of a computer device having at least one processor and at least one memory, comprising displaying an arrangement of selectable objects each having one or more characteristics, information on said arrangement of objects and said objects being stored in said at least one memory, determining a selection of at least a first object in dependence on a user input received via the user interface, evaluating using the stored information on said arrangement, if the selected shares one or more characteristic with neighboring objects in the arrangement, determining an input time period of the user input; determining, in dependence on the stored information on said board arrangement if the selected object shares one or more characteristics with neighboring objects; and if so indicating a valid status to a user by highlighting or removing at least the selected object.