Touch Panel Tag Mediator for Hidden Object Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Small-size touch panels on portable terminals and large-size touch panels on fixed terminals face challenges in selecting hidden or out-of-reach menu, button, or hyperlink options due to limited display sizes, leading to operational difficulties.
Innovation Solution
An information input device with a touch panel that uses a tag display unit to indicate a slide operation pattern, allowing users to select objects by matching a detected slide operation pattern with a displayed tag, thereby enabling selection without direct contact, improving operability across varying display sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a small-size touch panel is used to display multiple selection operation objects, then the terminal can be made compact and portable, but the selection operation objects become hidden by the user's finger tip making proper selection difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a tag as an intermediary element that mediates between the user's finger and the selection operation object. The tag is displayed in the vicinity of the selection operation object and indicates the slide operation pattern. The user interacts with the tag instead of directly touching the selection operation object, allowing the system to detect the intended selection even when the object is hidden by the finger tip.
2Area of stationary object
If a large-size touch panel is used to display multiple selection operation objects, then more information can be displayed, but the selection operation objects may be out of reach of the user's finger
Solution Approach 1:
The tag serves as an intermediary that bridges the gap between the user's reach and the out-of-reach selection operation objects. By displaying the tag within the user's reach area and having it indicate the slide operation pattern, the user can perform selection operations on objects that are physically beyond direct finger reach by sliding from the tag position.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the spatial dimension by displaying the tag in the vicinity of the selection operation object rather than requiring direct contact. The slide operation pattern indicated by the tag provides directional information, effectively adding a dimensional aspect to the selection process that allows reaching distant objects through directional sliding from the tag position.
3Illumination intensity
If the display size of selection operation objects is increased to improve visibility, then the objects become easier to see, but the number of objects that can be displayed on the screen is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential information from the selection operation object and presents it in a condensed form through the tag. The tag displays the slide operation pattern indicator, which captures the directional information needed for selection without requiring the full visual presentation of the selection operation object itself. This allows multiple objects to remain visible while providing clear selection guidance.
Data Source
AI summary
An information input device includes a display, an input unit, an input direction determining unit, a tag arranging unit and a movable direction determining unit. The movable direction determining unit specifies, based on a first operation position on an input area of the input unit, a division part including the first operation position from among plural division parts on the input area. The tag arranging unit displays a tag indicating a slide operation pattern of an operator associated with the specified division part in the vicinity of a selection operation object or on the selection operation object on a display area of the display. The input direction determining unit detects, based on a second operation position on the input area, a slide operation pattern of the operator, and determines whether or not the detected slide operation pattern matches the slide operation pattern indicated by the tag within a certain range.