Touch Screen Folder Icon Transition Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic devices lack intuitive and efficient methods for transitioning between display modes of folder and file icons, particularly on touch screens, where users struggle to seamlessly navigate and expand file listings without complex gestures or cumbersome interfaces.
Innovation Solution
The electronic device employs a touch-based interface that allows users to transition between 'shrink', 'intermediate', and 'expanded' modes by detecting and measuring the distance, speed, and time of finger gestures on the screen, using a processor to determine when to switch between steady state display modes, with the intermediate mode displaying file icons fanning out from the folder icon based on activation event attributes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional keyboard or mouse operations are used to navigate file icons, then file interaction functionality is achieved, but user interface complexity and operational difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical input devices (keyboard, mouse) with direct touch screen interaction. Users can directly touch, drag, and manipulate file icons on the touch screen without needing intermediary mechanical devices, thereby simplifying the interface while maintaining full functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The touch screen interface allows users to directly interact with file icons using their fingers, eliminating the need for separate control devices. The system responds directly to touch gestures, making the interface self-serving and reducing operational complexity
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple complex gestures are required to transition between display modes, then display mode functionality is achieved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic display mode transitions based on simple touch gestures. The system automatically adjusts between condensed and expanded file icon displays based on user interaction, providing versatile display options without requiring complex predefined gesture sequences
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes display parameters (icon size, spacing, layout) in response to simple touch gestures. A single tap or drag gesture triggers parameter changes that transition the display between different modes, achieving versatility through simple parameter adjustments rather than complex gesture protocols
3Area of stationary object
If file icons are displayed in a condensed view, then screen space efficiency is improved, but visual representation quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic display system where file icons automatically adjust between condensed and expanded states based on user interaction. In condensed view, icons are compact for space efficiency; upon user engagement, they expand to reveal full visual details, thereby maintaining both space efficiency and information quality at different interaction stages
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a nested display structure where expanded file icon views are contained within the condensed view framework. When users interact with a condensed icon, the full detailed view is revealed within the same screen space, allowing both condensed and expanded representations to coexist and transition smoothly
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 2
Figure 3A
AI summary
Techniques are provided for manipulating folder and file icons on a screen of an electronic device. A folder icon representing a folder is displayed on a screen, in a first mode, at a first location on the screen. The folder may contain a plurality of individual files and the folder icon is configured to indicate the plurality of individual files. An activation event is detected comprising a movement from the first location on the screen to a second location on the screen. In response to detecting the activation event, the folder icon is displayed on the screen along with icons representing the individual files on the screen. The screen may display the icons of the individual files as fanning out from the folder icon and/or may display the icons of the individual files entirely outside of the folder icon.