Touchpad Display Control Icons for Videoconferences
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of portable information handling systems face difficulties during videoconferences due to the lack of visible control icons when applications transition to full screen mode, leading to reduced productivity and user frustration.
Innovation Solution
A touchpad system that integrates both cursor and control icon inputs, allowing control icons to be presented at a touchpad display, which can be selectively shown or hidden based on application context and ambient light conditions, independent of display and keyboard backlight brightness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If applications transition to full screen mode, then the display area is maximized, but control icons become hidden and inaccessible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the user interface by separating control icons from the main application display area. Control icons are relocated to the touchpad surface, creating distinct functional zones: the display area for content and the touchpad area for controls. This segmentation allows full-screen applications to occupy the entire display without obstruction, while control icons remain accessible on the touchpad surface below.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent moves control icons from the two-dimensional display plane to a different spatial dimension by presenting them on the touchpad surface. This dimensional transition allows control icons to coexist with full-screen applications without competing for display space, as they are now accessible through a different interface layer (the touchpad) rather than overlaying the visual display.
2Ease of operation
If control icons are always visible on the display, then ease of operation is improved, but the display area is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts control icons from the display area and relocates them to the touchpad surface. This extraction removes the obstruction that control icons would create to the display area, allowing the full display surface to be dedicated to application content while control icons remain accessible through the touchpad interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The touchpad serves as an intermediary interface between the user and the application controls. Instead of directly placing control icons on the display, the system uses the touchpad as a mediating surface to present and receive control inputs, thereby preserving the display area while maintaining ease of operation.
3Ease of operation
If touchpad presents control icons, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements multi-functionality in the touchpad by enabling it to serve both as a cursor control device and as a display surface for control icons. The touchpad surface can dynamically present different content (cursor controls or application control icons) based on system state, reducing the need for separate hardware components while maintaining enhanced usability.
Data Source
AI summary
An information handling system touchpad includes an application area with a display to present control icons of an application executing on the information handling system, such as camera and microphone icons to control camera and microphone functions of a videoconference application. The touchpad dynamically adjusts touchpad display brightness and color based upon ambient light conditions detected by an ambient light sensor. Touchpad display brightness control is set independent of main display and keyboard backlight illumination brightness.