Touchscreen Selection Module Edge Snapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Selecting graphical objects on a touchscreen is challenging due to the difficulty in accurately and consistently using tools like the 'lasso' method, which is slow and cumbersome.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that utilize a touch screen with a selection module to indicate and alter a portion of the screen based on touch characteristics such as pressure, size, and duration, allowing for intuitive selection and operation on graphical objects, including cutting, pasting, editing, and moving, by determining an initial shape of the indicated portion based on gestures and snapping to detected edges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a lasso tool is used to select graphical objects on a touchscreen, then the selection can be made, but the operation becomes slow and difficult to perform accurately
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the selection functionality from complex manual tools like lasso and provides it through automatic detection algorithms. The system detects edges and boundaries of graphical objects automatically, eliminating the need for users to manually trace around objects with a lasso tool, thereby improving both accuracy and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically detecting and selecting graphical objects based on touch input points. Instead of requiring the user to manually define selection boundaries, the system autonomously identifies object boundaries and creates selections, making the process both more accurate and easier to perform.
2Productivity
If a lasso tool is used to select graphical objects on a touchscreen, then the selection can be made, but the operation becomes slow and cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the time-consuming manual lasso drawing operation and replaces it with automatic object detection. Users simply need to touch or click on a point, and the system automatically identifies the graphical object, dramatically improving selection speed while maintaining simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-processing the display content to identify edges and boundaries of graphical objects before the user makes a selection. This preparation allows for rapid automatic selection when the user touches the screen, eliminating the need for slow manual tracing during the actual selection moment.
3Ease of operation
If touch characteristics like pressure and duration are used to alter selection, then the selection process becomes more intuitive, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes changes in touch parameters (pressure, duration, location) to control different aspects of the selection process. Lighter pressure or shorter duration may indicate a desire for smaller selection areas, while heavier pressure or longer duration may expand the selection, providing intuitive control without requiring complex additional hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a single touchscreen interface that can detect multiple types of input (touch location, pressure, duration) to perform multiple functions (selection, resizing, confirmation). This multi-functionality is achieved through software interpretation of basic touch sensor data, avoiding the need for additional complex hardware components.
Data Source
AI summary
For integrating multiple different touch based inputs, a method is disclosed that includes displaying a graphical object on a touch screen device, receiving an input of a user touch of the graphical object on the touch screen, and altering an indicated portion of the touch screen responsive to a characteristic of the touch.