Variable Speed Touchscreen Scrolling via Region-Based Velocity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing scrolling mechanisms on electronic devices lack the ability to allow users to scroll through lists at variable speeds based on user input, limiting the efficiency and accuracy of navigation.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that enable users to scroll through lists on a touchscreen device at variable speeds by determining the scrolling rate based on the region of the display where the user input, such as a touch action, is received, allowing for different scrolling rates across predefined or algorithmically determined regions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a fixed scrolling speed is used for all regions of the display, then the scrolling mechanism is simple to implement, but the user cannot efficiently navigate through lists at different positions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different scrolling speeds to different horizontal regions of the display. The display is divided into multiple vertical bands, where each band has a specific scrolling speed associated with it. When a user interacts with different horizontal portions of the display, the system applies the corresponding region-specific scrolling speed, enabling faster navigation in certain areas while maintaining control in others.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making the scrolling speed variable rather than fixed. The scrolling speed dynamically changes based on the horizontal position where the user input is detected. The system continuously monitors the horizontal coordinate of touch events and adjusts the scrolling velocity accordingly, creating an adaptive scrolling mechanism that responds to user needs in real-time.
2Ease of operation
If the display is divided into multiple regions with different scrolling rates, then users can scroll at variable speeds based on input location, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different scrolling speeds to different horizontal regions of the display. The display is divided into multiple vertical bands, where each band has a specific scrolling speed associated with it. When a user interacts with different horizontal portions of the display, the system applies the corresponding region-specific scrolling speed, enabling faster navigation in certain areas while maintaining control in others.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service by automatically determining the scrolling speed based on the horizontal position of the user's input without requiring explicit user selection. The system monitors the x-coordinate of touch events and autonomously selects the appropriate scrolling speed from predefined regions, eliminating the need for users to manually configure scrolling preferences.
3Speed
If a single scrolling speed is used throughout the display, then the implementation is straightforward, but the user experiences slow navigation when needing to quickly access items
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different scrolling speeds to different horizontal regions of the display. The display is divided into multiple vertical bands, where each band has a specific scrolling speed associated with it. When a user interacts with different horizontal portions of the display, the system applies the corresponding region-specific scrolling speed, enabling faster navigation in certain areas while maintaining control in others.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements parameter changes by varying the scrolling speed parameter based on the horizontal position of user input. The system changes the velocity parameter dynamically according to which vertical band the input falls into, allowing the same physical input distance to result in different scrolling distances depending on the horizontal location, thereby optimizing navigation speed.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, system, and medium are provided for allowing a user to scroll through a list of items on a display, such as contacts, pictures, or other files, at variable speeds, which provides for fast, yet accurate scrolling. The user provides an indication to scroll through the list of items, such as pressing and dragging or flicking through the list. This indication may include a starting point and ending point at a certain location on the display. Depending on where the user provides this indication on the display, a scroll speed is determined at which to scroll through the list of items. As the indication of a scroll action progresses from one side of a display to the other, the scrolling speed increases such that the exact same scroll action corresponds to differing scrolling speeds, depending on the position of the user's indication of a scroll action on the display.