FR2861206A1 - METHOD AND DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY ADAPTING DISPLAY - Google Patents

Abstract

The method of automatically adapting the display of a visual set comprising interaction elements accessible to a user comprises: - a step of searching (204) for interaction elements in said visual set; - a modification step ( 205) of visual attributes of interaction elements of said visual set and a display step (207) of said visual set comprising the interaction elements with modified visual attributes. Preferably, it also comprises a pointing step ( 208, 209) of an interaction element by said user and the step of modifying visual attributes performs an enlargement of the visual attributes of at least some of the interaction elements, for example for use with a screen Preferably, the method further comprises, during the pointing step, a step of searching for interaction elements comprising an input zone (210) and whether the selected interaction element is an element nt interaction comprising an input zone, a step of displaying a virtual keyboard is performed.

Description

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY ADAPTING DISPLAY

  The present invention relates to a method and an automatic display adaptation device. It applies, in particular, to navigation via a touch screen and to screens for the visually impaired and disabled.

  When a webmaster or a software publisher wants the human-machine interfaces or screens displayed to users to be used with touch screens or by the visually impaired or disabled, he is currently obliged to provide a version of his dedicated software to these uses. Indeed, the dimensions of the characters and the elements of interaction (for example the links l0 hypertext) of the standard versions of the software do not allow a good visualization by a visually-impaired person, nor a good selection with a touch screen (the dimension of the end of the finger is too big) or by a disabled person.

  Because of the cost of these specific adaptations and the small market they represent, few software or websites are adapted to these uses and can only be used with pointing devices capable of discriminating pixels, for example mice. .

  The present invention aims to remedy these disadvantages.

  For this purpose, the present invention aims, in a first aspect, a method of automatic adaptation of a display of a visual assembly comprising interaction elements accessible to a user, characterized in that it comprises: - a step searching for interaction elements in said visual set; a step of modifying visual attributes of interaction elements of said visual set and a step of displaying said visual set comprising the elements of interaction with modified visual attributes.

  Thanks to these provisions, the adaptation of the visual set, human-machine interface or site page, is performed automatically, in real time. For example, the visual attribute changes are enlargements of the interaction elements, making them usable by a handicapped person, a visually impaired person and / or with a touch screen.

  The present invention thus makes it possible to consult a website on a touch screen information terminal, without keyboard, mouse or trackball (in French pointing ball). The invention also makes it possible to create a service or web information site (in French the web) that is available both on the web and on terminals.

  The present invention also allows the use of tablet PCs, without keyboard or mouse or trackball, pointing with the finger or a stylus.

  The present invention transforms a mouse ergonomics, to which the main pages developed with web tools are dedicated to touch ergonomics, automatically and immediately.

  According to particular features, the method as briefly described above further comprises a step of pointing an interaction element by said user and the visual attribute modification step makes an enlargement of visual attributes. at least a part of the interaction elements.

  According to particular features, said pointing step is performed with a touch screen.

  With each of these provisions, the user can easily select a displayed interaction element.

  According to particular features, the method as briefly described above furthermore comprises, during the pointing step, a step of searching for interaction elements comprising an input zone and if the interaction element selected is an interaction element comprising an input area, a step is performed to display a virtual keyboard.

  Thanks to these provisions, the virtual keyboard, which allows the entry of free text or symbols, is automatically displayed when the user needs it.

  According to particular features, the method as briefly described above comprises a parameterization step during which the value of at least one parameter is defined and the visual attribute modifications carried out during the modification step of The visual attributes depend on each parameter value defined during the parameterization step.

  Thanks to these provisions, the method can be adapted to different touch screens, different ways of pointing or different levels of low vision or handicap.

  According to particular features, said parameterizing step comprises a step of selecting, on a graphic element, a main magnification factor of the interaction elements.

  According to particular features, said modifying step comprises a first step of modifying visual attributes of the interaction elements which takes account of at least one parameter, each parameter being defined for at least one type of interaction element and a second step of modifying visual attributes of non-interactive elements that takes into account at least one parameter, each parameter being defined for at least one type of non-interactive element.

  Thanks to these provisions, the design of the visual ensemble can remain harmonious while particularly emphasizing the elements of interaction.

  The present invention aims, according to a second aspect, a device for automatically adapting the display of a visual assembly comprising interaction elements accessible to a user, characterized in that it comprises: a means for searching the elements interaction in said visual assembly; Means for modifying visual attributes of interaction elements of said visual assembly and means for displaying said visual assembly comprising interaction elements with modified visual attributes.

  Since the advantages, aims and particular characteristics of this device are similar to those of the method as succinctly described above, they are not recalled here.

  Other advantages, aims and features of the present invention will emerge from the description which follows, made for an explanatory and non-limiting purpose, with reference to the appended drawings, in which: FIG. 1 represents, schematically, an embodiment particular of the adaptation device object of the present invention; FIG. 2 represents a logic diagram of steps implemented to implement a particular embodiment of the adaptation method that is the subject of the present invention and FIGS. 3 to 5 represent visual assemblies before and after modification by particular modes of embodiment of the method and / or the adaptation device object of the present invention.

  Before describing the figures, a description of the mode of operation of the particular embodiments illustrated in the figures is given below.

  Each interaction element (the links, edit areas, etc.) and each non-interactive element (text, non-clickable image, etc.) is associated with a set of visual attributes or parameters. In the embodiments illustrated in the figures, the link is characterized by the values of seven parameters (defined, in HTML code by "border-style", "height", "border-width", "padding-right", "padding -left "," padding-top "and" padding-bottom "). The edit box can, in turn, be characterized by two parameters that are relative to the font size of the font used and the height of the editing area. Each element in the generic sense (links, edit areas) have these own parameters (in the sense of the characteristic like border-style ...). It may be characterized by one or more parameters common to many elements, such as "height". Thus, each element, in the generic sense (interaction element or non-interactive element) has its own parameter values.

  To modify (in the embodiments below, to enlarge) all the elements of a page, one enlarges the values of all the parameters which characterize the visual attributes. There is a magnification factor that serves as a benchmark for magnification. For this purpose, different magnification factors are used.

  The main reference magnification factor F1 is defined by the positioning of a potentiometer (see step 217, FIG. 2). This main factor F1 constitutes a reference. Each interactive or non-interactive element is characterized by parameters. A Each parameter, from 1 to n, is associated with a coefficient (we can call it the secondary magnification factor) F2i. In the embodiments illustrated, for the link, there are six coefficients F2i (because the concept of "border-style" is not subject to expansion).

  The modified (or enlarged) value of a parameter is obtained by multiplying the value of the parameter by the main magnification factor F1 and divided by coefficient F2i of said parameter. It is possible that several parameters of an element have the same coefficient value F2i. It is also possible that two elements in the generic sense (a link, an edit box) have the same coefficient F2i. This is often the case when the F2i coefficients are relative to visual attribute parameters that represent the same characteristic or magnitude as the size of a font.

  All these sizes F1 and F2i serve to maintain a uniform scale factor for the magnification and allow to take into account the difference in nature of the quantities such as a font size and such as the height of a button.

  The respect of the page's design for the non-interactive elements may not take into account these coefficients but other parameters that have the characteristic of being contextual to the position of the element in the page and the constraints related to its position. . This is for example the case of an element contained in a table. Editing a link in a table usually leads to modifying at least one or more non-interactive elements in the same row.

  FIG. 1 shows, on the one hand, an information terminal 100 (forming an adaptation device within the meaning of the present invention) comprising a central unit 105, a display screen 110, a touch screen 115, a 120 and a program memory 125, and on the other hand, a site server 150 having a page memory 155 and a modem 160, said information terminal 100 and said site server 150 being connected by a network of communication 140.

  The central unit 105 is of known type. For example, it is a personal computer unit (in English personal computer or PC). The display screen 110 is of known type. This is, for example, a cathode ray tube (CRT) screen, a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a plasma screen. The display screen 110 is adapted to display visual sets (for example web pages in HTML or XML) comprising interaction elements (for example hypertext links, input areas, buttons, etc.). .

  The touch screen 115 is of known type. It is coupled to the display screen to allow the selection by a user of an interaction element displayed by the display screen 110. In a variant, the information terminal implements other means of pointing as the touch screen, such as a mouse, for example.

  The modem 120 and the modem 160 allow the information terminal 100 and the server 150 to communicate via the communication network 140, for example to enable the user of the information terminal 100 to navigate on a network. site maintained by the server 150, to consult and / or generate emails.

  The program memory 125 retains, among other things and in addition to a control driver of the touch screen and a display driver on the display screen 110, on the one hand, a navigation software and, on the other hand, software implementing the method object of the present invention. For example, the software implementing the method that is the subject of the present invention implements the steps illustrated with reference to FIG.

  In general, this software implements the following steps, to perform an automatic adaptation of display of a visual set (page of an information site kept by the information terminal or page of a site maintained by the server 150): a step of searching for the interaction elements in said visual set (for example the hypertext links, the buttons and the input areas); a step of modifying visual attributes of interaction elements of said visual assembly without adding an interaction element (for example by enlarging these interaction elements) and a step of displaying said visual assembly comprising the interaction elements with modified visual attributes, on the display screen 115.

  The communication network 140 is, for example, the Internet, and allows many user stations and information terminals to access numerous sites, electronic mailboxes, etc.

  The information terminal 100 constitutes a particular embodiment of a device for automatically adapting the display of a visual assembly comprising interaction elements accessible to a user, object of the present invention, which comprises: search means interaction elements in said visual assembly constituted by the central unit 105, the program memory 125 and the modem 120; a means for modifying visual attributes of interaction elements of said visual set without adding an interaction element constituted by the central unit 105 and the program memory 125; a means for displaying said visual assembly comprising the interaction elements with modified visual attributes constituted by the central unit 105, the program memory 125 and the display screen 110.

  It is observed that the adaptation (that is to say, for example, the one or more magnification factors) can be parameterized by document model. A document model is a computer file that contains the definition of adaptation, that is, visual attributes of interactive elements and non-interactive elements.

  The interaction elements define all the elements that serve as interfaces between the man and the machine. So that they can easily interact with the pointing device, these elements are enlarged according to the method and device objects of the present invention. Without being exhaustive, these elements of interaction include: links, editing areas, - radio buttons, - checkboxes (in French check box), - buttons, - comboboxes (in French list with zone d edition) and - clickable images, ie images associated with a hypertext link.

  Non-interactive elements define all the elements of a page that do not serve as an interface between the man and the machine. However, according to particular features of the present invention, these non-interactive elements are also enlarged for the following reasons: either to be in adequacy with the visual attribute modifications of the interaction elements (for example, when the elements of interaction are significantly increased, the text of the document must also be modified), - either to preserve the original design of the Internet document (for example the visual attributes of a link contained in a table lead to modify especially all non-interactive elements of the same line).

  Without being exhaustive, the non-interactive elements include: - the text non-clickable images ...

  There is no limit to the number of document templates. There is a standard document template that is taken into account for all Internet documents. It is possible to associate an Internet page or a set of Internet pages with a document model.

  FIG. 2 shows a parameterization step 201 of the operation according to the method that is the subject of the present invention. During step 201, in particular, a main magnification factor F1 is defined, the values of each parameter for the interaction elements, the values of each parameter for the interaction elements and the non-interactive elements. and the value of the secondary magnification factor F2i which is associated with each parameter, 1 to n, for the non-interactive elements.

  Then, during a navigation step 202, the user browses a set of pages stored locally or accessible remotely, for example on the Internet. The address of a document called URL (Uniform Resource Location) can be communicated to the browser either by input, by selection in a menu or a combobox, or by favorites, or by another Internet document, or by pointing to a link (see step 213).

  Each page is a visual set with interaction elements that allow a user to browse, view, or generate transactions, such as e-mail or online transactions.

  During a loading step 203, adaptation parameters of the page are loaded. The knowledge of the address of the internet document makes it possible to load the model of document which is associated with it. If there is no associated template, then the standard document template is used to set up the adaptation.

  During a search step 204, the interaction elements are searched on the page. For example, for an Internet document in HTML, the search for interaction elements consists of searching for HTML tags. For example, a link is a <A HREF=....</A> tag.

  During a modification step 205, visual attributes of the interaction elements are modified. For example, the magnification factor F1 is applied to them and / or they are framed and / or spaced from each other and / or the font and / or color are modified. This gives an enlargement and enhancement of each interaction zone allowing, for example, the use of a touch screen with a finger or a stylus.

  For example, for an Internet document in HTML, changing visual attributes that are primarily geometric properties involves adding visual attributes and / or modifying existing visual attributes of HTML tags. For the link, it is possible in particular to add the following visual attributes: - border-style (in French, border style), - height (in French height), border-width (in French border height), - padding -right (in French white or margin on the right), - padding-left (in French white or margin on the left), - padding-top (in white French or margin on top) and padding-bottom (in white French or margin in low).

  For example, the visual elements displayed in the left column of the following table correspond to a definition in the HTML language given in the right column. The first row of the table corresponds to an interaction element before the modification of its visual attributes and the third row of the table corresponds to the same interaction element after a modification of its visual attributes.

example in HTML code.

  <A HREF="http:l/www.google.com"> Google </A> <A style = "border-style: outset; height: 0px; border-width: 1; paddingright: 20; padding-Ieft: 20; padding-top: 20; padding-bottom: 20 "HREF =" http://www.google.com "> Google </A> During a modification step 206, we modify the visual attributes of the elements non-interactive. For example, the font is modified by taking into account the main magnification factor F1 and the secondary magnification factor F2i specific to each parameter for the non-interactive element considered. These changes are made in the same way as for the interaction elements.

  During the refresh step 207, the display of the page is refreshed on the display screen.

  During a step 208, it is determined whether a score has been made. Otherwise, step 208 is repeated. If yes, during a step 209, it is determined whether the score has been done on an interaction element (With its input device, the user can activate an interaction element.).

  If yes, during a step 210, it is determined whether the interaction element is an input zone. If yes, during a step 211, it causes the display of a virtual keyboard, for example at the bottom of the display screen. Thus, if the user clicks on an interaction element whose function is to enter alphanumeric information, then a virtual keyboard automatically appears on the screen.

  Then, during a step 212, the user enters the symbols he wishes to enter and returns to step 208 after eliminating the virtual keyboard. It is observed that the validation with the keyboard (key "enter" or "entry") can correspond to a pointing of a navigation element (see step 213).

  If the result of step 210 is negative, the interaction element is a navigation element whose processing is performed, step 213. Thus, if the user clicks on an interaction element whose function is to navigate in the Internet documents, then a navigation takes place.

Then, we return to step 202.

  If the result of step 209 is negative, that is, if the score was made outside of an interaction element, during a step 215, a selection is processed in a menu of browser adapted to the pointing device, a scrollbar, step 216 and / or a potentiometer, step 217. The user uses this menu, this scrollbar and / or this potentiometer to modify at least one operating parameter of the device and returns to the Step 203. Thus, with its input device, the user can interact outside the navigation area (menu, scrollbar, adaptation potentiometer). The browser has classic functions to allow browsing the Internet.

  These functions are activated by pressing a button outside the navigation area, a button whose dimensions are adapted to the input devices. Some of the functions, like "Search", "Favorites" ... induce navigation.

  The adaptation potentiometer has the function of modifying in real time the parameters of the adaptation, by the user. The potentiometer makes it possible to reduce or increase quantities, which is expressed in particular visually by a reduction or enlargement of the interaction elements contained in the Internet document. For example, for an Internet document in HTML, if it has been chosen to treat the link according to the code presented in step 5, then the potentiometer acts by decreasing or increasing the value used four times in the third row, column right of this table.

  The present invention is applicable to any pointing device. For a mouse, a trackba! I (in French pointing ball) or a stylus, the adaptation overcomes the precision of the order of one pixel and induces a great flexibility of use. For a less accurate device such as a finger via a touch screen, adaptation allows browsing Internet documents that have been developed for a mouse interface.

  FIG. 3 schematically shows a web page 300 of a search engine (google, registered trademark) as it appears with a Microsoft Internet Explorer browser (registered trademarks). FIG. 4 shows schematically the internet page 400 of a search engine illustrated in FIG. 3, as it appears after modification of the visual attributes, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

  It can be seen by comparing FIGS. 3 and 4 that the interaction elements 310, which were small in size, difficult to identify and very close to one another, have become the interaction elements 410 of larger size, framed by 420 frames and separated from each other by a distance sufficient for a touch screen to discriminate them.

  FIG. 5 schematically shows the internet page 500 of a search engine illustrated in FIG. 4, as it appears when the user selects an entry zone with a pointing device. It can be seen that a virtual keyboard 530 has been added at the bottom of the displayed page.

  The present invention is not limited to the use of touch screens but extends, on the contrary, to all pointing devices less precise than the mouse and, for example for the disabled or visually impaired, to use of the mouse.

  The present invention is not limited to information terminals and computers for the disabled or visually impaired. On the contrary, it applies to any computer, tablet PC, mobile phone, personal digital assistant (PDA for persona) digital assistant) with or without keyboard, mouse or trackball, pointing with the finger or a stylus.

Claims (9)

  1 - Automatic display adaptation method of a visual set comprising interaction elements accessible to a user, characterized in that it comprises: - a step of searching (204) the interaction elements in said set visual; a step of modifying (205) visual attributes of interaction elements of said visual assembly and - a step of displaying (207) said visual assembly comprising the elements of interaction with modified visual attributes.   2 - Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a step of pointing (208, 209) of an interaction element by said user and the step of modifying visual attributes performs a magnifying visual attributes of at least a portion of the interaction elements.   3 - Process according to claim 2, characterized in that said pointing step (208, 209) is performed with a touch screen (115).   4 - Process according to any one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that it further comprises, during the pointing step (208, 209), a step of seeking interaction elements comprising a input area (210) and if the selected interaction element is an interaction element having an input area, performing a step of displaying a virtual keyboard (530).   - Method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises a parameterization step (201, 217) during which the value of at least one parameter and the visual attribute changes are defined performed during the step of modifying visual attributes (205) depend on each parameter value defined during the parameterization step.   6 - Process according to claim 5, characterized in that said parametering step comprises a step of selecting (217), on a graphic element, an enlargement factor of the interaction elements.   7 - Process according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said modifying step comprises a first step of modifying visual attributes of the interaction elements (205) which takes account of at least one parameter, each parameter being defined for at least one type of interaction element and a second step of modifying visual attributes of non-interactive elements (206) which takes into account at least one parameter, each parameter being defined for at least one parameter a type of non-interactive element.   8 - Apparatus for automatically adapting the display of a visual assembly comprising interaction elements accessible to a user, characterized in that it comprises: - a search means (105, 125) of the interaction elements in said visual unit; - means for modifying (105, 125) visual attributes of interaction elements of said visual set and - display means (110) of said visual set comprising interaction elements with modified visual attributes.   9 - Device according to claim 8, characterized in that it further comprises a touch screen (115), the visual attribute modification means being adapted to perform an enlargement of the visual attributes of at least a portion of interaction elements.   - Device according to any one of claims 8 or 9, characterized in that it further comprises an interaction element search means comprising an input area and, if the interaction element selected by the touch screen is an interaction element having an input area, and the display means displays a virtual keyboard.   11 - Device according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that the modifying means (105, 125) comprises a first means for modifying visual attributes of the interaction elements which takes account of at least one parameter, each parameter being defined for at least one type of interaction element and a second means for modifying visual attributes of non-interactive elements that takes into account at least one parameter, each parameter being defined for at least one non-interactive element type.