Automated study guide generation for electronic books

• US 10,067,922 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2013
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Patterson, James, Moody, Nathan, Dougall, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Debrow, James J
• Application Number:
  US13/946,937
• Publication Number:
  US 20130305135A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,873 Days
• Field of Search: 715230
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/60 Rotation of whole images or parts thereof

Abstract

An electronic book system provides interfaces particularly suited to students'"'"' use of textbooks. User-controlled content is associated with portions of an electronic book. A study guide corresponding to at least some of the portions with associated user-controlled content is generated. The user can navigate between portions of the study guide and the corresponding portions of the electronic book.

Claims

1. An electronic book reader, comprising:

an annotation subsystem, configured to associate annotations with portions of an electronic book; and

a navigation subsystem, operably connected to the annotation subsystem, the navigation subsystem configured to enable user generation of a study guide including at least a portion of the electronic book, the portion included in the study guide responsive to a number of annotations for the portion exceeding a threshold, and to enable user navigation between a portion included in the study guide and a corresponding portion of the electronic book.

2. The electronic book reader of claim 1, wherein the navigation system provides a page link in the study guide, the page link configured to cause display of a corresponding page from the electronic book responsive to user selection of the page link.

3. The electronic book reader of claim 1, wherein the navigation system generates the study guide by compiling at least a subset of the portions.

4. The electronic book reader of claim 1, wherein the threshold is the user generating at least one annotation for the portion.

5. The electronic book reader of claim 1, wherein the threshold is other users generating at least one annotation for the portion, as determined via communication with a collaboration subsystem.

6. The electronic book reader of claim 5, wherein the navigation system further provides a user control to set the number of annotations required for inclusion of the portion in the study guide.

7. The electronic book reader of claim 6, wherein the navigation subsystem is further configured to provide a display change responsive to the threshold changing, wherein the display change includes an animated slurping of content into or out of a current field of view.

8. A computer implemented method for using an electronic book, comprising:

associating annotations with portions of an electronic book;

generating a study guide including at least a portion of the electronic book, the portion included in the study guide responsive to a number of annotations for the portion exceeding a threshold; and

providing user controls for navigation between a portion of the study guide and a corresponding portion of the electronic book.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the user controls include a page link in the study guide, the page link configured to cause display of a corresponding page from the electronic book responsive to user selection of the page link.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the study guide is generated by compiling at least a subset of the portions.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the threshold is the user generating at least one annotation for the portion.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the threshold is other users generating at least one annotation for the portion.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising providing user controls to set the number of annotations required for inclusion of the portion in the study guide.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing a display change responsive to the threshold changing, wherein the display change includes an animated slurping of content into or out of a current field of view.

22. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing a slider-style user interface that allows a user to adjust the threshold.

23. The method of claim 8, wherein the threshold is five percent of readers providing annotations for the portion.

15. A computer program product that comprises a non-transitory computer readable storage medium containing computer executable instructions for using an electronic book, comprising:

instructions to associate annotations with portions of an electronic book;

instructions to generate a study guide including at least a portion of the electronic book, the portion included in the study guide responsive to a number of annotations for the portion exceeding a threshold; and

instructions to provide user controls for navigation between a portion of the study guide and a corresponding portion of the electronic book.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the user controls include a page link in the study guide, the page link configured to cause display of a corresponding page from the electronic book responsive to user selection of the page link.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the study guide is generated by compiling at least a subset of the portions.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the threshold is the user generating at least one annotation for the portion.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the threshold is other users generating at least one annotation for the portion.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising instructions to provide user controls to set the number of annotations required for inclusion of the portion in the study guide.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, further comprising instructions to provide a display change responsive to the threshold changing, wherein the display change includes an animated slurping of content into or out of a current field of view.