Document viewing device

• US 20030020687A1
• Filed: 07/01/2002
• Published: 01/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Gallop, Russell David, Sowden, Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 7,081,882 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A document display device, comprising a memory arranged to store a document in the form of a sequence of pages; a display arranged to provide a user view of pages from the sequence; at least one user input device; a processor responsive to the at least one user input device to change the user view of the sequence of pages wherein said processor is arranged to allow reference markers to be associated with a page by a predetermined first input to the input device and further arranged such that a page associated with said reference marker can be at least partially displayed by a further predetermined input to the input device. Such an arrangement allows a one or more pages to marked as a block of pages, and the device allows a user to refer back to the pages at either end of the block.

Claims

1. A document display device, comprising a memory and arranged to store a document in the form of a sequence of pages;

a display capable of displaying said document and arranged to provide a user view of pages from said sequence;

at least one user input device capable of receiving user inputs and of generating a signal based on said inputs;

a processor responsive to said signal and being arranged to respond to said signal by changing said user view of said sequence of pages and said processor being further arranged to associate at least one reference marker with a page by a predetermined first input to said at least one input device and further arranged such that a page associated with said reference marker can be at least partially displayed by a second predetermined input to the input device.

2. A document display device according to claim 1 wherein the said input device is arranged to provide co-ordinates associated with a said user input to said input device in said signal to said processor.

3. A document display device according to claim 2 wherein said processor is capable of determining a rate of change of said co-ordinates and is arranged to introduce a reference marker when a first input having substantially no change in said co-ordinates with respect to time is made to said at least one input device.

4. A document display device according to claim 3 wherein said reference marker exists for substantially the same length of time that said input device provides co-ordinates associated with said predetermined first input.

5. A document display device according to claim 1 wherein said at least one input device is a digitiser track pad.

6. A document display device according to claim 1 wherein said processor is arranged to cause said display to cover a page with which said reference marker has been associated with other pages such that said page with which said reference marker has been associated can substantially no longer be viewed in order to display subsequent pages in said sequence of pages.

7. A document display device according to claim 6 wherein said processor is arranged to cause said display to display at least a portion of said page with which said reference marker has been associated when said second user input is detected on said at least one input device.

8. A document display device according to claim 7 wherein said input device is arranged to provide co-ordinates associated with a said user input to said input device in said signal to said processor, said processor is capable of determining a rate of change of said co-ordinates and said processor is arranged to cause said display to display at least a portion of said page with which a reference marker has been associated when said second user input generates co-ordinates having a rate of change with respect to time.

9. A document display device according to claim 8 wherein said processor is arranged to cause said display to display said page with which a reference has been associated in substantially its entirety when a change of co-ordinates generated by said second input exceeds a predetermined threshold.

10. A document display device according to claim 9 wherein said processor is arranged such that when said second input does not generate a change of co-ordinates exceeding said predetermined threshold and is subsequently removed said display is caused to revert to displaying the pages that were covering said page with which a reference has been associated.

11. A document display device according to claim 1 wherein said processor is capable of causing said display to display an indicator of said reference marker and wherein said processor is arranged to cause the display to display said indicator to indicate that said reference marker has been introduced.

12. A document display device according to claim 1 wherein said device comprises at least two user input devices.

13. A document display device according to claim 1 wherein said pages are arranged to have a front face and a back face and said processor is arranged to change said display such that successive views provide a view of only one of said front face and said back face of a page and wherein said processor is further arranged to change said display to display intermediate views between said successive views of said sequence of pages.

14. A document display device according to claim 13 wherein said intermediate views are arranged to present part of both said front face and a part of said back face of at least one page to a user.

15. A method of facilitating the retrieval of information comprising providing a user with a device comprising a display capable of displaying a view of at least one page from a sequence of pages and further comprising an input device capable of receiving a user input, allowing a user to introduce a reference marker onto said at least one displayed page by making a first input to said input device, and further arranged so that the page on which the reference marker has been placed can be at least partially displayed when a user makes a second predetermined input to said input device.

16. A method according to claim 15 comprising providing said input device such that it is capable of generating co-ordinates associated with a user input.

17. A method according to claim 16 comprising introducing a reference marker in response to a first input resulting in substantially zero rate of change with respect to time of co-ordinates generated by said input device.

18. A method according to claim 16 comprising using said co-ordinates provided by a second input to said input device to determine whether a portion of the page on which a reference marker has been placed should be displayed.

19. A method according to claim 18 comprising applying a threshold parameter to said co-ordinates provided by the said second input to said input device, such that if said threshold is exceeded said page on which said reference marker has been placed is displayed substantially in its entirety.

20. A method according to claim 19 comprising causing said display to revert to the page displayed before a portion of said page on which a reference marker has been placed was displayed if said second user input is removed before said threshold is exceeded.

21. A computer readable medium having contained therein instructions for causing a processor to execute the method of claim 15.

22. A document display device, comprising a memory arranged to store a document in the form of a sequence of pages;

a display capable of displaying said document and arranged to provide a user view of pages from said sequence;

at least one user input device capable of receiving inputs and of generating a signal based on said user inputs containing co-ordinates associated with said user input to said at least one user input device, processing circuitry arranged to receive said signal and to detect a change in said co-ordinates, said processing circuitry being arranged to respond to said signal to change said user view of said sequence of pages and wherein said processing circuitry is arranged to associate reference markers with a page when a first input having substantially no change in said co-ordinates with respect to time is made to said at least one input device and further arranged such that a page associated with said reference marker can be at least partially displayed by a second predetermined input to the input device.

23. A document display device, comprising a memory means for storing data, said memory means being arranged to store data in the form of a document comprising a sequence of pages;

a display means for displaying said data, said display means being arranged to provide a user view of pages from said sequence;

at least one user input means for receiving user inputs and for generating a signal based on said user inputs, said user input means arranged to provide co-ordinates associated with a user input;

a processing means for processing data and arranged to receive said signal and to alter said display, said processing means being arranged to respond to said signal by changing said user view of said sequence of pages and said processing means being further arranged to associate at least one reference marker with a page by a predetermined first input to said at least one input means and further arranged such that a page associated with said reference marker can be at least partially displayed by a second predetermined input to the input means.