Electronic paper file and mark setting system

• US 20040070633A1
• Filed: 07/15/2003
• Published: 04/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsuo, Hiroyuki, Nakamura, Tetsuroh, Tatekawa, Masaichiro
• Application Number:
  US10/466,340
• Publication Number:
  US 20040070633A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/860
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3629 using liquid crystals having memory effects, e.g. ferroelectric liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/30 Control of display attribute

Abstract

An electronic paper file comprises an electronic paper which is flexible medium and a main unit to which a plurality of the electronic papers is attached. The electronic paper file is characterized by comprising a mark indication control means for controlling the indication of a mark on an electronic paper. According to this electronic paper file, a mark can be indicated on an electronic paper displaying specified character strings or the like, so that the user can find out a desired page easily.

Claims

1. An electronic paper file comprising an electronic paper that is a flexible display medium, and a main unit attachable with a plurality of the electronic papers, said electronic paper file comprising:

a mark indication control means controlling the indication of a mark on the electronic paper.

2. The electronic paper file according to claim 1, wherein the mark indication control means controls the indication of a mark on a side edge of a display unit of the electronic paper.

3. The electronic paper file according to claim 1, wherein the mark indication control means controls the indication of a mark based on mark data indicating at least one of the indication position, a color, and the indication type of said mark.

4. The electronic paper file according to claim 3, wherein the mark indication control means retains the mark data and displays a mark based on the retained mark data even after the power is turned off.

5. The electronic paper file according to claim 3, wherein the mark indication control means retains the mark data and displays a mark based on the retained mark data when the power is turned off and then turned on again.

6. The electronic paper file according to claim 1, wherein the main unit or the electronic paper is provided with a storage means for storing main data to be displayed on the electronic paper.

7. The electronic paper file according to claim 1, which further comprising:

a mark setting means for instructing the mark indication control means to display both main data to be displayed on the electronic paper and the mark corresponding to the main data.

8. The electronic paper file according to claim 7, wherein the mark setting means selects the main data displayed on the display unit of the electronic paper, and instructs the mark indication control means to display both the selected main data and the mark corresponding to the main data.

9. The electronic paper file according to claim 7, wherein the mark setting means detects an open electronic paper, and instructs the mark indication control means to display both the main data displayed on the detected electronic paper and the mark corresponding to the main data.

10. The electronic paper file according to claim 1, which further comprising:

a Content-Index display control means for controlling the displaying of Contents or Index on the electronic paper.

11. The electronic paper file according to claim 10, which further comprising:

a selecting means for selecting a search target data;

a search control means for searching the main data based on the data selected by the selecting means; and

the mark indication control means for controlling the indication of the mark based on the search result of the search control means.

12. The electronic paper file according to claim 11, wherein the selecting means selects search target data based on at least one of the Contents, the Index, and the main data that are displayed on the electronic paper.

13. The electronic paper file according to claim 10, wherein the mark indication control means manages the specific number of electronic papers as a group, and controls the indication of a same mark on all the electronic papers included in the same group.

14. The electronic paper file according to claim 1, wherein the mark indication control means for controlling the indication of a mark on a side face formed by laying the specific number of the electronic papers one after another.

15. The electronic paper file according to claim 14, which further comprising:

a writing means for writing a mark on the side face formed by laying the specific number of the electronic papers one after another.

16. The electronic paper file according to either one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the electronic paper comprises a display layer for displaying the main data and a light emitting layer for illuminating the display layer.

17. The electronic paper file according to claim 16, wherein a nonvolatile display medium is used as a display medium of the display layer.

18. The electronic paper file according to claim 16, wherein an organic or an inorganic electro luminescence is used as a display medium of the light emitting layer.

19. The electronic paper file according to either one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the electronic paper is attached to or removed from the main unit freely by providing one of a pair of connecting terminals to one end of the display unit of the electronic paper and the other connecting terminal to the main unit, said connecting terminal with the physical and electric connecting function.

20. The electronic paper file according to claim 19, wherein the other connecting terminal is fixed to an arrangement position on the main unit.

21. The electronic paper file according to claim 19, wherein a connecting unit, which is configured by jointing a plurality of rotatable axis parts and the other connecting terminals in the axis direction so as to be rotatable mutually, is fixed rotatably to the main unit.

22. The electronic paper file according to claim 19, which comprising:

an attachment detecting means for detecting whether the one connecting terminal is attached to the other connecting terminal or not; and

the mark indication control means for controlling the indication of the mark based on the detected result of the attachment detecting means.

23. A mark setting system for setting a specific shape of mark to main data displayed on an electronic paper which is a flexible display medium, said system comprising:

a mark setting means for selecting data to be a mark target data from the main data, and setting the mark-shape information to the selected data.

24. The mark setting system according to claim 23, wherein the mark setting means sets the mark-shape information per page unit of the main data.

25. The mark setting system according to claim 23, wherein the mark setting means sets the mark-shape information per specified character string.

26. The mark setting system according to claim 23, wherein the mark setting means is provided with a shape confirmation means for judging at the time of setting a display range of a mark whether the display ranges of the mark and the other mark overlap each other.

27. The mark setting system according to claim 23, wherein the shape confirmation means judges whether the mark-shape information set to a specific electronic paper is the same as the mark-shape information set to the other electronic papers adjoining to the electronic paper.

28. The mark setting system according to claim 23, wherein the mark setting means is provided with a search means for searching the main data for a specified character string.

29. The mark setting system according to claim 23, which further comprising:

a display-specified area setting means for selecting from the main data a display-specified area displaying a mark.

30. The mark setting system according to claim 23, which further comprising:

a Contents creating means for obtaining from the main data the data matching to specific conditions and creating Contents based on the obtained data.

31. A program of a computer for setting a specific shape of mark to an electronic paper that is a flexible display medium, said program working the computer as a mark setting means for selecting a mark target data from main data and setting mark-shape information to the selected data.