ELECTRONIC BOOK ELECTRONIC LINKS

• US 20110185191A2
• Filed: 01/18/2008
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1992
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Adrea LLC (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Adrea LLC (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: HENDRICKS, John
• Application Number:
  US12/010,045
• Publication Number:
  US 20080215895A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/193
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1011 to devices

Abstract

The invention, an electronic book selection and delivery system, is a new way to distribute books and other textual information to bookstores, libraries and consumers. The primary components of the system are a subsystem for placing text in a video signal format and a subsystem for receiving and selecting text that is placed in the video signal format. The system configuration for consumer use contains additional components and optional features that enhance the system, namely: (1) an operation center, (2) a video distribution system, (3) a home subsystem, including reception, selection, viewing, transacting and transmission capabilities, and (4) a billing and collection system. The operation center and/or video distribution points perform the functions of manipulation of text data, security and coding of text, cataloging of books, messaging center, and uplink functions. The home subsystem performs the functions of connecting to a video distribution system, menu selecting text, storing text, and transacting through phone or cable communicating mechanisms. A portable book-shaped viewing device is used for viewing the textual material delivered. The billing and collection system performs the transaction, management, authorization, collection and publisher payments automatically utilizing the telephone system.

Claims

1-26. -26. (canceled)

27. An electronic book viewer for receiving, storing, and displaying an electronic book, comprising:

a display;

a wireless transceiver;

controls disposed near the display, the controls comprising;

one or more selection buttons;

a forward page button; and

a reverse page button;

an instruction memory having stored therein instructions for;

receiving an index of a plurality of available electronic books, wherein the index is available for downloading from a database remote from the viewer via a wireless distribution system of electronic books, and wherein the electronic books in the index are available for downloading via the wireless distribution system;

displaying the index on the display to a user using the viewer;

receiving inputs from the user through the controls;

downloading one specific electronic book in the index via the wireless distribution system to the viewer via the wireless transceiver, wherein the specific electronic book is downloaded in an encrypted format to the viewer, in response to the user selecting the specific electronic book from the index using the one or more selection buttons;

decrypting the downloaded electronic book;

displaying, on the display, a current page of the downloaded electronic book;

displaying, on the display, a next page to the current page, in response to the user using the forward page button;

displaying, on the display, a previous page to the current page, in response to the user using the reverse page button; and

a microprocessor configured to execute the instructions stored in the instruction memory,

wherein the display, controls, instruction memory, wireless transceiver and microprocessor are integrated into a portable, hand-held unit.

28. The electronic book viewer of claim 27, wherein the wireless transceiver comprises a cellular transceiver for mobile communications.

29. The electronic book viewer of claim 27, wherein the wireless transceiver comprises a radio frequency (RF) transceiver.

30. The electronic book viewer of claim 27, further comprising:

a video graphics controller.

31. The electronic book viewer of claim 27, further comprising:

a battery.

32. The electronic book viewer of claim 31, further comprising:

a power supply circuit configured to accept power from an AC power source or the battery.

33. The electronic book viewer of claim 27, wherein the instructions stored in the instruction memory further comprises instructions for:

creating an index of downloaded electronic books, wherein the downloaded electronic books have been downloaded via the wireless distribution system, and wherein the downloaded electronic books are stored on the electronic book viewer; and

displaying, on the display, the index of downloaded electronic books.

34. The electronic book viewer of claim 33, further comprising:

a book memory configured to store the downloaded electronic books.

35. The electronic book viewer of claim 34, wherein the instruction memory and the book memory are different types of memory.

36. The electronic book viewer of claim 27, wherein the display is a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen.

44. the electronic book viewer of claim 27, wherein the wireless distribution system is a radiofrequency network.

37. An electronic book viewer for receiving, storing, and displaying an electronic book, comprising:

a display;

a wireless transceiver;

one or more selection controls;

one or more page controls;

an instruction memory having stored therein instructions for;

receiving an index of a plurality of available electronic books, wherein the index is available for downloading from a database remote from the viewer via a wireless distribution system of electronic books, and wherein the electronic books in the index are available for downloading via the wireless distribution system;

displaying the index on the display to a user using the viewer;

receiving inputs from the user through the one or more selection and page controls;

downloading one specific electronic book in the index via the wireless distribution system to the viewer via the wireless transceiver, wherein the specific electronic book is downloaded in an encrypted format to the viewer, in response to the user selecting the specific electronic book from the index using the one or more selection controls;

decrypting the downloaded electronic book;

displaying, on the display, a current page of the downloaded electronic book;

displaying, on the display, a next or previous page to the current page, in response to the user using the one or more page controls;

creating an index of downloaded electronic books, wherein the downloaded electronic books have been downloaded via the wireless distribution system, and wherein the downloaded electronic books are stored on the electronic book viewer; and

displaying, on the display, the index of downloaded electronic books; and

a microprocessor configured to execute the instructions stored in the instruction memory;

wherein the display, controls, instruction memory, wireless transceiver and microprocessor are integrated into a portable, hand-held unit.

38. The electronic book viewer of claim 37, wherein the one or more page controls comprises:

a forward page control; and

a reverse page control.

39. The electronic book viewer of claim 37, wherein the wireless transceiver comprises a cellular transceiver for mobile communications.

40. The electronic book viewer of claim 37, wherein the wireless transceiver comprises a radio frequency (RF) transceiver.

41. The electronic book viewer of claim 37, further comprising:

a book memory configured to store the downloaded electronic books.

42. A computer program comprising instructions stored in a memory of a portable hand-held device, the instructions being executable on the microprocessor of the hand-held device to perform the functions of:

receiving an index of a plurality of available electronic books, wherein the index is available for downloading from a database remote from the hand-held device via a wireless distribution system of electronic books, and wherein the electronic books in the index are available for downloading via the wireless distribution system;

displaying the index on the display of the hand-held device to a user of the hand-held device;

downloading one specific electronic book in the index via the wireless distribution system to the hand-held device via the wireless transceiver, wherein the specific electronic book is downloaded in an encrypted format to the hand-held device, in response to the user selecting the specific electronic book from the index;

decrypting the downloaded electronic book;

displaying, on the display, a current page of the downloaded electronic book; and

displaying, on the display, a next or previous page to the current page in response to input from the user, wherein the portable hand-held device comprises an integrated display, controls, instruction memory, wireless transceiver, and a microprocessor.

43. The computer program comprising instructions stored in a memory of a hand-held device of claim 42, the instructions being further executable to perform the functions of:

creating an index of downloaded electronic books, wherein the downloaded electronic books have been downloaded via the wireless distribution system, and wherein the downloaded electronic books are stored on the hand-held device; and

displaying, on the display, the index of downloaded electronic books.