SYSTEM FOR SOCIAL NETWORKING USING AN EBOOK READER

• US 20120047455A1
• Filed: 08/20/2010
• Published: 02/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yuan, Chang, Sezan, M. Ibrahim, Su, Yeping
• Application Number:
  US12/860,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20120047455A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0291 for reading, e.g. e-books constructional details of portable computers G06F1/1613
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services

Abstract

An eBook reader that includes the capability of interfacing with a human-centric social network and a book-centric social network.

Claims

1. A system for reading electronic documents comprising:

(a) a portable electronic device having an integrated front facing display;

(b) an electronic document reading program operating on said electronic device suitable for the presentation of electronic documents on said display for reading by a user;

(c) said electronic document reading program including an option to selectively provide information to and receive information from a human-centric social networking service and a book-centric social networking service.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said portable electronic device is relatively thin with said front facing display sized to be at least a majority of the front surface of said portable electronic device.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said portable electronic device is a cellular phone.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said front facing display includes a touch screen.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein an input keyboard is provided on said touch screen.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said option is a provided using a menu.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said electronic documents are presented in at least one of (1) a single page at a time, (2) a part of a single page at a time, (3) multiple pages at a time, (4) two pages at a time, and (5) in a scrollable manner.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said electronic document reading program said provides information to said at least one of said human-centric social networking service and said book-centric social networking service by using a window into which text may be entered.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said electronic document reading program said provides information to said at least one of said human-centric social networking service and said book-centric social networking service by using a window within an interface encompassing said electronic document reading program.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein said electronic document reading program said provides information to said at least one of said human-centric social networking service and said book-centric social networking service by using a window without fully obscuring said electronic document reading program on said display.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein said human-centric social networking service include the capability of including more personal information about a user than said book-centric social networking service.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein said human-centric social networking service include the capability of including more personal information about a user than said book-centric social networking service.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein users of said book-centric social networking service are generally anonymous.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein said book-centric social networking service and said human-centric social networking service each include a different profile of the same user, wherein the profile associated with said user for said book-centric social networking service is the same independent of what device accesses said book-centric social networking service and wherein the profile associated with said user for said human-centric social networking service is the same independent of what device accesses said human-centric social networking service.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein users of said book-centric social networking service includes groups of books.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein users of said book-centric social networking service primarily includes readers of a digital content.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein said digital content is eBooks.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein users of said book-centric social networking service are automatically connected to an appropriate part of said book-centric social networking service based upon content being presented on said portable electronic device.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein content from said human-centric social networking service is used as the basis to provide content suggestions to a user of said portable electronic device.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein content provided to said human-centric social networking service is automatically provided based upon a user'"'"'s use of said electronic document reading program.

21. The system of claim 1 wherein content provided to said book-centric social networking service is automatically provided based upon a user'"'"'s use of said electronic document reading program.

22. The system of claim 1 wherein content provided to said book-centric social networking service includes the capability of providing comments on portions of a book that are identified together with said comments.

23. The system of claim 1 wherein content provided to said book-centric social networking service relates to a user'"'"'s liking of a particular book after reading said book on said portable electronic device.

24. The system of claim 1 wherein a map identifying the location of a plurality of other user'"'"'s reading the same content as being read on said portable electronic device.

25. The system of claim 1 wherein a graph illustrates the reading progress of a plurality of other user'"'"'s reading the same content as being read on said portable electronic device.