Systems and Methods for Manipulating User Annotations in Electronic Books

• US 20120218305A1
• Filed: 07/14/2011
• Published: 08/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Patterson, James, Dougall, Scott, Moody, Nathan
• Granted Patent: US 8,520,025 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/652
• 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. A finger press on a touch screen produces a contextual menu with user choices that relate to where the finger was pressed or what the user was recently doing with the book. A student provisionally navigates through a book by a specific gesture which, when it stops, returns the user to the previous position in the book. Annotations are displayed and hidden using specific gestures and through selective movement of the reader as sensed by its accelerometer.

Claims

1. An electronic book reader, comprising:

an annotation subsystem configured to associate user-selected content with a portion of an electronic book; and

an input recognition subsystem, responsive to at least one of orientation and movement of the electronic book reader, configured to cause a change in display of user-selected content responsive to the at least one of orientation and movement of the electronic book reader.

2. The electronic book reader of claim 1, wherein the input recognition subsystem includes an accelerometer, the input recognition system configured to marginalize the user-selected content responsive to the accelerometer indicating a predetermined type of movement of the electronic book reader.

3. The electronic book reader of claim 1, wherein the change in display includes an animated pouring of the user-selected content to or from a margin.

4. The electronic book reader of claim 1, wherein the change in display is in a first manner in response to a motion being below a threshold speed and is in a second manner in response to the motion being above the threshold speed.

5. The electronic book reader of claim 4, wherein the first manner includes switching the display between portrait and landscape and the second manner includes an animated pouring of the user-selected content to or from a margin.

6. The electronic book reader of claim 1, wherein the change in display includes removing the user-selected content and adding at least one display symbol indicating existence of the user-selected content.

7. The electronic book reader of claim 1, wherein the input recognition system includes user configuration controls.

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

associating user-selected content with a portion of an electronic book; and

changing a display of the user-selected content in response to at least one of orientation and movement of the electronic book reader.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising marginalizing the user-selected content in response to a predetermined movement of the electronic book reader.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein changing the display includes an animated pouring of the user-selected content to or from a margin.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the display changes in a first manner in response to a motion being below a threshold speed and in a second manner in response to the motion being above the threshold speed.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first manner includes switching the display between portrait and landscape and the second manner includes an animated pouring of the user-selected content to or from a margin.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the display is changed in a manner that includes removing the user-selected content and adding at least one display symbol indicating existence of the user-selected content.

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

instructions to associate user-selected content with a portion of an electronic book; and

instructions to change a display of the user-selected content in response to at least one of orientation and movement of the electronic book reader.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising instructions to marginalize the user-selected content in response to a predetermined movement of the electronic book reader.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein changing the display includes an animated pouring of the user-selected content to or from a margin.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the display changes in a first manner in response to a motion being below a threshold speed and changes in a second manner in response to the motion being above the threshold speed.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the first manner includes switching the display between portrait and landscape and the second manner includes an animated pouring of the user-selected content to or from a margin.

19. The computer program product of claim 14, the display is changed in a manner that includes removing the user-selected content and adding at least one display symbol indicating existence of the user-selected content.

20. An electronic book reader, comprising:

an annotation subsystem, configured to associate user-added content with a portion of an electronic book; and

an input recognition subsystem, responsive to a user gesture, configured to define a selection from the electronic book and to include the selection as part of the user-added content.

21. The electronic reader of claim 20, further comprising a navigation subsystem configured to provide a user control to access the user-added content.

22. The electronic reader of claim 21, wherein the user-added content is an electronic notebook.

23. The electronic reader of claim 21, wherein the user control is a user interface tab.

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

associating user-added content with a portion of the electronic book;

defining a selection from the electronic book responsive to a user gesture; and

including the selection as part of the user-added content.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising providing a user control to access the user-added content.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the user-added content is an electronic notebook.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the user control is a user interface tab.

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

instructions to associate user-added content with a portion of the electronic book;

instructions to define a selection from the electronic book responsive to a user gesture; and

instructions to include the selection as part of the user-added content.

29. The computer program product of claim 28, further comprising instructions to provide a user control to access the user-added content.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the user-added content is an electronic notebook.

31. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the user control is a user interface tab.

32. An electronic book reader, comprising:

an annotation subsystem, configured to associate user-controlled content 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 corresponding to at least some of the portions, and to enable user navigation between a first portion of the study guide and a corresponding first portion of the electronic book.

33. The electronic book reader of claim 32, 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.

34. The electronic book reader of claim 32, wherein the navigation system generates the study guide by compiling at least a subset of the portions.

35. The electronic book reader of claim 32, wherein the navigation system generates the study guide by compiling those of the portions corresponding to the user'"'"'s own annotations.

36. The electronic book reader of claim 32, wherein the navigation system generates the study guide by compiling those portions for which a greatest number of annotations were provided by other users, as determined via communication with a collaboration subsystem.

37. The electronic book reader of claim 36, wherein the navigation system further provides a user control to set a threshold for inclusion of one of the portions responsive to how many other users provided annotations therefor.

38. The electronic book reader of claim 37, 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.

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

associating user-controlled content with portions of an electronic book;

generating a study guide corresponding to at least some of the portions; and

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

40. The method of claim 39, 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.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein the study guide is generated by compiling at least a subset of the portions.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein the study guide is generated by compiling those of the portions that correspond to the user'"'"'s own annotations.

43. The method of claim 39, wherein the study guide is generated by compiling those portions for which a greatest number of annotations were provided by other users.

44. The method of claim 43, further comprising providing user controls to set a threshold for inclusion of one of the portions responsive to how many other users provided annotations therefor.

45. The method of claim 44, 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.

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

instructions to associate user-controlled content with portions of an electronic book;

instructions to generate a study guide corresponding to at least some of the portions; and

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

47. The computer program product of claim 46, 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.

48. The computer program product of claim 46, wherein the study guide is generated by compiling at least a subset of the portions.

49. The computer program product of claim 46, wherein the study guide is generated by compiling those of the portions that correspond to the user'"'"'s own annotations.

50. The computer program product of claim 46, wherein the study guide is generated by compiling those portions for which a greatest number of annotations were provided by other users.

51. The computer program product of claim 50, further comprising instructions to provide user controls to set a threshold for inclusion of one of the portions responsive to how many other users provided annotations therefor.

52. The computer program product of claim 51, 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.