AUTHORING CONTENT FOR DIGITAL BOOKS

• US 20130073998A1
• Filed: 08/17/2012
• Published: 03/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Migos, Charles J., Bauducco, Diego, Hagele, Markus, Capela, Jay C., Gehiere, Gary W., MacLean, Alexander C., Refstrup, Jacob G., Rudolph, Christopher E., Rapp, Peter W., Hall, David M., Berger, Peter G., Israelson, Steven J., Ambachtsheer, Mark, Elseth, Paul, Rosner, Roger Rock, Gur, Yaniv, Ward, Simon A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,699,063 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/776
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

This disclosure describes systems, methods, and computer program products for authoring content for digital books. In some implementations, a single graphical user interface (GUI) is presented that allows an author to design a layout for the digital book, including editing text and inserting various types of interactive elements in the text. The GUI functions as both a digital book layout design tool and a word processor to facilitate the building of a digital book. The relative page location of inserted widgets can be determined by a user-selectable anchor point placed within the text. An outline view of the digital book can be created and presented in the GUI based on a hierarchical structure determined by paragraph styles applied to the text. The GUI can provide a hybrid glossary and index page for allowing the author to create and manage a glossary and index for the digital book.

Claims

1. A method of authoring content for a digital book, the method comprising:

providing a graphical user interface (GUI) including a composition area;

receiving and displaying text from a text source within the composition area;

receiving first input selecting an interactive element type from one or more interactive element types to be inserted in the composition area;

responsive to the first input, inserting an interactive element of the interactive element type within the text according to an anchor position in the text;

receiving second input selecting content to be inserted into the interactive element; and

responsive to the second input, inserting the content in the interactive element.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting an outline view of the digital book in the GUI according to a hierarchical structure of the digital book, the hierarchical structure being automatically determined based on paragraph styles applied to the text displayed in the GUI.

3. The method of claim 1, where receiving text further comprises:

automatically creating a run of pages for receiving the text, where the number of pages in the run of pages is based on the amount of text received.

4. The method of claim 1, where receiving first user input comprises:

detecting dropping of an icon corresponding to the selected interactive element type in the GUI.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a user interface element in the GUI for determining the layout of the interactive element and user interaction of the interactive element on a device.

6. The method of claim 1, where the interactive element includes a figure label and enumeration, the method further comprising:

receiving third input causing the interactive element to move to a different location in the digital book;

determining that an order of interactive elements of the interactive element type inserted in the digital book are out of sequential order; and

automatically updating the enumeration on each of the interactive elements of the interactive element type in the digital book to be in sequential order.

7. The method of claim 1, where the interactive element type is a gallery interactive element having a media display area for displaying the content and the content is a gallery of digital images, the method further comprising:

displaying a series of thumbnail images corresponding to the gallery of digital images;

receiving touch gesture input directed to the thumbnail images; and

responsive to the touch gesture input, replacing a first digital image of the gallery that is currently displayed in the media display area with another digital image from the gallery.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

displaying a control for resizing the content to fit or fill the media display area.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

displaying an accessibility description area in the user interface element; and

receiving text input in the accessibility description area.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

displaying in the user interface element settings for a title and caption for the interactive element; and

receiving input specifying one or more of the settings.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a media object into the GUI; and

converting the media object into an interactive element of the interactive element type.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring the interactive element to present a multimedia presentation, video, HyperText Markup Language (HTML) content or three-dimensional animation.

39. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

displaying in the user interface element settings for a title and caption for the interactive element; and

receiving input specifying one or more of the settings.

13. A method of authoring content for a digital book, the method comprising:

receiving text from a text source;

displaying the text in a graphical user interface (GUI);

receiving input selecting a review interactive element type to be inserted in the text in the GUI; and

responsive to the input, inserting a review interactive element in the text, the review interactive element including a question area for receiving a question and an answer area for receiving one or more answers to the question, where the answer area is configured according to a question type.

14. The method of claim 13, where the question type includes specifying one or more digital images as one or more answers to the question.

15. The method of claim 13, where the question type includes associating one or more labels or thumbnail images to one or more locations on a digital image to indicate one or more answers to the question.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

displaying a user interface element in the GUI for determining the layout of the review interactive element and user interaction of the review interactive element on a device.

17. The method of claim 16, where determining a user interaction includes specifying more than one answer for a question.

18. A method of authoring content for a digital book, the method comprising:

receiving text from a text source;

displaying the text in a graphical user interface (GUI);

receiving input selecting a visual dictionary interactive element type to be inserted in the text in the GUI; and

responsive to the input, inserting a visual dictionary interactive element in the text, the visual dictionary interactive element including a media display area for receiving content and one or more placards configured to be dragged to one or more locations on the content.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving text input for the placards.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

displaying a user interface element in the GUI for determining the layout of the visual dictionary interactive element and user interaction of the visual dictionary interactive element on a device.

21. The method of claim 20, where the user interface element includes a setting for specifying the same location in the interactive element for display of placard text.

22. The method of claim 20, where the user interface element includes a setting for inserting a transport control in the visual dictionary interactive element for navigating content.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

displaying a control for adjusting the zoom level of the content in the media display area; and

associating the zoom level with a placard.

24. A method of authoring content for a digital book, the method comprising:

displaying a hybrid glossary and index page for interacting with a glossary and index of a digital book, the glossary and index page including a first area displaying a definition of a first glossary term, a second area displaying a list of glossary terms including the first glossary term and other glossary terms, a third area displaying glossary terms related to the first glossary term and a fourth area displaying references to the first glossary term; and

responsive to dragging a second glossary term from the list in the second area to the third area, automatically relating the second glossary term to the first glossary term.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

receiving first input adding a term reference to the fourth area for the term defined in the first area, the term reference including a link to a location in the digital book that contains the term defined in the first area.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

receiving input adding a media object or interactive element to the first area.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

receiving second input initiating an operation on a link of a term reference in the fourth area.

28. The method of claim 25, where the term reference is contained in a label, placard or caption of a figure or content inserted in the digital book.

29. The method of claim 25, where receiving first input adding a term reference to the fourth area, further comprises:

displaying a glossary tool bar;

receiving input highlighting a term in the digital book; and

adding the term to the glossary as a term reference.

30. A system for authoring content for a digital book, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory coupled to the one or more processors and configured for storing instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, performs operations comprising;

providing a graphical user interface (GUI) including a composition area;

receiving and displaying text from a text source within the composition area;

receiving first input selecting an interactive element type from one or more interactive element types to be inserted in the composition area;

responsive to the first input, inserting an interactive element of the interactive element type within the text according to an anchor position in the text;

receiving second input selecting content to be inserted into the interactive element; and

responsive to the second input, inserting the content in the interactive element.

31. The system of claim 30, further comprising:

presenting an outline view of the digital book in the GUI according to a hierarchical structure of the digital book, the hierarchical structure being automatically determined based on paragraph styles applied to the text displayed in the GUI.

32. The system of claim 30, where receiving text further comprises:

automatically creating one or more pages for receiving the text, where the number of pages is based on the amount of text received.

33. The system of claim 30, where receiving first user input comprises:

detecting dropping of an icon corresponding to the selected interactive element type in the GUI.

34. The system of claim 30, further comprising:

displaying a user interface element in the GUI for determining the layout of the interactive element and user interaction of the interactive element on a device.

35. The system of claim 30, where the interactive element includes a figure label and enumeration, the system further comprising:

receiving third input causing the interactive element to move to a different location in the digital book;

determining that an order of interactive elements of the interactive element type inserted in the digital book are out of sequential order; and

automatically updating the enumeration on each of the interactive elements of the interactive element type in the digital book to be in sequential order.

36. The system of claim 30, where the interactive element type is a gallery interactive element having a media display area for displaying the content and the content is a gallery of digital images, the system further comprising:

displaying a series of thumbnail images corresponding to the gallery of digital images;

receiving touch gesture input directed to the thumbnail images; and

responsive to the touch gesture input, replacing a first digital image of the gallery that is currently displayed in the media display area with another digital image from the gallery.

37. The system of claim 36, further comprising:

displaying a control for resizing the content to fit or fill the media display area.

38. The system of claim 36, further comprising:

displaying an accessibility description area in the user interface element; and

receiving text input in the accessibility description area.

40. The system of claim 30, further comprising:

receiving a media object into the GUI; and

converting the media object into an interactive element of the interactive element type.

41. The system of claim 30, further comprising:

configuring the interactive element to present a multimedia presentation, video, HyperText Markup Language (HTML) content or three-dimensional animation.

42. A system of authoring content for a digital book, comprising:

receiving text from a text source;

displaying the text in a graphical user interface (GUI);

receiving first input selecting a review interactive element type to be inserted in the text in the GUI; and

responsive to the first input, inserting a review interactive element in the text, the review interactive element including a question area for receiving a question and an answer area for receiving one or more answers to the question, where the answer area is configured according to a question type.

43. The system of claim 42, where the question type includes specifying one or more digital images as one or more answers to the question.

44. The system of claim 42, where the question type includes associating one or more labels or thumbnail images to one or more locations on a digital image to indicate one or more answers to the question.

45. The system of claim 42, further comprising:

displaying a user interface element in the GUI for determining the layout of the review interactive element and user interaction of the review interactive element on a device.

46. The system of claim 45, where determining a user interaction includes specifying more than one answer for a question.

47. A system of authoring content for a digital book, the system comprising:

receiving text from a text source;

displaying the text in a graphical user interface (GUI);

receiving first input selecting a visual dictionary interactive element type to be inserted in the text in the GUI; and

responsive to the first input, inserting a visual dictionary interactive element in the text, the visual dictionary interactive element including a media display area for receiving content and a label area for supplying one or more placards configured to be dragged to one or more locations on the content.

48. The system of claim 47, further comprising:

receiving text input for the placards.

49. The system of claim 48, further comprising:

displaying a user interface element in the GUI for determining the layout of the visual dictionary interactive element and user interaction of the visual dictionary interactive element on a device.

50. The system of claim 49, where the user interface element includes a setting for specifying the same location in the interactive element for display of placard text.

51. The system of claim 49, where the user interface element includes a setting for inserting a transport control in the visual dictionary interactive element for navigating content.

52. The system of claim 47, further comprising:

displaying a control for adjusting the zoom level of the content in the media display area; and

associating the zoom level with a placard.

53. A system of authoring content for a digital book, the system comprising:

displaying a hybrid glossary and index page for interacting with a glossary and index of a digital book, the glossary and index page including a first area displaying a definition of a first glossary term, a second area displaying a list of glossary terms including the first glossary term and other glossary terms, a third area displaying related glossary terms and a fourth area displaying references to the first glossary term; and

responsive to dragging a second glossary term from the list in the second area to the third area, automatically relating the second glossary term to the first glossary term.

54. The system of claim 53, further comprising:

receiving first input adding a term reference to the fourth area for the term defined in the first area, the term reference including a link to a location in the digital book that contains the term defined in the first area.

55. The system of claim 53, further comprising:

receiving input adding a media object or interactive element to the first area.

56. The system of claim 54, further comprising:

receiving second input initiating an operation on a link of a term reference in the fourth area.

57. The system of claim 54, where the term reference is contained in a label, placard or caption of a figure or content inserted in the digital book.

58. The system of claim 54, where receiving first input adding a term reference to the fourth area, further comprises:

displaying a glossary tool bar;

receiving input highlighting a term in the digital book; and

adding the term to the glossary as a term reference.

59. A method comprising:

displaying a first element of a digital book, the first element having a type;

receiving a selection of the first element;

receiving input specifying a change to an attribute of the selected element;

automatically determining a second element in the digital book that is associated with the type; and

automatically applying the change to the automatically determined second element.

60. The method of claim 59, further comprising:

automatically determining a third element in the digital book that is associated with the type;

automatically determining that an attribute of the third element has been previously changed; and

preventing the change from being applied to the third element.

61. The method of claim 59, further comprising:

automatically generating a new paragraph style based on the change.

62. A method comprising:

displaying a first element of a digital book, the first element having a paragraph style;

receiving a selection of the first element;

receiving input specifying a change to an attribute of the selected element;

automatically determining a second element in the digital book that is associated with the paragraph style; and

automatically applying the change to the automatically determined second element.