ENHANCED E-READER EXPERIENCE

• US 20170060365A1
• Filed: 08/27/2015
• Published: 03/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: VanBlon, Russell Speight, Hunt, James Anthony, Li, Scott Wentao
• Granted Patent: US 10,387,570 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis

Abstract

For supplementing digital text with multimedia effects, systems, apparatus, and methods are disclosed. The apparatus includes a processor and a memory that stores code executable by the processor. The code includes code that determines a current reading position, determines a narrative context based on the current reading position, selects a multimedia effect based on the narrative context, and presents the multimedia effect to a user. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes an image sensor that receives image data and determines the current reading position based on the image data. In other embodiments, the apparatus may determine the current reading position based on biometric position data.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an image sensor that receives image data;

a processor; and

a memory that stores code executable by the processor, the code comprising;

code that determines a current reading position based on the image data;

code that determines a narrative context based on the current reading position;

code that selects a multimedia effect based on the narrative context; and

code that presents the multimedia effect to a user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a network interface that communicates with a remote database, wherein selecting a multimedia effect based on the narrative context comprises querying the remote database for a multimedia effect corresponding to the narrative context.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising code that identifies a device capability, wherein selecting a multimedia effect based on the narrative context comprises selecting a multimedia effect based on the device capability.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising code that detects external multimedia equipment coupled to the apparatus, wherein selecting a multimedia effect based on the narrative context comprises selecting a multimedia effect based on the external multimedia equipment.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising code that identifies an illustration near the current reading position, wherein identifying the narrative context at the current reading position comprises associating the illustration with at least one keyword and wherein selecting a multimedia effect based on the narrative context comprises selecting a multimedia effect corresponding to the at least one keyword.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image data includes one or more of head position data and ocular position data.

7. A method comprising:

receiving, by use of a processor, biometric position data;

determining a current reading position based on the biometric position data;

determining a narrative context from the current reading position; and

selecting a multimedia effect based on the narrative context.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining a current reading position based on the biometric position data comprises:

determining a reading speed based on the biometric position data;

determining an elapsed time from the user reaching a reference position; and

determining the current reading position based on the reading speed and on the elapsed time.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising identifying metadata associated with the current reading position, wherein determining a narrative context of the current reading position comprises determining a narrative context based on the metadata.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising identifying a location of the current reading position with respect to a chapter end, wherein selecting the multimedia effect is further based on the location of the current reading position with respect to a chapter end.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising presenting the multimedia effect.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein presenting the multimedia effect comprises:

monitoring for a triggering event; and

presenting the multimedia effect in response to detecting the triggering event.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein presenting the multimedia effect comprises:

monitoring for a stop condition; and

ceasing to present the multimedia effect in response to detecting the stop condition.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein presenting the multimedia effect comprises:

displaying a notification near the current reading position; and

presenting the multimedia effect in response to a user selecting the notification.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein determining a narrative context of the current reading position comprises performing natural language analysis on text at the current reading position.

16. The method of claim 7, wherein determining a narrative context of the current reading position comprises identifying a genre and wherein selecting the multimedia effect comprises matching a multimedia effect to the identified genre.

17. A program product comprising a computer readable storage medium that stores code executable by a processor, the executable code comprising code to perform:

determining a current reading position;

determining a narrative context of the current reading position;

selecting a multimedia effect based on the narrative context; and

presenting the multimedia effect.

18. The program product of claim 17, the code to further perform:

identifying a user multimedia preference, wherein selecting the narrative context with a multimedia effect comprises selecting a multimedia format based on the user multimedia preference.

19. The program product of claim 17, the code to further perform:

determining a reading speed; and

determining a presentation time based on the reading speed and on the current reading position, the current reading position being selected from the group consisting of;

a current chapter, a page, and a paragraph,

wherein presenting the multimedia effect comprises presenting the multimedia effect at the presentation time.

20. The program product of claim 17, wherein presenting the multimedia effect comprises presenting the multimedia effect in response to a triggering event, the multimedia effect being selected from the group consisting of:

an image, music, a sound effect, an animation, a color scheme, and an avatar.