Method for associating annotation with electronically published material
First Claim
1. A method for creating an annotation associated with a designated portion of an on-line book, comprising the steps:
- storing a formatted text stream representing an on-line book in a first memory partition;
storing coordinates of the locations of a plurality of portions of said formatted text stream;
said coordinates of portion locations within said text stream being based upon a hierarchical organization of said portions within said formatted text stream, characterized by at least a first and a second hierarchical variable, said first hierarchical variable identifying a number of headings at a first hierarchical level from a beginning point of said formatted text stream to a particular portion and said second hierarchical variable indicating a number of subsidiary headings from a point designated by said first hierarchical variable to said particular portion;
displaying a designated portion of said formatted text stream;
entering an annotation and storing it in a second memory partition, associated with coordinates for said designated portion of said formatted text stream;
selectively accessing said designated portion of said formatted text stream and identifying said coordinates thereof, and in response thereto selectively accessing said annotation and displaying it proximate to a display location for said designated portion of said formatted text stream.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The operating principle permits a reader of an electronically published document to create notes, bookmarks, or annotations and relate them to a particular location in the document. The record of such annotations or "place marks" can be stored within or separately from the published material. Annotations stored separately from the originally published document are associated by name with the document and can either be accessed by a particular individual reader and/or shared and exchanged between individuals with access to the same (or copies of the) published electronic document for a variety of purposes. The attachment of annotations is a capability provided to the reader of an electronic document and does not require any specific preparation on the part of the writer or editor of an electronic document. The association of annotations with a particular context within the document exploits the fact that the writer in constructing an electronically published document has indicated the structure of the document by "marking up" the material and identifying major document elements such as chapters, sections, sub-sections, paragraphs, figures, etc. It also uses relative position within the "finest" identified document element to fix the precise position of some annotations that the reader wants to pinpoint to a particular line or word position.
511 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A method for creating an annotation associated with a designated portion of an on-line book, comprising the steps:
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storing a formatted text stream representing an on-line book in a first memory partition; storing coordinates of the locations of a plurality of portions of said formatted text stream; said coordinates of portion locations within said text stream being based upon a hierarchical organization of said portions within said formatted text stream, characterized by at least a first and a second hierarchical variable, said first hierarchical variable identifying a number of headings at a first hierarchical level from a beginning point of said formatted text stream to a particular portion and said second hierarchical variable indicating a number of subsidiary headings from a point designated by said first hierarchical variable to said particular portion; displaying a designated portion of said formatted text stream; entering an annotation and storing it in a second memory partition, associated with coordinates for said designated portion of said formatted text stream; selectively accessing said designated portion of said formatted text stream and identifying said coordinates thereof, and in response thereto selectively accessing said annotation and displaying it proximate to a display location for said designated portion of said formatted text stream. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method for creating annotation associated with a designated portion of an on-line book, comprising the steps of:
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storing a formatted text stream representing an on-line book in a first memory partition in a first processor; storing coordinates of the locations of a plurality of portions of said formatted text stream; said coordinates of portion locations within said text stream being based upon a hierarchical organization of said portions within said formatted text stream, characterized by at least a first and a second hierarchical variable, said first hierarchical variable identifying a number of headings at a first hierarchical level from a beginning point of said formatted text stream to a particular portion and said second hierarchical variable indicating a number of subsidiary headings from a point designated by said first hierarchical variable to said particular portion; displaying a designated portion of said formatted text stream in said first processor; entering a first annotation string and storing it in a second memory partition, associated with coordinates for said designated portion of said formatted text stream, in said first processor; transmitting said formatted text stream and said first annotation string from said first processor, to a second processor and storing said formatted text stream in a first memory partition and said first annotation string in a second memory partition in said second processor; displaying said designated portion of said formatted text stream and said first annotation string in said second processor; entering a second annotation string and storing it at said second memory partition in said second processor, associated with said coordinates for said designated portion of said formatted text stream; selectively accessing said first and said second annotation strings and displaying them proximate to said designated portion of said formatted text stream, in said second processor. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for creating annotation text associated with designated portions of an on-line book, comprising the steps of:
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inputting a formatted text stream representing a plurality of paragraphs, into a first memory partition of a data processor; storing coordinates of the locations of paragraphs within said formatted text stream; displaying a first paragraph of said formatted text stream, having first said coordinates; locating a cursor near a displayed location of said first paragraph; inputting a first annotation string; storing said first annotation string and said first coordinates as a first annotation string record in a second memory partition in said data processor; inputting a request to display said first paragraph with said first annotation string; accessing said first annotation string record using said first said coordinates and displaying said first annotation string near a location for display of said first paragraph; said coordinates of paragraph locations within said text stream being based upon a hierarchical organization of said paragraphs within said formatted text stream; wherein said coordinates further comprise; at least a first and a second hierarchical variable, said first hierarchical variable identifying the number of headings at a first hierarchical level from a beginning point of said formatted text stream and said second hierarchical variable indicating the number of subsidiary headings from a point designated by said first hierarchical variable; a paragraph count variable indicating the number of paragraphs from a point designated by said second hierarchical variable. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for creating annotation associated with designated portions of an on-line book, comprising the steps of:
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inputting a formatted text stream representing a plurality of paragraphs, into a first memory partition of a data processor; storing coordinates of locations of paragraphs within said formatted text stream; said coordinates of paragraph locations within said text stream being based upon a hierarchical organization of said paragraphs within said formatted text stream, characterized by at least a first and a second hierarchical variable, said first hierarchical variable identifying a number of headings at a first hierarchical level from a beginning point of said formatted text stream to a particular paragraph and said second hierarchical variable indicating a number of subsidiary headings from a point designated by said first hierarchical variable to said particular paragraph; displaying a first paragraph of said formatted text stream, having first said coordinates; locating a cursor near a displayed location of said first paragraph; inputting a first annotation string; storing said first annotation string and said first said coordinates as a first annotation string record in a second memory partition in said data processor; inputting a request to display said first paragraph with said first annotation string; accessing said first annotation string record using said first and second coordinates and displaying said first annotation string near a location for display of said first paragraph. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification