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Electronic book

  • US 5,991,594 A
  • Filed: 07/21/1997
  • Issued: 11/23/1999
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/21/1997
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. An electronic book comprising, in combination:

  • a plurality of PCMCIA cards each including read only memory having unique text permanently stored therein and non-volatile random access memory adapted to allow the temporary storage of a plurality of different flags located within the text stored in the read only memory;

    a pair of headphones having an inverted U-shaped headset with a pair of ear portions situated at ends thereof for transmitting audio signals therefrom upon the receipt thereof, the headphones having a volume toggle switch positioned on one of the ear portions for controlling a volume of the audio signals transmitted therefrom; and

    a portable unit comprising;

    a housing including a lower planar portion with a rectangular configuration having a top face and a bottom face and an upper planar portion with a rectangular configuration having a front face and a rear face, the upper planar portion hingably coupled at an elongated edge thereof to a corresponding elongated edge of the lower planar portion thereby allowing the swiveling of the upper planar portion between an open and closed orientation,a locking mechanism positioned on the top face of the lower planar portion for allowing the selective locking of the upper planar portion in the closed orientation thereof,a liquid crystal display positioned on the front face of the upper planar portion of the housing for depicting text upon the receipt thereof,a pair of speakers slidably situated within slots formed in short side edges of the upper planar portion of the housing, the speakers adapted for sliding between an extended and an inserted orientation, the speakers further adapted for allowing the transmission of audio signals upon the receipt thereof, the pair of speaker functioning to cease transmission of the audio signals and allow the transmission of the same to the ear portions of the headphones upon the coupling thereof to the housing,a PCMCIA interface slot formed in a short side edge of the lower planar portion of the housing for allowing the downloading of the text and the different flags located within the text of the PCMCIA card,a speech processor/synthesizer situated within an interior space of the lower planar portion of the housing and connected to the speakers for transmitting audio signals thereto upon the receipt of text stored in the PCMCIA card, wherein the audio signals are representative of speech corresponding with the text,four cursor buttons positioned on the top face of the lower planar portion of the housing,a page up button and a page down button positioned to a side of the four cursor buttons,a goto button positioned directly above the four cursor buttons,a bookmark button positioned above the four cursor buttons, andcontrol means connected to the PCMCIA interface, liquid crystal display, speech processor/synthesizer, and the buttons, the control means adapted to download the text and the different flags located within the text of the PCMCIA card via the PCMCIA interface and further transmit the same to the speakers and the display whereby the audio signals are continuously transmitted and a user is allowed to scroll freely through the text via moving of a cursor by way of the scroll buttons, page up button, and page down button, the control means further adapted to allow transmission of audio signals representative of text where the cursor currently resides upon the depression of the goto button, the control means also serving to automatically move the cursor to a location within the text dictated by one of the flags and allow transmission of audio signals representative of text where the cursor resides upon the depression of the bookmark button.

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