Electronic book

• US 6,229,502 B1
• Filed: 11/03/1998
• Issued: 05/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cylark Development LLC
• Original Assignee: Cylark Development LLC
• Inventors: Schwab, Bruce W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bowers, Benjamin D.
• Application Number:
  US09/185,233
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: 345/87, 345/901, 345/905, 345/104, 345/1, 345/173, 361/681, 361/686, 361/729, 361/730
• US Class Current: 345/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0291 for reading, e.g. e-books constructional details of portable computers G06F1/1613
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/901 Electronic book with display
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/905 Display device with housing structure

Abstract

In a hand-held digital data reader which functions as an electronic book, a hinged housing for two displays and display controls opens and closes in the manner of a printed book. In the open position, the two displays are presented as facing pages of a book. Each display is mounted between a rounded spine end emulating the rounded page surface of an open printed book, and a tapered thumb pad emulating the tapered page ends of an open book. Thumb operated display controls are on the thumb pads. The hinge has a traveling pivot point for maintaining contact between the surfaces of the two spine ends when the book is opened and closed.

Claims

1. In an electronic book comprising a left housing and a right housing connected by a hinge means for opening and closing in the manner of a printed book, a left display on said left housing and right display on said right housing disposed in the manner of facing pages of a printed book for displaying contents of printed material, data input means for inputting data representing the contents of printed material, data processing means for processing said data, control means for operation by a reader to control presentation of said data on said displays, and a power source, the improvement comprising:

a left thumb pad extending the full length of the free outer end of said left housing; and

a right thumb pad extending the full length of the free outer end of said right housing;

both of said thumb pads being disposed for placement of the thumbs on said thumb pads by said reader in the positions commonly used by readers of printed books while reading printed books;

said left housing having an inner spine end portion opposite said left thumb pad;

said right housing having an inner spine end portion opposite said right thumb pad;

said left portion and said right end portion being rounded in the manner of the rounded pages of an open printed book; and

said hinge means has a traveling pivot point and maintains contact between the rounded inner spine end portions of said left housing and said right housing throughout said opening and closing in the manner of a book.

2. The electronic book of claim 1, wherein both said left thumb pad and said right thumb pad are tapered outwardly and rearwardly relative to the front of said displays in the manner of the tapered page ends of an open printed book.

3. The electronic book of claim 2, wherein said left thumb pad and said right thumb pad are convexly curved around a longitudinal axis.

4. The electronic book of claim 2, wherein said control means is on both said thumb pads.

5. The electronic book of claim 4, wherein said data processing means includes software means having:

a routine for presenting a simulation of paging one page forward on said displays;

a routine for presenting a simulation of paging one page backward on said displays;

a routine for presenting a simulation of leafing pages forwardly on said displays;

a routine for presenting a simulation of leafing pages backwardly on said displays; and

the presentation of said simulations being controlled by operation of said control means by said reader.

6. The electronic book of claim 5, wherein said control means is disposed for operation by said reader with the thumbs while the thumbs are in positions commonly used by readers of printed books while reading said books.

7. The electronic book of claim 6, wherein:

said control means for controlling presentation of said simulation of turning one page forward is on said left thumb pad;

said control means for controlling presentation of said simulation of turning one page backward is on said right thumb pad; and

said control means for controlling presentation of said simulations of leafing pages forwardly and leafing pages backwardly is on both said left thumb pad and said right thumb pad and controls presentation of said simulations responsive to the speed of movement of the thumbs of the reader and the directions of movement of the thumbs of the reader across either said left thumb pad or said right thumb pad.

8. The electronic book of claim 1, wherein said hinge means comprises a plurality of extensible elements disposed at intervals along said spine end portions for spanning the end surfaces of said spine end portions.

9. The electronic book of claim 4, wherein said data input means is a data memory storage device.

10. The electronic book of claim 4, wherein said data input means is a small PC card.

11. The electronic book of claim 1, wherein said left thumb pad and said right thumb pad each has a place indicator means for indicating how much of a book being displayed has been read relative to the portion to be read to complete the book;

said place indicator means comprising a display synchronized with the presentation of the contents of a book being read.

12. The electronic book of claim 11, comprising:

a left pad display mounted within the interior of said left thumb pad;

a right pad display mounted within the interior of said right thumb pad;

pad display controller means for said left and right pad displays in said data processing means;

a left wall portion on said left thumb pad and right wall portion on said right thumb pad extending the length of said pads and formed of a light passing material to permit said reader to view said left pad display and said right pad display through said wall portions;

said left pad display and said right pad display presenting to said reader the display of two bands of contrasting color extending the full length of the said wall portions and varying in width responsive to said pad display controller means according to the extent of completion of display of the contents of said book being read.

13. A method for presenting digital data representing the contents of a printed book on a pair of displays mounted on a hinged pair of housings connected with hinge means in a manner simulating the facing pages of a printed book in an electronic book, each of said housings having an inner spine end portion rounded in the manner of the rounded pages of an open printed book and said housings having a free outer end portion said hinge means having a traveling pivot point for maintaining contact between the rounded inner spine end portions throughout opening and closing of said electronic book, said electronic book having input means for said data, data processing means for creating the effects of turning pages and leafing through pages at different speeds on said displays, and control means operable by a reader for controlling presentation of said data, comprising the steps of:

placing the thumbs of both hands on the free outer ends of said housings and opening said electronic book by opening said housings relative to each other while maintaining contact between said rounded inner spine portions at said traveling pivot point throughout said opening;

placing the thumb of one hand on an area of said control means located at the free outer end portion of one of said housings in a position commonly used for holding an open printed book; and

applying pressure with the thumb in said position to cause presentation of the effect of turning one page on said displays.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising the steps of:

placing said thumb on a second area of said control means located at said free outer end portion in a second position commonly used for holding an open printed book; and

moving said thumb in a direction along said area to cause the effect of leafing pages on said displays.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising the steps of:

placing the thumb of the other hand on an area of said control means located at the free outer end portion of the other one of said housings in a position commonly used for holding an open printed book;

applying pressure with the thumb of said other hand in said position to cause presentation of the effect of turning one page on said displays;

placing the thumb of said other hand on a second area of said control means located at the free outer end portion of said other one of said housings in a second position commonly used for holding an open printed book; and

moving said thumb of said other hand in a direction along said area to cause the effect of leafing pages on said displays.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising the step of moving the thumb on said second area on at least one of said housings in opposite directions and at different speeds to cause the effect of leafing through pages on said displays in directions and at speeds dependent on the direction and speed of movement of said thumb.