Printed book augmented with associated electronic data

• US 6,269,238 B1
• Filed: 07/12/1999
• Issued: 07/31/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ithaca Media Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ithaca Media Corporation
• Inventors: Iggulden, Jerry
• Primary Examiner(s): Rovnak, John Edmund
• Application Number:
  US09/351,269
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 434/307.R, 434/309, 434/317, 434/365, 707/104
• US Class Current: 434/317
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/062 Combinations of audio and printed presentations, e.g. magnetically striped cards, talking books, magnetic tapes with printed texts thereon
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A printed book has associated therewith certain electronically stored data in the form of images, sounds and/or supplemental text. Visual cues are provided to the reader of the book in the vicinity of text having associated electronically stored data. The electronic data is preferably stored in a remotely accessible server. A graphical user interface is provided for controlling access to the data stored in the server. When the reader of the book wishes to access data associated with a portion of the text, the reader uses a computer pointing device to select or manipulate indicia on the graphical user interface corresponding to the visual cue in the book. The server retrieves the appropriate data which is then presented to the reader as images, sounds and/or supplemental text on the reader'"'"'s computer, thereby providing a multimedia enhanced reading experience.

Claims

1. A method for augmenting a printed text with electronically stored data comprising the steps of:

providing a printed book containing a plurality of pages of text, at least one of the plurality of pages having a first graphic indicia and an associated number printed thereon;

providing a data storage device storing data associated with the text on said one of the plurality of pages;

providing a graphical user interface for accessing said data storage device with a computer, said graphical user interface having a numerical display and further displaying second graphic indicia visually correlated with the first graphic indicia;

selecting said second graphic indicia;

controlling the numerical display to correspond to the number associated with the first graphic indicia;

retrieving said data stored in the data storage device;

presenting said data on said computer;

wherein the data stored in the data storage device comprises a synopsis of the pages of text preceding said one of the plurality of pages.

2. A method for augmenting a printed text with electronically stored data comprising the steps of:

providing a printed book containing a plurality of pages of text, at least one of the plurality of pages having a first graphic indicia and an associated number printed thereon;

providing a data storage device storing data associated with the text on said one of the plurality of pages;

providing a graphical user interface for accessing said data storage device with a computer, said graphical user interface having a numerical display and further displaying second graphic indicia visually correlated with the first graphic indicia;

selecting said second graphic indicia;

modifying a feature of said second graphic indicia with said pointing device;

controlling the numerical display to correspond to the number associated with the first graphic indicia;

retrieving said data stored in the data storage device;

presenting said data on said computer;

wherein said feature of said second graphic indicia is modified to match a corresponding feature of said first graphic indicia.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said feature of said second graphic indicia comprises a pull-down menu.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the data storage device is accessed remotely from the computer.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the data storage device is a data server.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the data server is accessed via the World Wide Web.