Method for facilitating user access to stored information in an electronic text

• US 6,411,973 B1
• Filed: 12/16/1996
• Issued: 06/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: FEP Holding Company
• Original Assignee: Franklin Electronic Publishers Incorporated (Saunders Acquisition Corp.)
• Inventors: Yianilos, Peter Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): Banankhah, Majid A.
• Application Number:
  US08/767,220
• Time in Patent Office: 2,017 Days
• Field of Search: 395/800, 395/145, 364/419
• US Class Current: 715/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0283 for data storage and retrieval

Abstract

A technique for providing simplified and more flexible text recovery in an electronically stored text. The text storage device is of the hand-held type and may accommodate the text of the entire bible, for example. The user may access the stored text in a read or search mode. The device is programmed to perform certain functions automatically, such as: selecting search or read mode; accommodating different syntax formulations; providing a fixed screen map of respective different portions of the text; and visually indicating specific words of a search to which a search will be limited. Expanded flexibility is also programmed into the device which includes: optionally expanding searches to cover both different forms of the same words and unrelated words having the same meaning; providing assistance to the user upon request which takes into account the current operational phase; and providing the capability of tagging a preselected location in the text for simplified access during reacquisition.

Claims

1. A method of providing user access to stored textual information in an electronic book having a digital memory, entry keys, a display screen and a microprocessor for implementing the method, said stored textual information being comprised of sections of textual information, each of said sections being identified by a respective section identifier, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a user entry from a user of said electronic book;

parsing said user entry by recognizing said user entry as a read mode request if said user entry corresponds to any one of said section identifiers, and by recognizing said user entry as a search mode request if said user entry does not correspond to any one of said section identifiers,

displaying, when said user entry is recognized as a read mode request, at least a portion of said section of textual information having said section identifier to which the user entry corresponds; and

searching, when said user entry is recognized as a search mode request, through each of said sections of textual information for at least one occurrence of said user entry, displaying on said display screen of said electronic book a list of the section identifiers of those sections of textual information in which said at least one occurrence of said user entry is found, receiving a second user entry from said user, and displaying a portion containing the first user entry of the section of textual information having said section identifier to which the second user entry corresponds.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of receiving is carried out by receiving from said user a single line of textual information as said user entry.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said sections of stored textual information is comprised of a respective plurality of chapters of textual information, each of said chapters of each section being identified by a respective chapter identifier;

said section of textual information having said section identifier to which the user entry corresponds is a selected section; and

said step of displaying when said user entry is recognized as a read mode request is carried out;

by displaying, when said user entry further corresponds to one of said chapter identifiers of the chapters included within the selected section, a portion of said chapter within the selected section having said chapter identifier to which the user entry further corresponds, and

by displaying, when said user entry does not further correspond to any one of said chapter identifiers of the chapters included within the selected section, a portion of a first of said chapters within the selected section.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of expanding the searching performed during said searching step to include different words having similar meaning to selected words included in said user entry.

2. A method of providing user access to stored textual information in an electronic book having a digital memory, entry keys, a display screen and a microprocessor for implementing the method, said stored textual information being comprised of sections of textual information, each of said sections being identified by a respective section identifier, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a user entry from a user of said electronic book,

parsing said user entry by recognizing said user entry as a read mode request if said user entry corresponds to any one of said section identifiers and said user entry is not included within any of said sections of textual information, by recognizing said user entry as a search mode request if said user entry does not correspond to any one of said section identifiers, and prompting said user to indicate whether the user entry is a read mode request or a search mode request when said user entry corresponds to one of said section identifiers and said user entry is included within at least one of said sections of textual information,

displaying, when said user entry is recognized as a read mode request, at least a portion of said section of textual information having said section identifier to which the user entry corresponds; and

searching, when said user entry is recognized as a search mode request, through each of said sections of textual information for at least one occurrence of said user entry, and displaying on said display screen of said electronic book a list of the section identifiers of those sections of textual information in which said at least one occurrence of said user entry is found.

5. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of displaying, when said user entry is recognized as either a read mode request or a search mode request, on said display screen a map of different fixed locations corresponding to respective different portions of the textual information.

7. An electronic book for providing user access to stored textual information, comprising:

a digital memory having stored therein sections of textual information, each of said sections being identified by a respective section identifier;

means for receiving a user entry from a user;

parsing means for parsing said user entry by recognizing said user entry as a read mode request if said user entry corresponds to any one of said section identifiers, and by recognizing said user entry as a search mode request if said user entry does not correspond to any one of said section identifiers;

display means for displaying, when said user entry is recognized as a read mode request, at least a portion of said section of textual information having said section identifier to which the user entry corresponds; and

means for searching, when said user entry is recognized as a search mode request, through each of said sections of textual information for at least one occurrence of said user entry, and for controlling said display means to display a list of the section identifiers of those sections of textual information in which said at least one occurrence of said user entry is found,

wherein said means for receiving is operable, when said list of section identifiers is displayed, to receive a second user entry from said user; and

said display means displays a portion containing the first user entry of the section of textual information having said section identifier to which the second user entry corresponds.

9. The electronic book of claim 7, wherein said means for receiving receives from said user a single line of textual information as said user entry.

10. The electronic book of claim 7, wherein each of said sections of stored textual information is comprised of a respective plurality of chapters of textual information, each of said chapters of each section being identified by a respective chapter identifier;

said section of textual information having said section identifier to which the user entry corresponds is a selected section;

said display means displays, when said user entry is recognized as a read mode request and said user entry further corresponds to one of said chapter identifiers of the chapters included within the selected section, a portion of said chapter within the selected section having said chapter identifier to which the user entry further corresponds; and

said display means displays, when said user entry is recognized as a read mode request and said user entry does not further correspond to any one of said chapter identifiers of the chapters included within the selected section, a portion of a first of said chapters within the selected section.

11. The electronic book of claim 7, wherein said display means displays, when said user entry is recognized as either a read mode request or a search mode request, a map of different fixed locations corresponding to respective different portions of the textual information.

12. The electronic book of claim 7, further comprising means for expanding the searching performed by said means for searching so as to include different words having similar meaning to selected words included in said user entry.

8. An electronic book for providing user access to stored textual information, comprising:

a digital memory having stored therein sections of textual information, each of said sections being identified by a respective section identifier;

means for receiving a user entry from a user;

parsing means for parsing said user entry by recognizing said user entry as a read mode request if said user entry corresponds to any one of said section identifiers and said user entry is not included within any of said sections of textual information, and by recognizing said user entry as a search mode request if said user entry does not correspond to any one of said section identifiers, said parsing means including means for prompting said user to indicate whether the user entry is a read mode request or a search mode request when said user entry corresponds to one of said section identifiers and said user entry is included within at least one of said sections of textual information;

display means for displaying, when said user entry is recognized as a read mode request, at least a portion of said section of textual information having said section identifier to which the user entry corresponds; and

means for searching, when said user entry is recognized as a search mode request, through each of said sections of textual information for at least one occurrence of said user entry, and for controlling said display means to display a list of the section identifiers of those sections of textual information in which said at least one occurrence of said user entry is found.