Computer user interface system and method

• US 6,976,225 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2001
• Issued: 12/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sino Star Global Ltd.
• Original Assignee: E-BOOK SYSTEMS PTE. LTD.
• Inventors: Ho, Seng Beng
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ke, Peng
• Application Number:
  US10/029,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20020054121A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,443 Days
• Field of Search: 345/776, 345/802, 345/773, 345/777, 345/816, 115/776, 115/715, 115/764, 115/802, 115/773, 115/777, 115/810
• US Class Current: 715/776
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/002 Specific input/output arrangements not covered by G06F3/01 - G06F3/16 other optical apparatus G02B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/901 Electronic book with display

Abstract

A computer user interface system and method arranges a set of information hosted on a computer into a set of books, where each book includes a subset of the set of information, labels each book with a respective portion of the subset of the set of information, and selects a book from the set of books. Selecting the book from the set of books includes steps of displaying the respective portions of the books as a book document image that includes pages which correspond to the respective portions of the books, generating a command for moving through the pages, displaying an animated image of the pages of the book document being at least one of flipped, scrolled, slid and flashed images, and selecting the book when a selected one of the pages containing a selection portion of the book is earlier displayed.

Claims

1. A method for displaying information in an electronic book configured to display flipping pages, comprising the steps of:

displaying pages flipping from at least one of right-to-left and left-to-right;

displaying at least one of a right side book thickness image with a thickness proportional to a number of pages on a book right side, and a left side book thickness image with a thickness proportional to a number of pages on a book left side, said at least one of a right side book thickness image and a left side book thickness image configured to increase or decrease in thickness in proportion to a number of pages added or removed, respectively wherein

said step of displaying at least one of a right side book thickness image and a left side book thickness image comprises;

keeping a right vertical edge of said left side book thickness image stationary with respect to the display screen while displaying said left side book thickness image;

keeping a left vertical edge of said right side book thickness image stationary with respect to the display screen while displaying said right side book thickness image;

changing a position of said left vertical edge of said left side book thickness image when changing the left-side book thickness; and

changing a position of said right vertical edge of said right side book thickness image when changing the right-side book thickness.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

displaying one of a finger-bookmark and a permanent bookmark; and

jumping to a jump position corresponding to said one of a finger-bookmark and a permanent bookmark.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

said finger-bookmark disappears when a bookmarked page is revisited; and

said permanent bookmark does not disappear when a permanently bookmarked page is revisited.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a jump cursor on the said at least one of a right side book thickness image and a left side book thickness image,

said jump cursor being user-activated and identifying a jump position corresponding to a page to be displayed after a jump operation.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying more than two flipping pages simultaneously, said more than two flipping pages showing information from corresponding parts of said set of information while flipping.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying increasingly more flipping pages simultaneously as a document browsing speed is increased.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

freezing a number of flipping pages in an act of flipping across the computer screen in response to receiving a freeze command issued by a user.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of:

displaying a thickness image of pages skipped in said jumping step;

displaying said thickness image of pages skipped moving across the book image from right to left if the jump position is within the right side thickness image; and

displaying said thickness image of skipped pages moving across the book image from left to right if the jump position if within the left side thickness image;

wherein said thickness image of pages skipped is proportional to a number of pages skipped in said jumping step.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of displaying pages flipping comprises one of:

displaying one or more operating system related entities;

displaying a collection of hierarchically arranged computer files; and

displaying a software application user interface of a software application.

9. A system configured to display information in an electronic book configured to display flipping pages, comprising:

means for displaying pages flipping from at least one of right-to-left and left-to-right;

means for displaying at least one of a right side book thickness image with a thickness proportional to a number of pages on a book right side, and a left side book thickness image with a thickness proportional to a number of pages on a book left side, said at least one of a right side book thickness image and a left side book thickness image configured to increase or decrease in thickness in proportion to a number of pages added or removed, respectively wherein

said means for displaying at least one of a right side book thickness image and a left side book thickness image comprises;

means for keeping a right vertical edge of said left side book thickness image stationary with respect to the display screen while displaying said left side book thickness image;

means for keeping a left vertical edge of said right side book thickness image stationary with respect to the display screen while displaying said right side book thickness image;

means for changing a position of said left vertical edge of said left side book thickness image when changing the left-side book thickness; and

means for changing a position of said right vertical edge of said right side book thickness image when changing the right-side book thickness.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising at least one of:

means for displaying one of a finger-bookmark and a permanent bookmark; and

means for jumping to a jump position corresponding to said one of a finger-bookmark and a permanent bookmark.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein:

said finger-bookmark disappears when a bookmarked page is revisited; and

said permanent bookmark does not disappear when a permanently bookmarked page is revisited.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

means for displaying a jump cursor on the said at least one of a right side book thickness image and a left side book thickness image,

said jump cursor being user-activated and identifying a jump position corresponding to a page to be displayed after a jump operation.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

means for displaying more than two flipping pages simultaneously, said more than two flipping pages showing information from corresponding parts of said set of information while flipping.

14. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

means for displaying increasingly more flipping pages simultaneously as a document browsing speed is increased.

15. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

means for freezing a number of flipping pages in an act of flipping across the computer screen in response to receiving a freeze command issued by a user.

16. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

means for displaying a thickness image of pages skipped in said jumping step;

means for displaying said thickness image of pages skipped moving across the book image from right to left if the jump position is within the right side thickness image; and

means for displaying said thickness image of skipped pages moving across the book image from left to right if the jump position if within the left side thickness image;

wherein

said thickness image of pages skipped is proportional to a number of pages skipped in said jumping step.

17. A computer program product including instructions configured to cause a computer to display information in an electronic book configured to display flipping pages, including instructions for:

displaying pages flipping from at least one of right-to-left and left-to-right;

displaying at least one of a right side book thickness image with a thickness proportional to a number of pages on a book right side, and a left side book thickness image with a thickness proportional to a number of pages on a book left side, said at least one of a right side book thickness image and a left side book thickness image configured to increase or decrease in thickness in proportion to a number of pages added or removed, respectively, wherein

said step of displaying at least one of a right side book thickness image and a left side book thickness image comprises;

keeping a right vertical edge of said left side book thickness image stationary with respect to the display screen while displaying said left side book thickness image;

keeping a left vertical edge of said right side book thickness image stationary with respect to the display screen while displaying said right side book thickness image;

changing a position of said left vertical edge of said left side book thickness image when changing the left-side book thickness; and

changing a position of said right vertical edge of said right side book thickness image when changing the right-side book thickness.