Scanning electronic book

• US 7,167,158 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2002
• Issued: 01/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): Liang; Regina
• Application Number:
  US10/487,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20040239601A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,608 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1.1, 345/1.3, 345/87, 345/173, 345156-157, 345901-903, 382/321, 382/313, 382/315, 380/51, 235/435, 235/462.09, 235/462.11, 235/462.1
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/00 Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism healthcare informatics G16H
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/901 Electronic book with display

Abstract

An electronic book for presenting text and/or graphics includes a scanner for scanning data cards bearing a pattern encoding the text and/or graphics. The electronic book further includes a programmed processor for decoding the text and/or graphics and a screen for displaying same. In a preferred embodiment the electronic book is provided in a compact foldable housing with an appearance similar to a conventional book including a flexible and foldable screen. The housing includes a spine having a recess to allow the folded screen to loop without damage occurring due to creasing.

Claims

1. An electronic text and/or graphics presentation device including:

scanning means arranged to scan a card having a pattern printed as an array of dots encoding text and/or graphics;

a user input control means;

processing means coupled to the scanning means and responsive to the user input control means and operatively programmed to generate a data signal corresponding to the text and/or graphics;

a display means controlled by the processing means and arranged to display the text and/or graphics in response to the processing means; and

a housing in which the scanning, unset input control, processing and display means are housed, the scanning means being arranged to scan the card when the card is at a scanning position within the housing, the housing having a window for observing user information on the card when the card is at the scanning position.

2. An electronic text and/or graphics presentation device according to claim 1 wherein the housing foldable and comprises first and second housing portions pivotal relative to each other.

3. An electronic text and/or graphics presentation device according to claim 2, wherein the first and second housing portions are each pivotally connected to a common spine.

4. An electronic text and/or graphics presentation device according to claim 3, wherein the spine includes a battery compartment.

5. An electronic text and/or graphics presentation device according to claim 1, further including a roller mechanism arranged to retract the card into the housing to said scanning position.

6. An electronic text and/or graphics presentation device according to claim 2, wherein the first housing portion has a roller mechanism arranged to refract the card into the housing to said scanning position.

7. An electronic text and/or graphics presentation device according to claim 1, including a card storage magazine.

8. An electronic text and/or graphics presentation device according to claim 2, wherein the second housing portion has card a storage magazine.

9. An electronic text and/or graphics presentation device according to claim 2, wherein to display means comprises a flexible LCD screen located across inner surfaces of the first and second housing portions.

10. An electronic text and/or graphics presentation device according to claim 9, wherein the flexible LCD screen is bi-stable.

11. An electronic text and/or graphics presentation device according to claim 3, including a recess for receiving a loop of a flexible LCD screen upon pivoting the first and second housing portions to a closed position in order that creasing of the LCD screen is avoided.

12. An electronic text and/or graphics presentation device according to claim 2 wherein first and second printed circuit boards are located in the first and second housing portions respectively.

13. An electronic text and/or graphics presentation device according to claim 12, wherein the flexible LCD screen may include conductive traces coupling the first and second printed circuit boards to each other.

14. An electronic text and/or graphics presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the user input control means comprises a joystick assembly.

15. An electronic text and/or graphics presentation device including:

a scan head arranged to scan a card having a pattern printed as an array of dots encoding text and/or graphics;

a processor coupled to the scan head and configured to generate data corresponding to the text and/or graphics;

a display screen responsive to the processor and arranged to display the text and/or graphics; and

a housing in which scan head, processor display screen are housed, the scan head being arranged to scan the card when the card is at a scanning position within the housing, the housing having a window for observing user information on the card when the card is at the scanning position.