Printing a custom online book and creating groups of annotations made by various users using annotation identifiers before the printing

• US 7,506,246 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2005
• Issued: 03/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: XanEdu Publishing, Inc. (NAPC Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: SharedBook, Ltd.
• Inventors: Hollander, Josef, Schlesinger, Mor
• Primary Examiner(s): Paula; Cesar B
• Application Number:
  US11/099,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20060053365A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,441 Days
• Field of Search: 715/501.1, 715512-513, 715530-531, 715/500, 715/200, 715205-206, 715255-256, 715230-233, 715/234
• US Class Current: 715/230
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes

Abstract

The invention relates generally to shared annotation systems and provides a method for automatically navigating a document in a display that has at least a first portion and a second portion. An annotation related to the document may be generated by a user at a first client. The annotation can be received and associated with a first indication in the document. An input to navigate a first portion of a display may be received from a user at the second client. The input causes the first indication to be displayed in the first portion of the display; and in response to the input, the annotation is automatically displayed in a second portion of the display at the second client.

Claims

1. A method for creating a custom book, the method comprising:

storing original content on one or more servers;

displaying the original content on a web page to a plurality of users;

receiving annotations to the original content from a plurality of users accessing the original content through remote client devices via a web browser, the annotations associated with annotation indicators, wherein the annotation indicators are embedded within the original content by inserting start tags and stop tags directly into the original content to identify the portion of the original content associated with the annotation indicators, wherein the start tags and stop tags are hypertext markup language compatible such that the annotation indicators continue to be displayed in association with the original content when users vary the size of the web page, add to the original content, or zoom in on portions of the original content, the annotations further comprising annotation content;

assigning annotation identifiers to the annotations and wherein the annotation indicators comprise the annotation identifiers assigned to the annotations;

storing the annotations, annotation identifiers, and annotation indicators in association with the original content on the one or more servers;

allowing a first user to create a first custom book by allowing the first user to select at least a portion of the original content to be printed in a first custom book;

determining the start tags and stop tags within the portion of original content selected by the first user;

identifying the annotation identifiers associated with the start tags and stop tags within the portion of original content selected by the first user;

using the annotation identifiers to identify a first group of annotations associated with the start tags and stop tags within the original content selected by the first user, wherein the first group of annotations contains annotations submitted by other users;

allowing the first user to view the annotations in the first group of annotations associated with the original content selected by the first user;

allowing the first user to select and deselect via a web browser, the annotations in the first group of annotations to create a first list of preferred annotations from the first group of annotations, wherein the first list of preferred annotations and the portion of the original content selected by the first user are stored at the one or more servers in association with a first user'"'"'s account;

maintaining the first list of preferred annotations and the portion of content selected by the first user at the one or more servers when the first user ceases accessing the original content;

allowing a second user to create a second custom book by allowing the second user to select at least a portion of the original content to be printed in the second custom book, wherein the portion of the original content selected by the second user is different than the portion of the original content selected by the frst user;

determining the start tags and stop tags within the portion of original content selected by the second user;

identifying the annotation identifiers associated with the start tags and stop tags within the portion of original content selected by the second user;

using the annotation identifiers to identify a second group of annotations associated with the start tags and stop tags within the original content selected by the second user, wherein the second group of annotations contains annotations submitted by other users;

allowing the second user to view the annotations in the second group of annotations associated with the original content selected by the second user;

allowing the second user to select and deselect via a web browser, the annotations in the second group of annotations to create a second list of preferred annotations from the second group of annotations, wherein the second list of preferred annotations and the portion of the original content selected by the second user are stored at the one or more servers in association with a second user'"'"'s account; and

maintaining the second list of preferred annotations and the portion of the original content selected by the second user at the one or more servers when the second user ceases accessing the original content;

allowing the first user to view the portion of original content selected by the first user and the first list of preferred annotations maintained at the one or more servers when the first user accesses the original content another time; and

at the first user'"'"'s request, printing and binding at least the portion of the original content selected by the first user along with the first list of preferred annotations stored in association with the first user'"'"'s account to create the first custom book.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first list of preferred annotations selected by the first user further comprises:

allowing the first user to select a list of preferred users; and

automatically selecting at least a portion of the first list of preferred annotations based on annotations submitted by users on the list of preferred users.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first list preferred of annotations selected by the first users is based upon ratings submitted by other users.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the additional content elements include pictures.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the additional content elements replace part of the original content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein allowing the first user to select comprises allowing the first user to select each annotation individually.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein allowing the first user to select comprises allowing the first user to select criteria for selection of original content or the annotations.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein allowing the user to select criteria comprises allowing the user to select annotations based on the user or users from which they were received.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein allowing the user to select criteria comprises allowing the user to select annotations based on a type of annotation.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving annotations from the plurality of users comprises receiving annotations over the internet.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein storing the original content comprises storing the content on the one or more servers in the form of one or more web pages, and wherein receiving annotations comprises receiving annotations input by the plurality of users using web browsers on their remote client devices.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving annotations comprises receiving one or more text annotations representing comments on the original content.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving annotations comprises receiving one or more annotations related to an image contained in the original content.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving one or more annotations related to an image comprises receiving information identifying one or more subjects of the image.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising associating the one or more identified subjects with the image.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving annotations comprises receiving multimedia annotations including graphical data, audio data, or video data.

17. The method of claim 1, comprising communicating to the first user an offer to purchase the original content.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising processing a request by the first user to purchase the original content.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein printing comprises, for each annotation related to a portion of the original content, printing the annotation and related portion on the same page of the book.

20. The method of claim 1, comprising authenticating each of the plurality of users before receiving an annotation from that user.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the original content includes one or more photos, and wherein the method comprises allowing the first user to select a photo to replace a photo from the original content.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein allowing the first user to select a photo comprises allowing the first user to select a photo supplied by the party providing the original content.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein allowing the first user to select a photo comprise allowing the first user to select a photo uploaded to the one or more servers by a user.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the photo is uploaded to the one or more servers by the first party.