Touch-screen user interface

• US 8,624,851 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2009
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kim, John T., Green, Christopher, Hebenstreit, Joseph J., Keller, Kevin E.
• Primary Examiner(s): GIESY, ADAM
• Application Number:
  US12/553,076
• Publication Number:
  US 20110050592A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,588 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0291 for reading, e.g. e-books constructional details of portable computers G06F1/1613
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A user interface for a touch-screen display of a dedicated handheld electronic book reader device is described. The user interface detects human gestures manifest as pressure being applied by a finger or stylus to regions on the touch-screen display. In one implementation, the touch-screen user interface enables a user to turn one or more pages in response to applying a force or pressure to the touch-screen display. In another implementation, the touch-screen user interface is configured to bookmark a page temporarily by applying a pressure to the display, then allowing a user to turn pages to a new page, but reverting back to a previously-displayed page when the pressure is removed. In another implementation, the touch-screen user interface identifies and filters electronic books based on book size and/or a time available to read a book. In another implementation, the touch-screen user interface converts text to speech in response to a user touching the touch-screen display.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

displaying a first page of an electronic document on a touch-screen display;

detecting a pressure of an object on the touch-screen display;

receiving a command to turn pages of the electronic document to a second page;

displaying the second page of the electronic document on the touch-screen display as long as the pressure of the object on the touch-screen display is detected; and

in response to the pressure of the object on the touch-screen display no longer being detected, redisplaying the first page of the electronic document.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the object comprises at least one of a finger or a stylus.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the command to turn pages comprises a gesture made on the touch-screen display.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the command to turn pages comprises actuation of a control not part of the touch-screen display.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the pressure of the object comprises sensing pressure in a defined area of the touch-screen display.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the defined area is one of a lower left corner of the touch-screen display or a lower right corner of the touch-screen display.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising initiating a haptic indication in accompaniment of the redisplaying the first page of the electronic document.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the haptic indication comprises a vibration.

9. An electronic device comprising:

a processor;

a memory accessible by the processor;

a touch-screen display to present a visible representation of an electronic document;

a pressure detector to detect a pressure applied to a region on the touch-screen display; and

a bookmarking module stored in the memory and executable by the processor to bookmark a first page of the electronic document temporarily in response to continuous pressure being applied to the region of the touch-screen display, while allowing one or more pages of the electronic document to be turned to display a second page, the bookmarking module causing a return to display of the first page upon removal of the pressure from the region of the touch-screen display.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the region comprises one of a lower left corner of the touch-screen display or a lower right corner of the touch-screen display.

11. The electronic device of claim 9, further comprising a page turn detector stored in the memory and executable by the processor to detect a gesture on the touch-screen display as a command to turn pages of the electronic document.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the gesture is a swiping action across the touch-screen display.

13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the gesture is a pressure applied to another region of the touch-screen display, and a number of pages turned is proportional to pressure applied to the another region.

14. The electronic device of claim 9, further comprising a control independent of the touch-screen display, wherein the one or more pages are turned in response to user actuation of the control.

15. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein a haptic indication accompanies the redisplaying the first page.

16. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the electronic device comprises a dedicated handheld electronic book reader.

17. The electronic device of claim 9, further comprising a book filtering module stored in the memory and executable by the processor to identify and filter lists of electronic documents according to at least one of document size or a time available to read.

18. The electronic device of claim 9, further comprising a text-to-speech (TTS) module to convert to speech a portion of text selected form the electronic document via detection of pressure applied to the touch-screen display.

19. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having computer-readable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform acts comprising:

displaying a first page of an electronic document on a touch-screen display;

detecting a pressure of an object on the touch-screen display;

receiving a command to turn pages of the electronic document to a second page;

displaying the second page of the electronic document on the touch-screen display as long as the pressure of the object on the touch-screen display is detected; and

in response to the pressure of the object on the touch-screen display no longer being detected, redisplaying the first page of the electronic document.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the detecting the pressure of the object comprises sensing pressure in a defined area of the touch-screen display.