Electronic display device, electronic display method, electronic display program, and recording medium

• US 8,656,299 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2005
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sugimoto, Hiroko
• Primary Examiner(s): Chow, Doon Y.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham, Linh K
• Application Number:
  US11/587,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20070168883A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,130 Days
• Field of Search: 715/776, 715/738, 715/739
• US Class Current: 715/776
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels

Abstract

An electronic display device capable of displaying content written horizontally and written vertically in an electronic display device having a plurality of display screens. The electronic display device includes a plurality of display screens that are bound and that can be opened like a book, includes a content storage unit storing content to be displayed on the display screens, includes a content reading unit reading the content from the content storage unit, includes an opening direction recognizing unit recognizing a first opening direction or a second opening direction of the content on the display screen, and includes a display control unit arranging and displaying the content based on the first opening direction or second opening direction of the content.

Claims

1. An electronic display device comprising:

a processor;

a plurality of display screens arranged as a book and configured to open in a two-page spread;

a memory unit for storing content to be displayed on the plurality of display screens;

a reading unit in communication with the processor for reading the content from the memory unit;

an opening-direction recognizing unit in communication with the processor for recognizing a first opening direction of the content on the plurality of display screens and a second opening direction of the content on the plurality of display screens,

wherein the first opening direction of the content (i) indicates that a direction for turning the plurality of display screens is from right to left and (ii) is for horizontally reading the content from each of the display screens, starting from a left side and continuing across to a right side, and the second opening direction of the content (i) indicates that the direction for turning the plurality of display screens is from left to right and (ii) is for (a) vertically reading the content from each of the display screens, starting from an uppermost portion of the right side and continuing down to a bottommost portion of the right side or (b) horizontally reading the content from each of the display screens, starting from the right side and continuing across to the left side; and

a display control unit in communication with the processor for arranging in and displaying the content based on the first opening direction of the content and the second opening direction of the content,

wherein the plurality of display screens includes a first display screen to an n^th display screen,

wherein the display control unit arranges and displays the content in an ascending order of the plurality of display screens starting at the first display screen and continuing to the n^th display screen, wherein the content is arranged and displayed in the ascending order of the plurality of display screens starting at the first display screen for both the first opening direction of the content and the second opening direction of the content,

wherein the display control unit respectively reverses a top and a bottom of the displayed content in the first opening direction of the content from a top and a bottom of the displayed content in the second opening direction of the content, wherein, when the content is displayed in the first opening direction of the content to be read starting from the left side and continuing, across to the right side, the top and the bottom of the displayed content is reverse from the top and the bottom of the displayed content when the content is displayed in the second opening direction of the content to be read starting from the right side and continuing across to the left side or to be read starting from the uppermost portion of the right side and continuing down to the bottommost portion of the right side,

wherein the content includes attribute information indicating an opening direction and a genre of the content, and

wherein the opening-direction recognizing unit determines the opening direction of the content based on the opening direction and the genre indicated by the attribute information included in the content.

2. The electronic display device of claim 1, wherein the display control unit (i) arranges and displays the content in the ascending order starting at the first display screen when the content is displayed in the first opening direction of the content, and (ii) arranges and displays the content in a descending order starting at the nth display screen when the content is displayed in the second opening direction of the content.

3. The electronic display device of claim 1, wherein the opening-direction recognizing unit receives, from a user, opening direction information indicating the opening direction of the content.

4. A non-transitory recording medium having an electronic display program recorded thereon and

content stored thereon, the content being readable by an electronic display device;

the electronic display program is executed by the electronic display device, causes the electronic display device to;

display a plurality of display screens arranged as a book and configured to open in a two-page spread, the plurality of display screens including a first display screen to an n^th display screen; and

causes the electronic display device to function as;

a memory unit for storing the content read from the non-transitory recording medium, the content to be displayed on the plurality of display screens;

a reading unit for reading the content from the memory unit;

an opening-direction recognizing unit for recognizing a first opening direction of the content on the plurality of display screens and a second opening direction of the content on the plurality of display screens,

wherein the first opening direction of the content (i) indicates that a direction for turning the plurality of display screens is from right to left and (ii) is for horizontally reading the content from each of the display screens, starting from a left side and continuing across to a fight side, and the second opening direction of the content (i) indicates that the direction for turning the plurality of display screens is from left to right and (ii) is for (a) vertically reading the content from each of the display screens, starting from an uppermost portion of the fight side and continuing down to a bottommost portion of the right side or (b) horizontally reading the content from each of the display screens, starting from the right side and continuing across to the left side; and

a display control unit arranging and displaying the content based on the first opening direction of the content and the second opening direction of the content, wherein the display control unit arranges and displays the content in an ascending order of the plurality of display screens starting at the first display screen and continuing to the n^th display screen, wherein the content is arranged and displayed in the ascending order of the plurality of display screens starting at the first display screen for both the first opening direction of the content and the second opening direction of the content,

wherein the display control unit respectively reverses a top and a bottom of the displayed content in the first opening direction of the content from a top and a bottom of the displayed content in the second opening direction of the content, wherein, when the content is displayed in the first opening direction of the content to be read starting from the left side and continuing across to the right side, the top and the bottom of the displayed content is reverse from the top and the bottom of the displayed content when the content is displayed in the second opening direction of the content to be read starting from the right side and continuing across to the left side or to be read starting from the uppermost portion of the right side and continuing down to the bottommost portion of the right side,

wherein the attribute information indicates an opening direction and a genre of the content, and

wherein the opening-direction recognizing unit determines the opening direction of the content based on the opening direction and the genre indicated by the attribute information included on the non-transitory recording medium.

5. An electronic display method of utilizing an electronic display device,

wherein the electronic display device includes a plurality of display screens arranged as a book and configured to open in a two-page spread, the plurality of display screens including a first display screen to an nth display screen,

wherein the electronic display method comprises:

storing content to be displayed on the plurality of display screens;

reading the content stored by the storing of the content;

recognizing one of a first opening direction of the content on the plurality of display screens and a second opening direction of the content on the plurality of display screens, wherein

the first opening direction of the content (i) indicates that a direction for turning the plurality of display screens is from right to left and (ii) is for horizontally reading the content from each of the display screens, starting from a left side and continuing across to a right side,

the second opening direction of the content (i) indicates that the direction for turning the plurality of display screens is from left to right and (ii) is for (a) vertically reading the content from each of the display screens, starting from an uppermost portion of the right side and continuing down to a bottommost portion of the right side or (b) horizontally reading the content from each of the display screens, starting from the right side and continuing across to the left side; and

arranging and displaying the content based on the one of the first opening direction of the content and the second opening direction of the content recognized by the recognizing of the one of the first opening direction of the content and the second opening direction of the content,

wherein the arranging and displaying of the content includes arranging and displaying the content in an ascending order of the plurality of display screens starting at the first display screen and continuing to the nth display screen, wherein the content is arranged and displayed in the ascending order of the plurality of display screens starting at the first display screen for both the first opening direction of the content and the second opening direction of the content,

wherein the arranging and displaying of the content includes respectively reversing a top and a bottom of the displayed content in the first opening direction of the content from a top and a bottom of the displayed content in the second opening direction of the content, wherein, when the content is displayed in the first opening direction of the content to be read starting from the left side and continuing across to the right side, the top and the bottom of the displayed content is reverse from the top and the bottom of the displayed content when the content is displayed in the second opening direction of the content to be read starting from the right side and continuing across to the left side or to be read starting from the uppermost portion of the right side and continuing down to the bottommost portion of the right side,

wherein the content includes attribute information indicating an opening direction and a genre of the content, and

wherein the recognizing of the one of the first opening direction of the content and the second opening direction of the content determines the opening direction of the content based on the opening direction and the genre indicated by the attribute information included in the content.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having an electronic display program recorded thereon,

wherein the electronic display program is executed by an electronic display device, causes the electronic display device to:

display a plurality of display screens arranged as a book and configured to open in a two-page spread,

wherein the plurality of display screens includes a first display screen to an n^th display screen,

wherein the electronic display program causes the electronic display device to function as;

a memory unit storing content to be displayed on the plurality of display screens;

a reading unit reading the content from the memory unit;

an opening-direction recognizing unit recognizing a first opening direction of the content on the plurality of display screens and a second opening direction of the content on the plurality of display screens,

wherein the first opening direction of the content (i) indicates that a direction for turning the plurality of display screens is from fight to left and (ii) is for horizontally reading the content from each of the plurality of display screens, starting from a left side and continuing across to a right side, and

the second opening direction of the content (i) indicates that the direction for turning the plurality of display screens is from left to right and (ii) is for (a) vertically reading the content from each of the display screens, starting from an uppermost portion of the fight side and continuing down to a bottommost portion of the right side or (b) horizontally reading the content from each of the display screens, starting from the right side and continuing across to the left side; and

a display control unit arranging and displaying the content based on the first opening direction of the content and the second opening direction of the content,

wherein the display control unit arranges and displays the content in an ascending order of the plurality of display screens starting at the first display screen and continuing to the n^th display screen,

wherein the content is arranged and displayed in the ascending order of the plurality of display screens starting at the first display screen for both the first opening direction of the content and the second opening direction of the content,

wherein the display control unit respectively reverses a top and a bottom of the displayed content in the first opening direction of the content from a top and a bottom of the displayed content in the second opening direction of the content, wherein, when the content is displayed in the first opening direction of the content to be read starting from the left side and continuing, across to the right side, the top and the bottom of the displayed content is reverse from the top and the bottom of the displayed content when the content is displayed in the second opening direction of the content to be read starting from the right side and continuing across to the left side or to be read starting from the uppermost portion of the right side and continuing down to the bottommost portion of the right side,

wherein the content includes attribute information indicating an opening direction and a genre of the content, and

wherein the opening-direction recognizing unit determines the opening direction of the content based on the opening direction and the genre indicated by the attribute information included in the content.