Controlling the rendering of supplemental content related to electronic books

• US 9,116,654 B1
• Filed: 12/01/2011
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shah, Mehal H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Debrow, James J
• Application Number:
  US13/308,825
• Time in Patent Office: 1,363 Days
• Field of Search: 715/230
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/14 Electronic books and readers

Abstract

Architectures and techniques are provided to control the rendering of supplemental content associated with electronic books. For example, electronic books may be associated with content that is in addition to the content originally provided to an individual acquiring the electronic book, such as annotations, social networking site information, media outlet information, and the like. Individuals may control the supplemental electronic book content that is rendered via their client devices via actuation of a physical input device or a representation of an input device shown via a touch sensitive display. The amount of supplemental content that is rendered may correspond to information associated with a specified number of categories of supplemental electronic book content based on a supplemental content rendering level. In other implementations, the amount of supplemental electronic book content that is rendered may correspond to an amount of supplemental content to be rendered for each category of supplemental content.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

under control of one or more computing systems configured with specific executable instructions,

receiving, by a client device, an electronic book from an electronic book distributor;

storing the electronic book in computer-readable media of the client device;

receiving, from an information source, supplemental content related to the electronic book;

receiving input indicating selection of a particular level of supplemental content rendering, the particular level being one of a plurality of consecutive levels of supplemental content rendering, each level of the plurality of consecutive levels specifying an amount of supplemental content to be rendered;

rendering a particular portion of the electronic book on a display of the client device;

rendering at least a portion of the supplemental content on the display while rendering the particular portion of the electronic book, such that the at least a portion of the supplemental content being rendered is based, at least in part, on the particular level of supplemental content rendering, and wherein the particular level is configured to be maintained while rendering a plurality of pages of the electronic book; and

modifying the particular level of supplemental content rendering while rendering the particular portion of the electronic book.

2. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the particular portion of the electronic book;

determining an association between the particular portion of the electronic book and the at least a portion of the supplemental content; and

selecting the at least a portion of the supplemental content for rendering based at least in part on the determined association.

3. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the supplemental content is first supplemental content from a first category of supplemental content and the computer-implemented method further comprises receiving second supplemental content related to the electronic book from an additional information source, wherein the second supplemental content is from a second category of supplemental content different from the first category of supplemental content, the particular level of supplemental content rendering specifying an amount of particular first supplemental content and an amount of particular second supplemental content to render on the display.

4. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the information source is a social networking site and the supplemental content to render on the display includes information provided by individuals having a specified relationship with a user of the client device.

5. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 4, wherein the individuals having the specified relationship with the user are included in a list maintained by the social networking site.

6. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the information source provides annotations related to the electronic book to the client device.

7. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6, wherein the particular level of supplemental content rendering indicates a number of annotations to render in association with the particular portion of the electronic book.

8. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6, wherein:

one or more of the annotations have a respective rating;

the particular level of supplemental content rendering indicates a threshold rating of annotations; and

the one or more annotations having a respective rating above the threshold rating of annotations are rendered.

9. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the supplemental content is rendered without receiving input indicating selection of text of the particular portion of the electronic book.

10. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the input comprises a first input and the at least a portion of the supplemental content comprises a first portion of the supplemental content, the method further comprising:

receiving a second input indicating selection of a second level of supplemental content rendering, wherein the second level is different from the first level; and

rendering, at least partially in response to the second input, a second portion of the supplemental content on the display while rendering the particular portion of the electronic book.

11. The computer implemented method as recited in claim 10, wherein:

the second portion of the supplemental content includes the first portion of the supplemental content and one or more additional portions of the supplemental content, and

the second level of supplemental content rendering specifies the first and second categories.

12. The computer implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the supplemental content comprises a first portion of the supplemental content, the method further comprising:

rendering, at least partially in response to the modifying, a second portion of the supplemental content, the second portion of the supplemental content being different from the first portion of the supplemental content.

13. The computer implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising selecting the particular level of supplemental content rendering based on the electronic book.

14. A client device comprising:

one or more output devices;

one or more physical input devices;

one or more processors;

computer-readable media accessible by the one or more processors, the computer-readable media storing;

a digital item;

supplemental content related to the digital item; and

a digital item content system executable by the one or more processors to;

provide a portion of the digital item via at least one output device of the one or more output devices;

determine particular portions of the supplemental content related to the portion of the digital item;

receive input indicating actuation of a particular physical input device of the one or more physical input devices, the input specifying a first level of reproducing the supplemental content;

identify portions of the supplemental content to provide in association with the portion of the digital item based, at least in part, on the first level of reproducing the supplemental content;

provide the portions of the supplemental content in conjunction with the portion of the digital item, wherein the first level of reproducing the supplemental content is configured to be maintained while rendering a plurality of pages of the digital item;

receive a further input indicating actuation of the physical input device; and

modify, in response to the further input, the level of reproducing the supplemental content provided via the at least one output device while providing the portion of the digital item.

15. The client device as recited in claim 14, wherein the level of reproducing the supplemental content is one of a plurality of levels and each level corresponds to reproducing a specified amount of the supplemental content.

16. The client device as recited in claim 15, wherein a first level of reproducing supplemental content is associated with a first portion of the supplemental content and a second level of reproducing supplemental content is associated with a second portion of the supplemental content, the second portion of the supplemental content including the first portion of the supplemental content and one or more additional portions of supplemental content.

17. The client device as recited in claim 16, wherein the digital item is associated with the first level of reproducing the supplemental content and an additional digital item stored by the computer-readable media is associated with the second level of reproducing the supplemental content.

18. The client device as recited in claim 14, wherein the supplemental content is received from a plurality of sources and the level of reproducing the supplemental content corresponds to identifying portions of the supplemental content received from one or more particular sources of the plurality of sources.

19. The client device as recited in claim 14, wherein the further input is indicative of a different level of reproducing the supplemental content, wherein the digital item content system is further executable by the processor to modify the portion of the supplemental content provided in conjunction with the portion of the digital item based, at least in part, on the different level of reproducing the supplemental content.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed, instruct a processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving an electronic book from a service provider;

receiving input indicating selection of a particular level of rendering supplemental content associated with the electronic book, the particular level being a first level of a plurality of consecutive levels of rendering the supplemental content, and each level of rendering the supplemental content specifying one or more categories of the supplemental content to render in association with portions of the electronic book and an amount of the supplemental content to render from the specified one or more categories;

determining at least one category of the one or more categories based, at least in part, on the particular level of rendering the supplemental content;

receiving a request to view a particular portion of the electronic book;

rendering, in response to the input, a first amount of supplemental content related to the at least one category and specified by the first level of rendering the supplemental content, the first level of rendering being configured to be maintained while rendering a plurality of pages of the electronic book;

rendering the particular portion of the electronic book;

receiving a further input indicating selection of a second level of reproducing supplemental content; and

rendering, in response to the further input, a second amount of supplemental content specified by the second level while rendering the particular portion of the electronic book.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 20, wherein the operations further comprise sending a request to the service provider to provide supplemental content from the at least one category at least partly in response to receiving the input indicating selection of the particular level of rendering the supplemental content.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 20, wherein the at least one category is associated with the particular level of rendering the supplemental content based, at least in part, on preferences of a user of the client device, an amount of supplemental content related to the at least one category that is accessed by the user of the client device, an amount of time that supplemental content related to the at least one category is rendered on a display of the client device, or combinations thereof.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 20, wherein the operations further comprise rendering an input device on a portion of a touch sensitive display of the client device and the input is received in response to activation of the input device rendered on the portion of the touch sensitive display.

24. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

under control of one or more computing systems configured with specific executable instructions,

receiving an electronic book from a publisher of the electronic book;

receiving content from a number of sources;

determining whether at least a portion of the content is supplemental content associated with the electronic book;

receiving data from a client device specifying a first level of supplemental content rendering, the first level of supplemental content rendering being one of a plurality of consecutive levels of supplemental content rendering, the first level indicating one or more categories of the supplemental content associated with the electronic book, and a first amount of the supplemental content to provide to the client device from at least one category of the supplemental content;

identifying at least a portion of the supplemental content associated with the electronic book based, at least in part, on the first level of supplemental content rendering;

sending the at least a portion of the supplemental content to the client device;

rendering a portion of the electronic book on the client device, wherein the first level of supplemental content rendering is configured to be maintained while rendering a plurality of pages of the electronic book;

receiving further data from the client device specifying second level of supplemental content consecutive to the first level; and

rendering, in response to the further data, a second amount of supplemental content corresponding to the second level while rendering the portion of the electronic book.

25. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 24, further comprising receiving data from the client device indicating the portion of the electronic book being rendered on the client device.

26. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 25, further comprising:

identifying the portion of the electronic book;

determining an association between the portion of the electronic book and the at least a portion of the supplemental content; and

selecting the at least a portion of the supplemental content for rendering based at least in part on the determined association.

27. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 24, further comprising sending additional supplemental content to the client device from at least one additional category of supplemental content at least partly in response to receiving the further data.