Providing supplemental information for a digital work in a user interface

• US 9,128,581 B1
• Filed: 09/27/2011
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Goodspeed, Joshua M., Hamaker, Janna, Iser, Adam J., Killalea, Tom, Patnia, Abhishek, Taborisskaya, Alla
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): FILOSI, TERRI L
• Application Number:
  US13/246,796
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3328 using graphical result space presentation or visualisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/34 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/487 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/10 Text processing natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30; processing or translation of natural language G06F40/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/221 Parsing markup language streams streaming G06F40/149
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

In some implementations, a device displays a user interface that provides supplemental information in connection with a digital work. For example, the supplemental information may include a listing of objects identified in the digital work. Further, a visual representation may be displayed with each listed object. The visual representation for each listed object may provide a representation of at least one location of at least one occurrence of the object in the digital work. The objects may be displayed according to a supplemental information view, a page view, a chapter view, a book view, a series view, a library view, or the like. Additionally, one or more object buttons may be displayed concurrently with the listing of objects. The object buttons may correspond to the types of objects displayed, and may be selected to limit the displayed objects to a particular type.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media maintaining instructions executable by a processor of an electronic device to perform operations comprising:

presenting a digital work on a display of the electronic device, the digital work including text content;

receiving, by the electronic device, a user selection of an object of text identified in the digital work; and

presenting, on the display, a user interface that includes;

a listing of objects including the user-selected object and one or more other objects, wherein each of the objects is a word or phrase included in the text content of the digital work;

a respective visual representation associated with each object in the listing of objects, the respective visual representation for each object in the listing of objects providing a graphical representation of at least one location of at least one occurrence of the associated object in the digital work in proportion to a total length of the digital work; and

a plurality of object buttons presented concurrently with the listing of objects, respective object buttons of the plurality of object buttons corresponding to respective different types of objects presented in the listing of objects, wherein individual object buttons of the plurality of object buttons are selectable for selecting the types of objects presented in the listing of objects.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein presenting the user interface further comprises presenting the user interface in a separate window overlaid on the digital work presented on the display.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the object button of each type further includes an indication of a number of the objects of each type presented in the listing.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein presenting the user interface further comprises presenting a button that indicates a total number of objects presented in the listing of objects.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein presenting the user interface comprises presenting a page view interface that presents objects contained in a page of the digital work.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein presenting the user interface comprises presenting a chapter view interface that presents objects contained in a chapter of the digital work.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein presenting the user interface comprises presenting a book view interface that presents objects contained in an entirety of the digital work.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, further comprising a spoiler curtain concealing a portion of at least one visual representation presented in the user interface, the spoiler curtain extending from a position in the visual representation corresponding to a current location in the digital work presented on the display to a position in the visual representation corresponding to an end of the digital work.

9. A device comprising:

a display;

one or more processors;

one or more computer-readable media; and

a module maintained on the one or more computer-readable media and executed on the one or more processors to present, on the display, a user interface that includes;

a listing of objects, wherein the listing includes a selected object selected from content of a digital work based on a received input, and at least one other object included in the digital work, wherein the selected object includes at least one of a word or phrase selected from content of the digital work;

a respective visual representation corresponding to each object in the listing of objects, the respective visual representation for each object providing a graphical indication of a location of at least one occurrence of the corresponding object in the digital work in proportion to a total length of the digital work;

a graphic element presented on at least one of the visual representations to indicate a current position in the content of the digital work; and

a chapter view interface that includes a plurality of objects contained in a chapter of the digital work from which the selected object was selected, wherein the chapter view interface further includes a bar as the graphic element present on the at least one of the visual representation, a location of the bar corresponding to a current chapter of the digital work with respect to a total number of chapters in the digital work.

10. A method comprising:

under control of one or more processors of an electronic device specifically configured with executable instructions,

receiving a selection of a first object in a digital work presented on a display;

in response, at least in part, to the selection of the object, presenting a user interface on the display, the user interface including a listing of objects including the first object and one or more second objects of at least one type different from a type of the first object; and

presenting a plurality of object buttons in the user interface concurrently with the listing of objects, respective object buttons corresponding to respective different types of objects presented in the listing of objects, wherein the respective object buttons are selectable for selecting the types of objects included in the listing of objects presented in the user interface.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a selection of one of the object buttons corresponding to a particular type of object; and

removing from the listing one or more of the objects whose type does not match the particular type of object.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein presenting the plurality of object buttons in the user interface further comprises presenting the plurality of object buttons with an indicator of how many objects of a same type as the object button are currently included in the listing of objects.

13. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein presenting the plurality of object buttons in the user interface further comprises presenting a button that indicates a total number of objects included in the listing of objects.

14. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the types of objects comprise at least one of:

a character in the digital work;

a person mentioned in the digital work;

a place mentioned in the digital work;

a thing mentioned in the digital work;

an interaction between characters in the digital work;

an organization mentioned in the digital work;

a relationship between characters in the digital work;

a popular highlight in the digital work;

a theme in the digital work;

a scene in the digital work;

an event mentioned in the digital work;

a phrase used in the digital work;

a topic mentioned in the digital work;

a citation provided in the digital work;

or

a time period associated with the digital work.

15. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising presenting a respective visual representation with each listed object, the respective visual representation for each listed object providing a graphical indication of at least one location of at least one occurrence of a corresponding object in the digital work.

24. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein presenting the user interface further comprises presenting a supplemental information view interface that further includes one or more excerpts of text drawn from the digital work, the one or more excerpts of text including an occurrence of the selected first object.

25. The method as recited in claim 24, the supplemental information view interface further comprising a slider presented with the visual representation corresponding to the selected first object, the slider positioned on the visual representation in relation to occurrences of the excerpts of text presented in the supplemental information view interface.

26. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein a configuration of the slider presented with the visual representation changes dynamically to encompass a portion of the visual representation corresponding to the one or more excerpts of text currently presented in the supplemental information view interface.

27. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein presenting the user interface further comprises presenting a supplemental information view interface that further presents content related to the selected first object, the content including information about the selected first object obtained from an external source.

28. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising:

presenting a visual representation corresponding to the first object, the visual representation for the first object providing a graphical indication of a location of at least one occurrence of the first object in the digital work in proportion to a total length of the digital work; and

presenting a curtain on the visual representation, the curtain concealing at least a portion of the visual representation corresponding to a portion of the digital work from the current position to an end of the digital work.

29. The method as recited in claim 28, wherein the curtain includes a control for removing the curtain to reveal the portion of the visual representation concealed by the curtain.

16. A device comprising:

a display;

one or more processors;

one or more computer-readable media, the one or more computer-readable media maintaining instructions executable by the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

presenting a digital work on the display of the electronic device, the digital work including text content;

receiving, by the device, a user selection of an object of text identified in the digital work;

a module maintained on the one or more computer-readable media and executed on the one or more processors to present, on the display, a user interface that includes;

a listing of objects including the user-selected object and one or more other objects, wherein individual ones of the objects is a word or phrase included in the text content of the digital work;

a first visual representation associated with a first object and a second visual representation associated with a second object in the listing of objects, the first visual representation providing a graphical representation of at least one location of at least one occurrence of the first object in the digital work in proportion to a total length of the digital work, the second visual representation providing a graphical representation of at least one location of at least one occurrence of the second object in the digital work in proportion to the total length of the digital work; and

a plurality of object buttons presented concurrently with the listing of objects, a first object button of the plurality of object buttons corresponding to a first type of object presented in the listing of objects, a second object button of the plurality of object buttons corresponding to a second type of object presented in the listing of the objects, wherein the first object button of the plurality of object buttons is selectable for selecting the first type of object presented in the listing of objects and the second object button of the plurality of the object buttons is selectable for selecting the second type of object presented in the listing of objects.

17. The device as recited in claim 16, wherein the user interface is presented in a separate window overlaid on the digital work presented on the display.

18. The device as recited in claim 16, wherein the first object button corresponding to the first type of object further includes an indication of a number of the first type of object presented in the listing.

19. The device as recited in claim 16, wherein presenting the user interface further includes presenting a button that indicates a total number of objects presented in the listing of objects.

20. The device as recited in claim 16, wherein presenting the user interface comprises presenting a page view interface that presents objects contained in a page of the digital work.

21. The device as recited in claim 16, wherein presenting the user interface comprises presenting a chapter view interface that presents objects contained in a chapter of the digital work.

22. The device as recited in claim 16, wherein presenting the user interface comprises presenting a book view interface that presents objects contained in an entirety of the digital work.

23. The device as recited in claim 16, wherein presenting the user interface further includes presenting a spoiler curtain concealing a portion of at least one visual representation presented in the user interface, the spoiler curtain extending from a position in the visual representation corresponding to a current location in the digital work presented on the display to a position in the visual representation corresponding to an end of the digital work.