Device and method for searching for an e-book via e-book categories in a virtual bookshelf in a portable terminal

• US 9,342,515 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2011
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Ji-Woo, Kim, Sung-Hyun
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Burwell, Joseph R
• Application Number:
  US13/177,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20120137245A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,777 Days
• Field of Search: 715/776
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0291 for reading, e.g. e-books constructional details of portable computers G06F1/1613
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A device and a method for searching for an electronic book (e-book) in a portable terminal are provided. More particularly, a device and a method for searching for an e-book in a portable terminal, which can conveniently manage and search for a plurality of e-books in a portable terminal, are provided. The device includes a display unit for displaying categories of e-books that each include one or more e-books, and a controller for controlling such that an e-book is searched for by displaying and scrolling through the categories of e-books according to a detected shift of the portable terminal, a corresponding category is enlarged according to a touch to the corresponding category, and at least one of the one or more e-books included in the enlarged category is displayed.

Claims

1. A device for searching for an electronic book (e-book) in a portable terminal, the device comprising:

a display unit configured to display categories of e-books that each include one or more e-books; and

a controller configured to;

search for a category by displaying and scrolling through the categories of e-books in any direction according to a detected kind of shift of the portable terminal,

detect a corresponding category of the categories of e-books according to a touch by a user,

display at least one of the one or more e-books included in the detected category, and

scroll e-books corresponding to the detected category in any direction according to a detected kind of shift of the portable terminal after displaying at least one of the one or more e-books included in the detected category,

wherein the detected kind of shift of the portable terminal includes at least one of an inclination, an up, down, left or right movement, and a rotation of the portable terminal,

wherein, when two or more categories are selected through a multi-touch, a category having a largest number of e-books among the categories selected through the multi-touch is enlarged and each e-book included in the enlarged category is displayed, and

wherein contents of an e-book selected by a single touch from the e-books included in the enlarged category are displayed through an execution of the e-book viewer.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the categories of e-books are displayed on a virtual bookshelf, and

wherein each category is separately displayed using a book box on the virtual bookshelf.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the user sets a corresponding category at a corresponding position, and

wherein the position and a title of the set corresponding category is modified or deleted by the user.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a title of a corresponding category being displayed at a position of the corresponding category.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a size of each category is the same or is varied according to a number of the one or more e-books included in the respective category.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein, when an inclination or a movement of the portable terminal is detected, categories of e-books, which are not displayed on the display unit when the inclination or movement is detected, are displayed and scrolled through according to a direction and a speed of the corresponding detected inclination or movement of the portable terminal, and

wherein the speed at which the e-books are displayed according to the detected movement of the portable terminal is greater than the speed at which the e-books are displayed according to the detected inclination of the portable terminal.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when a rotation of the portable terminal is detected, different categories of e-books, which are not displayed on the display unit of the portable terminal when the rotation is detected, are displayed according to a direction of the detected rotation of the portable terminal.

8. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein a list of e-books included in a single-touched corresponding category or a title of the corresponding category is displayed, and

wherein contents of an e-book selected from the list of e-books by a single touch are displayed through an execution of an e-book viewer.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein, when one category is selected through a multi-touch, the selected category is enlarged and at least one of the one or more e-books included in the enlarged category is displayed, and

wherein contents of an e-book selected from among the e-books included in the enlarged category by a single touch are displayed through an execution of an e-book viewer.

10. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein, when a shift of the portable terminal is detected during the display of at least one of the one or more e-books included in the detected category, different categories of e-books, which are not displayed on the display unit of the portable terminal prior to the shift of the portable terminal being detected, are displayed and scrolled through according to a direction of the detected shift of the portable terminal.

11. A method for searching for an electronic book (e-book) in a portable terminal, the method comprising:

displaying categories of e-books that each includes one or more e-books;

searching, when the portable terminal is shifted, for a category by displaying and scrolling through the categories of e-books in any direction according to a detected kind of shift of the portable terminal;

displaying, when a corresponding category of the categories of e-books according to a touch by a user is detected, at least one of the one or more e-books included in the detected category;

scrolling e-books corresponding to the detected category in any direction according to the detected kind of shift of the portable terminal after displaying at least one of the one or more e-books included in the detected category; and

enlarging the touched category,

wherein the enlarging of the touched category and the displaying of the at least one of the one or more e-books comprises;

identifying, when multi-touches to one or more categories are detected, a number of multi-touched one or more categories;

enlarging, when the multi-touches to one category are detected, the one category;

enlarging, when the multi-touches to two or more categories are detected, a category having the largest number of e-books among the multi-touched categories;

displaying at least one of the one or more e-books included in the enlarged category; and

displaying, when an e-book is selected by a single touch during the displaying of the e-books included in the enlarged category, the selected e-book through an execution of an e-book viewer, and

wherein the detected kind of shift of the portable terminal includes at least one of an inclination, an up, down, left or right movement, and a rotation of the portable terminal.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the categories of e-books are displayed on a virtual bookshelf, and each category is separately displayed using a book box on the virtual bookshelf.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

setting a corresponding category at a corresponding position by the user; and

modifying or deleting the position and a title of the set category according to a selection of the user.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising displaying a title of a corresponding category at a position of the corresponding category.

15. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein a size of each category is the same or is varied according to a number of the one or more e-books included in the respective category.

16. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the searching for the e-book by displaying and the scrolling through the categories of e-books comprises:

displaying, when an inclination of the portable terminal is detected, and scrolling through categories of e-books, which are not displayed on the display unit of the portable terminal when the inclination of the portable terminal is detected, according to a direction and a speed of the detected inclination of the portable terminal;

displaying, when a movement of the portable terminal is detected, and scrolling through categories of e-books, which are not displayed on the display unit of the portable terminal when the movement of the portable terminal is detected, according to a direction and a speed of the detected movement of the portable terminal, wherein the speed at which the e-books are displayed and scrolled according to the detected movement of the portable terminal is greater than the speed at which the e-books are displayed and scrolled according to the detected inclination of the portable terminal; and

displaying, when a rotation of the portable terminal is detected, different categories of e-books, which are not displayed on the display unit of the portable terminal when the rotation of the portable terminal is detected, according to a direction of the detected rotation of the portable terminal.

17. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising enlarging the touched category,

wherein the enlarging of the touched category and the displaying of the at least one of the one or more e-books included in the enlarged category comprises:

displaying, when a single touch of the corresponding category or a title of the corresponding category is detected, a list of e-books included in the single-touched category; and

displaying, when an e-book is selected from the list of e-books, the selected e-book through an execution of an e-book viewer.

18. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising displaying and scrolling, when a shift of the portable terminal is detected during the displaying of the at least one of the one or more e-books included in the detected category, through different categories of e-books, which are not displayed on the display unit of the portable terminal when the shift of the portable terminal is detected, according to a direction of the detected shift of the portable terminal.