Bookmarking for electronic books

• US 9,495,470 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2012
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Boulanger, Catherine N., Weiss, John G.A., Bathiche, Steven Nabil, Dietz, Paul Henry
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shrewsbury, Nathan
• Application Number:
  US13/683,784
• Publication Number:
  US 20140143705A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,455 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9562 Bookmark management
• 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 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes

Abstract

This document describes techniques and apparatuses enabling bookmarking for electronic books. The techniques and apparatuses enable a user of an electronic book to bookmark pages of the electronic book and navigate based on these bookmarks as well as bookmarks made by other users.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining, based on a history of an electronic book, pages of the electronic book that have been bookmarked;

receiving a selection to find bookmarked pages of the electronic book via a physical manual selector, the physical manual selector capable of receiving a bend or a force; and

responsive to the selection, presenting the bookmarked pages, the presenting comprising flipping through multiple pages of the electronic book in succession and at a rate dependent on an amount of the bend or force received by the physical manual selector, the flipping automatically slowed, paused, or stopped during presentation of the bookmarked pages.

2. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein presenting the bookmarked pages presents chapter or section headings associated with the bookmarked pages and prior to presenting the respective bookmarked pages.

3. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the history of the electronic book includes a bookmarked page bookmarked through selection of a bookmark selector.

4. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the history of the electronic book includes bookmarking through note-taking to the bookmarked pages.

5. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the history includes usage by other users, the other users other than a user associated with an e-book-reading device on which the method is performed, the usage of the other users including bookmarking one or more of the bookmarked pages.

6. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection to open the electronic book; and

opening the electronic book to one of the bookmarked pages.

7. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein presenting the bookmarked pages presents only the bookmarked pages of the electronic book.

16. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the physical manual selector is integral with a casing, the casing integral with or surrounding a display of the electronic book.

8. A handheld computing device comprising:

a display;

a casing integral with or surrounding the display;

a bookmark selector integral with the casing, the bookmark selector capable of receiving a bend or a force;

one or more computer processors; and

computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions thereon, the instructions, when executed by the one or more computer processors, causing the computing device to perform operations comprising;

receiving a first selection through the bookmark selector to bookmark a page of an electronic book, the page of the electronic book currently displayed on the display;

responsive to the first selection, bookmarking the selected page;

receiving a second selection through the bookmark selector to find bookmarked pages of the electronic book; and

responsive to the second selection, presenting, on the display, the bookmarked pages, the presenting comprising flipping through multiple pages of the electronic book in succession and at a rate dependent on an amount of the bend or force received by the bookmark selector, the flipping automatically slowed, paused, or stopped during presentation of the bookmarked pages.

9. A handheld computing device as described in claim 8, wherein the first selection and the second selection are received through the bookmark selector.

10. A handheld computing device as described in claim 9, wherein the second selection is a bend away from the display, a bend toward the display, or a squeeze.

11. A handheld computing device as described in claim 8, wherein receiving the second selection through the bookmark selector to find bookmarked pages of the electronic book selects to search bookmarked pages.

12. A handheld computing device as described in claim 8, wherein the flip through of the one or more pages pauses or stops at other bookmarked pages of the electronic book but not unmarked pages of the electronic book.

13. A handheld computing device as described in claim 8, wherein the bookmark selector is integral with a corner of the casing.

14. A handheld computing device as described in claim 8, further comprising closing the electronic book prior to receiving the second selection and opening the electronic book prior to presenting the bookmarked, selected page.

17. A handheld computing device as described in claim 8, wherein the bookmark selector comprises one or more implements capable of receiving opposing selections through a same implement, the receiving opposing selections based on an opposite force or opposite bend applied to the one or more implements.

18. A handheld computing device as described in claim 8, wherein the bookmark selector comprises a variable-input tab integral with the casing of the electronic book.

19. A handheld computing device as described in claim 8, wherein the bookmark selector comprises a brush selector.

20. A handheld computing device as described in claim 19, wherein the brush selector further comprises fibers that jut out from the casing or do not extend past an edge of the casing.

15. One or more computer-readable storage media having instructions thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause a computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a bookmarking history associated with an electronic book, the bookmarking history indicating remotely bookmarked pages of the electronic book, the remotely bookmarked pages bookmarked by remote users or based on usage by remote users;

receiving a first selection through a bookmark selector integral with a casing of the computing device, the bookmark selector capable of receiving a bend or a force and the casing surrounding or integral with a display that is also associated with the computing device, the first selection to bookmark a page of the electronic book currently displayed on the display;

determining, based on the bookmarking history and the first selection, bookmarked pages of the electronic book, the bookmarked pages including the selected, bookmarked page and the remotely bookmarked pages;

receiving a second selection to search the electronic book, the second selection received through the bookmark selector integral with the casing of the computing device; and

responsive to the second selection, presenting the bookmarked pages on the display, the presenting comprising flipping through multiple pages of the electronic book in succession and at a rate dependent on an amount of the bend or force received by the bookmark selector, the flipping automatically slowed, paused, or stopped during presentation of the bookmarked pages.