Method for creating custom annotated books

• US 20060053365A1
• Filed: 04/06/2005
• Published: 03/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: XanEdu Publishing, Inc. (NAPC Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: SharedBook, Ltd.
• Inventors: Hollander, Josef, Schlesinger, Mor
• Granted Patent: US 7,506,246 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes

Abstract

The invention relates generally shared annotation systems. More particularly, the invention provides a method for automatically navigating a document in a display having at least a first portion and a second portion, the method comprising: receiving an annotation related to the document, the annotation generated by a user at a first client; associating the annotation with a first indication in the document; receiving, from a user at a second client, an input to navigate a first portion of a display at the second client, the input causing the first indication to be displayed in the first portion of the display; and in response to the input, automatically displaying the annotation in a second portion of the display at the second client.

Claims

1. A method for creating a custom book, the method comprising:

storing original content on a server;

receiving annotations to the original content from a plurality of users accessing the content through remote client devices, the annotations including indications of portions of the original content and annotation content, and storing the annotations in association with the original content on the server;

allowing a first user to select from the original content and received annotations a set of material to be organized in a book; and

at the first user'"'"'s request, printing and binding the selected set of material to create the custom book.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the original content comprises content generated by a party other than the first user or the plurality of users.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the original content includes additional content elements uploaded to the server by a user.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the additional content elements include pictures.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the additional content elements replace part of the original content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein allowing the first user to select comprises allowing the first user to select each received annotation individually.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein allowing the first user to select comprises allowing the first user to select criteria for selection of original content or the annotations.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein allowing the user to select criteria comprises allowing the user to select annotations based on the user or users from which they were received.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein allowing the user to select criteria comprises allowing the user to select annotations based on a type of annotation.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving annotations from the plurality of users comprises receiving annotations over the internet.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein storing the original content comprises storing the content on a web server in the form of one or more web pages, and wherein receiving annotations comprises receiving annotations input by the plurality of users using web browsers on their remote client devices.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving annotations comprises receiving one or more text annotations representing comments on the original content.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving annotations comprises receiving one or more annotations related to an image contained in the original content.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving one or more annotations related to an image comprises receiving information identifying one or more subjects of the image.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising associating the one or more identified subjects with the image.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving annotations comprises receiving multimedia annotations including graphical data, audio data, or video data.

17. The method of claim 1, comprising communicating to the first user an offer to purchase the original content.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising processing a request by the first user to purchase the original content.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein printing comprises, for each annotation related to a portion of the original content, printing the annotation and related portion on the same page of the book.

20. The method of claim 1, comprising authenticating each of the plurality of users before receiving an annotation from that user.

21. A custom book created according to the method of claim 1.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the original content includes one or more photos, and wherein the method comprises allowing the first user to select a photo to replace a photo from the original content.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein allowing the first user to select a photo comprises allowing the first user to select a photo supplied by the party providing the original content.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein allowing the first user to select a photo comprises allowing the first user to select a photo uploaded to the server by a user.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the photo is uploaded to the server by the first party.