ELECTRONIC BOOK WITH BUILT-IN CARD SCANNER

• US 20110227821A1
• Filed: 05/30/2011
• Published: 09/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Application Number:
  US13/118,454
• Publication Number:
  US 20110227821A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/00 Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism healthcare informatics G16H
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/901 Electronic book with display

Abstract

An electronic book includes a housing having a first body section and a second body section pivotable with respect to each other, the first and second body sections together defining a pair of internal faces and a pair of external faces; a spine member coupling the first and second body sections, the spine member defining a longitudinal cavity therethrough and a longitudinal slot providing entry into the longitudinal cavity; a card slot provided on one of the external faces; a flexible display screen extending across both internal faces; microprocessor circuitry positioned in the housing between the card slot and the display screen; and a card scanner mounted in the housing between the microprocessor circuitry and the card slot, the card scanner facing away from the display screen and configured to scan a card inserted into the card slot and to convert a two-dimensional pattern on the card into data signals. In a pivoted position where pair of internal faces oppose each other, a middle portion of the flexible display screen extends into the longitudinal cavity of the spine member via the longitudinal slot to form a loop.

Claims

1. An electronic book comprising:

a housing having a first body section and a second body section pivotable with respect to each other, the first and second body sections together defining a pair of internal faces and a pair of external faces;

a spine member coupling the first and second body sections, the spine member defining a longitudinal cavity therethrough and a longitudinal slot providing entry into the longitudinal cavity;

a card slot provided on one of the external faces;

a flexible display screen extending across both internal faces;

microprocessor circuitry positioned in the housing between the card slot and the display screen; and

a card scanner mounted in the housing between the microprocessor circuitry and the card slot, the card scanner facing away from the display screen and configured to scan a card inserted into the card slot and to convert a two-dimensional pattern on the card into data signals, wherein

in a pivoted position where pair of internal faces oppose each other, a middle portion of the flexible display screen extends into the longitudinal cavity of the spine member via the longitudinal slot to form a loop.

2. An electronic book as claimed in claim 1, wherein the microprocessor circuitry includes a printed circuit board mounted in the housing and loaded with processing modules including a central processor unit, a BIOS memory integrated circuit and a RAM.

3. An electronic book as claimed in claim 2, wherein the housing is foldable about the spine member.

4. An electronic book, as claimed in claim 2, wherein the printed circuit board is connected to the flexible display via conductive traces terminating in peripheral contact regions of the display.

5. An electronic book as claimed in claim 1, wherein a battery compartment is positioned in the spine member, the battery compartment being connected to the at least one printed circuit board to supply power thereto.

6. An electronic book, as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a roller mechanism positioned in the housing proximate the card slot and arranged to retract the card into the housing, the roller mechanism being actuated when a card is inserted into the slot.

7. An electronic book, as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a card insertion sensor positioned in the housing proximate the slot to detect the insertion of the card into the slot and to generate a signal to activate the roller mechanism.