EXTENSIBLE FRAMEWORK FOR EREADER TOOLS, INCLUDING NAMED ENTITY INFORMATION

• US 20150248380A1
• Filed: 05/15/2015
• Published: 09/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Bedrax-Weiss, Tania, Murray, Abraham Phelps, Dickinson, Dana L., Vemula, Gopal Venu, Buryak, Kirill, Worsley, Frank Ronald
• Granted Patent: US 10,102,187 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3323 using document space presentation or visualization, e.g. category, hierarchy or range presentation and selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/382 using citations hypermedia G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9017 using directory or table look-up use of a directory or look-up table in file systems G06F16/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/902 using more than one table in sequence, i.e. systems with three or more layers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/114 Pagination
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/295 Named entity recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Information about named entities referenced in an electronic book (ebook) is provided to a client device. An ebook identifier identifying the ebook is received from the client device. A set of layers available for use with the ebook is determined. The layers in the set provide information associated with the ebook and a layer in the set provides information associated with named entities referenced in content of the ebook. A content range identifying a range of content of the ebook for which layer information is requested and an identification of one or more of the layers in the set for which layer information is requested is received from the client device. Layer information associated with the ebook content identified by the content range for the identified layers is transmitted to the client device. The transmitted layer information includes information associated with named entities referenced by ebook content.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of providing information about content of an electronic book (ebook) displayed at a client device, the method comprising:

determining a set of layers available for use with the ebook displayed at the client device, one or more layers of the set of layers providing one or more types of information associated with one or more types of ebook content at one or more positions in the ebook;

transmitting, to the client device, a list identifying the available layers in the set, the client device using the list for;

identifying activated ebook content activated by the user and a position range of the activated ebook content;

determining, from the list of available layers, one or more matching layers that can be used to interact with the activated ebook content according to a type of the activated ebook content; and

launching a layer from the one or more matching layers with respect to the activated content;

receiving, from the client device, the position range and an identification of the launched layer;

identifying layer information associated with the activated ebook content identified by the received position range, the layer information identified specific to the launched layer; and

transmitting, to the client device, the identified layer information for display in conjunction with the activated ebook content identified by the received position range.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the one or more matching layers comprises:

determining one or more possible layers that are available and enabled by comparing the list available layers to a set of one or more enabled layers enabled by a user of the client device; and

determining, from the one or more possible layers, the one or more matching layers that can be used to interact with the activated ebook content according to the type of the activated ebook content.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying layer information associated with the activated ebook content identified by the received position range comprises:

translating the received position range to a translated position range associated with a translated version of the ebook different from a client version of the ebook displayed at the client device; and

identifying the layer information associated with the ebook content identified by the translated position range, the layer information identified specific to the launched layer.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying additional layer information associated with additional ebook content adjacent to the activated ebook content identified by the received position range, the additional layer information identified specific to the launched layer; and

transmitting the additional layer information to the client device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein launching the layer from the one or more matching layers comprises:

responsive to the one or more matching layers comprising only one matching layer, launching the one matching layer in response to the user activating the activated content without providing a user interface listing the one matching layer.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein launching the layer from the one or more matching layers comprises:

responsive to the one or more matching layers comprising multiple matching layers, providing a user interface listing the multiple matching layers; and

responsive to the user activating a layer entry using the provided user interface, launching a layer corresponding to the activated layer entry.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein providing the user interface listing the multiple matching layers comprises:

listing the multiple matching layers in the user interface according to a sort order based on popularity of the multiple matching layers indicated by layer usage data.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer program instructions for providing information about content of an electronic book (ebook) that is displayed at a client device, the computer program instructions comprising instructions for:

determining a set of layers available for use with the ebook displayed at the client device, one or more layers of the set of layers providing one or more types of information associated with one or more types of ebook content at one or more positions in the ebook;

transmitting, to the client device, a list identifying the available layers in the set, the client device using the list for;

identifying activated ebook content activated by the user and a position range of the activated ebook content;

determining, from the list of available layers, one or more matching layers that can be used to interact with the activated ebook content according to a type of the activated ebook content; and

launching a layer from the one or more matching layers with respect to the activated content;

receiving, from the client device, the position range and an identification of the launched layer;

identifying layer information associated with the activated ebook content identified by the received position range, the layer information identified specific to the launched layer; and

transmitting, to the client device, the identified layer information for display in conjunction with the activated ebook content identified by the received position range.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein determining the one or more matching layers comprises:

determining one or more possible layers that are available and enabled by comparing the list available layers to a set of one or more enabled layers enabled by a user of the client device; and

determining, from the one or more possible layers, the one or more matching layers that can be used to interact with the activated ebook content according to the type of the activated ebook content.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein identifying layer information associated with the activated ebook content identified by the received position range comprises:

translating the received position range to a translated position range associated with a translated version of the ebook different from a client version of the ebook displayed at the client device; and

identifying the layer information associated with the ebook content identified by the translated position range, the layer information identified specific to the launched layer.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the computer program instructions further comprise instructions for:

identifying additional layer information associated with additional ebook content adjacent to the activated ebook content identified by the received position range, the additional layer information identified specific to the launched layer; and

transmitting the additional layer information to the client device.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein launching the layer from the one or more matching layers comprises:

responsive to the one or more matching layers comprising only one matching layer, launching the one matching layer in response to the user activating the activated content without providing a user interface listing the one matching layer.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein launching the layer from the one or more matching layers comprises:

responsive to the one or more matching layers comprising multiple matching layers, providing a user interface listing the multiple matching layers; and

responsive to the user activating a layer entry using the provided user interface, launching a layer corresponding to the activated layer entry.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein providing the user interface listing the multiple matching layers comprises:

listing the multiple matching layers in the user interface according to a sort order based on popularity of the multiple matching layers indicated by layer usage data.

15. A computer for providing information about content of an electronic book (ebook) that is displayed at a client device, the computer comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer program instructions executable by the processor, the instructions comprising instructions for;

determining a set of layers available for use with the ebook displayed at the client device, one or more layers of the set of layers providing one or more types of information associated with one or more types of ebook content at one or more positions in the ebook;

transmitting, to the client device, a list identifying the available layers in the set, the client device using the list for;

identifying activated ebook content activated by the user and a position range of the activated ebook content;

determining, from the list of available layers, one or more matching layers that can be used to interact with the activated ebook content according to a type of the activated ebook content; and

launching a layer from the one or more matching layers with respect to the activated content;

receiving, from the client device, the position range and an identification of the launched layer;

identifying layer information associated with the activated ebook content identified by the received position range, the layer information identified specific to the launched layer; and

transmitting, to the client device, the identified layer information for display in conjunction with the activated ebook content identified by the received position range.

16. The computer of claim 15, wherein determining the one or more matching layers comprises:

determining one or more possible layers that are available and enabled by comparing the list available layers to a set of one or more enabled layers enabled by a user of the client device; and

determining, from the one or more possible layers, the one or more matching layers that can be used to interact with the activated ebook content according to the type of the activated ebook content.

17. The computer of claim 15, wherein identifying layer information associated with the activated ebook content identified by the received position range comprises:

translating the received position range to a translated position range associated with a translated version of the ebook different from a client version of the ebook displayed at the client device; and

identifying the layer information associated with the ebook content identified by the translated position range, the layer information identified specific to the launched layer.

18. The computer of claim 15, wherein the computer program instructions further comprise instructions for:

identifying additional layer information associated with additional ebook content adjacent to the activated ebook content identified by the received position range, the additional layer information identified specific to the launched layer; and

transmitting the additional layer information to the client device.

19. The computer of claim 15, wherein launching the layer from the one or more matching layers comprises:

responsive to the one or more matching layers comprising only one matching layer, launching the one matching layer in response to the user activating the activated content without providing a user interface listing the one matching layer.

20. The computer of claim 15, wherein launching the layer from the one or more matching layers comprises:

responsive to the one or more matching layers comprising multiple matching layers, providing a user interface listing the multiple matching layers; and

responsive to the user activating a layer entry using the provided user interface, launching a layer corresponding to the activated layer entry.