Annotations for electronic content

• US 8,555,198 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2009
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Beezer, John L., Demello, Marco A., Silver, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US12/499,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20090271381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,553 Days
• Field of Search: 715/802, 715/803, 715/804, 715/805, 715/854, 715/765, 715230-233, 715/253, 715/255, 715/751, 715/500.1, 715/781, 715/749, 715790-794
• US Class Current: 715/802
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes

Abstract

Embodiments are described for capturing, displaying, and navigating text annotations in a non-modifiable document. In some embodiments, a determination is made that a text annotation is to be created and a system determines the file position of the selected object. The file position of the selected object can be stored along with the created text annotation in another file or a non-read only portion of a file storing the document. Using the file position, the text annotation may be identified with the selected object without modifying the non-modifiable document. In some embodiments, once a text annotation is displayed a user may easily navigate among the captured annotations.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving user input to navigate to a page of an electronic document; and

responsive to navigation to the page;

determining both a first file position of a first object on the page and a second file position of a second object on the page;

searching for one or more annotations associated with a file position that is on the page and between the first file position and the second file position, the file position having a relative location that is determined with reference to the first file position; and

responsive to an annotation being located that is associated with the file position that is on the page and between the first file position and second file position, causing a window to be displayed that includes the annotation, the window being configured to close responsive to receiving a user input to a portion of the page of the electronic document that is outside of the window, and the window being further configured to be navigated to display an additional annotation that is associated with the electronic document being displayed and which is one of a next annotation or a previous annotation relative to a list of annotations associated with the electronic document.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the electronic document comprises an e-book.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising causing the page of the electronic document to be displayed in conjunction with causing the window to be displayed that includes the annotation.

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

determining the first file position of the first object on the page by counting a first number of bytes from a known file position to a character of the first object;

or

determining the second file position of the second object on the page by counting a second number of bytes from the known file position to a character of the second object.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising causing the window to be closed in response to receiving user input not associated with the window.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, when the annotation is located that is associated with the file position between the first file position and the second file position, validating a global state which specifies one or more annotation types to be displayed.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the global state further specifies one or more annotation types to be hidden.

8. A device storing computer-executable instructions that, if executed, cause to device to:

responsive to user navigation to a page of an electronic document displayed on the device;

determine a first file position of a first object on the page of the electronic document displayed on the device;

determine a second file position of a second object on the page;

search for one or more annotations associated with a file position that is on the page and between the first file position and the second file position, the file position having a relative location that is determined with reference to the first file position; and

responsive to an annotation being located that is associated with the file position that is on the page and between the first file position and second file position, cause a window to be displayed on the device that includes the annotation, the window being configured to be navigated to display an additional annotation that is associated with the electronic document being displayed and which is one of a next annotation or a previous annotation relative to a list of annotations associated with the electronic document, and the window being further configured to close responsive to receiving a user input to a portion of the page of the electronic document that is outside of the window.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the device is configured to enable a user of the device to annotate the electronic document with the electronic document remaining unmodified.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein one or more of the first file position or the second file position are associated with physical coordinates on a display of the device.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein the electronic document comprises a non-modifiable portion of a file stored on the device, and wherein one or more annotations of the electronic document are stored in a write-enabled portion of the file.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the computer-executable instructions, if executed, further cause the window to be closed in response to receiving input not associated with the window.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein the window is navigable to display a different annotation associated with a different electronic document.

14. A computer-readable storage device having stored thereon, computer-executable instructions that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:

receiving an indication of navigation to a page of an electronic document; and

responsive to the navigation to the page;

determining a first file position of a first object on a page of an electronic document; and

determining a second file position of a second object on the page of the electronic document;

receiving an indication of an annotation of a selected object on the page of the electronic document, the selected object being located between the first object and the second object on the page of the electronic document;

associating an object file position with the selected object, the object file position being configured to enable the annotation to be detected in response to a subsequent navigation to the page of the electronic document, the object file position having a relative location that is determined with reference to the first file position; and

adding the annotation to a list of annotations associated with the electronic document to enable navigation between the annotation and a next annotation or a previous annotation in the list of annotations, the navigation being performable via a window that is configured to display the annotation responsive to detecting the selected object in a search of the page of the electronic document between the first file position and the second file position, and the window being configured to close in response to receiving input not associated with the window.

15. The computer-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises storing the annotation as an annotation file and storing the object file position as a header of the annotation file.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein the computer-executable instructions, if executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform the method without modifying a file that includes the electronic document.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises:

searching the page of the electronic document between the first file position and the second file position to detect the selected object; and

displaying the annotation responsive to detecting the selected object.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises causing the annotation to be closed in response to receiving input not associated with the window that displays the annotation.

19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein the window is configured to display different annotations from different electronic documents.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises enabling the user to annotate the electronic document with the electronic document remaining unmodified.