Electronic document reading devices

• US 8,711,395 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2008
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: FlexEnable Limited (Plastic Logic JSC)
• Original Assignee: Plastic Logic Limited (Plastic Logic JSC)
• Inventors: Barclay, Duncan, Nirmalananthan, Anusha, Reeves, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Haskins, Twyler
• Assistant Examiner(s): DICKER, DENNIS T
• Application Number:
  US12/138,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20090109498A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,146 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.14, 358/1.1, 358/474, 358/1.15, 358/1.18, 358/1.16, 345/173, 345/179, 345/901, 345/581, 345/619, 715/236, 715/273, 715/211, 715/268, 715/274, 715/701, 715/203, 715/202, 709/248
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133388 with constructional differences between the display region and the peripheral region
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0232 Special driving of display border areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/04 Changes in size, position or resolution of an image
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/14 Electronic books and readers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/393 Enlarging or reducing

Abstract

We describe a method of displaying one or more pages of a document on an electronic document reading device using a second, computerised electronic device, the method comprising: running a document display management program on said second electronic device; using said management program to invoke an application running on said second electronic device to open said document on said second electronic device, such that said opening of said document is hidden from said user; using an intermediary code module, in particular a printer driver for said application, coupled to said application to generate image data representing an image of a said page of said document to be displayed on said electronic document reading device; sending said image of said page to said electronic document reading device; and displaying said image of said page on said electronic document reading device.

Claims

1. A method of displaying one or more pages of a document on an electronic document reading device using a second, computerized electronic device, the method comprising:

running a document display management program on said second electronic device;

locating, on said second electronic device, an application associated with said document, using said document display management program;

automatically invoking, by said document display management program, opening of said document on said second electronic device using said application associated with said document, wherein said opening of said document is hidden from said user;

generating an image of a said page of said document to be displayed on said electronic document reading device, in response to said invoking of said opening, by said document display management program causing said application to use an intermediary code module coupled to said application to generate image data representing an image of a said page of said document to be displayed on said electronic document reading device;

sending said image of said page to said electronic document reading device;

displaying said image of said page on said electronic document reading device;

enabling a user to input data on said displayed image using one or more touch sensitive regions of said electronic document reading device;

storing said input data on said electronic document reading device; and

synchronising said second electronic device with said electronic document reading device to provide said input data to said second electronic device;

wherein said invoking step is triggered by an automatic background synchronisation service to provide image data from said second electronic device to said electronic document reading service and said image data is stored by said electronic document reading device for later display.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising one or both of scaling and cropping said image of said page using image data from one or more other pages of said document.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said image sent to said electronic document reading device has a resolution corresponding to a resolution of a re-writeable display portion of said electronic document reading device, and wherein said displaying comprises displaying said image at substantially said resolution of said re-writeable display portion.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said intermediary code module comprises a printer driver for said application.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said management program runs as a background service responsive to detection of a change in a said document to automatically generate an image of at least a changed part of a document and to send said image of said changed part of said document to said electronic document reading device.

6. A non-transitory computer program product for use with a computer, the computer program product comprising computer readable media such as read-only memory to, when running, implement the steps of claim 1, apart from said step of displaying.

7. A method of displaying one or more pages of a document on an electronic document reading device using a second, computerized electronic device, the method comprising:

running a document display management program on said second electronic device;

locating, by using said management program, an application associated with said document;

automatically invoking opening of said document on said second electronic device using an application associated with said document running on said second electronic device such that said opening of said document is hidden from said user and is triggered by an automatic background synchronisation service;

using a printer driver for said application to generate data representing said page of said document to be displayed on said electronic document reading device;

sending said data representing said page to said electronic document reading device for storage for later display; and

receiving, at said second electronic device, annotation data representing user annotations of said displayed image of said page.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein said management program runs as a background service responsive to detection of a change in a said document to automatically generate an image of at least a changed part of a document and to send said image of said changed part of said document to said electronic document reading device.

9. A non-transitory computer program product for use with a computer, the computer program product comprising computer readable media such as read-only memory to, when running, implement the steps of claim 7.

10. A paperless electronic printer system comprising:

a consumer electronic document reading device including;

one or more touch sensitive regions for a user to input data, a processor, and non-volatile memory, and programmed to display one or more pages of a document thereon; and

a second, computerized electronic device configured to;

run a document display management program on said second, computerized electronic device;

locate, by said document display management program, an application associated with said document;

automatically invoke, by said document display management program, opening of said document on said second, computerized electronic device using said application associated with said document such that said opening of said document is hidden from said user;

generate an image of a said page of said document to be displayed on said consumer electronic document reading device, in response to the invoking of said opening, by said document display management program causing said application associated with said document to use an intermediary code module coupled to said application to generate image data representing said image;

send said image of said page to said consumer electronic document reading device for display on said consumer electronic document reading device;

wherein said processer of said consumer electronic document reading device is configured to;

display said image of said page;

receive data input on said display image by an user on said one or more touch sensitive regions;

store said input data; and

synchronise said computerized, second electronic device with said consumer electronic document reading device by providing said stored input data to said computerized, second electronic device, wherein said invoking step is triggered by an automatic background synchronisation service to provide image data from said second electronic device to said electronic document reading device and said image data is stored by said electronic document reading device for later display.

11. A paperless electronic printing system comprising:

a consumer electronics device including a processor and non-volatile memory and programmed to display one or more pages of a document on and input annotation data representing user annotations on said displayed one or more pages of said document; and

a second, computerized electronic device configured to;

run a document display management program on said second electronic device;

locate, by said document display management program, an application associated with said document;

automatically invoke, by said document display management program, opening of said document on said second electronic device using said application associated with said document such that said opening of said document is hidden from said user and is triggered by an automatic background synchronisation service;

use a printer driver for said application to generate data representing said page of said document to be displayed on said consumer electronics device;

send said data representing said page to said consumer electronics device for storage and later display; and

receive annotation data representing user annotations on said displayed page.