Shared book reading

• US 8,929,887 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2010
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Wang, Winston, Kemery, Michael, Wickman, Marianna
• Primary Examiner(s): Batista, Marcos
• Application Number:
  US12/731,717
• Publication Number:
  US 20110045816A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,748 Days
• Field of Search: 455/428, 370/338, 348 1401- 1408
• US Class Current: 455/428
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 17/006 with audible presentation of the material to be studied audio and audio-visual teaching apparatus in general G09B5/04, G09B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/027 Arrangements and methods specific for the display of internet documents
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/14 Electronic books and readers

Abstract

Techniques for sharing book reading experiences between users of different telecommunications devices are described herein.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying an electronic book on a parent telecommunications device;

accepting navigational inputs from a parent to navigate the electronic book while the parent is reading the electronic book aloud;

recording the navigational inputs and the reading of the electronic book for later transmitting, wherein the recording includes time-stamping the navigational inputs in relation to the reading;

receiving input on the parent telecommunications device directing that navigational control by a child at a child telecommunications device be disabled while the child telecommunications device plays the reading of the electronic book by the parent; and

later transmitting the recorded reading of the electronic book, the navigational inputs, and an instruction to disable the navigational control by the child at the child telecommunications device to the child telecommunications device, the later transmitting occurring after the parent reading of the electronic book is completed.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the navigational inputs and the reading of the electronic book to a 3rd party'"'"'s telecommunications device while transmitting the navigational inputs and the reading of the electronic book to the child telecommunications device.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the navigational inputs and the reading of the electronic book to a 3rd party'"'"'s telecommunications device while transmitting the navigational inputs and the reading of the electronic book to the child telecommunications device; and

causing the 3rd party'"'"'s telecommunications device to play the reading of the electronic book on the 3rd party'"'"'s telecommunications device while the 3rd party'"'"'s telecommunications device synchronously navigates the electronic book on the 3rd party'"'"'s telecommunications device in accordance with the navigational inputs.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the navigational inputs and the reading of the electronic book to a 3rd party'"'"'s telecommunications device after transmitting the navigational inputs and the reading of the electronic book to the child telecommunications device.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the transmitting comprises:

establishing a multi-party voice call between the parent telecommunications device, the child telecommunications device, and a 3rd party'"'"'s telecommunications device;

transmitting the reading of the electronic book over the multi-party voice call as the parent is reading the electronic book aloud.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the transmitting comprises:

establishing a multi-party voice call between the parent telecommunications device, the child telecommunications device, and a 3rd party'"'"'s telecommunications device;

transmitting the reading of the electronic book over the multi-party voice call as the parent is reading the electronic book aloud; and

transmitting the navigational inputs to the 3rd party'"'"'s telecommunications device as the parent is reading the electronic book aloud.

7. A method comprising:

receiving, by a child telecommunication device, reading of an electronic book over a connection between the child telecommunications device and a parent telecommunications device as a parent is reading the electronic book aloud;

receiving, by the child telecommunication device, navigation signals over the connection as the parent is reading the electronic book aloud to navigate the electronic book on the child telecommunications device;

receiving, by the child telecommunication device, an instruction from the parent telecommunication device to disable navigational control by a child at the child telecommunication device;

displaying, by the child telecommunication device, the electronic book on the child telecommunications device during the reading, wherein the electronic book has interactive elements which are associated with parent utterances recorded at the parent telecommunications device;

noting, by the child telecommunication device, interactions by the child with the interactive elements;

playing, by the child telecommunication device, the parent utterances in response to the interactions; and

while displaying the electronic book on the child telecommunications device during the reading, navigating through the electronic book in accordance with the received navigation signals and disabling navigational input by the child on the child telecommunication device.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, further comprising executing an electronic book viewer application on the child telecommunications device during the reading to display the electronic book.

9. A method as recited in claim 7, further comprising recording the reading and the navigational signals for later synchronized playback.

10. A method as recited in claim 7, further comprising recording the reading and the navigational signals for later transmission and synchronized playback on the child telecommunications device.

12. A child telecommunications device as recited in claim 10, further comprising a recording module configured to record the parent reading the electronic book to the child and to simultaneously record the navigational inputs from the parent telecommunications device for later synchronized playback.

11. A child telecommunications device, comprising:

wireless communications components capable of simultaneous voice and data communications with a parent telecommunications device, the wireless communication component receiving a voice call from the parent telecommunications device and participating in a data channel with the parent telecommunications device;

a visual display; and

a viewer module configured to;

display an electronic book on the visual display during voice communication with the parent telecommunications device, the voice communication being received as part of the voice call,

respond to navigational inputs from the parent telecommunications device during the voice communication to navigate the displayed electronic book while the parent reads the electronic book to the child by voice, the navigational inputs being received over the data channel, and

based on instructions, disable navigational input by the child on the child telecommunication device during the voice communication, the instructions being received over the data channel,

wherein the electronic book has interactive elements, the viewer module being further configured to associate the interactive elements with parent utterances recorded at the parent telecommunications and to play the parent utterances in response to interactions by the child with the interactive elements.

13. A parent telecommunications device, comprising:

wireless communications components capable of simultaneous voice and data communications with a child telecommunications device, the wireless communication component making a voice call from to the child telecommunications device and participating in a data channel with the child telecommunications device;

a visual display;

a viewer module configured to;

display an electronic book on the visual display during voice communication with the child telecommunications device, the voice communication being received as part of the voice call,

receive navigational inputs from a parent during the voice communication,

transmit the navigational inputs to the child telecommunications device over the data channel, and

utilize the navigational inputs to navigate the electronic book on the parent telecommunications device and the child telecommunications device while the parent reads the electronic book to a child by voice; and

a configuration button that enables the parent to enable or disable navigational control of the electronic book by the child on the child telecommunications device,

wherein the electronic book has interactive elements, the viewer module being further configured to associate the interactive elements with parent utterances and to provide the parent utterances to the child device for playback in response to interaction with the interactive elements at the child device.

14. A parent telecommunications device as recited in claim 13, further comprising a recording module configured to record the parent reading the electronic book to the child and to simultaneously record the navigational inputs for later synchronized playback.

15. One or more non-transitory tangible computer-readable media containing instructions that are executable by a processor to perform actions comprising:

receiving, on a child telecommunications device, a parent reading of an electronic book and navigational inputs from a parent, wherein the electronic book has interactive elements which are associated with parent utterances recorded at the parent telecommunications device;

receiving, on the child telecommunication device, an instruction from the parent telecommunication device to disable navigational control by a child at the child telecommunication device;

displaying the electronic book on the child telecommunications device;

playing the parent reading of the displayed electronic book on the child telecommunications device;

while playing the parent reading of the displayed electronic book,

synchronously navigating the electronic book on the child telecommunications device in accordance with the navigational inputs from the parent, and

disabling navigational input by the child on the child telecommunication device;

noting interactions by the child with the interactive elements on the child telecommunication device; and

playing the parent utterances in response to the interactions on the child telecommunication device.

16. One or more non-transitory tangible computer-readable media as recited in claim 15, the actions further comprising:

establishing a voice call with the parent telecommunications device; and

receiving the parent reading over the voice call while the parent reads the displayed electronic book aloud.

17. One or more non-transitory tangible computer-readable media as recited in claim 15, the actions further comprising:

receiving the navigational inputs while the parent reads the displayed electronic book aloud to the child.