Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ELECTRONIC BOOK SYSTEM
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to hand-held computing devices. More
particularly, the present invention
relates to user interface and other software features for facilitating the
viewing and management of informational
content using a touch-sensitive display.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
U.S. Patent Application No. 091034,720, filed March 4, 1998, discloses a
secure content distribution system
which enables users to securely download literary titles and other types of
content to a hand-held reader device.
Using the reader device's control buttons and touch-sensitive display, users
can perform such tasks as selecting,
viewing and deleting titles, adjusting the font sae and orientation of
displayed text, and adding notes to selected
passages. Because the titles are disseminated and stored in digital form, many
of the costs associated with the sale
and distribution of books and other types of printed publications are
eliminated, including the costs associated with
printing, storing and shipping of such publications.
In order for such a system to appeal to the mass public, it is important that
the reader device have a user
interface which is simple and intuitive to use. In addition, the device should
provide functions which take advantage
of the content's digital form, so that users have the incentive to use the
system in place of printed publications.
Further, the device should be comfortable to hold during prolonged viewing
session.
The present invention addresses these and other problems.
SUMMARY
The present invention comprises a hand-held computing device that is adapted
to be used as a reading
device for the reading of literary titles and other types of content. The
device includes a touch-sensitive display and
a graphical user interface that provide various functions associated with the
viewing of titles stored in the device's
memory. in a preferred embodiment, the device is adapted to communicate with a
PC or other general purpose
computer via a cradle.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the device implements an
automatic look-up feature which
can be invoked by the user to look up a word of a displayed title. Using this
feature, the user can, for example,
bring up a definition, language-to-language translation, audible
pronunciation, encyclopedia listing, picture, or other
type reference listing associated with the displayed term. In one embodiment,
the user looks up the word by tapping
the word twice - once to select the word and a second time to initiate the
look-up process. The device responds
by searching for the word in a pre-specified or default reference title
(dictionary, encyclopedia. etc.) and displaying
the results on the display. The reference titles can be downloaded to the
device by the user, and can be designated
for use with specific literary titles using the device's user interface.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the touch-sensitive
display has a fixed icon displayed
thereon which represents a user-definable function key or "hotkey." Using the
hotkey, the user can execute a
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.2.
commonly-used menu or sub-menu item (function), such as a "Set Bookmark Here"
function, with a single touch of
the display. To assign a function to the hotkey, the user initially brings up
one of the device's menus on the display,
such as by touching a "book menu" or "library menu" key. The user then
performs an intuitive drag-and-release
operation from the hotkey to the target menu item, or vice versa. Thereafter
(until a subsequent reassignment!, the
target menu item is executed immediately whenever the user touches and
releases the hotkey with no menu displayed
on the screen.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the device supports a
citation routing feature which
allows a user to select a passage on the touch-sensitive display and then
designate a destination for the subsequent
routing of the passage by the general purpose computer. In a preferred
embodiment, the user initially highlights the
passage on the display and then taps once on the passage to bring up a menu of
routing options. From this menu,
the user can select one or more routing addresses, including email addresses,
fax numbers, file folders and printers.
In addition, the user can type-in an optional annotation using a pop-up
keyboard.
Once this process is complete, the device preferably creates a citation file
which indicates the passage and
destination(sl selected by the user. When a communications link is
subsequently established between the device and
the general purpose computer (such as by placing the device in the cradle),
the citation file is automatically
transferred to the computer (together with any other citation files that have
been created but not yet transferred!.
A software application running on the general purpose computer in-turn routes
the passage and optional annotation
to the user-specified destinationlsl.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the device includes an
orientation key which can be
touched by the user to bring up four orientation markers an the screen, each
of which corresponds respectively to
one of the four possible display orientation settings (0, 90, 180 ar 270
degrees relative to a base or gripping portion
of the device!. Each of the markers is preferably in the form of an arrow
which points to one of the four edges
of the display. To select a display orientation, the user simply touches the
arrow that points to the desired top of
the display. When the user places the device in the cradle, the device
automatically resets the orientation to the
. 25 base (zero degrees) setting to facilitate the viewing of content while
the device is in the cradle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other features will now be described with reference to the drawings
summarized below. These
drawings and the associated description are provided to illustrate a preferred
embodiment of the invention, and not
to limit the scope of the invention.
Figure 1 illustrates the physical user components of a content distribution
and display system in accordance
with the present invention.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the hand-held reader device of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a side view of the device, illustrating an expanded base portion
that may be used to conveniently
hold the device in one of four supported orientations.
Figure 4 illustrates the general software architecture of the system,
including components that may be used
to securely distribute literary titles to users.
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Figure 5 illustrates the general hardware architecture of the device.
Figures 6 and 7 illustrate, in example form, a hotkey assignment feature of
the device's user interface.
Figure 8 illustrates a sequence of program steps that are performed by the
device to implement the hotkey
assignment feature.
Figures 9 and 10 illustrate, in example farm, a reference titles feature that
enables users to look up
selected terms within a pre-specified or default reference title.
Figure 11 illustrates a sequence of program steps that are performed to
implement the reference titles
feature.
Figures 12 and 13 illustrate, in example form, a citations feature that can be
used to route a selected
passage to one or more destinations.
Figure 14 illustrates a sequence of program steps that are performed by the
device to build a citation file.
Figure 15 illustrates a sequence of program steps that are performed by the
device to transfer the citation
files to the PC.
Figure 16 illustrates a sequence of program steps that are performed by the PC
to retrieve. process and
route the citation files.
Figures 17 and 18 illustrate, in example form, a screen orientation feature of
the device.
Figure 19 illustrates a sequence of program steps that are performed by the
device to implement the screen
orientation feature.
DETAlLEO DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Throughout the following description, reference will be made to various
implementation-specific details,
including, for example, specific standards that are used in the computer
industry. These details are provided in order
to fully set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and not to limit
the scope of the invention. The scope
of the invention is set forth in the appended claims.
I. System Overview
Figures 1-5 illustrate a content distribution and display system which
incorporates the various features of
the invention. The system includes a hand-held computing device 30 that is
adapted to be used as a portable reading
device for allowing a user to read literary titles (books, journal articles,
newspapers, memoranda, emails, etc.) and
other types of content via a touch sensitive display 34. The titles are
preferably downloaded to the device 30 in
digital form from a Personal Computer (PC) 31 (Figure 11 using a docking
station or "cradle" 32. Using the device's
user interface (described belowl, a user of the device can perform such tasks
as selecting titles to view, adjusting
the font size and orientation of the displayed text, deleting titles from
memory, and attaching notes and bookmarks
to the displayed text.
In accordance with the invention, various software features are provided for
facilitating the management
and display of content using the device's touch sensitive display 34. Prior to
describing these features, an overview
will be provided of the general construction and operation of the hand-held
device 30 and related components. As
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will be apparent from the following disclosure, the features of the invention
may be incorporated into other types
of hand-held computing devices that have touch-sensitive displays.
As illustrated by Figure 2, the reader device 30 includes a housing 33 which
has respective openings for
a touch-sensitive display 34, an ONlOFF button 36, and UP and DOWN scroll
buttons 38. The back of the housing
(not shown) has an opening formed therein for holding a stylus, and includes a
multi-pin connector 40 (Figure 5) for
connection to the cradle 32. The device 30 also includes an audio speaker 44
(Figure 5) for outputting digital audio
signals, and includes an infrared (IrDA) transceiver 46 (Figure 5) for
communicating with kiosks, PC's, other infrared
devices, or another hand-held device.
As illustrated by Figures 2 and 3, the housing 33 has an increased width and
depth and a rounded
configuration along its base to form an extended gripping area 50 for holding
the device. The gripping area 50 is
sized to correspond generally to a typical user's hand, and includes a curved
portion which extends along the back
side of the device to accommodate the user's fingers. As described below, the
gripping portion is adapted to be used
to hold the device in multiple different device orientations.
The gripping portion 50 houses one or more elongated, rechargeable batteries
5t (Figure 5) that are used
to power the device 30, and is thus heavily weighted in comparison to the
remaining portions of the device. An
important advantage of this device configuration and weight distribution is
that it reduces stress on the user's hands
and wrists during prolonged reading sessions. This feature, combined with the
ability to change this display
orientation (discussed below), facilitates the ability for the user to find a
comfortable reading position.
As depicted by Figures 1 and 4, the reader device 30 is adapted to be used as
part of a secure content
distribution system which includes the PC 31, the cradle 32, and various
software components. The cradle 32 plugs
into the serial port (not shown) of the PC, and also plugs into a standard
power outlet. Included within the content
distribution system are one or more client applications which run on the PC
31. Using these applications, the user
can purchase and download literary titles (novels, textbooks, journal
articles, etc.) from Internet and other network
sites to the PC, and subsequently transfer these titles to the device 30 for
viewing. The device 30 may additionally
or alternatively be provided with browser software and a modem for allowing
the user to download titles to the
device directly. Titles may additionally or alternatively be retrieved by the
PC from a physical storage medium, such
as CD-ROM or a DVD disk.
One type of PC application, which may be in the form of a browser plug-in,
provides functionally for
allowing a user to interactively purchase and download titles from Web sites.
The PC 31 may also run a client
application which retrieves free andlor subscription titles automatically
(such as by implementing a "push" protocol)
from network sites based on pre-specified preferences or subscription profiles
of the user.
Regardless of the type of title retrieval method used, the titles that are
stored on the PC 31 are preferably
auiomaticatly transferred to the device 30 when the device is placed in the
cradle 52. The software running on the
PC may additionagy or alternatively be configured to allow the user to
initiate title transfers manually. The cradle
5Z also acts as a charging station for automatically charging the device's
batteries.
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In one implementation, the device's software supports both the US ASCII and
the Unicode character
encoding standards. The use of Unicode allows the device to be used to display
titles of multiple different written
languages. The device is also capable of displaying graphics images, and
playing sound clips, that are embedded
within the titles. The system software also supports standard markup languages
such as HTML (HyperText Markup
Language), and supports the use of hyperiinks to navigate within and between
titles.
In one embodiment, the device includes a speech synthesizer application which
converts encoded text (ASCII,
Unicode, etc.) into audible speech. Using this application, a user can listen
to a selected title. The speech
synthesizer application is preferably configured to automatically scroll and
highlight the text on the display 34 in
synchronism with the audible output, so that the user can optionally
°follow along" with the synthesized speech.
This feature may be used, for example, to assist the user in learning a new
language or to assist the vision-impaired.
Titles may optionally be downloaded from Internet sites and transferred to the
device 30 in an encrypted
form, in which case the encrypted titles are decrypted by the device "on-the-
fly" as the titles are viewed. Preferably,
the titles are encrypted (typically by server software running on a Web site)
using a public key that corresponds
uniquely to a particular device 30 or the user, and are decrypted using a
private key which is stored within the
device. When the user purchases an encrypted title, the user identifies the
device to the network site using a unique
identifier, and does not need to know land does not have access to) the
private key. This distribution method
protects the content from being accessed by unauthorized users.
In one embodiment, two sets of publiclprivate key combinations or
"certificates" are used. The first
certificate is assigned in the factory during the manufacturing process and is
tailed the "Device Certificate." The
Device Certificate corresponds to a particular device 30 and allows a key
administration entity to have a protected
conversation with the device. The second certificate is assigned and
downloaded to the device during the user
registration process and is called the "User Certificate." The User
Certificate follows the particular user (i.e., can
be transferred from one device to another), and is used to encrypt and decrypt
titles. This approach allows the user
to upgrade andlor replace the physical device 30 without losing access to
existing titles that have been encrypted
for the user.
Figure 4 illustrates the general software architecture of the reader device
and associated PC software, and
also illustrates the general server architecture of a secure content
distribution system. Additional details of the
securo content distribution system are provided in U.S. Appl. No. 091034,720,
filed March 4, 1998, the disclosure
of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
As depicted by Figure 5, the device 30 is controlled by a Sharp LH77790
microprocessor 73 which accesses
three types of memory: an EPROM 66, a FLASH array 68, and a DRAM array 70. The
EPROM 60 is used primarily
to store system software used during initial boot-up, along with certain
security keys. The FLASH array 68 is used
primarily to store system software, the user and device keys, titles and
software applications. Titles that are
downloaded to the device in encrypted andlor compressed form are maintained in
such form in FLASH memory, and
are written to DRAM as they are decrypted and decompressed for viewing. Other
details of the hardware
architecture are set forth in the above-referenced application.
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The device 30 preferably operates under the control of a proprietary operating
system developed by
NuvoMedia Inc., but may alternatively operate, for example, under the control
of the Windows CE'" operating system
from Microsoft Corporation. The PC applications run under the Microsoft
Windowsl" family of operating systems,
but may be adapted to run on Mac OS, Unix, and other platforms.
With reference to Figures 2 and 5, the device's touch-sensitive display 34
includes a touch screen 74 which
is mounted on top of an LCD display 76 (the perimeter of which is denoted by
76A in Figure 2). The LCD display
76 is equipped with a backlight (not shown) which can be turned ON and OFF
using the power button 36. The
touch screen 74 extends to or slightly beyond the inward-facing edge 78 of the
device's bezel. In one
implementation, the touch screen 74 is a Panasonic EMU-601A2N400 device.
II. Overview of User Interface
As illustrated by Figure 2, the portion of the touch screen 74 which extends
beyond the perimeter 76A of
the LCD display 76 has four fixed icons displayed thereon to form four
respective function keys: an orientation key
80, a user-definable "hotkey" 82, a book menu key 84, and a library menu key
86. Each icon is in the form of an
orientation-independent image that conveys meaning regardless of the
orientation in which the device is being held.
For example, in any of the four possible device the orientations, the
orientation icon 80 appears as a page of text
that is being rotated.
When the orientation key 80 is touched, the device displays four arrows
(Figure 27), each of which can
be touched to select one of four possible display orientations (0, 90, 180 or
270 degrees relative to the base 50
of the devicel. Using this feature, the user can select a text orientation
which corresponds to the user's preferred
device orientation and gripping method. For example, a left-handed user may
choose the deviceltext orientation in
which the gripping area 50 falls on the left-hand side of the device fas in
Figure 6), and a right-handed user may
choose the opposite orientation. The combination of the weight-concentrated
gripping area 50 and the ability to
change the display orientation allows the device to be used in multiple
different orientations without sacrificing
comfort. The screen orientation features of the device are discussed further
below.
When the user touches the hotkey 82, the device 30 performs a function (the
"hotkey function") that is
currently assigned to the hotkey 82. As described separately below with
reference to Figures 6-8, one aspect of
the invention is a user interface feature which allows a user to rapidly and
intuitively designate the hotkey function.
When the user presses the book menu key 84 or the library menu key 86, the
device 30 displays a book
menu 85 (Figure 6) or a library menu (not shown), respectively. The book menu
85 includes various menu items
which pertain generally to the title that is currently being viewed. The
library menu contains menu items which
pertain generally to the library of literary titles that are currently stored
within the device 30. The menu and sub
menu items of the book and library menus are listed and summarized in Table 1.
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7.
Menu Item Description
Book MenuIHighlight Toggles mode which allows user to
touch words, lines and
paragraphs to permanently highlight
them.
Book Menullarge Text Toggles page display between normal
and large fonts.
Boak MenulAdd Note Causes a user note to be attached
to the selected text, or if
no text is selected, to the current
page.
Book MenuISet BookmarkSets a bookmark to the selected
Here text, or if no text is
selected, to the current page. The
first few words of the
selection are used as the default
identifier of the bookmark.
Book MenuIGoto BookmarksDisplays a list of the bookmarks
for the title, including both
bookmarks defined by the publisher
(such as "index" and
"table of contents"1 and bookmarks
defined by the user.
From this list, the user can either
goto or delete a displayed
bookmark.
Book MenuISearch Displays a sub-menu of search options
(see belowl.
Book MenuISearchlLookupSearches the displayed title for
a text string. The string can
be selected before invoking this
function, or can be entered
using a pop-up keyboard.
Book MenuISearchl"otherTakes the user to the publisher-defined
tags" tags. These tags are
incorporated into the Search menu
automatically.
Book MenuISet ReferencesAllows the user to designate one
or more reference titles to
be used in place of a default reference
title.
Library MenuIBookshelfDisplays of list of the titles currently
stored on the device.
From this list the user can delete
titles or select a title for
reading.
Library MenuIDesk SuppliesDisplays a list of additionat programs
available on the device.
Library MenuISet CitationAllows user to create lists of destinations
Destinations (email addresses,
fax numbers, etc.l far routing selected
passages. The
destination lists can ahernatively
be generated on the PC and
transferred to the device.
Library Menul"title" The library menu always displays
the four most recently used
literary titles. Touching a title
wi8 cause the title to be
opened.
TABLE 1
III. Assionment of Hotkey Function
The hotkey function can be any of the menu items listed in Table 1. When the
hotkey 82 is touched and
released, the device 30 executes this function. The hotkey feature thus allows
a user to quickly invoke a commonly
used menu or sub-menu function with a single touch of the screen.
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.g.
With reference to Figure 6, the menu or sub-menu item that is currently
defined as the hotkey function is
denoted as such by a hotkey icon 90. In this example, the hotkey icon 90
appears next to the "Goto Bookmarks"
item of the book menu. With this hotkey assignment, the device 30 will display
a list of bookmarks when the
hotkey 82 is touched. If the current hotkey function has a sub-menu associated
with it, touching and releasing the
hotkey 82 wilt cause this sub-menu to be displayed.
An important feature of the device is a user interface method for allowing the
user to define the hotkey
function using an intuitive drag-and-release technique. This method is
illustrated in example form by Figures 6 and
7. With reference to Figure 6, the user initially brings up the menu or sub-
menu that contains the target hotkey
function. As depicted by Figure 7, the user then touches the hotkey 82 with
the stylus 92 (or the user's finger),
drags the stylus to the target item. and then removes the stylus from the
touch screen 74.
During the dragging process, the hotkey icon 90 is displayed next to the menu
item (if any) that is currently
touched. In Figure 7, far example, the hotkey icon 90 is displayed next to the
"Highlight" item since the stylus 92
is currently over that item. This feature allows the user to readily identify
the item that will be assigned as the
hotkey function when the stylus 92 is lifted from the screen. The selected
item may additionaNy or ahernatively
be displayed in a highlighted form. In addition. a shadowed, grayed, or other
representation of the hotkey icon may
follow the stylus tip during the dragging process.
If, during the dragging process, the stylus is moved away from the menu 85,
the hotkey icon either (a) re-
appears next to the currently-assigned hotkey function (if this function
appears in the displayed menu), or fb)
disappears from the display (if the currently-assigned hotkey function does
not appear in the displayed menul. If the
stylus 92 is not over a menu item when the stylus is withdrawn from the screen
74, the prior hotkey assignment
remains in effect.
In other implementations, the device 30 may additionally or alternatively be
configured to allow the user
to assign the hotkey function by dragging and dropping the target menu item
onto the hotkey 82. With this
alternative method, the user touches the menu item, drags the item across the
screen 74 to the hotkey 82 (during
which a shadowed or dulled representation of the item preferably moves across
the screen with the stylusl, and then
removes the stylus from the screen. The hotkey icon 90 is then displayed next
to the menu item to indicate that
the operation was successful. In addition, although the hockey 82 in the
preferred embodiment is a fixed icon on
the touch screen 74, the above method can also be used to assign a function to
an electronically-displayed hotkey.
Figure 8 is a flow diagram of a software routine that is used to implement the
Figure 7 technique. This
routine is invoked when the hotkey 82 is initially touched. As represented by
steps 100-104, if no menu is open
when the hotkey is touched, the program waits for the user to lift up from the
screen and then executes the current
hotkey function. If, on the other hand, one or more menus are currently open,
the program enters into a hotkey
assignment sequence (steps 106-114).
In step 106, the program determines whether the touched area is over a menu
item. If it is. and the
touched menu item is not currently marked with the hotkey icon, the hotkey
icon is moved to the touched item (step
108). If it is not, and the current hotkey item is not marked, the hotkey icon
is moved to the current hotkey item
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(step 110), which may or may not be displayed on the screen. As indicated by
steps 112 and 114, this process
is continued until the user lifts up on the screen, at which time the marked
menu item is set as the current hotkey
function.
As indicated above, the program may additionally or ahernatively support
dragging and dropping the menu
item to the hotkey. In addition, in one embodiment, the hotkey function can be
assigned by dragged the hotkey icon
directly from one item to another item that appears in the same menu or sub-
menu.
IU. Reference Titles
Another important feature involves the ability of the user to look up a word
or phrase using a default or
pre-specified reference title. This feature of the device is illustrated in
Figures 9, 10 and 11, which demonstrate
the use of the feature to look up a translation of a selected term.
As depicted by Figure 9, the user initially selects the term by tapping it
once. If the user then taps the
selected term a second time, a sequence of steps is initiated in which the
device attempts to locate an appropriate
reference title, and if one is found, searches for the selected term. If a
reference title is located, a pop-up window
130 (Figure 10) is used to display the results of the search. If no reference
title is found, a pop-up window appears
which displays an error message, such as a message which gives the user the
option of designating a reference title
for the title being viewed.
In addition to including textual results, a reference title may include
graphical images that are displayed in
the pop-up window 130, andlor audio search results that are played back on the
speaker. For example, a dictionary
reference title may include audible pronunciations that are played back
concurrently with the display of the definition,
or that are played back if the user taps the look-up term within the pop-up
window 130. In other embodiments,
the device 30 may be capable of playing back video and multimedia clips that
are stored within the reference titles.
To enable the search software to discriminate between the look-up terms and
the associated content (definitions,
audio, etc.), the look-up terms are tagged within the reference title document
as keywords.
As with literary titles, reference titles 1"references") can be retrieved
using the PC and downloaded to the
device 30, and many different references can reside on the device
concurrently. Examples of the different types of
references that can be used include linguistic dictionaries, language-to-
language dictionaries, dictionaries specific to
a given technical field (e.g., medicine), encyclopedias. and thesauruses.
Using appropriate software which runs on
the PC, the user may also be provided the option of creating a "custom"
reference to be downloaded to the device
30.
The reference far a given literary title can be designated by the user using
the "Set References" menu item
(Table 1 ) of the book menu. If no reference has been designated for the title
when the look-up is initiated. the
device 30 attempts to locate a default reference using various classification
tags that are embedded within the
literary and reference titles. These tags may include, far example, a language
tag which indicates the title's primary
language. and a category tag which indicates any special category or
categories that the title falls within (e.g.,
medicine, physics, electronics, law, etc.).
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In the preferred embodiment, the reference titles and the literary titles are
downloaded are stored separately
from one another. In other implementations, the two types of titles can
alternatively be combined within a single
title. For example, a publisher could sell an electronics textbook which has
one or more corresponding reference titles
embedded therein.
In one embodiment, the user can designate primary and secondary references for
a given title. The device
30 will then search the secondary reference for references) only if no match
is found in the primary reference. The
device may also be configured to jump directly to the secondary reference
(rather than initially searching the primary
reference) when the user preforms a specific action, such as tapping on the
term three times in rapid succession.
Using this feature, a user could, for example, set up the device such that
tappirig on the word twice brings up a
dictionary definition while tapping on the term three times brings up a
translation or audible pronunciation.
Figure 11 illustrates one embodiment of a software routine which can be used
to implement the look-up
feature depicted in Figures 9 and 10. The routine is invoked when the user
taps twice on a word of a literary title
(once to select the word, and a second time to initiate the search). As
represented by step 140, the program initially
determines whether a special reference has been designated for the title, and
if so, whether the reference is present
in memory. A special reference may be designated either by the publisher or by
the user, and may be specified
within the literary title using a special tag.
If no special reference is located, the program begins to search for an
appropriate default reference. In
this example, the program first checks the titles's category tag (if ar~y) and
searches for a reference that corresponds
to the title's category (step 1421. If multiple matching references are found,
the user may be prompted to designate
one of the references as a default for that category. If no category-based
reference can be found, the program
checks the language tag (if any) of the title and searches for a corresponding
language-based reference (step 1441.
If multiple language-based references are found, the user may be prompted to
select a default reference to be used
for that language.
As depicted by steps 148-152, once a reference has been found, the program
opens the reference and
searches for the selected term as a reference keyword. As part of this step,
the program initially determines
whether the reference is marked as being ordered alphabetically, and if so,
performs the search as a binary keyword
search or other such search technique. The results of the search (definition,
"not found" message, etc.l are displayed
in the pop-up window 130, which is cleared upon subsequent user activity.
As depicted by step 154, an appropriate error message is displayed if no
reference is found.
3D
U. Selection and Routing of Content
Another important feature of the reader device 30 that it allows the user to
define a "citation" which
includes one or more passages from a displayed title, and then specify one or
more destinations addresses (email
addresses, fax numbers, printers, etc.) for routing the citation. When the
user subsequently establishes a
communications link between the PC and the reader device 30 (such as by
placing the device in the cradle 32), any
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citations that have been defined by the user are automatically uploaded to the
PC, and a utility ronning on the PC
automatically routes the citations to the specified destinations.
This feature of the invention is illustrated in example form by Figures 12 and
13. As illustrated by Figure
i2, the user initially uses the stylus to block a segment 160 of content,
which in the Figure 12 example consists
of one paragraph of text. In a preferred embodiment, the device supports
several different methods for blocking text,
any of which can be used for this purpose. For example, through appropriate
menus, the user can configure the
device such that tapping anywhere on a paragraph causes the entire paragraph
to be selected, or such that tapping
on a sentence causes the sentence to be selected. The user can alternatively
use a touch-and-drag method to select
the passage.
With reference to Figure 13, the user can then tap once on the selected
passage 160 to bring up a dialog
box 162. If the user then selects the "Add Annotation" item, a pop-up keyboard
(not shown) and editing screen are
displayed for allowing the user to type in an annotation. The user may also be
presented with the option of adding
additional passages to the citation.
As illustrated in Figure 13, the dialog box 162 includes a list of the
categories of destinations that can be
selected for routing the citation. In the preferred embodiment, the user can
route the citation to a printer, a file
cabinet or folder object on the PC, an email address, a fax machine, or a
combination thereof. When the user taps
on one of these destination categories, the device either marks the
destination category type as selected (if only one
predefined destination exists for that category), or displays a list of the
destinations that exist for that category (if
multiple destinations have been definedl. Far example, the user can select the
"To Email" category, and then select
one or more email addresses from a personal address book.
Once all of the destinations have been specified and any annotation has been
typed in, the user taps the
OK button to complete the citation definition process. The device then uses
the information specified by the user
to build a citation file to be transferred to the PC. The citation file is
preferably created such that the original
formatting (font size, appearance, etc.) of the text is preserved.
Figure 14 illustrates a program sequence that may be used to generate an HTML
citation file. It will be
appreciated that other markup languages andlor file formats could
alternatively be used. As depicted by Figure 14,
the program creates the citation file (step 170) and then inserts into the
file the following elements: a header with
the user-specified destination information (step 172), HTML start and end tags
(steps 174 and 182), any annotation
typed in by the user (step 175), any HTML formatting tags in effect at the
start of the passage (step 176), pointers
to the start and end of the passage (step 1781, and applicable tags specifying
the title, author, publisher, and date
of the title and the chapter and verse of the passage (step 180). The file is
then closed (184), and is thereafter
maintained in memory until it is either successfully transferred to the PC or
deleted by the user.
Step 176 (inserting HTML formatting tags in effect) involves searching the
text which precedes the passage
to identify any formatting tags that apply to the passage. The purpose of this
step is to preserve the passage's
formatting. For example, if the passage consists of the second sentence of a
paragraph which is in bold and italics,
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this step will result in bold and italics tags being added to the file /just
before the passage) so that these formatting
attributes are preserved.
Step 178 (adding pointers) is performed in lieu of copying the passage over to
the file. The purpose of this
step is to conserve memory. When the citation fife is later transferred to the
PC, the pointers are replaced with the
actual content of the passage. One potential problem with this approach is
that the user may delete the title before
the citation file is transferred to the PC. One method for avoiding this
problem is to block the file from being deleted
until the citation file has been transferred. Another method is to
automatically copy the passage over to the citation
file when the title is selected for deletion.
When the user places the reader device 30 in the cradle 32, or otherwise
establishes a communications link
between the device and the PC (such as via the infrared port or a modemh the
PC sends a request to the device
(assuming the associated PC application is running) for any new citation files
that have been created. As depicted
by Figure 15, the device responds to the request (assuming one or more
citation files have been created) by inserting
the referenced passages into the citation files (step 1901, transferring the
citation titles to the PC (step 1921, and
waiting (for a timeout period) for routing confirmations from the PC (step
194). As depicted by steps 196-202, the
device then deletes any files that are confirmed, and displays an error
message if less than all of the citation files
are confirmed.
Figure 16 illustrates a program that is executed an the PC when the reader
device 30 is initially detected
within the cradle, with emphasis on the steps that are performed to retrieve
and route the citation files. As
represented by steps 212 and 214, the program initially queries the device to
determine whether any new citation
files have been created. If no citation files exist, the program immediately
performs other housekeeping tasks (step
228), such as downloading any new titles to the device 30.
If one or more citation files exist, the program initiates a transfer of the
citation files to the PC (step 216).
For each citation file, the program strips off the header (step 2201. routes
the citation to the appropriate
destinationls) (step 2221, and returns a routing confirmation message to the
device (step 224). As represented by
steps 222A-D, citation files that are addressed to a folder are copied by the
program to that folder; and citation files
that are routed to a printer, fax number or email address are routed using the
respective operating system (OS) API
(application program interface) of the Windows'" or other operating system.
Once all of the citation files have been
routed, the program initiates the other housekeeping tasks (steps 226 and
2281.
UI. Screen Orientation
The screen orientation features will now be described in further detail with
reference to Figures 17-19.
As illustrated by Figure 17, pressing the orientation key 80 causes four
graphical orientation markers 240
246 to be superimposed over the displayed text adjacent to respective edges of
the display. The markers 240-246
are in the form of arrows which point to the four respective edges of the
display, with each arrow representing one
of the four possible display orientation settings. The marker that corresponds
to the current setting (240 in this
examplel is shown in a highlighted form.
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To select a new orientation setting, the user taps the marker that points to
the desired to edge of the
display. This causes the device to clear the markers and repaint the displayed
text using the new orientation [if
different from the current orientation). For example, if the user taps on
arrow 246 in Figure i 7, the text will be
redisplayed with the orientation shown in Figure i 8. This feature of the
device allows the user to quickly (with only
two taps) and intuitively select a display orientation that corresponds to the
user's device orientation preference.
An important aspect of this method is that it does not involve the use of
textual menu items er other
orientation-specific controls. As a result, there is no impediment to placing
the device in the desired physical
orientation prior to adjusting the display orientation. Thus, for example, the
user can adjust the orientation as
follows: Initially, the user can experiment with muhipfe different device
orientations and gripping methods until a
comfortable position is found. Once such a position is found, the user can
simply touch the orientation-independent
rotation icon 80 and then select the arrow that points to the top of the
screen.
This method provides significant advantages over menu-based methods for
adjusting the display orientation,
such as the method used by the Apple Newton'" PDA device. With the Newton
device, the user selects one of the
three following possible display rotation options from a drop down menu: (a) a
counter-clockwise arrow together with
the word "left," (b) a clockwise arrow together with the word "right," or Ic)
a relatively long clockwise arrow
together with the term "180°." One problem with the Newton method is
that it essentially requires the user to hold
the device in the "original" orientation (to maintain the readability of the
drop-down menu) as the display orientation
is adjusted. Another problem is that the user must mentally identify and then
select the display rotation option that
corresponds to the planned device rotation. The present method of adjusting
the display orientation overcomes these
limitations.
Figure 19 illustrates the steps that are performed when the user touches the
orientation key 80. The
program initially superimposes the orientation markers on the screen as in
Figure 17 (step 250), and then waits until
one of the markers is touched (step 252). Upon detecting such a touch event,
the program clears the display,
repaints the display using the selected orientation setting, and records the
setting in memory (steps 256 and 258).
Another feature of the reader device 30 is that it automatically resets the
orientation to the base setting
(as in Figure 18) when the device is placed in the cradle 32. This facilitates
the viewing of information while the
device is in the cradle. In one embodiment, the reader device can be
configured by the user to automatically return
the orientation to its pre-cradle setting upon removal of the device from the
cradle.
The device 30 preferably detects that it has been placed in or removed from
the cradle 32 by a sensing
a grounded pin on the cradle. Upon detecting the grounded pin, the device 30
executes a service routine the records
the current orientation setting and then resets the orientation to the base
setting. A similar routine may be executed
upon removal of the device from the cradle to restore the orientation to the
prior setting.
Although this invention has been described in terms of certain preferred
embodiments, other embodiments
that are apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art are also within the
scope of this invention. Accordingly, the
scope of the present invention is intended to be defined only by reference to
the appended claims. In the claims
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which follow, reference characters used to designate claim steps are provided
for convenience of description only,
and are not intended to imply any particular order for performing the steps.
