U.S. patent application number 16/888266 was filed with the patent office on 2020-09-17 for visually indicating on a user interface lengths, types of content, structure and current user location within a corpus of electronic content.
The applicant listed for this patent is Pearson Education, Inc.. Invention is credited to Adam BECKLEY, Michael PACE, Emily SCHNEIDER, Paul SMITH, Laura VLASSAREV.
Application Number | 20200293162 16/888266 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004860453 |
Filed Date | 2020-09-17 |
View All Diagrams
United States Patent
Application |
20200293162 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
PACE; Michael ; et
al. |
September 17, 2020 |
VISUALLY INDICATING ON A USER INTERFACE LENGTHS, TYPES OF CONTENT,
STRUCTURE AND CURRENT USER LOCATION WITHIN A CORPUS OF ELECTRONIC
CONTENT
Abstract
Systems and methods of visually indicating on a user interface
of an electronic reader the lengths, types of content, structure
and current location of a user within a corpus of electronic
content are presented. The corpus of electronic content may be
converted into contiguous visual sections and contiguous thumbnails
(of the visual sections). The user interface includes a content
strip tray displaying a viewable portion of the thumbnails and a
main viewing area displaying a viewable portion of the visual
sections. An accent effect may be displayed over the viewable
portion of the thumbnails that corresponds with the viewable
portion of the visual sections currently displayed in the main
viewing area to indicate a location of the user in the electronic
content. Additionally, headers, location markers, assignments and
notes may be displayed on the viewable portion of the
thumbnails.
Inventors: |
PACE; Michael; (Highlands
Ranch, CO) ; BECKLEY; Adam; (Boston, MA) ;
SMITH; Paul; (Brookline, MA) ; VLASSAREV; Laura;
(Denver, CO) ; SCHNEIDER; Emily; (San Francisco,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Pearson Education, Inc. |
Bloomington |
MN |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000004860453 |
Appl. No.: |
16/888266 |
Filed: |
May 29, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
16244692 |
Jan 10, 2019 |
10705687 |
|
|
16888266 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/04817 20130101;
G06F 3/0482 20130101; G06F 3/0483 20130101; G06F 3/0486
20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/0482 20060101
G06F003/0482; G06F 3/0486 20060101 G06F003/0486; G06F 3/0483
20060101 G06F003/0483; G06F 3/0481 20060101 G06F003/0481 |
Claims
1. A system, comprising: a communication network; a hardware
computing device coupled to the communication network, the hardware
computing device including: a memory; a display having a user
interface including a main viewing area and a content strip tray;
at least one processor executing specific computer-executable
instructions within a memory, wherein the at least one processor is
configured to: retrieve a corpus of electronic content, the corpus
of electronic content including a plurality of contiguous visual
sections, wherein each visual section in the plurality of
contiguous visual sections has a length, a type of content and a
structure; retrieve a plurality of contiguous thumbnails that
correspond to the plurality of visual sections, wherein each
thumbnail, in the plurality of thumbnails, is proportional in
length to a corresponding visual section, in the plurality of
contiguous visual sections; display in the main viewing area a
viewable portion of the plurality of visual sections; display in
the content strip tray a viewable portion of the plurality of
thumbnails; and display an accent effect over an accent portion,
within the viewable portion of the plurality of thumbnails in the
content strip tray, wherein the accent portion corresponds to the
viewable portion of the plurality of visual sections in the main
viewing area.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is further configured
to: display a second viewable portion of the plurality of visual
sections in the main viewing area; and move the accent effect from
the accent portion of the plurality of thumbnails in the content
strip to a second accent portion within the plurality of thumbnails
in the content strip tray, wherein the second accent portion within
the plurality of thumbnails in the content strip tray corresponds
to the second viewable portion of the plurality of visual sections
in the main viewing area.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is further configured
to: detect a touch input at the content strip of the user
interface; and display a second viewable portion of the plurality
of visual sections in the main viewing area to the user based on a
direction and a length of the touch input.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is further configured
to: label at least one thumbnail, in the viewable portion of the
plurality of thumbnails, with a header, wherein the header is never
displayed in the main viewing area.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is further configured
to: receive a command from the user to add a marker at a location
in the viewable portion of the plurality of thumbnails or a
location in the plurality of visual sections; and display the
marker at the location in the viewable portion of the plurality of
thumbnails or the location in the plurality of visual sections.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is further configured
to: display an assignment indicator, over the viewable portion of
the plurality of thumbnails in the content strip tray.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is further configured
to: display a note, over the viewable portion of the plurality of
thumbnails in the content strip tray, wherein the note includes
written content.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is further configured
to: modify a width of the content strip tray to a new width.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the accent effect indicates the
current user location within the viewable portion of the plurality
of thumbnails.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is further configured
to: receive an indication of a desired location on a thumbnail; and
display in the main viewing area a location in the plurality of
visual sections that corresponds with the desired location on the
thumbnail.
11. A method, comprising: retrieving a corpus of electronic content
including a plurality of contiguous visual sections, wherein each
visual section in the plurality of contiguous visual sections has a
length, a type of content, and a structure; retrieving a plurality
of contiguous thumbnails that correspond to the plurality of visual
sections; displaying, by an electronic reader, in a main viewing
area of a user interface a viewable portion of the plurality of
visual sections; displaying, by the electronic reader, in a content
strip tray of the user interface a viewable portion of the
plurality of thumbnails; and displaying, by the electronic reader,
an accent effect over an accent portion, within the viewable
portion of the plurality of thumbnails in the content strip tray,
wherein the accent portion corresponds to the viewable portion of
the plurality of visual sections in the main viewing area.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:
displaying a second viewable portion of the plurality of visual
sections in the main viewing area; and moving, by the electronic
reader, display a second accent effect within the plurality of
thumbnails in the content strip tray, wherein the second accent
portion within the plurality of thumbnails in the content strip
tray corresponds to the second viewable portion of the plurality of
visual sections in the main viewing area.
13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:
detecting a touch input at the content strip; and displaying, by
the electronic reader, a second viewable portion of the plurality
of visual sections in the main viewing area to the user based on a
direction and a length of the touch input.
14. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:
labeling at least one thumbnail, in the viewable portion of the
plurality of thumbnails, with a header, wherein the header is never
displayed in the main viewing area.
15. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:
receiving, by the electronic reader, a command from the user to add
a marker at a location in the viewable portion of the plurality of
thumbnails or a location in the plurality of visual sections; and
displaying, by the electronic reader, the marker at the location in
the viewable portion of the plurality of thumbnails or the location
in the plurality of visual sections.
16. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:
displaying, by the electronic reader, an assignment indicator, over
the viewable portion of the plurality of thumbnails in the content
strip tray.
17. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:
displaying, by the electronic reader, a note, over the viewable
portion of the plurality of thumbnails in the content strip tray,
wherein the note includes written content.
18. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:
modifying a width of the content strip tray.
19. The method of claim 11, wherein the accent effect indicates the
current user location within the viewable portion of the plurality
of thumbnails.
20. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:
receiving an indication of a desired location on a thumbnail; and
displaying in the main viewing area a location in the plurality of
visual sections that corresponds with the desired location on the
thumbnail.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 16/244,692, filed under the same title on Jan. 10, 2019, the
entire contents of which is/are incorporated herein by
reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This disclosure relates to the field of systems and methods
of visually indicating on a user interface of an electronic reader
the lengths, types of content, structure and current location of a
user within a corpus of electronic content.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention provides systems and methods
comprising one or more server hardware computing devices or client
hardware computing devices, communicatively coupled to a network,
and each comprising at least one processor executing specific
computer-executable instructions within a memory.
[0004] The present invention provides systems and methods of
visually indicating to a user lengths, types of content, structure
and current user location within a corpus of electronic content,
while reading the corpus of electronic content on an electronic
reader.
[0005] The systems and methods may convert the corpus of electronic
content into a plurality of contiguous visual sections. Each visual
section, in the plurality of visual sections, may have a length,
based on a length of a corresponding visual section in the corpus
of electronic content. As the lengths of the visual sections in the
corpus of electronic content vary, the visual sections may have
lengths that are unique, non-standard and/or of varying dimensions.
Each visual section, in the plurality of visual sections, may have
a type of content and a structure.
[0006] The systems and methods may convert the corpus of electronic
content or the plurality of visual sections into a plurality of
contiguous thumbnails that correspond to the plurality of visual
sections. Each thumbnail, in the plurality of thumbnails, may be
proportional in length to, and visually indicates a type of content
and a structure of, a corresponding visual section.
[0007] The systems and methods may display, by an electronic
reader, in a main viewing area of a user interface to the user a
viewable portion of the plurality of visual sections.
[0008] The systems and methods may display, by the electronic
reader, in a content strip tray of the user interface to the user a
viewable portion of the plurality of thumbnails.
[0009] The systems and methods may display, by the electronic
reader, an accent effect over an accent portion, within the
viewable portion of the plurality of thumbnails in the content
strip tray. The displayed accent portion corresponds to the
viewable portion of the plurality of visual sections in the main
viewing area.
[0010] The above features and advantages of the present invention
will be better understood from the following detailed description
taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates a system level block diagram for a
non-limiting example of a distributed computing environment that
may be used in practicing the invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 illustrates a system level block diagram for an
illustrative computer system that may be used in practicing the
invention.
[0013] FIG. 3 illustrates a user interface, displayed on an
electronic reader, with 1) a viewable portion of visual sections
displayed in a main viewing area; 2) a viewable portion of
thumbnails displayed in a content strip tray; and 3) an accent
effect, displayed on the viewable portion of the thumbnails, that
corresponds with the viewable portion of the visual sections
displayed in the main viewing area.
[0014] FIG. 4 illustrates a user interface, displayed on an
electronic reader, with 1) a second viewable portion of visual
sections displayed in a main viewing area; 2) a second viewable
portion of thumbnails displayed in a content strip tray; and 3) a
second accent effect, displayed on the viewable portion of the
thumbnails, that corresponds with the viewable portion of the
visual sections displayed in the main viewing area.
[0015] FIG. 5 illustrates a user interface, displayed on an
electronic reader, with 1) a viewable portion of visual sections
displayed in a main viewing area; 2) a viewable portion of
thumbnails displayed in a content strip tray; and 3) an accent
effect, displayed on the viewable portion of the thumbnails, that
corresponds with the viewable portion of the visual sections
displayed in the main viewing area. FIG. 5 also includes an
inserted header on the viewable portion of thumbnails that is never
displayed in the main viewing area.
[0016] FIG. 6 illustrates a user interface, displayed on an
electronic reader, with 1) a viewable portion of visual sections
displayed in a main viewing area; 2) a viewable portion of
thumbnails displayed in a content strip tray; and 3) an accent
effect, displayed on the viewable portion of the thumbnails, that
corresponds with the viewable portion of the visual sections
displayed in the main viewing area. FIG. 6 also includes an
inserted marker on the viewable portion of thumbnails that is never
displayed in the main viewing area.
[0017] FIG. 7 illustrates a user interface, displayed on an
electronic reader, with 1) a viewable portion of visual sections
displayed in a main viewing area; 2) a viewable portion of
thumbnails displayed in a content strip tray; and 3) an accent
effect, displayed on the viewable portion of the thumbnails, that
corresponds with the viewable portion of the visual sections
displayed in the main viewing area. FIG. 7 also includes an
assignment on the viewable portion of thumbnails that is never
displayed in the main viewing area.
[0018] FIG. 8 illustrates a user interface, displayed on an
electronic reader, with 1) a viewable portion of visual sections
displayed in a main viewing area; 2) a viewable portion of
thumbnails displayed in a content strip tray; and 3) an accent
effect, displayed on the viewable portion of the thumbnails, that
corresponds with the viewable portion of the visual sections
displayed in the main viewing area. FIG. 8 also includes a content
strip tray of a width different than the width of the content strip
tray in FIG. 9.
[0019] FIG. 9 illustrates a user interface, displayed on an
electronic reader, with 1) a viewable portion of visual sections
displayed in a main viewing area; 2) a viewable portion of
thumbnails displayed in a content strip tray; and 3) an accent
effect, displayed on the viewable portion of the thumbnails, that
corresponds with the viewable portion of the visual sections
displayed in the main viewing area. FIG. 9 also includes a content
strip tray of a width different than the width of the content strip
tray in FIG. 8.
[0020] FIG. 10 illustrates a user interface, displayed on an
electronic reader, with 1) a viewable portion of visual sections
displayed in a main viewing area; 2) a viewable portion of
thumbnails displayed in a content strip tray; and 3) an accent
effect, displayed on the viewable portion of the thumbnails, that
corresponds with the viewable portion of the visual sections
displayed in the main viewing area. FIG. 10 also includes a note on
the viewable portion of thumbnails that is never displayed in the
main viewing area.
[0021] FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of a process that may be
used to practice the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0022] The present inventions will now be discussed in detail with
regard to the attached drawing figures that were briefly described
above. In the following description, numerous specific details are
set forth illustrating the Applicant's best mode for practicing the
invention and enabling one of ordinary skill in the art to make and
use the invention. It will be obvious, however, to one skilled in
the art that the present invention may be practiced without many of
these specific details. In other instances, well-known machines,
structures, and method steps have not been described in particular
detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present
invention. Unless otherwise indicated, like parts and method steps
are referred to with like reference numerals.
Network
[0023] FIG. 1 illustrates a non-limiting example distributed
computing environment 100, which includes one or more computer
server computing devices 102, one or more client computing devices
106, and other components that may implement certain embodiments
and features described herein. Other devices, such as specialized
sensor devices, etc., may interact with client 106 and/or server
102. The server 102, client 106, or any other devices may be
configured to implement a client-server model or any other
distributed computing architecture.
[0024] Server 102, client 106, and any other disclosed devices may
be communicatively coupled via one or more communication networks
120. Communication network 120 may be any type of network known in
the art supporting data communications. As non-limiting examples,
network 120 may be a local area network (LAN; e.g., Ethernet,
Token-Ring, etc.), a wide-area network (e.g., the Internet), an
infrared or wireless network, a public switched telephone networks
(PSTNs), a virtual network, etc. Network 120 may use any available
protocols, such as (e.g., transmission control protocol/Internet
protocol (TCP/IP), systems network architecture (SNA), Internet
packet exchange (IPX), Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), Transport Layer
Security (TLS), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Secure
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTPS), Institute of Electrical and
Electronics (IEEE) 802.11 protocol suite or other wireless
protocols, and the like.
Servers/Clients
[0025] The embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-2 are thus one example of a
distributed computing system and is not intended to be limiting.
The subsystems and components within the server 102 and client
devices 106 may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or
combinations thereof. Various different subsystems and/or
components 104 may be implemented on server 102. Users operating
the client devices 106 may initiate one or more client applications
to use services provided by these subsystems and components.
Various different system configurations are possible in different
distributed computing systems 100 and content distribution
networks. Server 102 may be configured to run one or more server
software applications or services, for example, web-based or
cloud-based services, to support content distribution and
interaction with client devices 106. Users operating client devices
106 may in turn utilize one or more client applications (e.g.,
virtual client applications) to interact with server 102 to utilize
the services provided by these components. Client devices 106 may
be configured to receive and execute client applications over one
or more networks 120. Such client applications may be web browser
based applications and/or standalone software applications, such as
mobile device applications. Client devices 106 may receive client
applications from server 102 or from other application providers
(e.g., public or private application stores).
Security
[0026] As shown in FIG. 1, various security and integration
components 108 may be used to manage communications over network
120 (e.g., a file-based integration scheme or a service-based
integration scheme). Security and integration components 108 may
implement various security features for data transmission and
storage, such as authenticating users or restricting access to
unknown or unauthorized users,
[0027] As non-limiting examples, these security components 108 may
comprise dedicated hardware, specialized networking components,
and/or software (e.g., web servers, authentication servers,
firewalls, routers, gateways, load balancers, etc.) within one or
more data centers in one or more physical location and/or operated
by one or more entities, and/or may be operated within a cloud
infrastructure.
[0028] In various implementations, security and integration
components 108 may transmit data between the various devices in the
content distribution network 100. Security and integration
components 108 also may use secure data transmission protocols
and/or encryption (e.g., File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Secure File
Transfer Protocol (SFTP), and/or Pretty Good Privacy (PGP)
encryption) for data transfers, etc.).
[0029] In some embodiments, the security and integration components
108 may implement one or more web services (e.g., cross-domain
and/or cross-platform web services) within the content distribution
network 100, and may be developed for enterprise use in accordance
with various web service standards (e.g., the Web Service
Interoperability (WS-I) guidelines). For example, some web services
may provide secure connections, authentication, and/or
confidentiality throughout the network using technologies such as
SSL, TLS, HTTP, HTTPS, WS-Security standard (providing secure SOAP
messages using XML encryption), etc. In other examples, the
security and integration components 108 may include specialized
hardware, network appliances, and the like (e.g.,
hardware-accelerated SSL and HTTPS), possibly installed and
configured between servers 102 and other network components, for
providing secure web services, thereby allowing any external
devices to communicate directly with the specialized hardware,
network appliances, etc.
Data Stores (Databases)
[0030] Computing environment 100 also may include one or more data
stores 110, possibly including and/or residing on one or more
back-end servers 112, operating in one or more data centers in one
or more physical locations, and communicating with one or more
other devices within one or more networks 120. In some cases, one
or more data stores 110 may reside on a non-transitory storage
medium within the server 102. In certain embodiments, data stores
110 and back-end servers 112 may reside in a storage-area network
(SAN). Access to the data stores may be limited or denied based on
the processes, user credentials, and/or devices attempting to
interact with the data store.
Computer System
[0031] With reference now to FIG. 2, a block diagram of an
illustrative computer system is shown. The system 200 may
correspond to any of the computing devices or servers of the
network 100, or any other computing devices described herein. In
this example, computer system 200 includes processing units 204
that communicate with a number of peripheral subsystems via a bus
subsystem 202. These peripheral subsystems include, for example, a
storage subsystem 210, an I/O subsystem 226, and a communications
subsystem 232.
Processors
[0032] One or more processing units 204 may be implemented as one
or more integrated circuits (e.g., a conventional micro-processor
or microcontroller), and controls the operation of computer system
200. These processors may include single core and/or multicore
(e.g., quad core, hexa-core, octo-core, ten-core, etc.) processors
and processor caches. These processors 204 may execute a variety of
resident software processes embodied in program code, and may
maintain multiple concurrently executing programs or processes.
Processor(s) 204 may also include one or more specialized
processors, (e.g., digital signal processors (DSPs), outboard,
graphics application-specific, and/or other processors).
Buses
[0033] Bus subsystem 202 provides a mechanism for intended
communication between the various components and subsystems of
computer system 200. Although bus subsystem 202 is shown
schematically as a single bus, alternative embodiments of the bus
subsystem may utilize multiple buses. Bus subsystem 202 may include
a memory bus, memory controller, peripheral bus, and/or local bus
using any of a variety of bus architectures (e.g. Industry Standard
Architecture (ISA), Micro Channel Architecture (MCA), Enhanced ISA
(EISA), Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA), and/or
Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, possibly implemented
as a Mezzanine bus manufactured to the IEEE P1386.1 standard).
Input/Output
[0034] I/O subsystem 226 may include device controllers 228 for one
or more user interface input devices and/or user interface output
devices, possibly integrated with the computer system 200 (e.g.,
integrated audio/video systems, and/or touchscreen displays), or
may be separate peripheral devices which are attachable/detachable
from the computer system 200. Input may include keyboard or mouse
input, audio input (e.g., spoken commands), motion sensing, gesture
recognition (e.g., eye gestures), etc.
Input
[0035] As non-limiting examples, input devices may include a
keyboard, pointing devices (e.g., mouse, trackball, and associated
input), touchpads, touch screens, scroll wheels, click wheels,
dials, buttons, switches, keypad, audio input devices, voice
command recognition systems, microphones, three dimensional (3D)
mice, joysticks, pointing sticks, gamepads, graphic tablets,
speakers, digital cameras, digital camcorders, portable media
players, webcams, image scanners, fingerprint scanners, barcode
readers, 3D scanners, 3D printers, laser rangefinders, eye gaze
tracking devices, medical imaging input devices, MIDI keyboards,
digital musical instruments, and the like.
Output
[0036] In general, use of the term "output device" is intended to
include all possible types of devices and mechanisms for outputting
information from computer system 200 to a user or other computer.
For example, output devices may include one or more display
subsystems and/or display devices that visually convey text,
graphics and audio/video information (e.g., cathode ray tube (CRT)
displays, flat-panel devices, liquid crystal display (LCD) or
plasma display devices, projection devices, touch screens, etc.),
and/or non-visual displays such as audio output devices, etc. As
non-limiting examples, output devices may include, indicator
lights, monitors, printers, speakers, headphones, automotive
navigation systems, plotters, voice output devices, modems,
etc.
Memory Or Storage Media
[0037] Computer system 200 may comprise one or more storage
subsystems 210, comprising hardware and software components used
for storing data and program instructions, such as system memory
218 and computer-readable storage media 216.
[0038] System memory 218 and/or computer-readable storage media 216
may store program instructions that are loadable and executable on
processor(s) 204. For example, system memory 218 may load and
execute an operating system 224, program data 222, server
applications, client applications 220, Internet browsers, mid-tier
applications, etc.
[0039] System memory 218 may further store data generated during
execution of these instructions. System memory 218 may be stored in
volatile memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM) 212, including
static random access memory (SRAM) or dynamic random access memory
(DRAM)). RAM 212 may contain data and/or program modules that are
immediately accessible to and/or operated and executed by
processing units 204.
[0040] System memory 218 may also be stored in non-volatile storage
drives 214 (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, etc.) For
example, a basic input/output system (BIOS), containing the basic
routines that help to transfer information between elements within
computer system 200 (e.g., during start-up) may typically be stored
in the non-volatile storage drives 214.
Computer Readable Storage Media
[0041] Storage subsystem 210 also may include one or more tangible
computer-readable storage media 216 for storing the basic
programming and data constructs that provide the functionality of
some embodiments. For example, storage subsystem 210 may include
software, programs, code modules, instructions, etc., that may be
executed by a processor 204, in order to provide the functionality
described herein. Data generated from the executed software,
programs, code, modules, or instructions may be stored within a
data storage repository within storage subsystem 210.
[0042] Storage subsystem 210 may also include a computer-readable
storage media reader connected to computer-readable storage media
216. Computer-readable storage media 216 may contain program code,
or portions of program code. Together and, optionally, in
combination with system memory 218, computer-readable storage media
216 may comprehensively represent remote, local, fixed, and/or
removable storage devices plus storage media for temporarily and/or
more permanently containing, storing, transmitting, and retrieving
computer-readable information.
[0043] Computer-readable storage media 216 may include any
appropriate media known or used in the art, including storage media
and communication media, such as but not limited to, volatile and
non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any
method or technology for storage and/or transmission of
information. This can include tangible computer-readable storage
media such as RAM, ROM, electronically erasable programmable ROM
(EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital
versatile disk (DVD), or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes,
magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage
devices, or other tangible computer readable media. This can also
include nontangible computer-readable media, such as data signals,
data transmissions, or any other medium which can be used to
transmit the desired information and which can be accessed by
computer system 200.
[0044] By way of example, computer-readable storage media 216 may
include a hard disk drive that reads from or writes to
non-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media, a magnetic disk drive
that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic
disk, and an optical disk drive that reads from or writes to a
removable, nonvolatile optical disk such as a CD ROM, DVD, and
Blu-Ray.RTM. disk, or other optical media. Computer-readable
storage media 216 may include, but is not limited to, Zip.RTM.
drives, flash memory cards, universal serial bus (USB) flash
drives, secure digital (SD) cards, DVD disks, digital video tape,
and the like. Computer-readable storage media 216 may also include,
solid-state drives (SSD) based on non-volatile memory such as
flash-memory based SSDs, enterprise flash drives, solid state ROM,
and the like, SSDs based on volatile memory such as solid state
RAM, dynamic RAM, static RAM, DRAM-based SSDs, magneto-resistive
RAM (MRAM) SSDs, and hybrid SSDs that use a combination of DRAM and
flash memory based SSDs. The disk drives and their associated
computer-readable media may provide non-volatile storage of
computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules,
and other data for computer system 200.
Communication Interface
[0045] Communications subsystem 232 may provide a communication
interface from computer system 200 and external computing devices
via one or more communication networks, including local area
networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs) (e.g., the Internet),
and various wireless telecommunications networks. As illustrated in
FIG. 2, the communications subsystem 232 may include, for example,
one or more network interface controllers (NICs) 234, such as
Ethernet cards, Asynchronous Transfer Mode NICs, Token Ring NICs,
and the like, as well as one or more wireless communications
interfaces 236, such as wireless network interface controllers
(WNICs), wireless network adapters, and the like. Additionally
and/or alternatively, the communications subsystem 232 may include
one or more modems (telephone, satellite, cable, ISDN), synchronous
or asynchronous digital subscriber line (DSL) units, Fire Wire.RTM.
interfaces, USB.RTM. interfaces, and the like. Communications
subsystem 236 also may include radio frequency (RF) transceiver
components for accessing wireless voice and/or data networks (e.g.,
using cellular telephone technology, advanced data network
technology, such as 3G, 4G or EDGE (enhanced data rates for global
evolution), WiFi (IEEE 802.11 family standards, or other mobile
communication technologies, or any combination thereof), global
positioning system (GPS) receiver components, and/or other
components.
Input Output Streams Etc
[0046] In some embodiments, communications subsystem 232 may also
receive input communication in the form of structured and/or
unstructured data feeds, event streams, event updates, and the
like, on behalf of one or more users who may use or access computer
system 200. For example, communications subsystem 232 may be
configured to receive data feeds in real-time from users of social
networks and/or other communication services, web feeds such as
Rich Site Summary (RSS) feeds, and/or real-time updates from one or
more third party information sources (e.g., data aggregators).
Additionally, communications subsystem 232 may be configured to
receive data in the form of continuous data streams, which may
include event streams of real-time events and/or event updates
(e.g., sensor data applications, financial tickers, network
performance measuring tools, clickstream analysis tools, automobile
traffic monitoring, etc.). Communications subsystem 232 may output
such structured and/or unstructured data feeds, event streams,
event updates, and the like to one or more data stores that may be
in communication with one or more streaming data source computers
coupled to computer system 200.
Connect Components To System
[0047] The various physical components of the communications
subsystem 232 may be detachable components coupled to the computer
system 200 via a computer network, a FireWire.RTM. bus, or the
like, and/or may be physically integrated onto a motherboard of the
computer system 200. Communications subsystem 232 also may be
implemented in whole or in part by software.
Other Variations
[0048] Due to the ever-changing nature of computers and networks,
the description of computer system 200 depicted in the figure is
intended only as a specific example. Many other configurations
having more or fewer components than the system depicted in the
figure are possible. For example, customized hardware might also be
used and/or particular elements might be implemented in hardware,
firmware, software, or a combination. Further, connection to other
computing devices, such as network input/output devices, may be
employed. Based on the disclosure and teachings provided herein, a
person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate other ways
and/or methods to implement the various embodiments.
[0049] FIG. 3 illustrates a user interface 300, displayed on an
electronic reader 106, with 1) a viewable portion of visual
sections 330 displayed in a main viewing area 320; 2) a viewable
portion of thumbnails 340 displayed in a content strip tray 310;
and 3) an accent effect 350, displayed on the viewable portion of
the thumbnails 340, that corresponds with the viewable portion of
the visual sections 330 displayed in the main viewing area 320.
[0050] Users of electronic readers 106 have long felt a need to
understand their "sense of place" within a book. The lack of
physical cues, like book thickness, at-a-glance thumb-through, and
visual indicators like dog-eared pages, bookmarks, etc., make it
harder to get a sense of where the user is in an electronic reader
106. Users also have a hard time estimating the amount of material
remaining to read, as well as the time it might take to read it.
Users desire to be able to quickly jump from a current location in
an electronic reader 106 to another (and possibly back again),
while keeping track of both spots. The present invention attempts
to solve these problems.
[0051] Referring to FIG. 11, a corpus of electronic content may be
created based on material from any desired source material. As
non-limiting examples, the source material for the corpus of
electronic content may be taken from a book, magazine, journal, or
from an electronic database. The corpus of electronic content may
comprise any desired types of content. As non-limiting examples,
the types of content the corpus of electronic content may comprise
are text, charts, graphs, images, figures, audio, video,
illustrations, animations and/or pictures.
[0052] As a specific example, a textbook, or a chapter in the
textbook, may be the source of material for the corpus of
electronic content. In a preferred embodiment, the textbook may be
broken into a plurality of visual sections. Each visual section may
comprise the content from a chapter or a section within the
textbook. Thus, a visual section from a long section will be longer
than a visual section from a shorter section. This allows each
visual section to have a unique length that is proportional and
representative of the length of the source material. (Step
1100)
[0053] Each visual section may comprise some of the text, charts,
graphs, images, figures, audio, video, illustrations and/or
pictures from the corpus of electronic content. The plurality of
visual sections are preferably ordered as they appear in the corpus
of electronic content into a single contiguous long page, which
will typically be too long to view all at once in a user interface
300 of an electronic reader 106. The electronic reader 106 may be
the above described client, a personal computer with an electronic
reader 106 application loaded or a handheld device. Electronic
versions of books, magazines, newspapers, etc. may be viewed and/or
read on the electronic reader 106.
[0054] The corpus of electronic content or the plurality of visual
sections may also be converted into a plurality of thumbnail, where
each thumbnail corresponds to a visual section. Each thumbnail
section may be similar in structure, but preferably smaller, than
its corresponding visual section. In some embodiments, each
thumbnail may be an exact duplicate, except preferably smaller and
optionally, without the functionality, of its corresponding visual
section. A visual section that is longer compared to other visual
sections will have a corresponding thumbnail that is also longer
compared to other thumbnails, while a visual section that is
shorter compared to other visual sections will have a corresponding
thumbnail that is shorter compared to other thumbnails. As a
specific example, a visual section that is twice as long as the
average length of the plurality of visual sections will have a
corresponding thumbnail that is twice as long as the average length
of the plurality of thumbnails. (Step 1110)
[0055] Each thumbnail section may also visually indicate the type
of content and structure of its corresponding visual section. Thus,
a visual section with text and a chart will have a corresponding
thumbnail that comprises a similar appearing text and chart, only
reduced in the horizontal and the vertical directions.
[0056] One or more hardware servers may be used to convert the
source material into the corpus of electronic content and the one
or more hardware servers may also then convert the corpus of
electronic content into the plurality of visual sections and the
plurality of thumbnails. The hardware servers may download the
plurality of visual sections and the plurality of thumbnails to an
electronic reader 106. In another embodiment, the electronic reader
106 may download the corpus of electronic content and then convert
the corpus of electronic content into the plurality of visual
sections and the plurality of thumbnails.
[0057] The electronic reader 106 may use the user interface 300 to
display information to a user. In a preferred embodiment, the user
interface 300 may comprise a main viewing area 320, for displaying
a viewable portion of the plurality of visual sections 330, and a
content strip tray 310, for displaying a viewable portion of the
plurality of thumbnails 340. (Steps 1120 and 1130)
[0058] It should be appreciated that only a portion of the
plurality of visual sections will typically be viewable in the main
viewing area 320, which may be referred to as the viewable portion
of the visual sections 330. It should also be appreciated that only
a portion of the plurality of thumbnails will typically be viewable
in the content strip tray 310, which may be referred to as the
viewable portion of the thumbnails 340. Nevertheless, as the
thumbnails are preferably smaller, there will typically be more
thumbnail(s) in the viewable portion of the plurality of thumbnails
340 than visual section(s) in the viewable portion of the plurality
of visual sections 330. The viewable portion of the plurality of
visual sections 330 may display less than one, one or more than one
visual section at a time, depending on the length of the visual
section(s) and the size of the main viewing area 320.
[0059] The electronic reader 106, when starting to display a new
electronic content, may display as much of the start of the
plurality of visual sections in the main viewing area 320 as will
fit in the main viewing area 320. The electronic reader 106 may
also display as much of the start of the plurality of thumbnails in
the content strip tray 310 as will fit in the content strip tray
310. The display of the plurality of visual sections 330 is synced
with the display of the plurality of thumbnails 340 so that the
visual section(s) that are displayed in the main viewing area 320
correspond with a subset of the thumbnail(s) that are displayed in
the content strip tray 310.
[0060] The electronic reader 106 may display an accent effect 350
over an accent portion, within the viewable portion of the
plurality of thumbnails 340 in the content strip tray 310, which
corresponds to the viewable portion of the plurality of visual
sections 330 in the main viewing area 320. This allows the user,
after seeing where the accent portion is in relation to the
viewable portion of the thumbnails 340 displayed in the content
strip tray 310, to get a feel or a sense of where the user is in
the source material, the electronic content or the plurality of
visual sections. The accent effect 350 may comprise coloring, an
overlay or using any other desired visual effect to show where the
viewable portion of the visual sections 330 is in relation to the
viewable portion of the thumbnails 340. (Step 1140)
[0061] Referring to FIG. 4, as the user changes to a second
viewable portion of the visual sections 400 in the main viewing
area 320, the accent effect 350 (now a second accent effect 410) is
preferably moved over the viewable portion of the thumbnails 340
(now a second viewable portion of the thumbnails 420) to reflect
the current visual section(s) that are in the main viewing area
320.
[0062] The user may change which visual section(s) are in the main
viewing area 320 using any desired technique. As non-limiting
examples, the user may drag, using their finger or a mouse,
different portions of the visual section(s), up or down, into the
main viewing area 320. As another option, the user may drag, using
their finger or the mouse, different portions of the thumbnail(s),
up or down, into the content strip tray 310. As yet another option,
the user may select a location within the viewable portion of the
thumbnails 340 so that the corresponding location within the visual
sections is displayed in the main viewing area 320. Alternatively,
the user may use arrow keys to move the visual section(s) up or
down within the main viewing area 320. With each movement or change
of the viewable portion of the visual section in the main viewing
area 320, the accent effect 350 moves over a corresponding portion
within the viewable portion of the thumbnails 340.
[0063] In another embodiment, the electronic reader 106, may
receive a command from the user to change from displaying the
viewable portion of the plurality of visual sections 330 in the
main viewing area 320 to displaying a second viewable portion of
the plurality of visual sections 400 in the main viewing area 320.
As a result of receiving this command, the electronic reader 106
may move the accent effect 350 from the accent portion of the
plurality of thumbnails in the content strip to a second accent
portion 410 within the plurality of thumbnails in the content strip
tray 310 that corresponds to the second viewable portion of the
plurality of visual sections 400 in the main viewing area 320.
[0064] In another embodiment, the electronic reader 106 may receive
a command from the user that resulted from the user dragging the
content strip. As a result of receiving this command, the
electronic reader 106 may display a second viewable portion of the
plurality of visual sections 400 in the main viewing area 320 to
the user based on a direction and a length of the dragging the
content strip by the user.
[0065] Referring to FIG. 5, in another embodiment, at least one
thumbnail in the viewable portion of the plurality of thumbnails
340 may be labeled with a header 500 and the header 500 is
preferably never displayed in the main viewing area 320.
[0066] Referring to FIG. 6, in another embodiment, the electronic
reader 106 may receive a command from the user to add a marker 600
at a location in the viewable portion of the plurality of
thumbnails 340 to indicate a location in the plurality of visual
sections. The electronic reader 106 may display the marker 600 at
the desired location in the viewable portion of the plurality of
thumbnails 340, but the marker 600 is preferably never displayed in
the main viewing area 320.
[0067] Referring to FIG. 7, in another embodiment, the electronic
reader 106 may display an assignment 700, over the viewable portion
of the plurality of thumbnails 340 in the content strip tray 310,
to the user indicating an assignment 700 is associated with one of
the plurality of thumbnails in the content strip tray 310. In
preferred embodiments, the assignment 700 is never displayed in the
main viewing area 320.
[0068] Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, in another embodiment, the
electronic reader 106 may receive a command to change the width of
the content strip tray 310 and/or the main viewing area 320. The
electronic reader 106 may display the content strip tray 310 and/or
the main viewing area 320 with the new width. In some embodiments,
the content strip tray 310 may be made to as wide as the user
interface 300.
[0069] Referring to FIG. 10, in another embodiment, the electronic
reader 106 may display a note 1000 over the viewable portion of the
plurality of thumbnails 340 in the content strip tray 310. The note
1000 may have been created by a teacher and be associated with one
of the plurality of thumbnails in the content strip tray 310. The
note 1000 may be a link that, if selected, provides additional
information to the user. In preferred embodiments, the note 1000 is
never displayed in the main viewing area 320.
[0070] In another embodiment, the invention provides a way for
readers (users) of an electronic reader 106 to see a visual
overview of a book or section that conveys the length and type of
contents, as well as the structure of the book. The overview may be
displayed in a small strip (i.e, a content strip tray 310)
associated with a main view of the text (e.g., a page) that
synchronizes with view as the user moves from place to place.
[0071] The viewable portion of the thumbnails 340 in the content
strip tray 310 combines information about the book's structure with
visual representation of the book's content to produce a series of
grouped and labeled thumbnail images. A user can drag the viewable
portion of the thumbnails 340 in the content strip trip to move to
different locations within the electronic content. In addition,
current and/or previous locations of the user may be indicated in
the viewable portion of the thumbnails 340 in the content strip
tray 310. Additional information such as assigned readings, due
dates, completion status may also be indicated, possibly as
overlays, on the viewable portion of the thumbnails 340 in the
content strip tray 310.
[0072] The plurality of thumbnails may be generated by creating
thumbnail images of a book's contents. These images proportionally
correspond to the dimensions of the views of these contents in the
main viewing area 320. The plurality of thumbnails may be generated
at high enough resolution to show human-readable headers 500,
subheaders and other text when displayed in an expanded view. Some
of these text items may also be readable even in a contracted
(smaller) view.
[0073] The plurality of thumbnails may be automatically arranged in
visually distinct sections of the content strip tray 310. These
sections may correspond to table-of-contents structures such as
chapters, sections, and subsections. The sections of the plurality
of thumbnails may be labeled automatically with corresponding text
from a table of contents, truncated or otherwise reduced to fit the
size of the content strip tray 310. These labels may be readable by
the user.
[0074] The viewable portion of the thumbnails 340 may provide a
visual overview, consisting of thumbnail graphics of a book's
contents, and be assembled in a way that corresponds to the book's
structure. Thumbnails may vary in length to reflect the length of
corresponding content. The viewable portion of the thumbnails 340
may appear at a size small enough to get a sense of an overview,
but with enough detail and resolution to convey the nature of the
content (text, headline, image, video, chart, list, table,
etc.).
[0075] The plurality of thumbnails may be displayed in a content
strip tray 310. The content strip tray 310 is preferably in a
vertically-oriented area of a user interface 300 and displayed
adjacent to a main viewing area 320 displaying a viewable portion
of the visual sections 330. The content strip tray 310 may have
visual demarcations that group thumbnails by higher-level units.
For example, thumbnails 4.1.1 and 4.1.2 may appear in a single
section of the content strip tray 310, while thumbnails 4.2.1 and
4.2.2 may appear in another section of the content strip tray
310.
[0076] The content strip tray's sections may be visually distinct
from each other by virtue of their color, shading or size. The
structure of the content strip tray 310 may be generated from a
hierarchical Table of Contents (ToC) listed by means of an
algorithm that parses the level a ToC item is on.
[0077] The various ToC levels are not only used to generate content
strip tray sections, but may also be used to provide the ToC item's
name, or portion thereof, as a label at the top of the content
strip tray section, as well as a label for each thumbnail
image.
[0078] A current location indicator, possibly consisting of a
translucent visual overlay or any other accent effect 350, may be
superimposed on the viewable portion of the thumbnails 340. The
size of the accent effect 350 preferably corresponds to the size of
the user's view of the viewable portion of the visual sections 330.
In other words, if a user is using a tall screen, the accent effect
350 will be proportionally taller, spanning more of the underlying
thumbnail than a short screen used to view the same content. A
phone in landscape mode, for example, would have a shorter
indicator. The accent effect 350 may move automatically in response
to the user's scrolling and navigating to various parts of the
visual sections in the main viewing area 320. The user can also
drag the accent effect 350 to drive the main viewing area 320 to
move to a different second viewable portion of the visual sections
400.
[0079] In another embodiment, the user may expand the content strip
tray 310 to show more detail in the viewable portion of the
thumbnails 340 and more text for ToC item labels. In one
implementation the content strip tray 310 may be expanded to
actually become the main content view itself, erasing the
distinction between a two-viewing area system. The user may simply
move between a small overview and the "full-sized" text via a
seamless expansion or contraction of the content strip tray
310.
[0080] In another embodiment, a user may mark a current location to
return to it later via a kind of "pinning." Pinning may attach a
visual icon or mark to a place in the content strip tray 310
corresponding to the viewable portion of the visual sections 330.
The user may label the pin and the system may add information to
the pin (such as nearby textual headings or content element labels,
like an image title, the current date/time, or whether the
referenced content is part of a reading assignment--and whether or
not the due date for that assignment has passed). Pins may be
limited to a small number. New pins beyond that limit replace the
oldest pin on the "stack." Pins may also be read and displayed by a
separate "bookmark" container or list that the user may access from
outside the electronic reader 106 itself.
[0081] In another embodiment, the content strip tray 310 may
automatically indicate which sections of a book are part of an
assigned reading. Assigned readings may be indicated by a visual
mark or icon overlaid on the strip on the thumbnail or content item
name. Users may see more information about the assignment, such as
due date, amount left to read, completion status, etc, by
interacting with (clicking, tapping, hovering over) the assigned
reading marker or icon in the strip.
[0082] In another embodiment, an annotation made by the reader/user
or an instructor may be visually indicated on the viewable portion
of the thumbnails 340. A visual mark or icon whose color or shape
corresponds to the color or label of the annotation may be placed
on or near the location where the annotation has been added. The
user may click or tap on the annotation icon to display the
annotation and its associated text in the main view.
[0083] The present invention is convenient, since it may be used
without leaving the current reading context, and intuitive because
it may provide a visual mirror-image of a book's contents, along
with clear grouping and labeling of these contents. Being able to
see the relative sizes of sections may help users estimate the
length of reading assignments. Being able to see the type of
content within sections may also help the user estimate length and
level of effort needed.
[0084] Other embodiments and uses of the above inventions will be
apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon
consideration of the specification and practice of the invention
disclosed herein. The specification and examples given should be
considered exemplary only, and it is contemplated that the appended
claims will cover any other such embodiments or modifications as
fall within the true scope of the invention.
[0085] The Abstract accompanying this specification is provided to
enable the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the public
generally to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature
and gist of the technical disclosure and in no way intended for
defining, determining, or limiting the present invention or any of
its embodiments.
* * * * *