U.S. patent application number 16/500103 was filed with the patent office on 2021-04-15 for electronic system for amending and studying codes of regulation.
The applicant listed for this patent is EASYSTUDY S.R.L.. Invention is credited to Simona BASEGGIO.
Application Number | 20210109643 16/500103 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005328703 |
Filed Date | 2021-04-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210109643 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
BASEGGIO; Simona |
April 15, 2021 |
ELECTRONIC SYSTEM FOR AMENDING AND STUDYING CODES OF REGULATION
Abstract
Disclosed is an electronic system for amending and studying
codes of regulation, including an Internet-connected electronic
device receiving amendments of texts from a server. The electronic
device includes a display with a timeline highlighting the text
modification dates, labeling the successful reading or the failure
thereof with symbols and/or colors. The electronic device includes
an electronic pen allowing supplementing the text with highlights,
remarks, notes, external links, images, etc. The electronic pen
includes the following buttons: "mode", causing the reversible
switching from a "highlighter" mode, to a "pen" mode, to an
"eraser" mode; "timeline" to compare the different versions of the
laws; "users" to view and share comments on the legislative texts
with other users; "writing" to modify the writing settings and
adapt the space available for the user for the remarks; and a tip
to write with precision on the law texts and loaded documents.
Inventors: |
BASEGGIO; Simona; (Fiumicino
(RM), IT) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
EASYSTUDY S.R.L. |
FIUMICINO (RM) |
|
IT |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005328703 |
Appl. No.: |
16/500103 |
Filed: |
April 9, 2018 |
PCT Filed: |
April 9, 2018 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/IB2018/052454 |
371 Date: |
October 2, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/0482 20130101;
G06F 3/04817 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/0481 20060101
G06F003/0481; G06F 3/0482 20060101 G06F003/0482 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 12, 2017 |
IT |
102017000040685 |
Claims
1. An electronic system for amending and studying codes of
regulation, provided with an electronic device (100), consisting of
a common electronic reader, preferably provided with an "eInk"
technology, or a common tablet, provided with a common power
on/power off button (106) and a battery power system provided with
a power supply port (107) adapted to allow said battery to be
connected to an electrical power grid by a common battery-charging
transformer; said electronic device (100) being provided with
common Internet connection means (400), adapted to allow receiving
data regarding the regulatory texts and amendments to said
regulatory texts from a dedicated server (300); said server (300)
being connected to a database (324) adapted to store in its memory
data relating to at least said regulatory texts and modifications
thereof over time and being adapted to automatically download the
amendments to said regulatory texts, based on the data loaded into
said database (324) when accessing, by means of said electronic
device (100), the Internet (400); said electronic device (100)
being provided with a display (101) having touch-screen technology;
said display (101) consisting of at least four portions: a central
portion (101.a) adapted to allow the view of the preselected
regulatory text, preferably within a dual-column layout, if
oriented vertically, and a dual-page and dual-column layout, if
oriented horizontally; a top bar (101.b) adapted to allow the view
of a timeline (150) wherein the dates when modifications to the
displayed regulatory text or part thereof were stored are
highlighted; a side bar, preferably of the pop-up type, with a
pop-up interactive index (101.d), adapted to allow the view of the
list of rules and law articles present in the regulatory text under
examination; a bottom bar (101.c) adapted to allow the view of a
plurality of function icons, such as at least: a "view" icon (105)
for viewing the regulatory text, consisting of at least a first
switch (105') adapted, under the user's control, to reversibly
enable and disable the view of highlights and notes written by the
user in the margin of the regulatory text, a second switch (105'')
adapted, under the user's control, to reversibly enable and disable
the view of notes written by said user in the margin of the
displayed regulatory text, and a third switch (105'') adapted,
under the user's control, to reversibly enable and disable the view
of a plurality of secondary timelines (150''), consisting of
graphical representations relating to a single article of a given
regulatory text, said secondary timelines (150'') being adapted to
highlight the dates when modifications to the article to which they
refer were stored; a "comparison" icon (109), adapted, under the
user's control, to determine the simultaneous view of the same
preselected rule in a plurality of variations, laid out in a
left-to-right chronological order, each in a dedicated column of
said central portion (101.a) of said display (101), said
"comparison" view being characterized in that the portions of text
that have been varied from one version to the other of the same
rule are highlighted in the various regulatory texts; a "full
screen" icon (110), adapted, under the user's control, to
reversibly set the view of the preselected regulatory text to a
full-screen mode; a print icon (111), adapted to send to a common
printer connected to said electronic device (100) by means of a
common wireless connection system, preferably of the Bluetooth
type, the command to print the regulatory text displayed in said
central portion (101.a) of said display (101); a "manage bookmarks"
icon (112), adapted to reversibly enter, modify, view or hide a
plurality of bookmarks, consisting of reference points within the
regulatory text, adapted to make it easier to search for contents
of interest within the regulatory text itself; a "social media"
icon (113), adapted to allow the view of a list of users using said
system, who have commented or written notes and remarks on the
displayed regulatory text; a "finger" icon (114), adapted to
reversibly enable the capability of writing notes relating to the
displayed regulatory text by the user's finger contacting said
display (101); a "create study folder" icon (115), adapted, under
the user's control, to create study folders with custom multimedia
contents; said display (101) being provided with touch-screen
technology and being adapted to allow the columns of the displayed
text to slide downward or upward by an upward or downward vertical
swiping movement performed by the user with a finger on said
central portion (101.a), said touch-screen technology of said
display (101) being adapted to allow all the displayed columns to
slide simultaneously by swiping the user's finger upward or
downward on any one of the displayed columns; said display (101)
being further adapted to allow changing page, forward or backward,
through a horizontal swiping movement to the left or to the right,
respectively, performed by the user with a finger on said central
portion (101.a), in particular in order to browse, forward or
backward, through the text by a first predetermined number of
pages, preferably seven pages, the user has to perform a horizontal
swiping movement to the left or to the right, respectively, with
two fingers touching said central portion (101.a) of said display
(101), whereas to browse, forward or backward, through the text by
a second predetermined number of pages, preferably fifty pages, the
user has to perform a horizontal swiping movement to the left or to
the right, respectively, with three fingers touching the central
portion (101.a) of said display (101); said touch-screen display
(101) being further adapted to allow sliding the timeline (150)
forward or backward over time by a horizontal swiping movement to
the left or to the right, respectively, performed by the user
touching with one finger said top bar (101.b), said touch-screen
display (101) being adapted to allow increasing or decreasing the
size of the displayed text, by a widening or approaching movement,
respectively, performed by the user with two fingers on said
central portion (101.a); said timeline (150) being adapted to
graphically represent, by predetermined colors and/or symbols, the
effective periods of a rule between one variation date and the
other, said predetermined colors and/or symbols being further
adapted to notify the user about the successful reading of the
text, with or without remarks, or failure to read the text, in that
specific version of the rule; said timeline (150) being further
adapted to allow the user to quickly go from one version of the
rule to the other over time, by simply selecting the corresponding
reference graphical-time interval; said electronic system for
amending and studying codes of regulation further comprising at
least one electronic pen (200), provided with a common rechargeable
battery, adapted to allow the user to complement and underline the
text with highlights, remarks, notes, external links, images and
other multimedia contents useful for studying and analyzing the
text; said electronic pen (200) being characterized by a tip (201)
adapted to allow the user to write on said display (101) in a
precise manner; said electronic pen (200) being provided with at
least: a "mode" button (203), provided with three positions and
adapted to be used by the user to determine the reversible
switching from a "highlighter" mode, characterized in that by
passing said tip (201) over the text of interest, it will be
provided with a colored background, to a "pen" mode wherein the
user may write down remarks within the blank spaces of the
displayed text, to an "eraser" mode characterized in that by
passing said tip (201) over already written notes or remarks or
over text portions already highlighted by the user, said notes or
highlights are erased; a "timeline" button (204), adapted to be
pressed by the user to enable a view mode adapted to compare a
plurality of versions of a regulatory article of interest by
selecting on said timeline (150) the effective periods of interest;
following said selection, the texts of interest will be displayed
in said central portion (101.a) of said display (101) within a
layout consisting of a plurality of flanking columns, positioned in
a chronological order, each of said columns corresponding to an
effective period selected in said timeline (150); said "timeline"
button (204) of said electronic pen (200) being adapted, by a
double press, to reversibly enable or disable the view of a
plurality of secondary timelines (150''), consisting of graphical
representations adapted to highlight the effective period and any
dates of variations made to a specific law article to which these
refer; said "timeline" button (204) of said electronic pen (200)
being adapted, by prolonged pressing, to cause a menu to open which
is adapted to allow modifying the view options for said timeline
(150) on said top bar (101.b) of said display (101); a "writing"
button (206), adapted to be pressed to cause a menu to open by
which it is possible to modify the color and thickness settings of
the tool which is enabled at the time at the "mode" button (203),
that is the highlighter color, the pen writing color or thickness,
or the thickness of the "eraser" tool; said "writing" button (206)
being further adapted to be pressed to determine the modification
of the size of the space available for the user to write down
notes; said "writing" button (206) being further adapted, by a
double press, to determine the reversible view of highlights and/or
notes written by the user in the margin of the displayed regulatory
text; said electronic pen (200) being adapted to write in a
predefined area around each law article so that, by approaching the
margin of such area with writing, the system automatically opens an
additional space of modifiable size to allow the user to have
customizable space for remarks relating to that law article.
2. An electronic system for amending and studying codes of
regulation, according to claim 1, wherein, due to said Internet
connection means (400), said database (324) is adapted to store the
highlights, comments and notes relating to each regulatory article
written by each user using said system; said system being adapted
to notify each user about the presence of new regulation
amendments, with reference to the regulatory articles of interest,
downloadable from said database (324) to make them available for
reading on their electronic device (100).
3. An electronic system for amending and studying codes of
regulation, according to claim 1, wherein said electronic pen (200)
is provided with a "social media" button (205) consisting of a
common button adapted to be pressed by the user to determine the
opening of a list of users, using said system, who have commented
on the article under examination, said list being characterized in
that, by selecting the name of at least one user, it is possible to
view the comments and/or remarks by said user directly on the
regulatory text to which they refer; said "social media" button
(205) being further adapted to allow reversibly viewing or hiding
said comments and/or remarks entered by the users selected from
said list by a double press on the same "social media" button
(205).
4. An electronic system for amending and studying codes of
regulation, according to claim 1, wherein next to each law article
present in said central portion (101.a) of said display (101),
there is an "article social media" button (113') adapted to display
a list of users using said system who have commented or written
notes and remarks on the selected law article.
5. An electronic system for amending and studying codes of
regulation, according to claim 1, wherein by a prolonged pressing
of said "timeline" button (204) of said electronic pen (200), the
user determines the view of a menu adapted to allow the
modification of the settings of said timeline (150), in particular
it is possible to set, for all of the regulatory texts or only for
a number of preselected regulatory texts, the time interval
relevant to said timeline (150) visible on said top bar (101.b) of
said display (101).
6. An electronic system for amending and studying codes of
regulation, according to claim 1, wherein it is adapted to report
any obsolescence of the regulatory text and comments or notes
thereon, by means of any notification icon.
7. An electronic system for amending and studying codes of
regulation, according to claim 1, wherein within said central
portion (101.a) of said display (101), it is possible to select an
option for viewing and managing all the folders or multimedia
"study folders" created by the user and selectable by means of said
electronic pen (200) or by a simple press with a finger.
8. An electronic system for amending and studying codes of
regulation, according to claim 1, wherein, by means of the settings
of each "study folder", the user can link the single contents of
each "study folder" to one or more law articles and to an effective
time period of such regulations thus allowing the system, whenever
the reference law articles are amended, to notify the user about
any regulatory obsolescence of such materials.
9. An electronic system for amending and studying codes of
regulation, according to claim 2, wherein said electronic pen (200)
is provided with a "social media" button (205) consisting of a
common button adapted to be pressed by the user to determine the
opening of a list of users, using said system, who have commented
on the article under examination, said list being characterized in
that, by selecting the name of at least one user, it is possible to
view the comments and/or remarks by said user directly on the
regulatory text to which they refer; said "social media" button
(205) being further adapted to allow reversibly viewing or hiding
said comments and/or remarks entered by the users selected from
said list by a double press on the same "social media" button
(205).
10. An electronic system for amending and studying codes of
regulation, according to claim 2, wherein next to each law article
present in said central portion (101.a) of said display (101),
there is an "article social media" button (113') adapted to display
a list of users using said system who have commented or written
notes and remarks on the selected law article.
11. An electronic system for amending and studying codes of
regulation, according to claim 3, wherein next to each law article
present in said central portion (101.a) of said display (101),
there is an "article social media" button (113') adapted to display
a list of users using said system who have commented or written
notes and remarks on the selected law article.
12. An electronic system for amending and studying codes of
regulation, according to claim 2, wherein by a prolonged pressing
of said "timeline" button (204) of said electronic pen (200), the
user determines the view of a menu adapted to allow the
modification of the settings of said timeline (150), in particular
it is possible to set, for all of the regulatory texts or only for
a number of preselected regulatory texts, the time interval
relevant to said timeline (150) visible on said top bar (101.b) of
said display (101).
13. An electronic system for amending and studying codes of
regulation, according to claim 3, wherein by a prolonged pressing
of said "timeline" button (204) of said electronic pen (200), the
user determines the view of a menu adapted to allow the
modification of the settings of said timeline (150), in particular
it is possible to set, for all of the regulatory texts or only for
a number of preselected regulatory texts, the time interval
relevant to said timeline (150) visible on said top bar (101.b) of
said display (101).
14. An electronic system for amending and studying codes of
regulation, according to claim 4, wherein by a prolonged pressing
of said "timeline" button (204) of said electronic pen (200), the
user determines the view of a menu adapted to allow the
modification of the settings of said timeline (150), in particular
it is possible to set, for all of the regulatory texts or only for
a number of preselected regulatory texts, the time interval
relevant to said timeline (150) visible on said top bar (101.b) of
said display (101).
15. An electronic system for amending and studying codes of
regulation, according to claim 2, wherein it is adapted to report
any obsolescence of the regulatory text and comments or notes
thereon, by means of any notification icon.
16. An electronic system for amending and studying codes of
regulation, according to claim 3, wherein it is adapted to report
any obsolescence of the regulatory text and comments or notes
thereon, by means of any notification icon.
17. An electronic system for amending and studying codes of
regulation, according to claim 4, wherein it is adapted to report
any obsolescence of the regulatory text and comments or notes
thereon, by means of any notification icon.
18. An electronic system for amending and studying codes of
regulation, according to claim 5, wherein it is adapted to report
any obsolescence of the regulatory text and comments or notes
thereon, by means of any notification icon.
19. An electronic system for amending and studying codes of
regulation, according to claim 2, wherein within said central
portion (101.a) of said display (101), it is possible to select an
option for viewing and managing all the folders or multimedia
"study folders" created by the user and selectable by means of said
electronic pen (200) or by a simple press with a finger.
20. An electronic system for amending and studying codes of
regulation, according to claim 3, wherein within said central
portion (101.a) of said display (101), it is possible to select an
option for viewing and managing all the folders or multimedia
"study folders" created by the user and selectable by means of said
electronic pen (200) or by a simple press with a finger.
Description
FIELD OF THE ART
[0001] The present invention operates in the field of electronic
devices and software. In particular the device of the present
invention is adapted to facilitate the use of text books and codes
of regulation in relation to their modifications over time.
PRIOR ART
[0002] Presently, eReaders or eBook readers are known as electronic
reading instruments that are alternatives to books. The diffusion
of these devices is predictable and desirable with regard to
various aspects: firstly, for ecological-environmental reasons,
since they reduce paper use and waste; secondly since kids and
students who must study texts can avoid transporting heavy books;
finally, the eBook allows lowering prices and therefore allows
greater availability/diffusion of culture and information.
[0003] These are electronic devices suitably ideated for reading
lengthy texts in digital format; normally in fact eBooks have
particular displays with patented E-ink technology which does not
damage the eyes of the reader, even for prolonged periods of
observation. Among the advantages offered by this technology there
is the possibility to supplement the text with multimedia contents
such as dictionaries, personal notes, underlining and external
links, indeed rendering the text a hypertext.
[0004] Some eBook models are also provided with an ePen, i.e. a
dedicated digital pen, often housed in a suitable recess, with
which remarks or notes can be easily made/taken alongside the text,
just like in a paper book.
[0005] Various international patents protect eBooks and their
multiple different forms. Among these, TW 201205269, for example,
describes an energy savings system for eBooks which uses an optical
pen. Said optical pen is provided with a proximity detection unit,
which is used for detecting the distance between the optical pen
and the display of the eBook.
[0006] Even if technology advances at high speed, a software and a
device associated with said software that are dedicated to
assisting the study of laws and codes of regulation--so often
subjected to modifications by legislative bodies--do not appear to
exist in the current state of the art. The modification of a small
part of a rule, in fact, would involve the reprinting of an entire
textbook or code of regulation, regarding which law students as
well as professionals in the field study and keep themselves
up-to-date.
[0007] The object of the present invention is therefore that of
proposing a new and innovative system for amending textbooks and
codes of regulation that aids the study of the evolution of laws
over time.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0008] According to the present invention, an electronic system is
attained for amending and studying codes of regulation, effectively
solving the abovementioned problems.
[0009] Advantageously said system is provided with an electronic
device 100 constituted by a common electronic reader, of tablet or
laptop type with touch screen. Said electronic device 100 has a
common power on/power off button 106 and a battery power system
with power supply port 107 for the connection of the
battery-charger.
[0010] Advantageously, said electronic device 100 is provided with
common Internet connection means 400, adapted to allow the
reception of data relative to the regulatory texts and for the
amending of said regulatory texts by a dedicated server 300
connected to a database 324, having in its memory the regulatory
texts and all their amendments and versions modified over time.
[0011] Said electronic device 100 can also be advantageously
provided with a common USB port 108 in order to allow the
connection and the transceiving of data with a common data
archiving unit or USB key. In addition, this can be configurable in
order to share the view of the display with other electronic
apparatuses due to common wireless connection means, such as
Bluetooth, that can be reversibly enabled by the user.
[0012] Advantageously, said electronic device 100 has a
touch-screen display 101 consisting of at least four portions: a
central portion 101.a for viewing the preselected regulatory text;
a top bar 101.b for viewing a timeline 150 better described
hereinbelow; a bottom bar 101.c for viewing functions adapted to
facilitate the user's studying experience, and an interactive index
101.d, preferably pop-up on the left side, adapted for viewing the
list of rules and law articles present in the regulatory text under
examination.
[0013] Said timeline 150 is advantageously adapted to highlight the
dates when modifications to the selected regulatory text or parts
thereof are stored. This really helps the student or professional
who wishes to have an immediate and clear visual reference
regarding the quantity of interventions and the historical period
of modification of the law, and regarding which of these versions
is being viewed by the user. Said timeline 150 is configured for
labeling, with predetermined symbols and/or colors, the
already-read amendments with or without highlights and/or remarks,
and the amendments which have not yet been opened. In addition,
advantageously in a very quick and intuitive manner, said timeline
150 makes it possible for the user to quickly go from the view of
one version of the rule to that of another version which precedes
or post-dates it; it is also advantageously possible to compare
multiple regulatory texts of different historical periods, by
simply selecting the modification dates of the regulatory text on
said timeline 150, by means of a suitable dedicated function which
can be enabled directly from the display or, even more
advantageously and quicker, by the electronic pen 200 described
hereinbelow. Said timeline 150, in particular, is characterized by
a length equal to the period of existence of the rule, with
reference to a time grid present in said top bar 101.b. The time
period displayed in the screen can be modified widthwise and, by
means of a horizontal swiping movement performed with the finger or
by means of said electronic pen 200, it is always advantageously
possible to slide the time grid forward or backward, in order to
respectively view more recent or more remote periods.
[0014] In one version of the present invention, at the start of
each article, a secondary timeline 150'' is advantageously present
on the law text, adapted to highlight the time periods in which the
article has undergone a regulatory variation. Thus, the student or
professional can clearly understand the effective period of each
single article.
[0015] Said function icons on the bottom bar 101.c are
advantageously constituted by a view icon 105 for viewing the law
text, a comparison icon 109, an icon to reversibly enable viewing a
full screen 110, an icon for starting the printing process 111, an
icon for accessing a menu adapted for the management of the
bookmarks 112, a "social media" icon 113 for displaying the users,
who use the system, object of the present invention, who have
commented or made remarks on the same law text, a "finger" icon 114
for the reversible enabling of the writing with the use of a finger
by the user, a "folder" icon 115 adapted to create study folders
with custom multimedia contents.
[0016] Like the common touch-screen displays, also the display 101
of the electronic device 100, constituting the present invention,
is adapted to allow the reversible enlargement of the displayed
text, with a widening or approaching movement of two fingers on
said central portion 101.a of said display 101 or even on said
timeline 150 present in the top bar 101.b; page change is also
possible, forward or backward, through a horizontal swiping
movement, to the left or to the right respectively, performed by
the user with a finger on said central portion 101.a; the same
movement, if performed on said top bar 101.b, causes the sliding of
the timeline 150 forward or backward over time.
[0017] Advantageously, through a vertical swiping movement of the
finger, upward or downward, in said central portion 101.a of said
display 101, at one of the displayed columns, the vertical sliding
of the text in that column takes place together with the
simultaneous sliding of the law text in all the other displayed
columns. Due to this particular function, the user can
advantageously reposition the text within the page at the preferred
position, in order to assist one's photographic memory even if the
single law articles had undergone textual variations with a
consequent change of positioning within the page configuration.
[0018] In a preferred version of the present invention, in order to
browse the text forward or backward by 7 pages (or another quantity
of pages set by the user), the user must perform a horizontal
swiping movement, respectively to the left or to the right, with
two fingers touching the central portion 101.a of said display 101,
while, in order to browse the text forward or backward by 50 pages
(or another quantity of pages set by the user), the user must
perform a horizontal swiping movement, to the left or to the right
respectively, with three fingers.
[0019] Advantageously, in order to be able to comparatively study
the different versions of the preselected regulatory text, in one
version of the present invention, it is possible to select an
option to simultaneous view the same article of the regulatory text
in all variations thereof that were promulgated over the years, and
display them side-by-side each other in chronological order.
[0020] In order to facilitate the insertion of said notes, remarks
and highlights, which often characterize law study books, an
electronic pen 200 is provided together with said electronic device
100; such electronic pen 200 is provided with a common internal
rechargeable battery, operatively connected to said electronic
device 100 by means of a common wireless connection, preferably of
Bluetooth type.
[0021] Said electronic pen 200 is advantageously characterized by a
tip 201 adapted to allow the user to write in a precise manner on
said display 101.
[0022] Advantageously, by means of the tip 201 of said electronic
pen 200, it is possible to write one's own comments or remarks in
the blank space of the central portion 101.a of said display 101.
By means of a suitable "writing" button 206 of said electronic pen
200, moreover, it is also possible to increase/decrease the space
available in order to write or even modify the writing settings,
such as the writing thickness or color.
[0023] Advantageously, on the bottom bar 101.c of said display 101,
there is also a view icon 105 referred to the remarks, by means of
which it is possible to reversibly enable or disable the view of
that written by the user, with the consequent
appearance/disappearance of the additional created space.
[0024] Said electronic pen 200 is also advantageously provided with
a "mode" button 203 with three positions, adapted to cause the
reversible switching from a "highlighter" mode, in which by passing
said tip 201 over the text this will be provided with a colored
background, to a "pen" mode in which the user can write remarks
within the blank spaces of the displayed text, just like on a paper
sheet, to an "eraser" mode for canceling what had been written.
Said electronic pen 200 is also advantageously provided with a
"timeline" button 204, adapted to be pressed by the user in order
to select the versions of the law to be compared; by pressing said
"timeline" button 204, indeed, the pen can touch said timeline 150,
selecting the dates of interest. In this manner, the versions of
the regulatory text relative to the selected dates will be
displayed in chronological order in different columns, each on one
part of the central portion 101.a of said display 101, to allow the
user to make a comparative study of the variations of the rule over
time. Said electronic pen 200 is also advantageously provided with
a "social media" button 205 in order to know which users, who use
the same system, object of the present patent, have commented on
the various rules and display the comments thereof.
[0025] In this manner, the user can create actual "study folders"
divided by subject matter and integrating various multimedia
objects on the same argument. Such folders can also be created
starting from a suitable "create folder" icon 115, placed on said
bottom bar 101.c. During the setting of a study folder, in addition
to the title of the folder, it is possible to link the collected
material with one or more specific law articles and with an
effective period of such regulations. In this manner, should the
reference articles have to undergo variations, the system will be
adapted to report, automatically, the obsolescence of the study
folder and of the contents thereof.
[0026] In order to view and manage the various multimedia folders
that have been created, it is advantageously possible to select a
suitable option by pressing on a dedicated icon with the finger or
with said electronic pen 200.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0027] The invention will be described hereinbelow in at least one
preferred embodiment as a non-limiting example, with the aid of the
enclosed figures in which:
[0028] FIG. 1 shows an electronic device 100 according to the
present invention provided with its electronic pen 200. One sees
the display 101 divided into top bar 101.b, central portion 101.a,
bottom bar 101.c, pop-up interactive index 101.d on a left lateral
portion. On the bottom bar 101.c, one sees the view icon 105 of the
law text, comparison icon 109, full screen icon 110, printing icon
111, an icon for the "management of the bookmarks" 112, a social
media icon 113 for viewing the users connected to the same study
system who have commented or remarked on the same law text, a
"finger" icon 114 for enabling/disabling the writing with the
finger, a "create study folder" icon 115 for creating the study
folders with custom multimedia contents. On the central portion
101.a, one sees the text of the law divided into articles with
parts underlined and other parts with remarks written with pen;
other parts have comments written with the keyboard. The secondary
timelines 150'' for each article also appear displayed. On the top
bar 101.b, one sees the timeline 150. On electronic device 100, in
addition, one sees: the power on/power off button 106, the power
supply port 107, the USB port 108 of the electronic pen 200.
Regarding the latter, the following are exhaustively illustrated:
the tip 201, the "mode" button 203, the "timeline" button 204, the
"social media" button 205 and the "writing" button 206.
[0029] FIG. 2 shows the system of connection of said electronic
device 100 to the server 300 in turn connected to a dedicated
database 324. Said connection occurs by means of common Internet
connection means 400.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0030] The present invention will now be illustrated as a merely
non-limiting, non-binding example, with reference to the figures
which illustrate several embodiments relative to the present
inventive concept.
[0031] With reference to FIG. 1, the electronic device 100 is shown
with the relative electronic pen 200 due to which the system,
object of the present invention, can function. Said system is
intended for students and professionals in the legal field. Indeed,
in order to study a law, students and professionals often make
remarks or notes in the margin of the text, and they read and keep
up-to-date regarding the comments of authoritative jurists, thus
creating confusing pages that are hard to comprehend. Due to the
present system, students/professionals can make use of a software
dedicated for creating study folders and legislative codes that are
always updated and organized according to the criterion set by the
user. In particular, each study folder can be connected to one or
more law articles and possibly also to an effective period of the
rule, allowing the system to signal the obsolescence of the folder
when the articles linked to the folder undergo variations. In
addition, it will also be possible to share law texts that have
been commented on and assembled following the personal preferences
of commentators from among the users of the system.
[0032] The electronic device 100 used by said software is also
provided with Internet connection 400, as shown in FIG. 2, which
allows it to download data for amending the regulatory texts from a
dedicated server 300, in turn connected to a memory database 324 of
all the regulatory texts, even in past versions. Through said
Internet connection 400, the system can return information
regarding the obsolescence of the contents loaded in the system and
the reference laws.
[0033] Another distinctive characteristic of the system of the
present patent, in fact, consists of the possibility to consult the
texts in the most-updated version as well as in the past versions,
thus having a complete vision of the law to be studied and of the
evolutions thereof.
[0034] The present electronic device 100, like many similar
electronic devices currently exiting on the market, has: battery
power supply provided with power supply port 107 and power on/power
off button 106, USB port 108 and common wireless connection means,
such as Bluetooth, that can be reversibly enabled by the user in
order to share the display with other electronic apparatuses
provided with the same connection system.
[0035] The display 101 is touch-screen and is divided into three
main parts: [0036] a central portion 101.a in which the preselected
regulatory text is displayed, which reproduces the typical layout
of this kind of paper text, i.e. dual-column (or even dual-page,
hence 4 columns total, in the case of horizontal view);
alternatively, by pressing a comparison icon 109, it is possible to
set a simultaneous view of the article or of the preselected law
part in all variations thereof that have been promulgated over the
years, and display them alongside each other in chronological
order; preferably up to four versions can be displayed
simultaneously, one for each textual column; [0037] a top bar
101.b, in which a timeline 150 is displayed which highlights the
dates when modifications to the displayed law took place. In this
timeline 150, as is visible in FIG. 1, the dates are labeled by
symbols, in this case circles, which delimit predetermined
intervals in order to signal to the user the successful reading of
the text, with or without highlights and/or remarks and/or comments
written by keyboard, or the failure to read the text. The dates of
the displayed time version, moreover, are explicitly indicated in
at the start-period and end-period symbols; [0038] an interactive
index 101.d, preferably pop-up, on the left side, which displays
the list of all the laws present in the regulatory text [0039] a
bottom bar 101.c in which function icons are visible such as, by
way of a non-limiting example: [0040] a view icon 105 for viewing
the law text, which in this case is provided with three switches
105', 105'', 105''' which appear in a dedicated drop-down menu when
one clicks said view icon 105. The first switch 105' is adapted to
display or hide the remarks made with the electronic pen 200; the
second switch 105'' is adapted to display or hide the typed
remarks; while the third switch 105''' is adapted to display or
hide the secondary timelines 150'' present at the start of each
version of the analyzed article; [0041] a comparison icon 109 by
means of which it is possible to select the effective periods of
the regulation that one wishes to compare, regarding the variations
thereof over time and which appear in flanking columns positioned
in chronological order, preferably by highlighting with suitable
characters (e.g. different color) the differences between one
effective period and another; [0042] a full screen icon 110, in
order to reversibly bring the view to full screen; [0043] a print
icon 111, in order to send the printing order to a common printer
connected to said electronic device 100 by means of a common
wireless system, preferably of Bluetooth type; [0044] a "manage
bookmarks" icon 112 for inserting, modifying, displaying or hiding
the previously-set bookmarks, which are clickable in order to go
quickly from one part of the text to the other. The bookmarks are
displayed in the margin of the text and in positions or with a
graphic that is differentiated in order to distinguish the
bookmarks that belong to preceding pages from those belonging to
subsequent pages with respect to the page of the regulatory text
that is displayed; [0045] a social media icon 113 for displaying
the users connected to the same study system, who have commented or
made remarks on the same law text: by means of said function, it is
possible to ask the system if a given law text has been commented
on by someone, and in accordance with the privacy settings of said
users, go to read the comments thereof, creating a sharing of
professionalism and opinions; [0046] an "article social media" icon
113' visible on the side of the title of each law article once
selected, in order to display the users connected to the same study
system, who have commented or remarked on the same law article: by
means of said function, it is possible to ask the system if a given
law text has been commented on by someone and, in accordance with
the privacy settings of said users, go to read the comments
thereof, creating a sharing of professionalism and opinions; [0047]
a "finger" icon 114 for enabling/disabling the writing with the
finger. Due to this function, the user can use the finger as a
writing instrument in the margin of the text, without having to use
the electronic pen 200; [0048] a "create study folder" icon 115 in
order to create study folders with various and personalized
multimedia contents. In one version of the present invention, this
icon is positioned in another screen depicting the virtual library
thereof.
[0049] The touch-screen functions of said display 101 allow the
arrangement of the text; in particular, the sliding of the text of
each column downward or upward occurs following a vertical swiping
movement performed by the user with a finger downward or upward;
page change, forward or backward, occurs through a horizontal
swiping movement respectively to the left or to the right performed
by the user with a finger at the central portion 101.a; the sliding
of the timeline 150 forward or backward over time occurs with a
movement like that just described, applied on said top bar 101.b;
the increase or the decrease of the range of the time grid on which
the timeline 150 is depicted is caused with a movement,
respectively widening or approaching, of two fingers of the user on
the top bar 101.b; the same movement is used for enlarging the view
of the law text in the central portion 101.a; to browse the text
forward or backward by 7 pages (or another quantity predetermined
by the user), instead, the user must perform a horizontal swiping
movement respectively to the left or to the right with two fingers
touching the central portion 101.a or with three fingers, causing
the sliding of 50 pages at a time (or another quantity
predetermined by the user).
[0050] The interactions of the user with the electronic device 100
can also take place due to the electronic pen 200 with which such
device is equipped. Such pen is power supplied by a common internal
rechargeable battery, also directly rechargeable by connecting it
to the device 100, and it is constituted by a tip 201 through which
the user can underline the text or write within the blank spaces
with extreme precision by simply touching said central portion
101.a of said display 101. It is important to indicate that there
is no need to make any pre-selection in order to pass from the
finger sliding mode to the writing mode with electronic pen 200,
since the device is capable of distinguishing the tip 201 of said
electronic pen 200 from the actions carried out by a finger.
[0051] Said electronic pen 200 represented in FIG. 1 is provided
with the following buttons: [0052] "mode" button 203, constituted
by a common sliding button with three positions in order to
reversibly change the writing mode on said display 101, in
particular, due to the movement of the "mode" button 203, the user
can go from a "pen" mode to a "highlighter" mode to an "eraser"
mode; [0053] "writing" button 206, constituted by a common button
adapted to allow the modification of the space available for the
writing and also adapted to enable or disable the view of the
remarks; by means of said "writing" button 206, it also may be
possible to change color and/or thickness of the mark left by the
writing on the display 101. This allows an action of
personalization by the user of the space of the code of regulation
dedicated to his/her own remarks. With a double press of the same
"writing" button 206 (double click), the user can enable the view
of the remarks written with the electronic pen 200, or disable such
view, with consequent reduction of the obtained additional space.
In order to change the color or thickness of the writing or the
thickness of cancelation, moreover, the user can simply keep the
same "writing" button 206 pressed, thus causing the opening of a
menu through which it is possible to modify the settings of the
tool which is in use at that moment (pen, highlighter or eraser),
changing the writing color and thickness or cancelation thickness
as desired; [0054] "timeline" button 204, in order to select on the
timeline 150, present in the top bar 101.b, the effective
historical periods of a rule to be compared and to enable or
disable the view of the secondary timelines 150'' on each law
article. Said "timeline" button 204, which can be pressed in order
to enable the comparison by which it is possible to select the
effective periods of the regulation that one wishes to compare
regarding the variations thereof over time, which will appear in
flanking columns positioned in chronological order, possibly
highlighting with suitable characters (e.g. different colors) the
differences between one effective period and another. With a double
press of the "timeline" button 204, moreover, it is possible to
enable or disable the view of the secondary timelines 150'' on each
law article. The prolonged pressing of said "timeline" button 204,
moreover, causes the opening of the options menu of the timeline
150 in which it is possible to set, for all the preselected
regulatory texts or as default setting, the time width of the
interval of the timeline 150 visible on said upper part 101.b of
the display; [0055] "social media" button 205: in order to view the
users who use the same present system and who have commented on the
article or on the legislative text under examination; by means of
said "social media" button 205, moreover, it is also possible to
reversibly show or hide the comments of the other users on each law
article. More in detail, the pressing of said "social media" button
205 causes the opening of a list which indicates the users who use
the system, object of the present invention, and who have commented
on the law text or the article under examination at that moment; if
selected, such comments can be viewed and enrich, in personalized
manner, the personal code of regulation of the user. With a double
press of the "social media" button 205, it is possible to enable or
disable the view of all the comments.
[0056] The user can also write his/her own texts within the system
with a word editor, alternating as desired remarks written with
said electronic pen 200 and keyboard, and link the single
paragraphs to law articles and to an effective historical period of
such regulations, thus allowing the system to return information
regarding the obsolescence or non-obsolescence of such documents
based on the correspondence of such links with a law version no
longer in force or still in force. Such information is useful both
for the author (for a possible action of amending the obsolete
text) and for possible third-party users who would like to know if
various parts of the document are obsolescent before approaching
them. The system, indeed, is adapted to serve warnings and
notifications of various type, in order to signal to the user who
wishes to view a study document thereof or of other users, each
time the regulation to which he/she was initially linked by the
author of the insertion has undergone one or more variations, that
that document or parts thereof is obsolete.
[0057] In one version of the present invention, in addition, on
said central portion 101.a of said display 101, it is possible to
select a view and management option for all the multimedia folders
created by the user and selected by means of said electronic pen
200 or by means of a simple press with a finger.
[0058] Finally, it is clear that modifications, additions or
variations that are obvious for a man skilled in the art can be
made to the invention described up to now, without departing from
the protective scope which is provided by the enclosed claims.
* * * * *