Abstract:
The invention is an electronic viewer for documents for use by visually impaired viewers. The unit includes a digital camera lens unit and a digital viewing screen unit for placement over a document. A zoom function allows the user to zoom to the lower center, to the right, left, lower left, or lower right of the screen in order to give the user inside the door a better view of portions of the document being viewed.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the priority date of the provisional application entitled ELECTRONIC VIEWER filed by Leroy E. Anderson on Oct. 5, 2007 with application Ser. No. 60/977,790. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention generally relates to an apparatus for assisting a user to view documents, and more particularly to a digital device for viewing and magnifying documents. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    There is a need for people with vision limitations to use a device to magnify images to make it easier to read or view them. Devices exist for this purpose, in the form of magnifying lenses, or reader machines. The reader machines are large, bulky and expensive, and not portable. The magnifying lens devices are often not adequate and a device with improved magnification, lighting control, brightness control, and portability is needed. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The invention is an electronic document viewer which includes a digital camera lens unit, a digital viewing screen unit, an off-center zoom feature, and a zoom activation button. The digital camera lens is configured for mounting on a stand which can be positioned over a document to be viewed. The digital viewing screen can be built into a device body along with the digital camera lens, or can be a separate unit, such as a computer monitor or a wall mounted flat screen TV monitor. 
         [0005]    The digital view screen includes a zoom feature that selects a region in the displayed image for magnification with that region being a region other than the center of the image. The typical zoom lens zooms towards the center of the image and makes the center of an image larger. The zoom feature of this viewer zooms to a region that is not the center of the picture, and that, in one version, can be selectable by the user. For instance, the viewer may be configured to zoom to the lower center of the image. This kind of a zoom would be useful if the person outside the door is standing to the left or right of the center of the door, or if they are crouched lower than the typical field of view of a door viewer. Zooming to the center bottom of the image, in such a case, would allow the user behind the door to get a better image of a short person, or a person crouching below the field of view of the viewer, or a person standing to the left or right of the center of the screen. 
         [0006]    A zoom activation button is included that can take a number of different forms which will be discussed below. An image which is viewed in the digital viewing screen is magnified when the zoom activation button is activated and the image is magnified to show greater detail in that part of the image which is selected. 
         [0007]    A preferred version of the device is configured specifically to zoom in on the lower center of the displayed image. The zoom feature can be based on optics in the digital camera lens and also can be based on software enhancement of the image by digital manipulation. The zoom feature can also be specifically configured to zoom in on the lower right region of the image, or the lower left region of the image. The device can also be configured with the capacity to zoom in on more than one region of the image, with the selection of the region for zooming in being left to the user&#39;s control. In such a case, a zone selection button would be provided, which would allow the region of the image selected for magnification to be identified by the user. The zone selection button can be in the form of a touch screen button, such as allowing the user to merely touch the lower center, lower right, lower left, upper center, upper right, or upper left at his discretion, with the resulting magnification of that region of the image. The zone selection button can also take the form of a button which is activated repeatedly, and the selection area cycled through the different options of regions for magnification until the user selects which view he would like to have magnified. 
         [0008]    The electronic viewer can also have a magnification button, with which the user selects from a number of different levels of magnification. The electronic viewer can also have a brightness button to allow the user to adjust the brightness of the image to a preferred level of brightness. 
         [0009]    The purpose of the foregoing Abstract is to enable the public, and especially the scientists, engineers, and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection, the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The Abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. 
         [0010]    Still other features and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description describing preferred embodiments of the invention, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated by carrying out my invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of modification in various obvious respects all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description of the preferred embodiments are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive in nature. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the document viewer of the invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a side view showing the document viewer of the invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a top view of the document viewer of the invention over a document. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a top view of the document viewer zoomed in on an image in lower center. 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a front view of the document viewer with a remotely mounted display screen. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0016]    While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, but, on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims. 
         [0017]    The electronic viewer of the invention is shown in  FIGS. 1-5 .  FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of the electronic viewer which includes a digital camera lens unit  12 , which is located on the underside of the unit.  FIG. 1  also shows a digital viewing screen unit  14  which in this version is mounted in the viewer body  20 , but in other versions may be mounted separately from the viewer body. Also shown is a light source  40 , legs which form a stand  100 , a light switch  104 , a brightness selection  48 , and a touch screen zoom selection  44  which comprises the off center zoom feature  16  of the device. Also shown is a magnification button  50 . This device would typically be placed over a document to be viewed and would provide the user with an enhanced view of the document which can include magnification, brightness adjustment, additional light from the light source, and a zoom which zooms to the non-center portions of the document such as to the left, to the right, and above and below. This provides the user with an enhanced view of the document in which he is able to shift the view displayed without moving the document viewer. 
         [0018]    This version of the document viewer is also much lighter and more portable than units which are available.  FIG. 2  shows a side view of the same unit shown in  FIG. 1 , with the light  40  visible on the underside of the device body  20 , with the lens unit  12  pointed toward the work surface below and with the display for the digital viewing screen unit  14  on the top of the viewer body  20 . 
         [0019]      FIG. 3  shows a top view of the device  10  positioned over a document  102 . Visible are the legs  100  which for a portable stand over the document, as well as the zoom point selection pad  42 , a magnification button  50 , a brightness button  48 , and an off center zoom feature  16 . Shown in the digital viewing screen  14  is an image from the underlined document which is positioned generally in the lower center of the viewing screen. Shown in  FIG. 4  is the same device in which the selection to be enlarged has been defined as the lower center, and the image in the lower center is magnified and centered in the viewing screen unit  14 . 
         [0020]      FIG. 5  shows the side view of the document viewer  10 , positioned over a document  102 . Shown is the light  40 , the camera lens  12 , the stand  100 , and other features which were seen in the previous version. In this version the digital viewing screen unit  14  is positioned separately from the viewer body  20 , and could be viewed on a lap top computer, or a T.V. monitor. Shown is a wireless transmission  96  in which the image is sent from the camera to the viewing screen unit  14 . 
         [0021]    Shown in  FIG. 4  is the zoom point selection pad which is configured as a touch screen monitor. By touching the region of the screen to be magnified, and pressing the magnification button  50 , a non-centered part of the image that is viewed may be enlarged and moved towards the center of the viewing screen  14 . 
         [0022]    The electronic viewer  10  of the invention also has the capability of zooming in on an object with a zoom feature which zooms to an off-center region of the screen. It is common in the prior art for an electronic viewing device to zoom straight forward and to magnify the portion of the screen which is in the center of the screen. This is generally a workable practice in Items such as cameras. However, in a viewer which is utilized in a document viewing situation, it is more advantageous to zoom to an area that is not in the center of the view screen. This requires the use of a zoom point selection pad which can be in the form of a pad of buttons shown in  FIG. 3 , or can be in the form of a touch screen zoom selection such as shown in  FIG. 4 . By choosing the area to zoom towards, the view screen zooms, for instance, to the lower bottom of the screen, the lower left or right, the right side of the screen, the left side of the screen, or the center left or right upper part of the screen. 
         [0023]      FIG. 3  shows an image in the lower center of the view screen  14 . When a selection is made on the zoom point selection pad  42  to zoom to the lower center of the screen, the view changes to that shown in  FIG. 4 . Shown in  FIG. 3  is a view button  24  which activates the unit and a zoom button  16  which controls the amount of magnification of the image. 
         [0024]      FIG. 4  also shows a magnification button  50 , and a brightness button  48 . The brightness button  48  can be tapped to brighten the image on the view screen. 
         [0025]    The version of the electronic document viewer of the invention which is configured to act as a reading aid can include the digital viewing screen mounted into the same unit with the camera, and positioned on a stand with spacer legs to hold the unit above the printed material. The digital viewing screen can also be removable and portable from the digital camera lens on the stand to allow a person to read the information being illuminated and magnified from a position of their choice. This version would have the ability to magnify the image and enhance the brightness of the image.
       A. Camera and monitor combined with a base with regular screen with button for selecting viewing area.   B. Camera and monitor combined with a base with regular screen with button for magnification.   C. Camera and monitor combined with a base with regular screen with button for light.   D. Camera and remote monitor for any of the above.       
 
         [0030]    Note: Any of the above programs may be used with a night or low light camera and with or without L.E.D. light or lights. 
         [0031]    While there is shown and described the present preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be distinctly understood that this invention is not limited thereto but may be variously embodied to practice within the scope of the following claims. From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.