Abstract:
A computerized system and method for changing the textual length of an electronic text content while maintaining the meaning of the electronic text content is disclosed. The system includes an electronic reader, or e-reader, device having an electronic touch screen for displaying an electronic text content and for receiving a user touch gesture for identifying a portion of the electronic text content targeted for a textual length change, and a semantic server programmed to receive requests for a semantic text alternative for a targeted electronic text content identified by way of the e-reader device and to determine a semantic alternative electronic text content for the targeted electronic text content, wherein the determined semantic alternative electronic text has a different textual length than the targeted electronic text content, and for replacing the targeted electronic text content displayed by the e-reader device with the determined semantic alternative electronic text content.

Description:
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The present disclosure relates to enhancing the readability of text displayed by electronic reader, or e-reader, devices having limited display screen space. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Reading sessions involving electronic books, or e-books, have grown in popularity, and the electronic nature of the e-book experience presents new opportunities and challenges as the frontier of e-book technology advances. Many of the new opportunities and challenges pertain to enhancing the e-book reading experience. 
     An e-book is an electronic version of a traditional print book that can be read by using an electronic reader, or e-reader, device. E-reader functionality for reading e-books is in part provided by an e-reader device having a display for displaying text and graphics and a control input for receiving user input to manipulate e-book pages. Some modern e-reader devices include a touch screen display that is useable as both a control input and a display. 
     E-reader functionality may be provided on a dedicated e-reader device such as an Amazon.com Kindle™ or Barnes &amp; Noble Nook™, or provided as an additional function of a communication device, such as a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant, a personal computer, or the like. Any device that provides e-reader functionality is rendered an e-reader device. A present example of a mobile telephone device that may be rendered as an e-reader device is the iPhone™ smart phone, which is presently manufactured by Apple, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. For example, an e-reader software application running on the iPhone™ renders the iPhone™ an e-reader device. A presently available e-reader software application is Stanza provided by Lexcycle LLC, which is presently owned by Amazon.com. 
     In operation, e-book content is downloaded to the e-reader device and then displayed as text and/or graphics, generally on a page by page basis. For example, e-reader devices provide user interfaces that are used to virtually turn pages and provide input for searching and requesting particular e-book content. Once a page is read, the user can instruct the e-reader device to present the next page, and so on and so forth. In response to a search query, content or pages responsive to the query are presented. Moreover, an e-reader device typically has wireless connectivity for downloading content and conducting other Web-based tasks such as browsing the Internet and receiving email. 
     One problem facing users of mobile devices rendered as e-reader devices is that mobile devices tend to include display screens having limited space for presenting content such as text. For the purpose of this disclosure, a text can be a letter, a word, a phrase, a sentence, a paragraph, a chapter, and combinations thereof. Touch screen gesture techniques or buttons associated with controlling such e-reader devices are useable to zoom in and out on sections of text or to scroll through sections of text. However, it is easy for a user of an e-reader device to lose his or her reading place while zooming or scrolling text. Moreover, zooming and scrolling activities do little to assist the user&#39;s understanding of the text being displayed. Thus, a need exists for systems and methods that allow users of e-reader devices to have more control over the presentation of text such that the readability of the text is enhanced. One such enhancement could limit the opportunity to lose one&#39;s reading place while also increasing the understandability of the text. Another enhancement would maximize the output of an e-reader display. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure addresses the need for users of electronic reader, or e-reader, devices to have more control over the presentation of text by enabling a user of an e-reader device to semantically alter text displayed on the e-reader device. In one embodiment, an e-reader device is provided with controls that are useable to replace displayable text with a semantic equivalent replacement that requires less display screen space. Another embodiment provides e-reader device controls that are useable by the user of the e-reader device to expand displayable text to present the user with a more in-depth or detailed semantic replacement for the given text. 
     Yet another embodiment provides e-reader device controls that are useable by the user of the e-reader device to replace displayable text with semantically relevant alternatives based upon the user&#39;s preferences. In this embodiment, a configurable semantic user profile is useable by the e-reader device to suggest or automatically provide a semantic text reduction or expansion for a text of interest. Moreover, the semantic user profile can also be configured to suggest or automatically replace text with a more in-depth or detailed replacement text. Further still, preconfigured semantic user profiles may be provided along with content to provide the user with a variety of predetermined semantic options to choose from. In addition, semantic user profiles are preferably aggregated from collaborating e-reader users and are then shared between the collaborating e-reader users. Aggregated and shared semantic profiles may be particularly useful in educational settings, wherein teachers and students can interact locally or remotely while reviewing common content. 
     Preferred embodiments of the present systems and methods employ e-reader devices having touch screens that capture touch screen gesture techniques that allow a user to semantically manipulate text using their fingers. For example, a finger pinch gesture is useable for semantic text reduction, whereas a gesture that moves fingers apart is useable for semantic text expansion. Moreover, the e-reader devices preferably have communication interfaces for communicating with remote servers. 
     Those skilled in the art will appreciate the scope of the present invention and realize additional aspects thereof after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments in association with the accompanying drawing figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
       The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram representing one embodiment of the present systems. 
         FIG. 2  is a semantic map according to one embodiment of the present systems and methods. 
         FIG. 3  is a semantic map according to another embodiment of the present systems and methods. 
         FIG. 4  is a flow diagram depicting a process for semantically altering text according to one embodiment of the present systems and methods. 
         FIG. 5  depicts an electronic reader, or e-reader, device receiving a touch gesture that begins a selection of text. 
         FIG. 6  depicts the completion of the text selection of  FIG. 5  along with the beginning of a first pinch type touch gesture for reducing the selected text with a semantic alternative. 
         FIG. 7  depicts the touch screen result of the first pinch type touch gesture of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 8  depicts the touch screen result of a second pinch type touch gesture. 
         FIG. 9  depicts a reduction symbol that signifies a reduction touch gesture selection or operation. 
         FIG. 10  depicts an expansion symbol that signifies an expansion gesture selection or operation. 
         FIG. 11  depicts an alternative symbol that signifies a customizable alternative gesture selection or operation. 
         FIG. 12  depicts the display of an e-reader device presenting a semantic tag cloud. 
         FIG. 13  depicts the display of an e-reader device presenting icons used as indicators to show which content is eligible for semantic alternative replacement. 
         FIG. 14  depicts the touch screen display of an e-reader device, wherein a user has initiated a targeted text selection. 
         FIG. 15  depicts the touch screen display of an e-reader device, wherein the user has completed the targeted text selection. 
         FIG. 16  illustrates the action of a first pinch gesture. 
         FIG. 17  illustrates the action of a second pinch gesture. 
         FIG. 18  is a flow chart showing the steps executed by the e-reader device in concert with the semantic server. 
         FIG. 19  is a block diagram of a wireless smart phone that can be used as an e-reader device according to embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The embodiments set forth below represent the necessary information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention and illustrate the best mode of practicing the invention. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the invention and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure and the accompanying claims. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram representing an electronic reader, or e-reader, semantic text processing system  10  (hereinafter the “system  10 ”) according to the present disclosure. The system  10  includes an e-reader device  12  having user interfaces  14  for receiving user input and for presenting content to a user of the e-reader device  12  that is provided by a content provider  16 , which includes a content library  18  having electronic books, or e-books, and the like. 
     The system  10  also includes a semantic server  20  that interacts with either or both the e-reader device  12  and the content provider  16  to provide the e-reader device  12  with alternate semantic versions of the content provided by the content provider  16 . The semantic server  20  maintains user profiles  22  that are configurable by users and others to provide custom settings for governing how content is semantically presented to the users. Semantic maps  24  are useable to organize semantic alternatives. A semantic knowledge base  26  is useable to generate the semantic maps  24  in accordance with the user profiles  22 . 
     Note that parts of the system  10 , such as the semantic knowledge base  26 , may be provided by or harvested from third-party services such as Wikipedia, which is presently a free online encyclopedia. Moreover, an Internet based cloud service that is deliverable and consumable in real-time may be employed to store the user profiles  22 . Further still, the functionality of the semantic server  20  could be provided on the e-reader device  12  provided that the e-reader device  12  includes enough memory to store content together with an e-reader application and an application that provides the functionality of the semantic server  20 . Alternately, the functionality of the semantic server  20  may be incorporated with the content provider  16 . 
       FIG. 2  represents a semantic map  28  according to the present disclosure. Semantic alternatives of e-reader content may be generated based upon semantic maps like the semantic map  28 , which provide an association of target content (e.g., a word, a phrase, a page, a chapter, etc.) with a collection of semantically relevant alternative content  30  (hereinafter “alternative content  30 ”). A scale factor  32  generally describes the degree of expansion or reduction the alternative content  30  is with respect to the target e-reader content. Semantic alternatives useable for reduction have scale factors that are less than the scale factor  32  for the targeted content. In contrast, semantic alternatives useable for expansion have scale factors that are greater than the scale factor  32  for the targeted content. 
     As shown in the following example, content targeted for replacement is typically given a numeric value of zero as shown in the circle representing the scale factor  32  associated with the text “United States” in box  34 . In this case, “United States” in the box  34  has a longer and more detailed semantic alternative, namely “The United States of America” in box  36 . Moreover, “America” in box  38 , “USA” in box  40 , and “US” in box  42  are each shorter and more concise alternatives to the targeted text “United States” in the box  34 . The numeric value of each scale factor  32  associated with each alternative content  30  represents a degree of expansion or reduction in comparison with the target content, which in this case is “United States” in the box  34 . 
     An e-reader application executed on the user&#39;s e-reader device  12  ( FIG. 1 ) can use the numeric values of the scale factor  32  to “slide” a current state of the user&#39;s view of the target content up or down in scale. In a particular case represented in  FIG. 2 , the user might select to expand the target content “America” in the box  38 . Accordingly, the first level of expansion would be “United States” in the box  34  with the next level of expansion being “The United States of America” in the box  36 . 
       FIG. 3  represents a further development of the semantic map  28  of  FIG. 2 . In particular, customized semantic content alternatives  44  are provided in addition to the alternative content  30 . The customized content alternatives  44  are typically lesser used, colloquial, or regional variations of targeted content, whereas the collection of the semantically relevant alternative content  30  is typically a more commonly used or baseline version of the targeted content. As an example, a user of the e-reader device  12  ( FIG. 1 ) might select a variation of the target content “America” in the box  38 . In this case, the user&#39;s selection of one of the customized semantic alternatives  44  could be “States” in box  46  or “Amerika” in box  48 . In another example, a user may choose to replace each occurrence of the target content “USA” in the box  40  found in an e-book about the Olympics with a more patriotic feeling “US of A” in box  50 . Moreover, an expatriate may choose to replace all occurrences of the target content “United States” in the box  34  in an electronic newspaper with “The States” in box  52 . 
     While the examples above illustrate the utility of a relatively simple semantic map such as the semantic map  28 , the semantic maps  24  of  FIG. 1  are not limited to simple terms and phrases. For example, summarization techniques and term extraction processes are usable to generate semantic maps for larger grained content such as paragraphs and pages. In this way, content targeted for semantic replacement can be made up of a plurality of content such as e-book pages, etc. 
     The semantic maps  24  may also include references to remotely located alternative content  30 . For example, a semantic map may reference alternative content  30  via a uniform resource locator like “http://semanticserver.com/123456” as opposed to a local alternative content  30  such as “The United States Of America” in the box  36  depicted in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . 
     An advantage of referencing remotely located semantically relevant alternative content  30  is captured by the ability to incorporate dynamic semantic alternatives. For example, the term swine flu is also referred to as the H1N1 flu strain. Since the designation of terms such as H1N1 for the swine flu may appear in the public domain after a semantic knowledge base has been established, the ability to reference such terms remotely is advantageous. 
     The alternative content  30  may also include references to the semantic server  20  ( FIG. 1 ) in order to semantically process on demand content targeted for semantic replacement rather than pre-computing a numeric value for the scale factor  32 . An example of such a reference is 1=http://semanticserver.com/? text=“United States Of America”&amp;level=1. The semantic server  20  may receive a request for semantically relevant information and determine the appropriate alternative content  30  based upon the request for semantically relevant information. 
     The semantic maps  24  may also be shared among users having their own e-reader devices such as the e-reader device  12 . Typically, the semantic maps  24  are retrieved from the semantic server  20  or from a local storage memory on the e-reader device  12 . As an additional option, the user of the e-reader device  12  can obtain the semantic maps  24  from proximal e-reader devices via a local area network or from other remote e-reader devices in communication with the e-reader device  12  via a wide area network such as the Internet. 
     The user of the e-reader device  12  may initiate the sharing of the semantic maps  24  during a collaborative document viewing session between multiple e-reader devices (e.g., a business meeting, a teacher with students, a book club, etc). During such sessions, semantic map collaboration rules are useable to determine how the semantic maps  24  are used. In one embodiment, at least one of the semantic map collaboration rules calls for the aggregation of the semantic maps  24  so that a resultant collaborative semantic map is available for all the users in a collaborative document viewing session. 
     The semantic map collaboration rules are also usable to determine which users are allowed to perform collaborative viewing operations such as page turning and skipping, as well as text zooming, etc. The semantic map collaboration rules are also configurable to determine which of the e-reader devices in a collaborative document viewing session operate as a master e-reader device and which operate as slave e-reader devices. For example, only the user of the master e-reader device can dictate how semantic replacements for content targeted to be semantically modified can be conducted. 
     As another option, the processing of the semantic map collaboration rules can yield a selection of a particular user (e.g., a master e-reader device user) as the arbiter for determining which of the semantic maps  24  are useable. For example, by way of the semantic map collaboration rules, the master can choose which of the users can provide semantic maps  24 , and so forth. Yet another option allows a representative of one of the user profiles  22  to be selected as a representative profile to be used by the users in the collaborative document viewing session. In this way, the representative user profile is used to retrieve various ones of the semantic maps  24  according to the representative user profile. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates how the content provider  16  receives a request for content and processes the request using semantic replacements. It is to be understood that the e-reader device  12  can include the semantic server  20  and the content provider  16  as long as the e-reader device  12  has enough memory and processor power to store data pertaining to the content provider  16  as well as execute the semantic server  20 . 
     The process begins when the e-reader device  12  receives a content request from the user (step  100 ). The content request is then sent to the content provider  16  (step  102 ). The content provider  16  in turn sends a semantic maps request to the semantic server  20  (step  104 ). In response, the semantic server  20  fetches an appropriate user profile from the user profiles  22  (step  106 ). Next, semantic maps  24  are created or fetched based upon the fetched user profile (step  108 ). The fetched user profile from the user profiles  22  may include the user&#39;s geographic location as well as the user&#39;s demographic information, thereby allowing the creation of geographic and demographically relevant versions of semantic maps  24 . The semantic maps  24  are then sent to the content provider  16  (step  110 ), where a customized semantic alternative  44  is generated by applying the semantic maps  24  to the requested content (step  112 ). The customized semantic alternative  44  is then sent to the e-reader device  12  (step  114 ), where it is presented to the user (step  116 ). 
     In situations in which the user does not yet have a user profile or a user profile with enough affinity to the content being requested, the semantic server  20  may provide a selection of predetermined user profiles to choose from. For example, if the content provider  16  receives a request for a particular type of electronic text content such as legal related content and the user&#39;s profile does not have any semantic update history related to legal content, the semantic server  20  may provide a user profile or partial user profile derived from user profiles aggregated from users that belong to a particular group, such as the user&#39;s social network, that is relevant to legal content. Further still, if the content provider  16  receives a request for popular content, the semantic server  20  can be programmed to automatically select a user profile that is particularly applicable to the popular content. Moreover, a particular interest group such as an author, a publisher, or an e-book community can provide a set of user profiles for a particular e-book. Other user profiles can be provided based on demographics such as the user&#39;s education level or gender, etc. 
     The semantic server  20  may be programmable to select the most popular and/or relevant semantic maps  24  based upon the user&#39;s similarity with other users that have previously established user profiles. The similarity between users can be a function of demographics, wherein demographic data such as age, residence, and gender are useable by the semantic server  20  while processing a semantic maps request. In one aspect, the semantic maps request processing results in fetching all of a group of semantic maps  24  associated with particular content being requested by the user. 
     In another aspect, the semantic maps request processing results in pre-fetching semantic maps  24  that the user would likely want to use. In this case, the semantic server  20  is programmable to perform probability calculations on statistical data associated with the user&#39;s historical use of particular semantic maps  24 . In this case, the content provider  16  may apply semantic maps  24  to the requested content based upon the user&#39;s history to create a set of instructions for the e-reader device  12  to follow during presentation of the requested content. In this way, customized semantic alternatives  44  for the requested content will be presented to the user automatically in a way the duplicates the user&#39;s historical preferences for semantic alternatives. For example, if the user has always explicitly wanted the acronym NASA to replace the phrase National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the acronym NASA will automatically be presented everywhere the phrase National Aeronautics and Space Administration is located within requested content. Preferably, automatic semantic replacements are presented with a different color font or background, etc. such that the user understands semantic replacements are present in place of the original text. In addition, the semantic map request processing may result in pre-fetching semantic maps  24  based also on geographical location and cultural demographics. For example, an appropriate alternate content for the term “American” for a user located in the Central American country of Belize may be, but is not limited to, North American, South American, and Latin American. In such an instance, the alternative content  30  may depend both on the user&#39;s e-book content and geographical location. Further still, demographic information about the user may be used to pre-fetch semantic maps  24 . For example, a user born in the 1940s will likely have a different vernacular than a person born in 1980. As a result, users from different generations may benefit from having a generation relevant set of semantic maps  24 . 
       FIGS. 5-8  illustrate the operation of a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure from a user&#39;s perspective. In this preferred embodiment, the e-reader device  12  includes a touch screen  54  for receiving touch screen gestures that are generated by the user either through the use of a stylus or the user&#39;s digits (i.e., the user&#39;s fingers and thumb). The touch screen  54  is also used to display requested content  56  to the user. In the following example, the requested content  56  includes a target text that the user wants to have replaced with a semantic alternative text. 
     Beginning with  FIG. 5 , the user touches the touch screen  54  at a location  58  that corresponds with the word “United.” Next, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the user drags their finger across the text “United States of America” to a location  60  where they lift their finger to indicate to the e-reader device  12  that the text between the locations  58  and  60  is targeted for replacement with the semantic alternative text. A dashed box  62  is displayed as feedback to the user to indicate the selection of the targeted text. The user then retouches the touch screen  54  at the locations  58  and  60  in preparation of performing a pinching movement to indicate that the target text of “United States of America” is to be reduced. 
       FIG. 7  depicts the results of a pinch gesture in which the user&#39;s pinching digits have come to rest at locations  58  and  64 . At this point, the processing steps illustrated in  FIG. 4  have resulted in the replacement of the text “United States of America” with the shorter semantic alternative of “United States.” The length of the dashed box  62  has been reduced to indicate a new target text selection being the semantic alternative “United States.” 
       FIG. 8  depicts the results of a second pinch gesture in which the user&#39;s pinching digits have come to rest at locations  58  and  66 . As a result, the second pinch gesture results in the replacement of the text “United States” with the shorter semantic alternative of “USA.” 
       FIGS. 9-11  illustrate several touch gestures useable with the present disclosure including the pinch gesture used in  FIGS. 6 and 7 . From the viewpoint of the user, these touch gestures are used to semantically manipulate content displayed on the touch screen  54  ( FIGS. 5-8 ). In the examples that follow, screen touches are represented by circles and touch movements, including the directions of the movements, are represented by arrows. 
       FIG. 9  depicts a pinch or reduction gesture symbol  68  that represents the pinch touch gesture operationally illustrated in  FIGS. 6 and 7  to reduce the text phrase “United States of America” down to the text “USA.” In general terms, the reduction gesture of  FIG. 9  is useable to request semantic alternatives that require less space on the touch screen  54 . In other words, the reduction gesture is useable to request semantic alternatives that are made up of fewer letters than text targeted for a semantic replacement. While the reduction gesture symbol  68  is shown in  FIG. 9  in a horizontal setting for reducing smaller scope content such as a phrase, other orientations for the reduction gesture symbol  68  and the pinch gesture it represents are also available. For example, a vertical orientation of the reduction gesture symbol  68  represents a pinch gesture that is appliable to larger scope content such as paragraphs. An example using a reduction gesture represented by a vertically oriented reduction gesture symbol  68  is shown in  FIGS. 16 and 17 . 
       FIG. 10  depicts an expansion gesture symbol  70  that represents an expansion touch gesture that is useable to request semantic alternatives that provide a more in depth or detailed semantic replacement for text targeted for replacement. For example, if the user chooses the text “NASA” for expansion, the expanded semantic alternative would be “National Aeronautics and Space Administration.” While the expansion gesture symbol  70  is shown in  FIG. 10  in a horizontal setting for expanded a word, acronym, or phrase, it is important to note that other orientations for the expansion gesture symbol  70  and the expansion gesture it represents are also available. For example, a vertical orientation of the expansion gesture symbol  70  represents an expansion gesture that is appliable to larger scope content such as paragraphs. 
       FIG. 11  depicts an alternative gesture symbol  72  that represents an alternative touch gesture that can be user defined to request a custom function for semantic content manipulation. Note that the alternative touch gesture represented by the alternative gesture symbol  72  or any of the other touch gestures can be defined with distance and timing thresholds. In this way, the user&#39;s progression of a touch gesture can be interpreted as multiple semantic manipulation requests. For example, a user could select targeted content by touch gesturing a touch screen  54  having pixels. The user could initiate a first reduction of the target content by moving their fingers 25 pixels together. After this first reduction, the user would typically pause before continuing to move their fingers together for another 25 pixels to achieve a second reduction of the target content. 
     Applying a semantic manipulation using touch gestures like those represented by the gesture symbols  68 ,  70 , and  72  generally replaces the targeted content with the semantically relevant alternative content  30  obtained from a semantic map such as the semantic map  28  of  FIGS. 2 and 3 . The e-reader device  12  (FIGS.  1  and  5 - 8 ) may emphasize the semantically relevant alternative content  30  with an animation, a highlighting, an audio sound, a change in font, a change in font color, a change in background color or shading, and the like. 
       FIG. 12  depicts the e-reader device  12  presenting a semantic map tag cloud  74  for the user to use as a menu for selecting a desirable semantic alternative while a touch gesture is in progress. For example, as the user is performing a gesture represented by the reduction gesture symbol  68 , the semantic map tag cloud  74  is presented to the user showing a visualization of a semantic map such as the semantic map  28 . Moreover, the semantic map cloud tag  74  can include an emphasis such as the bolded text “United States” to provide feedback to the user as to the original version of the content, the targeted content, and the current alternative content that will be used when the user releases the gesture, which in this case is represented by the reduction gesture symbol  68 . 
       FIG. 13  depicts the e-reader device  12  presenting indicators such as icons  76  that are displayable near content that is eligible for semantic alternative replacement by way of semantic manipulation. Other indicators for informing the user of which content is available for semantic manipulation can be, but are not limited to, changing the appearance of the eligible content by underlining, highlighting, changing the color of the font, changing the background color, and combinations thereof. Moreover, the indicators may include representations that emphasize which manipulations are popular or have been performed by others in a collaborative document viewing session, etc. Further still, the indicators may also show to the user the type of touch gesturing that is available to semantically manipulate content. 
       FIGS. 14-17  illustrate an example of using touch gesturing to semantically manipulate the requested content  56  displayed on the touch screen  54  of the e-reader device  12 . The goal of the example is to reduce the overall size of the requested content  56  through summarization. 
     Beginning with  FIG. 14 , the user touches the touch screen  54  at a location  78  that corresponds with the word “The.” Next, as shown in  FIG. 15 , the user drags their finger down and across the touch screen  54  to a location  80  that corresponds to the word “Atlantic.” In this way, the content between and including the locations  78  and  80  is selected for semantic manipulation. 
       FIG. 16  illustrates the action of a first pinch gesture represented by the reduction gesture symbol  68 . The result of the first pinch gesture is a first level of summarization for the selected content, which is displayed by the e-reader device  12  on the touch screen  54 .  FIG. 17  illustrates the action of a second pinch gesture represented by the reduction gesture symbol  68 . The result of the second pinch gesture is a second level of summarization for the selected content, which is displayed by the e-reader device  12  on the touch screen  54 . 
     The e-reader device  12  may also be programmed to suggest shortcuts for performing the selection. For example, when the e-reader device  12  detects a user selecting a selection of content, the e-reader device  12  can display unobtrusive indicators associated with various scopes of content such as, but not limited to paragraphs, pages, chapters, and combinations thereof. The suggested shortcuts may be performed by comparing a current selection against previously selected portions of content for displayed content such as the requested content  56 . The previous selected portions of the requested content  56  can be selections made by a current user, demographically similar users, popular content selections, and so and so forth. 
     A selection may be based on semantic analysis of the content. For example, the e-reader device  12  is programmable to statistically determine whether or not the user is likely going to select an entire paragraph as opposed to a single word, phrase, or sentence. 
       FIG. 18  depicts a flow chart illustrating the steps the e-reader device  12 , in concert with the semantic server  20 , executes to perform a semantic text replacement like those illustrated in  FIGS. 5-8 . For this example, assume that the e-reader device  12  includes sufficient memory and processing power such that the semantic server  20  can be implemented on the e-reader device  12 . 
     The process starts when a touch gesture is received by the e-reader device  12  (step  200 ). Next, an application running on the e-reader device  12  determines whether the received touch gesture represents a request for a content reduction or a request for content expansion (step  202 ). The selected content targeted for replacement by a semantic alternative is then determined by resolving the user&#39;s touch locations at the instant of touch release (step  204 ). Once the targeted content is determined, a user profile appropriate for the targeted content is selected (step  206 ). Next, the user profile is used to retrieve an appropriate semantic map for the targeted content (step  208 ). The semantic map is then applied to the targeted content to select a customized semantic alternative  44  (step  210 ). Next, the customized semantic alternative  44  is presented to the user, typically via the touch screen  54  of the e-reader device  12  (step  212 ). The user&#39;s touch gesture and selected customized semantic alternative  44  is then recorded by the e-reader device  12  for a later use (step  214 ). 
     Recordings like those made in step  214  are particularly useful for cases in which semantically relevant alternative content  30  is first presented to the user and then cancelled by the user. For example, assume a user selects to expand the text “Kulucan.” The e-reader device  12 , together with the semantic server  20 , responds by presenting expanded or detailed content pertaining to the Mayan god associated with the text “Kulucan.” Once finished reading the expanded content, the user cancels the original expansion gesture. 
     It should be understood that some of the steps depicted in  FIG. 18  can be reordered. For example the bounds of the targeted content determined in step  204  can proceed before step  202 , which determines the touch gesture type. Moreover, recording the utilized touch gesture and resultant semantic content alternative in step  214  can proceed before step  212 , which presents the semantic content alternative to the user. 
       FIG. 19  depicts the basic architecture of a wireless smart phone  82  that is useable as the e-reader device  12  ( FIG. 1 ). Moreover, the wireless smart phone  82  may also provide a communication interface for communicating with the content provider  16  ( FIG. 1 ) and the semantic server  20  ( FIG. 2 ), both of which may be remote from the e-reader device  12 . 
     The wireless smart phone  82  may include a receiver front end  84 , a radio frequency transmitter section  86 , an antenna  88 , a duplexer or switch  90 , a baseband processor  92 , a control system  94 , a frequency synthesizer  96 , and a user interface  98 . The receiver front end  84  receives information bearing radio frequency signals from one or more remote transmitters provided by a base station. A low noise amplifier  100  amplifies the signal. A filter circuit  102  minimizes broadband interference in the received signal, while downconversion and digitization circuitry  104  downconverts the filtered, received signal to an intermediate or baseband frequency signal, which is then digitized into one or more digital streams. The receiver front end  84  typically uses one or more mixing frequencies generated by the frequency synthesizer  96 . The baseband processor  92  processes the digitized received signal to extract the information or data bits conveyed in the received signal. This processing typically comprises demodulation, decoding, and error correction operations. As such, the baseband processor  92  is generally implemented in one or more digital signal processors (DSPs). 
     On the transmit side, the baseband processor  92  receives digitized data, which may represent voice, data, or control information, from the control system  94 , which it encodes for transmission. The encoded data is output to the radio frequency transmitter section  86 , where it is used by a modulator  106  to modulate a carrier signal that is at a desired transmit frequency. Power amplifier circuitry  108  amplifies the modulated carrier signal to a level appropriate for transmission, and delivers the amplified and modulated carrier signal to the antenna  88  through the duplexer or switch  90 . 
     A user may interact with the wireless smart phone  82  via the user interface  98 , which may include interface circuitry  110  associated with a microphone  112 , a speaker  114 , a physical or virtual keypad  116 , and a touch screen display  118 . The interface circuitry  110  typically includes analog-to-digital converters, digital-to-analog converters, amplifiers, and the like. Additionally, the interface circuitry  110  may include a voice encoder/decoder, in which case the interface circuitry  110  may communicate directly with the baseband processor  92 . 
     The microphone  112  will typically convert audio input, such as the user&#39;s voice, into an electrical signal, which is then digitized and passed directly or indirectly to the baseband processor  92 . Audio information encoded in the received signal is recovered by the baseband processor  92 , and converted by the interface circuitry  110  into an analog signal suitable for driving the speaker  114 . The keypad  116  and the touch screen display  118  enable the user to interact with the wireless smart phone  82 , input numbers to be dialed, address book information, or the like, as well as monitor call progress information. 
     The control system  94  includes a memory  120  for storing data and software applications  122 , and a processor  124  for running the operating system and executing the software applications  122 . When the wireless smart phone  82  is used as the e-reader device  12  for reading e-books, the memory  120  will be loaded with an e-reader software application along with e-book content. Moreover, provided that the memory  120  is large enough and the processor  124  is powerful enough, an application that provides the function of the semantic server  20  could be stored in the memory of the wireless smart phone  82  and executed by the processor of the wireless smart phone  82 . 
     Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the preferred embodiments of the present invention. All such improvements and modifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein and the claims that follow.