Patent EA-001094-B1 (EA)
Title: Personal electronic book system
Inventor: MUNYAN DANIEL E
IPC: G06F15/02
Filed: 1996-11-29
Abstract: 1. A personal electronic book system wherein a personal electronic book (1) comprising a display, a memory storage means, an identification code means, and a communications means; said communications means linking said personal electronic book (1) to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) (8) and via said PSTN with remote server, provides, in combination, the storage, transmission, reception and display of electronically stored publications, wherein: two abutting touch-sensitive display screens (20 and 30), wherein each of said display screens can display a full-page of a page composition formatted publication in its original page layout and format; said abutting touch-sensitive display screens are mounted on a pair of peripherally framed, book-shaped, rectangular cases (22 and 32), hinged together so as to open and close in the manner of a printed book;  hinge means to mechanically connect the right side of a front case (22) to the left side of a back case (32), comprising a plurality of hinges (70) so that when the personal electronic book is opened the left and right touch-sensitive displays abut and present an appearance similar to that of an open printed book;  communication means comprises a communications interface (350); said communications interface (350) automatically dials out over the communication lines (6, 6A) to access remote server, said remote server comprises on-line bookstore (10); electronic processing means to control and monitor the operations of the personal electronic book in accordance with user requests and for downloading page composition formatted publications; said identification code is a unique security identification code that is embedded in a security circuit (385);said security identification code being used to identify a particular personal electronic book unit to said on-line bookstore (10); said security identification code being further used to code said memory storage means to a particular personal electronic book unit so that the page composition formatted information downloaded to and stored in said memory storage means can only be accessed by the personal electronic book unit that downloaded the information from the on-line bookstore (10); said memory storage means further comprising a removable, updateable ROM (360) installed in a memory card slot (50 or 60); wherein said updateable ROMs (360) are coded so that the information stored in said updateable ROMs (360) can only be accessed by the personal electronic book unit that downloaded the information from the on-line bookstore (10); said electronic processing means further comprising touch-sensitive controllers (322, 332) and a display controller (370); an internal power unit (342) comprising an internal rechargeable battery and power and charging circuits conjugated to an AC adapter/charger unit; said power and charging circuits controlling the charging of said internal battery when the personal electronic book is connected to an external AC adapter/charger device via the AC adapter/charger jack (340) and controlling switchover between battery power and external AC line power when said AC power is available via the AC adapter/charger unit;  wherein said personal electronic book (1) is configured into a handheld, portable unit. 2. A personal electronic book system as claimed in claim 1 wherein communications interface (350) additionally comprises internal cellular modem/telephone (5) which dials out over the PSTN (8) via two-way radio communication with local telephone station. 3. A personal electronic book system as claimed in claim 1 wherein communications interface (350) additionally comprises internal data transmitting modem, connected with telephone slot, wherein said telephone slot is connected via telephone wire with telephone outlet, which is connected to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) (8). 4. A personal electronic book system as claimed in claim 1 wherein communications interface (350) additionally comprises a slot and a modem, installed into the slot, wherein the modem is connected via telephone wire to a telephone outlet, which is connected to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) (8). 5. A personal electronic book as claimed in claim 1 wherein said abutting touch-sensitive display screens (20 and 30) comprise a left touch-screen display (20) and a right touch-screen display (30), wherein said left and right displays display a single page of material per display screen thus presenting the impression of reading from two facing pages; and wherein said left and right displays display printed matter with at least 800 by 600 pixel resolution and with at least 256 colors. 6. A personal electronic book as claimed in claim 1 wherein said removable updateable ROM comprises a plurality of memory cards; said cards being changeable so that a user of said personal electronic book can build a personal library, wherein said memory cards are coded so that the information stored in said memory cards can only be accessed by the personal electronic book unit that downloaded the information from the on-line bookstore (10). 7. A personal electronic book as claimed in claim 1 wherein said abutting touch-sensitive display screens (20 and 30) display printed material that spans both display screens so as to resemble one full page of a newspaper or a magazine, wherein said personal electronic book further comprises a left touch-screen controller (322) to control and monitor a left touch-screen (20) of said abutting touch-sensitive display screens;  a right touch-screen controller (332) to control and monitor a right touch-screen (30) of said abutting touch-sensitive display screens; a single display controller (370) to control a left display screen (20) and a right display screen (30) of said abutting touch-sensitive display screens, wherein said display controller (370) displaying printed matter over both displays as if they were a single display thus presenting the impression of reading a single page of material. 8. A personal electronic book as claimed in claim 1 wherein said electronic processing means further comprise software means comprising:  routines to automatically display icons (101), representing stored publications on said abutting touch-sensitive display screens (20 and 30) whenever said personal electronic book is opened;  routines to access any stored publication when the icon representing said publication is touched;  routines to automatically decompress stored publication; routines to display said publication as two facing pages on said abutting touch-sensitive display screens (20 and 30); and  routines to display printed text and graphics in their original page layout, format and color. 9. A personal electronic book as claimed in claim 1 wherein said electronic processing means further comprise software means to allow the user to create a document of touch selected passages comprising routines:  to access any stored publication when the icon representing said publication is touched;  to automatically decompress stored publication; to open said publication and display its table of contents;  to recognize when a user touches a page number in said table of contents and to go to the selected page and display said page:  to display a new page of material whenever a user touches a "Page Ahead" area on a touch-screen;  to display a previous page of material whenever the user touches a "Page Back" area on a touch-screen;  to recognize touch selected passages of information in displayed publication;  to store said passages in a user created document;  to create and display an icon for said user created document;  to display said user created document whenever said icon is touched;  to recognize user touch selection of passages within said document so as to move said passages to a new location within said document;  to store said user created document with rearranged passages; and  to transmit said user created document to a printer. 10. A personal electronic book system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said personal electronic book (1) comprises routines for unattended downloading of publications, whereby these routines:  accept user entry of a date and time for unattended downloading;  accept user entry of bookstore (10) selections to be downloaded;  at said date and time automatically dial out and connect to said on-line bookstore (10) via said PSTN (8); automatically send said unique security identification code;  automatically send a user identification code;  automatically encode said downloaded bookstore selections to said unique security identification code and store said downloaded selections in said updateable ROM (360) so that said selections can only be retrieved and displayed by the personal electronic book that downloaded said selections; automatically recognize the completion of the download;  automatically disconnect said personal electronic book (1) from said on-line bookstore (10) and  automatically turn off said personal electronic book. 11. A personal electronic book as claimed in claim 1 wherein said abutting touch-sensitive display screens (20 and 30) display viewable material that spans both display screens in a landscape configuration so as to resemble one full page of a newspaper, wherein said personal electronic book further comprises a left touch-screen controller (322) to control and monitor a left touch-screen (20) of said abutting touch-sensitive display screens;  a right touch-screen controller (332) to control and monitor a right touch-screen (30) of said abutting touch-sensitive display screens;  a single display controller (370) to control a left display screen (20) and a right display screen (30 of said abutting touch-sensitive display screens;  wherein said display controller (370) displaying printed matter in a landscape configuration over both displays as if they were a single display thus presenting the impression of reading a single page of material. 12. A person