Patent Publication Number: US-2012032783-A1

Title: Electronic reader system with external display interface and method of operation thereof

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/372,071 filed Aug. 9, 2010, and the subject matter thereof is incorporated herein by reference thereto. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates generally to an electronic system, and more particularly to an electronic reader system with an external display. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Modern portable consumer and industrial electronics, especially client devices such as electronic reader systems, cellular phones, portable digital assistants, and combination devices, are providing increasing levels of functionality to support modern life including distributing and displaying multimedia books. Research and development in the existing technologies can take a myriad of different directions. 
     One resulting technology can provide multiple multimedia applications with multiple multimedia files, such as electronic books or electronic videos readable on an electronic reader (e-reader). As users become more empowered with the growth of e-reader devices, new and old paradigms begin to take advantage of this new device space. There are many technological solutions to take advantage of this new portable reader device opportunity. However, the tools available are often not efficient in properly displaying contents in these portable reader devices. 
     Thus, a need still remains for an electronic reader system to provide user with additional display option. In view of the ever-increasing commercial competitive pressures, along with growing consumer expectations and the diminishing opportunities for meaningful product differentiation in the marketplace, it is increasingly critical that answers be found to these problems. Additionally, the need to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and performance, and meet competitive pressures adds an even greater urgency to the critical necessity for finding answers to these problems. 
     Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art. 
     DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a method of operation of an electronic reader system including: identifying a content attribute of a content block on a displayable page; determining a first display capability of a first display device associated with the content attribute; determining a second display capability associated with the content attribute from a communication port, the communication port for connecting with a second display device having the second display capability; ranking the second display capability against the first display capability; and processing the content block for displaying on the second display device when the second display capability is ranked higher than the first display capability. 
     The present invention provides an electronic reader system including: a content read module for identifying a content attribute of a content block on a displayable page; a discover module, coupled to the content read module, for determining a first display capability of a first display device and a second display capability of a second display device, both associated with the content attribute; a rank module, coupled to the discover module, for ranking the second display capability against the first display capability; and a render module, coupled to the rank module, for processing the content block for displaying on the second display device when the second display capability is ranked higher than the first display capability. 
     Certain embodiments of the invention have other steps or elements in addition to or in place of those mentioned above. The steps or elements will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed description when taken with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an electronic reader system with an external display interface in an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an exemplary block diagram of the electronic device of the electronic reader system of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is an example of an operation of the electronic reader system of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a specific example of a flow chart of a method of operation of the electronic reader system of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a control flow of the electronic reader system of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a flow chart of a method of operation of the electronic reader system in a further embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     The following embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the invention. It is to be understood that other embodiments would be evident based on the present disclosure, and that system, process, or mechanical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
     In the following description, numerous specific details are given to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In order to avoid obscuring the present invention, some well-known circuits, system configurations, and process steps are not disclosed in detail. 
     The drawings showing embodiments of the system are semi-diagrammatic and not to scale and, particularly, some of the dimensions are for the clarity of presentation and are shown exaggerated in the drawing FIGs. Similarly, although the views in the drawings for ease of description generally show similar orientations, this depiction in the FIGs. is arbitrary for the most part. 
     The term “module” referred to herein can include software, hardware, or a combination thereof. For example, the software can be machine code, firmware, embedded code, and application software. Also for example, the hardware can be circuitry, processor, computer, integrated circuit, integrated circuit cores, a camera, a camcorder, a microelectromechanical system (MEMS), passive devices, or a combination thereof. 
     The term “multimedia” referred to herein can include at least text, audio, still images, animation, video, interactivity content forms, or a combination thereof. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , therein is shown an electronic reader system  100  with an external display interface in an embodiment of the present invention. The electronic reader system  100  can include an electronic device  104 . The electronic device  104  is defined as an apparatus having digital or analog circuitry. For example, the electronic device  104  can be of any of a variety of mobile devices, such as an e-reader, a cellular phone, personal digital assistant, a notebook computer, a tablet PC, a tabletop computer, a smart surface, or other multi-functional mobile communication or entertainment device. The electronic device  104  can be a standalone device, or can be incorporated with a larger electronic system, for example a home theatre system, a personal computer, or a vehicle. The electronic device  104  can couple to a communication port  106  to communicate with external devices, such as external displays. 
     For illustrative purposes, the electronic device  104  is described as a mobile computing device, although it is understood that the electronic device  104  can be different types of computing devices. For example, the electronic device  104  can also be a non-mobile computing device, such as a server, a server farm, or a desktop computer. 
     In another example, the electronic device  104  can be a particularized machine, such as a mainframe, a server, a cluster server, rack mounted server, or a blade server, or as more specific examples, an IBM System z10™ Business Class mainframe or a HP ProLiant ML™ server. Yet another example, the electronic device  104  can be a particularized machine, such as a portable computing device, a thin client, a notebook, a netbook, a smartphone, personal digital assistant, or a cellular phone, and as specific examples, an Apple iPad™, an Apple iPhone™, Palm Centro™, or Moto Q Global™. 
     The communication port  106  can be a variety of networks. For example, the communication port  106  can include wireless communication, wired communication, optical, ultrasonic, or the combination thereof. Satellite communication, cellular communication, Bluetooth, Infrared Data Association standard (IrDA), wireless fidelity (WiFi), and worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) are examples of wireless communication that can be included in the communication path  104 . Ethernet, digital subscriber line (DSL), fiber to the home (FTTH), and plain old telephone service (POTS) are examples of wired communication that can be included in the communication port  106 . 
     Further, the communication port  106  can traverse a number of network topologies and distances. For example, the communication port  106  can include direct connection, personal area network (PAN), local area network (LAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), wide area network (WAN) or any combination thereof. 
     The electronic device  104  can include a first display device  108 . The first display device  108  is defined as the primary display interface for the electronic device  104  and for the electronic reader system  100 . The first display device  108  can be an internal display for the electronic device  104 . The first display device  108  can display a displayable page  110 . The displayable page  110  is defined as an arrangement of content stored on the electronic device  104 , which can be displayed on either the first display device  108 , such as an internal display, or a second display device  112 , such as an external display. 
     The second display device is defined as a supplemental display interface for the electronic reader system  100 . The second display device  112  can be an external display located at a predetermined distance  114  away from the first display device  108 . The second display device  112  can be, for example, a television (TV), a computer monitor, a projector, a smart table, or a pair of goggles. 
     The displayable page  110  can include a content block  116 . The content block  116  is defined as a specific self-contained area of multimedia content embedded into the displayable page  110 . Here, embedded is defined as meaning fixed within a location on the displayable page  110  and being an integral part of the multimedia content. For example, the content block  116  can be an embedded audio stream, an embedded movie to be played, an embedded picture, an embedded link, an embedded interactive form, an embedded 3D environment, or an embedded interactive image such as a browsable map. 
     The displayable page  110  can include an indicator  118 . The indicator  118  is defined as an icon, a block of text, or other representation of the location of where the content block  116  is being displayed. 
     The content block  116  can include a content attribute  120 . The content attribute  120  is defined as a set of digital characteristics, identifications, and requirements for presenting the content block  116 . For example, the content attribute  120  can include a pre-existing tag  122  of a preset display device  124 , a content type  126 , a content resolution  128 , a content size  130 , a content frame rate  132 , a contrast requirement  134 , an audio requirement  136 , a touch screen requirement  138 , or a combination thereof. 
     The pre-existing tag  122  is defined as a tag created by the publisher of the content block  116  that designates the preset display device  124  to be used to display the content block  116 . The content type  126  is defined as an enumerated category of content, such as a compressed image, a bitmap image, a video, an audio, or an interactive application. 
     The content resolution  128  is defined as the number of pixel columns (width) and the number of pixel rows (height) of the content block  116 . The content size  130  is defined as the digital space required to store the content block  116 . The content frame rate  132  is defined as how many consecutive images per second does the content block  116  contain. 
     The contrast requirement  134  is defined as the ratio of the luminance of the brightest color (white) to that of the darkest color (black) that is required for displaying the content block  116 . The audio requirement  136  is defined as a flag indicating whether the content block  116  contains audio to be played. The touch screen requirement  138  is defined as a flag indicating whether the content block  116  contains interactive elements that necessitates a touch screen on a potential displaying device. The content attribute  120  can also include other attributes such as color palette requirements, accessibility requirements, form factor requirements, viewing angle requirements or password protection. 
     As a specific example, the content attribute  120  can be a flag noting whether the content block  116  contains only text, such as encoded text, American Standard Code for Informational Interchange (ASCII) text, text that is represented by pixels, or text that is not represented by pixels. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , therein is shown an exemplary block diagram of the electronic device  104  of the electronic reader system  100  of  FIG. 1 . The electronic device  104  can include a user interface  202 , a control unit  204 , and a storage unit  206 . The user interface  202  can include the first display device  108  of  FIG. 1 . The control unit  204  can include a control interface  210 . The storage unit  206  can include a storage interface  212 . 
     The user interface  202  allows a user to interface and interact with the electronic reader system  100 . The user interface  202  can include an input device and an output device. Examples of the input device of the user interface  202  can include a keypad, a touchpad, soft-keys, a keyboard, a microphone, a touch pad, a camera, a webcam or a combination thereof to provide data and communication inputs. 
     The user interface  202  can include the first display device  108 . Examples of the output device of the user interface  202  can include the first display device  108 . The first display device  108  can include a display, a projector, a video screen, a speaker, or a combination thereof. The first display device  108  can also be a touch screen, such that inputs can be received from the first display device  108 . 
     The control unit  204  can execute a software  214  to provide the intelligence of the electronic device  104 . The control unit  204  can operate the user interface  202  to display information generated by the electronic device  104 . The control unit  204  can also execute the software  214  for the other functions of the electronic device  104  or the electronic reader system  100 , including receiving image information from the capturing device  102  of  FIG. 1 . The control unit  204  can further execute the software  214  for adjusting and updating the image information to display on or through the first display device  108  of  FIG. 1 . 
     The control unit  204  can be implemented in a number of different manners. For example, the control unit  204  can be a processor, an embedded processor, a microprocessor, a hardware control logic, a hardware finite state machine, a digital signal processor, or a combination thereof. 
     The control unit  204  can include the control interface  210 . The control interface  210  can be used for communication between the control unit  204  and other functional units in the electronic reader system  100 . The control interface  210  can also be used for communication that is external to the electronic device  104  or the electronic reader system  100 . 
     The control interface  210  can receive information from the other functional units or from external sources, or can transmit information to the other functional units or to external destinations. The external sources and the external destinations refer to sources and destinations external to the electronic device  104 . 
     The control interface  210  can be implemented in different ways and can include different implementations depending on which functional units or external units are interfacing with the control interface  210 . For example, the control interface  210  can be implemented with a pressure sensor, an inertial sensor, a microelectromechanical system, optical circuitry, waveguides, wireless circuitry, wireline circuitry, or a combination thereof. 
     The storage unit  206  can store the software  214 . The storage unit  206  can also store the relevant information, such as preferred settings, operating system, previous adjustments and updates, the displayable page  110  of  FIG. 1 , or a combination thereof. 
     The storage unit  206  can be a volatile memory, a nonvolatile memory, an internal memory, an external memory, or a combination thereof. For example, the storage unit  206  can be a nonvolatile storage such as non-volatile random access memory, Flash memory, disk storage, or a volatile storage such as static random access memory. 
     The storage unit  206  can include the storage interface  212 . The storage interface  212  can be used for communication between the control unit  204  and other functional units in the electronic device  104  or the electronic reader system  100 . The storage interface  212  can also be used for communication that is external to the electronic device  104  or the electronic reader system  100 . 
     The storage interface  212  can receive information from the other functional units or from external sources, or can transmit information to the other functional units or to external destinations. The external sources and the external destinations referred to as sources and destinations external to the electronic device  104 . 
     The storage interface  212  can be implemented differently depending on which functional units or external units are being interfaced with the storage unit  206 . The storage interface  212  can be implemented with technologies and techniques similar to the implementation of the control interface  210 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , therein is shown an example of an operation of the electronic reader system  100  of  FIG. 1 . The electronic reader system  100  is shown to use a rank module  302  to compare a first display capability  304  of the first display device  108  to a second display capability  306  of the second display device  112 . The rank module  302  is defined as a module of the electronic reader system  100  for ranking a first display capability against a second display capability to determine which one is superior for displaying, rendering, playing or executing a content block having a particular content attribute. 
     The first display capability  304  is defined as numeric or enumerated measures of electronic, physical, or mechanical characteristics of the first display device  108  as well as binary flags of whether the first display device  108  can display a particular type of content. The second display capability  306  is defined as numeric or enumerated measures of electronic, physical, or mechanical characteristics of the second display device  112  as well as binary flags of whether the second display device  112  can display a particular type of content. The first display capability  304  or the second display capability  306  can include at least a screen resolution capability  312 , a frame refresh rate  314 , a screen size  316 , a color table size  318 , a contrast ratio  320 , an audio capable flag  322 , a touch screen capable flag  324 , a form factor  326 , a weight  328 , a view angle  330 , or a combination thereof. 
     The screen resolution capability  312  is defined as a number or numbers of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed. The frame refresh rate  314  is defined as the frequency at which a display device can produce unique consecutive images. The screen size  316  is defined as the lengthwise measure of a display device along each dimension. The color table size  318  is defined as the number of bits used to represent the color of a single pixel in a display device. 
     The contrast ratio  320  is defined as the ratio of the luminance of the brightest color (white) to that of the darkest color (black) that a display device is capable of producing. The audio capable flag  322  is a Boolean (yes/no) flag indicating whether a display device is capable of playing audio. The touch screen capable flag  324  is a Boolean flag indicating whether a display device has a touch screen. The form factor  326  is an enumerated measure of how portable a display device is, such as pocket-size, fixture, projector-shaped, or flexible screen. 
     The weight  328  is defined as the vertical force exerted by a mass of a display device as a result of gravity. The view angle  330  is defined as an angular extent that an image can be viewed from a display device. Other display capabilities can also be used to characterize a display device, such as glare resistance, power consumption, or heat dissipation. 
     The rank module  302  in the electronic reader system  100  can compare two capability values of the same type for determining which one of those values is better suited for rendering a content block having a certain content attribute associated with the capability values. The rank module  302  is unexpected advantageous by utilizing content differentiation with screen capability selection to provide a richer multimedia electronic book reading experience for readers, where every piece of content is displayed by the best possible device for its content type. 
     For example, the rank module  302  can compare a resolution capability of 320×240 for the first display device  108  to a resolution capability of 1920×1080 for the second display device  112 , where the content attribute  120  of the content block  116  shows that the content block  116  can have a resolution of 1024×720. Here, the resolution numbers are defined as pixel resolution, such as the number of pixel columns (width) and the number of pixel rows (height). In the example, the rank module  302  can rank the first display capability  304  of the first display device  108  to be lower than the second display capability  306  of the second display device  112 , because the resolution of the first display capability  304  is not enough to display the content block  116 , while the resolution of the second display capability  306  is enough to display the content block  116 . 
     The electronic reader system  100  can also store an accessibility entry  332  of the second display device  112  for future linkage of the second display device  112  to the electronic device  104  when displaying a similar content  334  having the content attribute  120 . The accessibility entry  332  is defined as a set of basic information and requirements for utilizing a device to render content blocks. The accessibility entry  332  can include, for example, at least: a usage permission  336 , a physical location  338 , a digital location  340 , or a combination thereof. The similar content  334  is defined as a content box having at least one of the same content attribute  120  as that of the content box  116 . 
     The usage permission  336  is defined as information related to who and which device may access the display device, including password protection, time of day usage restriction, user device restriction, or other types of protections and restrictions against use. The physical location  338  is defined as a representation of where the display device is in reference to a known location, such as a GPS location, a pre-defined coordinate, or a zip code. The digital location  340  is defined as a representation of where the display device is on a network, such as an IP address. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , therein is shown a specific example of a flow chart of a method of operation of the electronic reader system  100  of  FIG. 1 . In this specific example, the method includes determining whether the electronic reader system  100  is operating in a coupled mode, in a step  402 . The method includes rendering contents on a built-in display of the electronic reader system  100  and ending the process when not in the coupled mode, in a step  404 . 
     On the other hand, the method includes clearing an external screen of an external display device when the electronic reader system  100  is operating in the coupled mode, in a step  406 . After the step  406 , the method then includes extracting raw content for the content block  116  of  FIG. 1  from the displayable page  110  of  FIG. 1 , in a step  408 . 
     After raw content is extracted, the method further includes determining whether the raw content is non-text multimedia content, in a step  410 . In a first scenario, the method includes rendering the raw content on the built-in display of the electronic reader system  100  when the raw content is not non-text multimedia content and continuing on to a step  418 , in a step  412 . In a second scenario, the method includes displaying the raw content on an external display device when the raw content is non-text multimedia content, in a step  414 . After the step  414 , the method includes displaying either the raw content, an icon, or indication of the raw content on the built-in display, in a step  416 . 
     The method in this example can terminate after determining whether the displayable page  110  of raw contents are rendered in a step  418 . If the displayable page  110  is completely rendered, then the method in the example terminates. Otherwise, the method proceeds back to the step  408 . 
     In the specific example, the electronic reader system  100  is configured such that, when the electronic reader system  100  can detect the content block  116  containing non-text content such as image/video in the displayable page  110  to be rendered. When the content block  116  containing non-text content is detected, the electronic reader system  100  automatically transmits the content block  116  to the second display device  112  of  FIG. 1  by sending a handshake signal to the second display device  112 . The transmitted non-text content is then displayed on the second display device  112 , while the electronic reader system  100  can display on the first display device  108  all of the displayable page  110 , or only text portions of the displayable page  110 . 
     The first display device  108  of  FIG. 1  and the second display device  112  can be used together in a pairing process that identifies each other. For example, when a user starts to use the electronic device  104  to access multimedia content such as an electronic book, the electronic device  104  checks whether the second display device  112  is currently available or not. If the second display device  112  is available, the electronic device  104  operates in a coupled-mode, otherwise the electronic device  104  operates in a stand-alone mode. 
     The stand-alone mode is defined as an operation of the electronic reader system  100  where there is only one single display for the displayable page  110 . The coupled mode is defined as an operation of the electronic reader system  100  where the displayable page  110  can display portions of contents on the first display device  108 , and other portions of contents on the second display device  112 . For example, in the coupled mode, the non-text content can be automatically extracted for transmission to the second display device  112  for display, where the second display device  112  can be paired previously. 
     The displayable page  110  such as pages from electronic books can be created using several different formats, such as HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), Amazon Kindle, Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format). The electronic reader system  100  can implement some or all of the existing formats. The electronic reader system  100  can identify the content attribute  120  of each of the content block  116  based on the descriptions defined by those format specifications. The content attribute  120  indicates whether the content block  116  is text, image, video, audio clips or any other content types. Based on this information, the electronic reader system  100  can extract the content block  116  that is non-text and transmit the content block  116  to the second display device  112 . 
     The second display device  112  can be checked to determine if it has better display capability, such as larger and/or higher definition color display. If the above check is true, the electronic reader system  100  then shows or plays the content block  116  containing the non-text content on the second display device  112 . The first display device  108  can also show the content block  116  simultaneously, or show icons or symbols indicating where the content block  116  is shown, such as on the second display device  112 . 
     It has been discovered the second display device  112  coupled to the electronic device  104  having the first display device  108  provides a more compact electronic reader system. The second display device  112  coupled to the electronic device  104  having the first display device  108  allows the electronic device  104  to separate itself from heavy display technologies such as large LCD, plasma, and projection screens, while enjoying the same powerful and rich display technologies capable of displaying a multitude of multimedia via the coupled mode. Accordingly, the second display device  112  coupled to the electronic device  104  provides a more compact electronic reader system. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , therein is shown a control flow of the electronic reader system  100  of  FIG. 1 . The electronic reader system  100  can include a content read module  502 . The content read module  502  is a module of the electronic reader system  100  for identifying an attribute of a particular content block on a displayable page stored on the electronic reader system  100 . The content read module  502  can function to identify the content attribute  120  of  FIG. 1  of the content block  116  of  FIG. 1  on the displayable page  110  of  FIG. 1 . 
     For example, the content read module  502  can identify that the content block  116  of the displayable page  110  has a resolution of 1024×720. As another example, the content read module  502  can identify that the content block  116  of the displayable page  110  requires a device that can play audio. As yet another example, the content read module  502  can identify that the content block  116  of the displayable page  110  is entirely black and white. 
     The content read module  502  can identify the content attribute  120  having at least the content type  126  of  FIG. 1 , the content resolution  128  of  FIG. 1 , the content size  130  of  FIG. 1 , the content frame rate  132  of  FIG. 1 , the contrast requirement  134  of  FIG. 1 , the audio requirement  136  of  FIG. 1 , the touch screen requirement  138  of  FIG. 1 , or a combination thereof. The content attribute  120  can also include the pre-existing tag  122  of  FIG. 1  with the preset display device  124  of  FIG. 1  for the content block  116 . 
     It has been discovered identifying the content attribute  120  of the content block  116  on the displayable page  110  provides the electronic reader system  100  having seamless electronic book viewing experience. Identifying the content attribute  120  serves allow for determination of where to display or play such content blocks that is most representative of the contents as they were first captured. Determination of where to display or play contents saves the need for users to select specific contents to be displayed on specific display devices. Identifying the content attribute  120  further allows the electronic reader system  100  to optimize for specific devices to display small portions of the displayable page  110  without interrupting the flow of electronic book reading. Identifying the content attribute  120  of the content block  116  thereby provides a seamless electronic book viewing experience. 
     The electronic reader system  100  can include a discover module  504 . The discover module  504  can be coupled to the content read module  502 . The discover module  504  is a module of the electronic reader system  100  for determining a display capability of a first display device and a display capability of a second device, both display capabilities associated with a content attribute of a content block to be displayed. The discover module  504  can function to determine the first display capability  304  of  FIG. 3  of the first display device  108  of  FIG. 1  and the second display capability  306  of  FIG. 3  of the second display device  112  of  FIG. 1 , both associated with the content attribute  120 . The discover module  504  can retrieve the content attribute  120  from the content read module  502 . 
     The discover module  504  can function to determine the second display capability  306  associated with the content attribute  120  from the communication port  106  of  FIG. 1 , where the communication port  106  is for connecting with the second display device  112 . For example, the discover module  504  can determine display capabilities having at least a resolution attribute, a frame rate attribute, a screen size attribute, a color table size attribute, a contrast ratio attribute, an audio output attribute, a touch screen attribute, or a combination thereof. As another example, the discover module  504  can function to determine only the second display device  112  within the predetermined distance  114  of  FIG. 1  of the first display device  108 . 
     The discover module  504  can determine display capabilities by requesting such capabilities from the display devices themselves. The discover module  504  can also determine display capabilities by testing the display devices, such as sending a video signal and determining whether an error signal is returned. Display capabilities can also be determined through user input or through a database on the electronic device  104  of  FIG. 1 , on the display devices, or on the Internet. 
     The electronic reader system  100  can include the rank module  302 . The rank module  302  can be coupled to the discover module  504 . The rank module  302  can function to rank the second display capability  306  against the first display capability  304 . The rank module  302  can retrieve the first display capability  304  and the second display capability  306  from the discover module  504 . 
     The rank module  302  can have a list of quantifiable measures that can be associated with the content attribute  120 , the first display capability  304  and the second display capability  306 . Included in the list of quantifiable measures is also a directional tag indicating which direction of the quantifiable measure is the “superior” number. For example, the resolution capability  312  of  FIG. 3  associated with the content resolution  128  of  FIG. 1  can be in the list of quantifiable measures, where the direction tag can indicate that the higher the resolution capability  312 , the more “superior” the display device is. 
     The rank module  302  can also have a list of enumerated measures or Boolean flags that can be associated with the content attribute  120 , the first display capability  304  and the second display capability  306 . Each instance of the content attribute  120  can be associated with an enumerated measure or Boolean flag. For example, the content attribute  120  can have an indication that it includes audio, such as in the audio requirement  136  of  FIG. 1 . The audio requirement  136  can be associated with an enumerated measure of “audio capable” in the audio capable flag  322 . In this case, the rank module  302  will rank a display device having the enumerated measure of being “stereo audio capable” higher than another device without the enumerated measure. The list of quantifiable measures, enumerated measures, or Boolean flags in the rank module  302  can be provided by the publisher of the displayable page  110 , a viewer of the displayable page  110 , a database from a third party, or a database pre-installed within the storage unit  206  of  FIG. 2 . 
     The rank module  302  can also use the location information of the second display device  112  for ranking For example, if the content attribute  120  indicates that the content block  116  is an audio clip and the second display device  112  has a speaker, the rank module  302  can rank the second display device  112  higher than the first display device  108  when the second display device  112  is located within audible range, for example, 30 feet. 
     It has been discovered the rank module  302  serves to simplify complex display systems. Having the rank module  302  to rank a first display capability against a second display capability allows the electronic reader system  100  to choose which display device is best suited for a particular content block. In a system environment with a vast number of different multimedia book types and several possible display devices, the rank module  302  can simplify the system so that user selection of display devices would be unnecessary. The rank module  302  thereby provides a simplified display system by ranking display device capabilities. 
     The electronic reader system  100  can include a render module  508 . The render module  508  can be coupled to the rank module  302 . The render module  508  is a module of the electronic reader system  100  for automatically creating a linkage between the electronic device  104  and sending a block of content off to a second display whenever the block of content is detected on the displayable page  110  and determined to be a better candidate for displaying by the rank module  302 . 
     The linkage between the electronic device  104  and the second display device  108  allows electronic device  104  to directly control the second display device  108 . The render module  508  can function to send the content block  116  for displaying on the second display device  112  when the second display capability  306  is ranked higher than the first display capability  304 . 
     For example, the render module  508  can also send the content block  116  to be displayed on both the first display device  108  and the second display device  112 . The render module  508  can synchronize the display of the first display device  108  and the second display device  112  such that any changes relating to the content block  116  on the displayable page  110  shown on the first display device  108  is reflected on the second display device  112 . The render module  508  can control the screen of the first display device  108 , the second display device  112 , or both to display the content block  116  in full screen. 
     The electronic reader system  100  can include an indication module  510 . The indication module  510  can be coupled to the render module  508 . The indication module  510  is a module of the electronic reader system  100  for generating an indicator of where a content block is being displayed on a displayable page within which the content block is embedded. The indication module  510  can function to generate the indicator  118  of  FIG. 1  of where the content block  116  is being displayed. For example, the indicator  118  can be generated by creating an icon depicting a monitor or display away from the first display device  108 . The indication module  510  can pass the indicator  118  generated to the render module  508  for display. 
     The electronic reader system  100  can include an update module  512 . The update module  512  can be coupled to the render module  508 . The update module  512  is a module of the electronic reader system  100  for clearing a second display device after a content block is sent off for displaying. The clearing occurs at least when the displayable page of the content block is minimized, skipped, or removed. The update module  512  can function to clear the second display device  112  after the content block  116  was sent for displaying at least when the displayable page  110  is skipped, removed, or minimized. For example, the update module  512  can clear the second display device  112  by commanding the render module  508  to show a blank screen on the second display device  112  when the displayable page  110  is minimized through a command on the electronic device  104  of  FIG. 1 . 
     The electronic reader system  100  can include a modification module  514 . The modification module  514  can be coupled to the render module  508 . The modification module  514  is a module of the electronic reader system  100  for modifying a block of content for displaying based on the display capability of where the block is to be displayed and the content attribute of the content block. The modification module  514  can function to modify the content block  116  for the render module  508  to send to the second display device  112 , based on at least: the content attribute  120 , the first display capability  304 , the second display capability  306 , or a combination thereof. For example, the modification module  514  can modify the content block  116  by sampling a lower frame rate given that the display capability of all available displays have a lower frame rate than the maximum frame rate of the content block  116 . 
     The electronic reader system  100  can include an access memory module  516 . The access memory module  516  can be coupled to the render module  508 . The access memory module  516  is a module of the electronic reader system  100  for compiling accessibility information of a display device for reference for future linkage of the display device to the electronic reader system  100 . The access memory module  516  can function to compile the accessibility entry  332  of  FIG. 3  of the second display device  112  for future linkage of the second display device  112  when displaying the similar content  334  of  FIG. 3  having the content attribute  120 , the accessibility entry  332  including at least: usage permission, physical location, digital location, or a combination thereof. 
     For example, the access memory module  516  can compile the digital location and usage permission of a shared TV, such that next time when the shared TV is coupled, the electronic reader system  100  can easily access it without requiring additional information. The access memory module  516  can supply the accessibility entry  332  to the render module  508  so that the render module  508  can easily send the content block  116  for displaying on the second display device  112 . 
     The software  214  of  FIG. 2  of the electronic device  104  of  FIG. 1  can include modules of the electronic reader system  100 . For example, the software  214  can include the content read module  502 , the discover module  504 , the rank module  302 , the render module  508 , the indication module  510 , the update module  512 , the modification module  514 , and the access memory module  516 . 
     The control unit  204  of  FIG. 2  can execute the software  214  for the content read module  502  to identify the content attribute  120  of the content block  116  on the displayable page  110 . The control unit  204  can execute the software  214  for the discover module  504  to determine the first display capability  304  of the first display device  108  and the second display capability  306  of the second display device  112 , both associated with the content attribute  120 . 
     The control unit  204  can execute the software  214  for the rank module  302  to rank the second display capability  306  against the first display capability  304 . The control unit  204  can execute the software  214  for the render module  508  to process the content block  116  for displaying on the second display device  112  when the second display capability  306  is ranked higher than the first display capability  304 . The control unit  204  can execute the software  214  for the indication module  510  to generate the indicator  118  of where the content block  116  is being displayed. 
     The control unit  204  can execute the first display device  108  of  FIG. 1  to display the content block  116  on the first display device  108  or the second display device  112 . The software  214  can include the content read module  502 . Based on the size of the storage unit  206  of  FIG. 2 , the software  214  can include additional modules of the electronic reader system  100 . The control unit  204  can execute the modules partitioned on the software  214  as previously described. 
     The user interface  202  of  FIG. 2  can receive instructions from the user, the electronic reader system  100 , or a combination thereof. The control unit  204  can operate the control interface  210  of  FIG. 2  to process the content block  116  to the second display device  112 , such as an external display. 
     The content read module  502  can use the control unit  204  to identify the content attribute  120  of the content block  116  on the displayable page  110 . The access memory module  516  can store the accessibility entry  332  to the storage unit  206  through the storage interface  212 . The content read module  502  can access the displayable page  110  and the content attribute  120  from the storage unit  206  through the storage interface  212  as well. 
     The electronic reader system  100  can also be implemented as additional functional units in the electronic device  104 . For example, the content read module  502  can be an additional functional unit in the electronic device  104 . The electronic reader system  100  describes the module functions or order as an example. The modules can be partitioned differently. For example, the content read module  502  and the discover module  504  can be combined. Each of the modules can operate individually and independently of the other modules. 
     Furthermore, data generated in one module can be used by another module without being directly coupled to each other. For example, the rank module  302  can receive the content attribute  120  from the content read module  502  for ranking the first display capability  304  and the second display capability  306 . For another example, the render module  508  can also receive the content block  116  from the content read module  502 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6  therein is shown a flow chart of a method  600  of operation of an electronic reader system in a further embodiment of the present invention. The method  600  includes: identifying a content attribute of a content block on a displayable page, in a block  602 ; determining a first display capability of a first display device associated with the content attribute, in a block  604 ; determining a second display capability associated with the content attribute from a communication port, the communication port for connecting with a second display device having the second display capability, in a block  606 ; ranking the second display capability against the first display capability, in a block  608 ; and processing the content block for displaying on the second display device when the second display capability is ranked higher than the first display capability, in a block  610 . 
     The resulting method, process, apparatus, device, product, and/or system is straightforward, cost-effective, uncomplicated, highly versatile, accurate, sensitive, and effective, and can be implemented by adapting known components for ready, efficient, and economical manufacturing, application, and utilization. 
     Another important aspect of the present invention is that it valuably supports and services the historical trend of reducing costs, simplifying systems, and increasing performance. 
     These and other valuable aspects of the present invention consequently further the state of the technology to at least the next level. 
     While the invention has been described in conjunction with a specific best mode, it is to be understood that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the aforegoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the included claims. All matters hithertofore set forth herein or shown in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted in an illustrative and non-limiting sense.