Abstract:
A data carrier carries at least one identifier capable of being read by an electronic aid and is used by associating content in the form of a digital audio recording with an identifier coded on a data carrier to be read out loud by an aid. Such content is based on the words entered on the pages of a printed book. Such data carriers may be generated directly by the use of circuitry for recording contained in said electronic aid or generated indirectly by recording said content and storing the resultant digital files in memory on a computer, and thereafter uploading said files into memory of a server that may be accessed by the intended user of an electronic aid through a network by downloading said files into a handheld electronic aid for use with correlated data carriers on the pages of such book.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates in general to data carriers for use with a handheld electronic aid adapted for reading aloud information stored in the electronic aid correlated to an identifier printed on the data carrier and an improvement in the use of such an electronic reading aloud system based in part on a method for sharing such information for use by geographically disparate users by linking data carriers through the medium of a network of computers, such as the World Wide Web. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Data carriers, adapted to be read by a handheld electronic aid capable of reading an identifier printed on the data carrier, are found in commerce such as those used in connection with the electronic aid sold under the mark AnyBook™ by Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc. Data carriers can typically take the form of labels or sheets of paper. Identifiers can take the form of one or more patterns of dots on the data carrier that may be too small to be visually perceived by a human reader, but can be read by an electronic aid adapted for that purpose. In other circumstances, the identifiers can be printed with various inks in the visual spectrum or the ultra violet spectrum. Identifiers can be printed in a grid pattern with an x and y axis. Alternatively, identifiers can be printed in a radial pattern. Identifiers can also be printed in various other patterns and techniques commonly used in the art. Often, a plurality of identifiers is found on a single data carrier, thereby permitting the electronic aid to read the identifier at any number of places on the surface of a data carrier. In many instances, the electronic aid uses reference points on the identifier to read the identifier in any rotational orientation through the use of a software algorithm. 
         [0003]    Data carriers capable of being read by the use of a handheld electronic aid can be used for various purposes. One common application generally involves the use of a data carrier that is affixed to an item, such as a container of medicine or the page of a book. The information to be read aloud may be, in the case of the container of medicine, an audio clip corresponding to a the name of a medication, the dosage of medication to be taken, or instructions for taking such medication for the benefit of the aged or sight impaired. In such case, the audio clip is stored in memory in the electronic aid and correlated to the identifiers coded on such data carriers. With respect to use of data carriers on the pages of a printed book, the information to be read aloud is in most cases the words entered on the page to which the data carrier is affixed. With regard to the use of data carriers on pages of books or other educational materials, see applicant&#39;s pending U.S. application Ser. No. 13/189,868. The words are recorded into memory of the electronic aid in correlation with the identifiers coded on the data carrier on the page in question and read by the electronic aid. The audio recording can then be replayed by reading the data carrier with the electronic aid for the benefit of a young child who is going to bed or an older child who is learning to read. The audio recording is associated with the particular identifier and stored in the electronic aid, along with a reference to identifier. 
         [0004]    For example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/989,426 discloses the use of labels with identifiers that can be affixed, for example, to food items in order to assist visually impaired individuals with article identification. With respect to the instant invention, data carriers can be used to read out information aloud that is stored in a handheld electronic aid such as the AnyBook™ Reader designed and sold by Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc. that is mainly intended to facilitate a parent&#39;s desire to have his or her familiar voice be used to read aloud the words printed on the pages of a children&#39;s book for his or her child&#39;s enjoyment. 
         [0005]    Given the geographic diaspora of many formerly nuclear families in today&#39;s world, the problem to be solved by the instant invention is “How can Grandmom, who lives back East, read a bedtime story to her three year old grandson, who lives with his mother on the West Coast?” Or “How can dad, who is a Navy Seal stationed in Asia Minor, read a favorite book to his daughter back home?” By extension, one can appreciate that the publisher of children&#39;s books may want to make available page by page audio recordings of each of its children&#39;s books and, in accordance with the instant invention, may do so by uploading digital audio files just one time with the result that those files can be downloaded by many users of handheld electronic aids, such as the AnyBook™ Reader. Additionally, a teacher may upload recordings one time and reach a class of thirty students, each of whom has access to texts on which data carriers have been affixed to be read out as study help. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    According to the present invention, the foregoing and other objects and advantages are obtained by utilizing a data carrier for use with an electronic aid adapted for reading an identifier printed on the data carrier and electronically connectable to a personal computer, tablet computer, or smartphone, in accordance with the improvements set forth herein by which data carriers may be linked over a network of computers. 
         [0007]    The data associated with the identifier, the recorded sound information, and the link between the identifier and the recorded and stored sound information can be stored, for example, in memory within the handheld electronic aid or, in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the instant invention, may be recorded directly on and stored in a personal computer, tablet computer, or smartphone, for download into a handheld electronic aid. Additionally, information recorded in the device may be uploaded into the memory of the local computer. Such identifier, such sound information, and such link may be stored, for example, in the memory within a computer system by means for data communication to and from at least one electronic aid by a USB connection, for example, in the preferred embodiment or wirelessly, such as by a Bluetooth™ connection. Such information may then be shared, by the process of linking the local computer to a server for access by geographically disparate users over the internet. 
         [0008]    The instant invention solves the problem of the geographically disparate, yet loving, grandmother by way of a tripartite desktop under the control of an application software program running on a local computer that provides for access to a server on which content, in the form of digital audio files, can be uploaded by the grandmother for subsequent downloading by the parent of her three year old grandson in California, independent of the actual identifiers that will be used on the data carriers to be affixed to the pages of the book by the person downloading such audio files. Such desktop in the preferred embodiment is comprised of three sections that track and allow access to content of this nature that is stored (i) on the local computer of a user, (ii) on said server, or (iii) in a handheld electronic aid. 
         [0009]    Other details, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description of the presently preferred embodiment and presently preferred method of practicing the invention proceeds. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The invention will become more readily apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment thereof shown, by way of example only, in the accompanying drawings wherein: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  is a screenshot of the desktop under the control of a application software program running on a local computer according to one embodiment of the invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a handheld electronic aid for reading aloud information correlated to identifiers printed on data carriers in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  shows a printed book to which data carriers have been affixed; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  depicts certain icons providing certain functions to be performed on a server under the control of a user of the desktop of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  depicts certain icons providing certain functions to be performed on a local computer under the control or by a user of the desktop of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 6 . depicts certain icons providing certain functions to be performed on a handheld electronic device under the control of a user of the desktop of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 7 . is a block diagram of the system of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0018]    Referring to the drawings wherein like or similar references indicate like or similar elements throughout the several views, there is shown in  FIG. 1  a screenshot of the desktop controlled under the operation of an application software program running on a personal computer, or tablet computer, or smartphone that can be accessed by the user of a handheld electronic aid of the instant invention. 
         [0019]    The preferred embodiment of the invention as shown in  FIG. 1  is centered on a control panel for the linking of data carriers on a network, such as the Internet, which is depicted as a desktop  10  that is provided on the screen of a personal computer, tablet computer, or smartphone used by one or both of the following: (i) a user and possessor of a handheld electronic device as shown in  FIG. 2 ; or (ii) a content provider of digital audio files (as may be referred to herein as “content”) that are intended to be stored in one or more of such handheld electronic devices to be read out aloud in correlation with identifiers that have been printed on data carriers affixed to pages of a print book. Such desktop is under the control of an application software computer program running on said personal computer, tablet computer, or smartphone (hereinafter any one of the three being referred to as “a local computer” such as block  70  as labeled in  FIG. 7 ) and is tripartite in nature, having one section  110  tracking and identifying content that is stored in the memory of said local computer; having another section  120  tracking and identifying content that may be stored in the memory of said handheld electronic device; and a third section  130  tracking and identifying content that may be stored in the memory of a configured server that is connected to said local computer, in the preferred embodiment, over the Internet in a manner known in the art, such as via a browser program, to files stored in the memory of said server and that may be accessed by a privileged user of one of said handheld devices or a privileged person or entity not in possession of such a handheld device, but nevertheless having an interest in providing content that may be used by one or more of said handheld devices that are provided the privilege to access and download such content from said server. 
         [0020]    Desktop  10  is comprised, in part, of a row of function icons  100  that allow the desktop user to control operations in each of the three sectors (local computer  70 , device  20 , and server  73 ) of the desktop. Icon set  400  (depicted in further detail in  FIG. 4  and comprised of icons  401 ,  402 ,  403 , and two setting icon  404 ) allows the user to click on (or touch) an icon to control operation in the server sector of the desktop. Icon set  500  (depicted in further detail in  FIG. 5  and comprised of icons  501 ,  502 ,  503 , and  504 ) allows the user to click on (or touch) an icon to control operation in the local computer sector of the desktop. Icon set  600  (depicted in further detail in  FIG. 6  and comprised of icons  601 ,  602 ,  603 , and  604 ) allows the user to click on (or touch) an icon to control operation in the device sector of the desktop. Desktop  10  encompasses a three part tab  140  indicating and providing for each of the three sectors—sector  110  for tracking and operating on digital audio files stored in memory of the local computer; sector  120  for tracking and operating on digital audio files stored in memory of a handheld electronic device in the possession of the user; and sector  130  for tracking and operating on digital audio files stored in the server. Local computer sector  110  in this  FIG. 1  indicates that three digital audio files representing three print books—Book  1  numbered  111 , Book  2  numbered  112 , and Book  3  numbered  113  have been stored in memory of the local computer  70 —and further indicates for each the size of such content, the number of pages represented therein (which correspond to the number of data carriers necessary therefor), and the last time of editing each of such audio digital files. Additionally, such indications include information as to whether the recordings for such books have been completed as shown (Book being “Complete” while Books  2  and  3  are yet to be completed). Under sector  110 , a user may add or edit up to 200 books in the preferred embodiment consisting of up to 200 pages for each such book and up to 26 data carriers correlated to each such book with a maximum time of recording of 15 minutes in connection with the files correlated to each such data carrier. The reader will appreciate that the system may be expanded in order to minimize such limitations. Using such sector  110 , the user is provided the ability to upload book cover graphics (in a jpeg file) and the title for each book as a part of, for example, any one of Book  111 , Book  112 , or Book  113 . Each data carrier that will be used in such books is assigned by the application program a unique serial number that serves to correlate the audio file with a unique identifier printed on such data carrier to be read by an electronic aid in which is stored such correlated content. Other functions accessible via tab  140  for sector  110  include electronic “morphing” of the voice stored in a digital audio file and playback of audio files recorded using the program controlling sector  110 . Tab  140  indicates with the entry “Books x 3 ” that in sector  110  three books have been stored by the desktop user. 
         [0021]    Sector  120  indicates whether a user of the desktop who has possession of a handheld electronic aid, such as that labeled  20  in  FIG. 2 , has presently connected that device to the local computer. Tab  140  indicates that an electronic aid is connected to the local computer of the user of the desktop in  FIG. 1 . Sector  120  indicates at its section  121  the number of books downloaded from the memory of local computer  70  and then stored in the device and the memory capacity needed to store each such book. Additionally, section  121  can be programmed to indicate the name of each book (not shown in  FIG. 1 ). 
         [0022]    Section  122  of sector  120  indicates by a gauge how much time or memory space is used or available in the electronic aid that is connected to the local computer of the user of the desktop, that is how much replay time or memory space in the device is taken up by books downloaded from the local computer, how much replay time or memory space in the device is taken up by books recorded directly on the device, and how much space or time remains available in the device. Section  123  of sector  120  indicates the sticker numbers of the data carriers that correlate to the identifiers on said data carriers that relate to the audio files recorded directly on and stored in said electronic aid. Tab  140  allows the user to take additional action with respect to the device, such as, entering a name for the device, especially helpful in the case in which the desktop is used to control more than one electronic aid, such as in the case in which a family has two children, each of which has an electronic aid, or in the classroom use situation, in which each of thirty devices may be “named” with the actual first name of each pupil. 
         [0023]    Sector  130  of desktop  10  provides the user of said desktop access to audio files stored in server  73  (shown in  FIG. 7 ), to which audio files said user has been provided authorization, whether because said user uploaded such files or is granted permission by others who have uploaded such files to said server  73 . For example,  FIG. 1  shows four storage areas on the server to which the user of desktop  10  has access. That a storage area of the server has been populated with books uploaded by “Grandmom” is indicated by section  131  of sector  130 . As section  131  of  FIG. 1  indicates, three books uploaded by her have been downloaded (or “shared”) to a sector  110  by others who have been granted access to that storage area of the server  73 . Additional functionality for a user accessing the server is provided in tab  140 , such as inviting others to use the book sharing system of the present invention, or to upload graphic files of the cover of books to the server  73 . 
         [0024]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a handheld electronic aid  20  that is known in the art that has been modified for use with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The aid has been outfitted with USB port  21  to allow the aid to be linked electrically with a local computer  70  (as shown in  FIG. 7 ) via a standard USB cable  22  (not shown in  FIG. 2 , but indicated in the block diagram of  FIG. 7 ). As may be appreciated, such aid  20  may also be electronically connected to local computer  70  by wireless connection, such as by utilization of the protocol known in the art as Bluetooth™. 
         [0025]    A printed book  30  to be used in connection with the preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 3 . Data carrier  301  in the form of a round sticker having identifiers set forth thereon (invisible to the naked eye, and for that reason not show in  FIG. 3 ) has been affixed to the left hand page of book  30  by a removable adhesive as is known in the art. Similar data carrier  302  having a different identifier set forth thereon but as well not shown is similarly affixed to the right hand page of book  30 . Each of stickers  301  and  302  in the preferred embodiment of this invention shall have printed serial numbers visible thereon (not shown in  FIG. 3 ). 
         [0026]      FIGS. 4 ,  5 , and  6  are screen shots of icons for use by the user of desktop  10  in each of sectors  130 ,  110 , and  120  respectively in order to control the operation of the application program running on local computer  70  vis a vis the server  73 , the memory of said local computer  70 , and a device, such as device  20 , connected via a USB cable to local computer  70 . 
         [0027]    Turning to  FIG. 4 , a screenshot of the illustrative icons of part  400  of desktop  10  to be used by clicking through (or touching, in the case of a touch screen computer, such as a tablet or smartphone) by a user of sector  130  on said desktop juxtaposed with a description of the function controlled thereby, one can appreciate the functions that can be employed with respect to the server  73  by the user of said desktop. Differential icons  404 , the login and logout icons, may be used by the user of desktop  10  firstly to gain access to the files stored on server  73 , that is, by clicking on (or touching) the “login” icon  404 . Once access has been so gained, login icon  404  is modified by action of application software program controlling said desktop  109  into “logout” icon  404  as is depicted on  FIG. 1  since the desktop shown therein presupposes the user&#39;s access to the server and therefore shows “logout” as the operative position of icon  404 . As can be appreciated as it is well known in the art, clicking on or touching login icon  404  will thereafter prompt the user to enter a password or other identifying code that will open the operative and allowed sections of sector  130  (in the case of  FIG. 1  the sections titled “Grandmom”  131 , Sally&#39;s Mom, Sally&#39;s Dad, and Grandson, access to which the user of desktop  10  is entitled once the proper password has been entered). Clicking on any one of server icons  401 ,  402 , and  403  causes the functions shown in  FIG. 4  to be exercised by the underlying application software computer program of local computer  70 , specifically and respectively, (i) refreshing the screen display of sector  130  to indicate books then available for download; (ii) deleting books from the server  73  that have been uploaded by the user of desktop  10 ; or (iii) downloading authorized books from the server  73  to local computer  70  for use by the user of desktop  10 . 
         [0028]      FIG. 5  is a screenshot of the graphic icons of part  500  of desktop  10  to be used by clicking through (or touching) by a user of sector  110  on that desktop juxtaposed with a description of the function controlled thereby to be employed with respect to the memory of local computer  70  by the user of said desktop. Icon  501  may be left clicked by the user of desktop  10  add content to the memory of the local computer  70 , that is, by recording audio files (via hardware and compatible application software built into local computer  70 ) and correlating those files to data carriers identified by unique “sticker number” with the result that the sticker number sequence for use with a book can be determined in the full discretion of the user of desktop  10  notwithstanding whether the audio files were downloaded from the server, recorded on the local computer, or uploaded from a device. In this way, the stickers (data carriers) to be affixed to a print book can be correlated precisely to identifiers set forth on each of them and to the proper content recorded by the user of desktop  10  and stored in memory of local computer  70 . The user of sector  110  of desktop  10  can assign serial numbered stickers to audio files simply by entering the serial numbers into sector  110 . As a convenience, consecutive serial numbers can be automatically entered by the application program once the first serial number is typed in by the user. Icon  502  allows the user to delete content stored as a book in local computer  70  memory. Icon  503  is used by the user of desktop  10  to upload content recorded and stored in local computer to server  73  memory and identified in sector  130  of desktop  10  as a book available for download from by others authorized to download content uploaded by that user to the server. Icon  504  allows for the user of desktop  10  to send content recorded on the local computer  70  to that user&#39;s device that is connected to the local computer as shown by tab  140  as it relates to sector  120  of desktop  10 . 
         [0029]    The icons of part  600  of desktop  10  are shown in screenshot of  FIG. 6 , which icons are intended to be clicked through or touched by a user of sector  120  of desktop  10 , in each case with a description of the function controlled thereby. Icon  601  can be clicked or touched by the user to restore content that was stored in the handheld device connected to local computer  70  that had been backed up by storing such content in the hard drive of local computer  70  (whether stored in such memory by downloading from server  73 , by recording using local computer  70 , or by being backed up after having been recorded directly on handheld electronic aid  20 ). Backing up content is accomplished by the user by the use of icon  602 , which allows the user to transfer specific audio files that were recorded on the handheld electronic aid directly or downloaded from the memory of the local computer  10  into the memory of said handheld device back into the memory of local computer  70 . Icon  603  is used by the user of desktop  10  and the possessor of electronic aid  20  to delete audio files that are then presently stored in the memory of said electronic aid. Icon  604  is clicked in the case that the user of desktop  10  desires to disconnect the USB connection between local computer  70  and handheld electronic aid  20  without losing any content stored either in such local computer memory or the memory of said handheld device. 
         [0030]      FIG. 7  is a block diagram of the system of the preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the connection of handheld electronic aid  20  (by way of USB cable  22 ) to local computer  70  (on which runs the application program that controls desktop  10 ) which is connected to the world wide web  72  by browser technology as is well known in the art. Another local computer  71  is shown without connection to an electronic aid, used herein to simulate the local computer used by Grandmom back East to record a book for her grandson and upload it to server  73  from her local computer  71 . 
         [0031]    The operation of the system of the preferred embodiment for the linking of data carriers via a network is intended to be seamless for users having access to a local computer only, or a local computer in combination with a handheld electronic aid as described hereinbefore so as to allow the user without a handheld device to record information in the form of digital audio files on a local computer that can be properly correlated with indentifiers on data carriers in the proper sequence that are affixed to pages of a print book in that sequence without the need for the recordings to be made in direct conjunction with data carriers, as is done with an electronic device in the presence of the affixed data carriers as is known in the art. The operation of the system is best appreciated in juxtaposition, as a diptych, that is, first from the view of the prior art, that is, by description of the recording of audio files and correlation of stickers by one having only a handheld device, data carriers, and a print book as juxtaposed with the inventive steps of recording and correlating from afar, via a network. 
         [0032]    The procedure necessitated by the use of the electronic aid alone to make recordings is as follows: first, the user identifies a book  30  to be read aloud to a child. To the pages of the book  30  are affixed data carriers  31  and  32  on which are identifiers, not visible to the naked eye, unique to each data carrier, which identifiers are readable by an electronic aid  20  in accordance with known technology. The user switches the electronic aid into its record mode and uses the tip of the electronic aid to scan the data carrier  301  on the first page of the book  30  which correlates the identifiers thereon with the memory location into which a digital audio file about to be recorded is to be stored. The user then records, using his or her own voice, the words on the first page of book  30 . When the child for whom the recording is made scans the sticker  301  on said first page of book  30  using the electronic aid in the play mode, he or she hears the audio file played out loud, that is, a reading of the words on the page in the voice of the person who made the recording. 
         [0033]    The improvement to the procedure spelt out above is as follows: In addition to recording audio files directly on an electronic aid after scanning the identifiers on data carriers given to the spatial proximity of the act of making the recording and the placing of tangible data carriers with identifiers thereon so correlated to such audio files, using the instant invention a geographically disparate person without the aid of an electronic aid and without physical access to data carriers can record audio files of specific pages of a book using his or her own voice so that those files can be heard out loud miles away by a user with an electronic aid and a book with unique data carriers affixed thereon so that the files are properly correlated to the pages of the book. In this context, uniqueness means that the device user chooses the serial numbered data carriers to be used on each page in his full discretion. Using this improvement, a user of a local computer  71  as shown in  FIG. 7 , without access to a handheld electronic aid, but with the application software program that controls desktop  10  loaded therein, can use sector  110  of the desktop  10  running thereon to record each page, page by page, of book  20  by use of icon  501  to add such content into memory of her local computer  71 . Such content is, under the control of the application software program, available to be correlated to sticker numbers as if the recording was made on an electronic aid. The files can then be uploaded by the user of local computer  71  to the server  73  by clicking on icon  503 . That user can then, using the functions of tab  140 , notify the intended recipient of that recording that the files are ready for download from server  73 . The intended recipient, using his or her local computer  70 , can thereafter click on icon  404  on his desktop  10  to gain access to server  73 , and, once having provided the proper password when prompted, can click on or touch icon  403  to download such correlated files into the memory of his local computer  70 . Information about the downloaded files then appears in sector  110  of desktop  10 , such as for the content of Book  1  as in subsection  111  as shown in  FIG. 1 . Subsection  111  is then used to assign the serial numbers of data carriers in the possession of the user of local computer  70  to each of the separate recorded audio files in the downloaded book. A series of consecutive serial numbers can be entered merely by entering the first serial number, under the control of the application software program. Once stored therein, the intended recipient of the far away recorded, yet now properly correlated, audio files can connect his or her electronic aid  20  via USB cable  22  to local computer  70 , and thereafter click on icon  504  to send that correlated content to the memory of electronic aid  20 . The data carriers in the possession of such user are placed properly on the pages of book  30  from the same starting page and in the same sequence as identified in subsection  111 . The child then uses the electronic aid to scan the data carriers properly sequenced on the pages of book  30  to hear out loud the recordings made by grandmother across a continent. 
         [0034]    Additionally, the user of device  20  can utilize sector  110  of his own desktop  10  to record audio files and assign serial numbers to such files, without recording on the device with said data carriers in close proximity. 
         [0035]    As can be appreciated, the procedure spelt out above is also applicable to the situation in which a publisher of children&#39;s books uploads an audible version of its book for download by thousands of users of electronic aids or the situation in which a teacher uploads for all the thirty students in her class audible notes, reminders, mnemonics, or hints to be read out loud while study is in progress in correlation with stickers placed on pages of the textbook that is being used by all thirty of those students.