Abstract: A method and system for identifying books located on a bookshelf. Photographs of the bookshelf are captured and processed to identify individual books. Processing involves segmenting the photograph into individual book spines and extracting and analyzing features of the book spines. Analysis may include database matching and/or optical character recognition. Book spines for which a match is not found are human labeled, and the label information is added to the database. User feedback is also used to update the database.

Abstract: A method of synchronizing multi-sensory enhancement with e-reading content is provided. The method includes tracking eye movement of a user of an e-reader, providing a customizable multi-sensory indicator embedded within a portion of a story presented on the e-reader and responsive to the eye movement of the user being correlated with the customizable multi-sensory indicator, providing a user customized multi-sensory enhancement which is associated with the portion of the story presented on the e-reader.

Abstract: A method and system for providing an alternate gesture interface. A computing device, such as an electronic personal display or e-reading device, includes a memory and a display screen having touch functionality. The memory stores instructions configured to enact a page transition operation for digital content rendered on the display screen upon receipt of a first gesture input action performed at a first portion of the display screen. The method comprises receiving a gesture-mode switch request; in response to the gesture-mode switch request, disabling the touch functionality of the display screen; activating the touch functionality in only a second portion of the display screen, the second portion being at least partly spatially exclusive of the first portion of the display screen; and enacting the page transition operation only when a predefined second gesture input action is received at the second portion of the display screen.

Abstract: A method for providing a toggle interface on an electronic personal display is provided. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving a request to enter a toggle mode from a user, determining a first e-book content associated with the user, determining a second e-book content associated with the first e-book content; and directing the electronic personal display to open said second e-book content when initiating the toggle mode.

Abstract: A computing device includes a housing and a display assembly having a screen. The housing at least partially circumvents the screen so that the screen is viewable and a set of touch sensors are provided with the display assembly. A processor is provided within the housing to detect a gesture via the set of touch sensors, and to interpret the gesture as one of a plurality of user inputs. The processor further detects a presence of extraneous objects on a surface the screen of the display assembly, and adjusts one or more settings of the computing device in response to detecting the presence of extraneous objects. For example, the processor may adjust the one or more settings by reconfiguring a set of actions to be performed in response to the plurality of user inputs.

Abstract: A computing device includes a housing and a display assembly having a screen. The housing at least partially circumvents the screen so that the screen is viewable and a set of touch sensors are provided with the display assembly. A processor is provided within the housing to detect a plurality of interactions with the set of touch sensors. The processor further determines, based on the plurality of interactions, a presence of extraneous objects on a surface of the screen of the display assembly. More specifically, the processor may determine that the screen is wet if three or more interactions are detected, concurrently, via the set of touch sensors and/or a contact duration associated with each of the plurality of interactions exceeds a threshold duration.

Abstract: Systems and methods for rendering automatic annotation for electronic books with external information provided by an information database. A computer implemented method is used to automatically determine key terms and match the key terms with correct information from external information sources for presentation at an e-book page. The key terms can be detected based on a TF-IDF based content analysis process. The detected key terms can be processed by a disambiguation process to select the pertinent definition for multi-sense terms according to one or more selected information sources. Hyperlinks can be embedded in the key terms for direct and convenient link to the matching external information in response to user interactions.

Abstract: An electronic reading device can include an adjustable RGBW front light and an ambient light sensor. Additionally, the electronic reading device can include circuitry configured to receive a signal from the ambient light sensor corresponding to a detected ambient light level, automatically display a default brightness level based on the detected ambient light level, determine if the brightness level is manually adjusted, automatically adjust the relative brightness based on the manually adjusted brightness level when the ambient light level changes, and update preferred relative settings to correspond to the manual adjustment.

Abstract: An electronic reading device includes an adjustable RGBW front light and an ambient light sensor. Additionally, the electronic reading device includes circuitry configured to receive a low ambient light preferred brightness level, receive a high ambient light preferred brightness level, and set a rate at which a brightness level transitions between the low ambient light preferred brightness level and the high ambient light preferred brightness level as the ambient light changes.

Abstract: An electronic reading device includes a display integrated into a front of the electronic reading device, the display being outlined by a non-touch sensitive portion of the front of the electronic reading device; wherein a predetermined section of the non-touch sensitive portion of the front of the electronic reading device includes a plurality of micro laser through holes, the plurality of micro laser through holes configured to integrate with the non-touch sensitive portion of the front of the electronic reading device by maintaining a predetermined level of visual consistency of the non-touch sensitive portion, and provide an area through which light is visible in response to one or more interactions with the electronic reading device.

Abstract: An electronic reading device includes a mid-frame structure such that the mid-frame structure can include a reverse draft. A reverse draft corresponds to a back of the electronic reading device being a predetermined amount wider than a front of the electronic reading device. Additionally, a co-molded mid-frame stiffener provides a predetermined rigidity of the electronic reading device. The electronic reading device also includes a display integrated with the front of the mid-frame structure, wherein a space between the display and the mid-frame structure includes one or more electronic reading device components. Similarly, a back cover is integrated with the back of the mid-frame structure, wherein a space between the back cover and the mid-frame structure includes additional electronic reading device components.

Abstract: An electronic reading device includes an adjustable RGBW front light and an ambient light sensor. Additionally, the electronic reading device includes circuitry configured to receive a signal corresponding to a brightness level from the ambient light sensor, receive a signal corresponding to a current screen color temperature, calculate a predetermined mixture of light based on at least one of the brightness level or the current screen color temperature, Wherein the calculation allows the current screen color temperature to remain the same regardless of the brightness level, and display the predetermined mixture of light via the adjustable RGBW front light.

Abstract: A protective case for an electronic reading device includes a back cover, wherein the back cover is configured to secure the electronic reading device. The back cover includes a plurality of metal plates, each of the plurality of metal plates disposed in a predetermined location. The protective case also includes a front cover, wherein the front cover includes a plurality of magnets, each of the plurality of magnets being disposed in a predetermined location and one or more of the plurality of magnets being positioned based on the location of one or more corresponding metal plates. The front cover also includes a Hall sensor magnet positioned on top of a magnet shielding, wherein the Hall sensor magnet is positioned between the magnet shielding and the back cover of the protective case when the protective case is in a closed position.

Abstract: An electronic reading device can include an adjustable RGBW front light and an ambient light sensor. Additionally, the electronic reading device can include circuitry configured to determine if a transition between phases has occurred, wherein the phases include a night phase, a sunrise transition phase, a daytime phase, and a sunset transition phase, automatically display a predetermined screen color temperature via the adjustable RGBW front light in response to the transition between phases, determine if a brightness level has changed, and automatically adjust a predetermined mixture of light to be displayed via the adjustable RGBW front light such that the screen color temperature does not change in response to the changing brightness level.

Abstract: A method and system for repaginating content displayed on a display screen of a computing device when upon receiving indication of an object superposed on the content. The content comprises display of one page in a series of digitally constructed pages. The repaginated content is re-flowed or line-wrapped around an identified keep out boundary to counteract any obscuration of displayed content. The repagination forces reconstruction of a next one of the series of pages for display.

Abstract: A method and system for deploying an ancillary display screen of an electronic personal display device in rendering digital content item portions, including a persistent rendering thereof. The method comprises receiving a command to modify a page of e-book content, the page including at least one margin indicia as rendered on the primary display screen, activating the ancillary display screen while displaying the modified page bereft of the at least one margin indicia on the primary display screen; and transitioning display of the at least one margin indicia to the ancillary display screen of the computing device.

Abstract: System and method of automatically generating a user-editable document to save search results for efficient management and utilization by users. A book reading program according to the present disclosure can receive a user search request and automatically save the search results to a designated annotation document according to a predetermined layout. Through various editing functions provided by the book reading GUI, a user can advantageously edit the annotation document. The results may be book or other passages that contain a query term. In the document, the passage themselves can be edited and the user can add additional content by using text editing features.

Abstract: Content Based Similarity Detection. A computer implemented method includes computing a hash of each word in a collection of books to produce a numerical integer token using a reduced representation and computing an Inverse Document Frequency (IDF) vector comprising the number of books the token appears in, for every token in the collection of books. The method also includes creating a token occurrence count vector for each book in the collection and normalizing the token occurrence count vector using the IDF vector to create a Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF) vector. Further, the method includes reducing each TF-IDF vector by using random projections to obtain a final signature representing each book in the collection, reducing each TF-IDF vector by using random projections to obtain a final signature representing each book in the collection and using a trained machine learning algorithm, determining whether each of the list of candidate books is similar to the target book.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a distraction free reading mode with an electronic personal display is disclosed. One example accesses non-adjustable settings for a reader mode. In addition, user adjustable settings for the reader mode on the electronic personal display are also accessed. The user adjustable settings and the non-adjustable settings are then implemented when the reader mode is initiated.

Abstract: An apparatus that includes a computer server having processing circuitry operatively coupled to a memory and a communication interface is provided. A remote image capture device is communicatively coupled to the computer server via the communication interface. The apparatus acquires a captured image of a storage system from the image capture device. The apparatus identifies a pair of physical items in the image, including determining identities of each item of the pair of physical items, and identifying locations in the storage system of each physical item of the pair of physical items. The apparatus processes the image to measure a physical proximity between the pair of physical items, and generates or updates a measure of similarity between the pair of physical items based on the measured physical proximity. The apparatus can also process multiple images to determine similarity between different storage systems or associated persons based on item proximities.