Abstract: The Personal Electronic Book System invention replaces a standard handheld book with an electronic equivalent. The invention is sized and configured to be book size and to open like a book for use. When opened, the user sees two facing page-like touch-sensitive, display screens with black print on white background. Icons represent the electronically stored material, "artwork, audio clips, books, E-mail, faxes, games, magazines, movies, musical compositions, newspapers, photographs, software, video clips, etc.", which are selected by touching the icon. When a book, magazine, newspaper, or the like is selected, its table of contents is displayed and the user can then read page by page or go directly to a particular page by touching the selection listed in the table of contents. Closing the Personal Electronic Book automatically shuts down the device.

Abstract: A hand held electronic book is adapted to receive any number of replaceable cartridges. Each cartridge holds an alternate text and requires a separate set of functions. A predetermined set of function keys on the keyboard of the electronic book at predetermined positions are color coded. Each cartridge of a set of replaceable cartridges has the same number of similarly positioned and similarly color coded key-like designations. These designations provide an indication of the new function that the corresponding key on the keyboard has when the book accesses the cartridge involved. Thus color and position are the codes used to select the function indicated on the cartridge to the key on the keyboard that performs the function.

Abstract: A portable electronic device has a construction in which a first housing and a second housing are capable of being opened and closed and a display is mounted on an inner side of the first housing. A partial display area of the display is in a visible state even if the second housing is closed, and the full display area becomes in a visible state when the second housing is opened. An open/close state of the housings is detected by an open/close detector mounted on the first housing or the second housing. It may be detected by a user operating a predetermined key. According to the detected open/close state, a displaying area of the information is changed between the partial display area and the full display area. At the open state, the information is displayed in the full display area. At the closed state, the information is displayed in the partial display area.

Abstract: A portable image viewer including a compact housing with a cover for protecting a top surface thereof. Also included is a liquid crystal display situated on the top surface of the housing for displaying purposes. A standard floppy disk drive has a receiving aperture for accepting a non-volatile floppy disk and extracting data therefrom. An input port is included for accepting data from a conventional computer. Finally, hardware based control circuitry is situated within the housing and connected to the display and floppy disk drive. The control circuitry, in a first mode, is adapted to retrieve a specific file from the floppy disk and automatically fit the image from the file on the display. In a second mode of operation, the control circuitry is adapted to accept a file via the input port and utilize similar imaging fitting techniques.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for page-retrieval for use with an electronic display, especially suited for so-called electronic books, wherein a current relative position of a current page of the book and the number of times a page has previously been displayed are graphically displayed. A document image is stored in a document image storage unit and the document image is displayed on a computer screen. A number of display times storage unit stores the number of times each page has been viewed by a user. A relative location image control unit determines the relative location within the book image of a currently displayed page and the electronic book is displayed on the screen showing a visual indication of the relative position of the currently displayed page. The pages of the electronic book are color shaded by a number of display times image generation unit to give a visual indication of the relative number of times each page has been displayed to allow frequently displayed pages to be quickly located by a user.

Abstract: An electronic book includes a book-shaped housing having a first housing member pivotably connected to a second housing member to open and close in a book-like manner. A touchscreen displays a page of the text represented by the machine-readable data. A user-initiated event selecting a portion of the text is received by the touchscreen. The touchscreen displays the portion of the text in a highlighted form. The processor stores an indicator of the portion of the text to be highlighted in the removable machine-readable storage medium to remain with the text when the removable machine-readable storage medium is removed from the electronic book.

Abstract: A reusable housing receives a memory card containing a machine-readable storage medium to interface with a device having a PC card interface within a PC card slot. The memory card has a plurality of connection points for externally accessing the machine-readable storage medium. The reusable housing includes a housing member which removably receives and retains the memory card. The housing member has an exterior dimensioned to allow insertion thereof in the PC card slot. A PC card connector is positioned on the housing member to interface with the PC card interface when the housing member is inserted in the PC card slot. The reusable housing further includes an interface which receives the plurality of connection points when the memory card is received by the housing member and connects the plurality of connection points to the PC card connector to facilitate communication between the machine-readable storage medium and the PC card interface.

Abstract: A message card includes a button type dry battery, a visual image display, a speaker, a control circuit for recording, storing and reproducing both of visual images and audio messages data, a flexible circuit substrate for mounting the control circuit, connecting substrate formed integrally to the circuit substrate for connecting electrically the control circuit with the visual image display and with the speaker, writing terminals for writing desired visual images and audio messages data on the control circuit and being connected electrically to the control circuit on the substrate, and a switch for activating the reproduction of the visual images and the audio messages data.

Abstract: An electronic information apparatus for receiving information input in a plurality of formats and receiving a particular category of information capable of being registered in at least two corresponding formats includes a coordinate input apparatus for inputting information containing the particular category of information and a discriminator, for identifying one of the formats, associated with the particular category of information, a detector for detecting the discriminator, an extractor for extracting the particular category of information associated with the discriminator from the input information, and a memory for registering the extracted particular category of information in the format identified by the discriminator detected by the detector and for registering the particular category of information in another corresponding format.

Abstract: A display cover is coupled to a portable computer by one of a variety of double-pivot hinges. Such arrangements permit the cover to be folded flush against the back of the computer, providing the screen protection benefits of a cover without the usually-attendant increase in computer "footprint." The preferred cover includes a window that permits a portion of the display to be viewed even when the cover is closed. By such an arrangement, alert or status messages can be conveyed to the user without requiring that the cover be opened. In some embodiments, the user can respond to visual or other alert messages, again without opening the cover.

Abstract: A portable terminal device in which information items for each kind of memorandum data are previously registered in a RAM. An operator can select a desired kind of memorandum information from among a plurality of kinds of memorandum information by depressing a memorandum key. A guidance as to a first information item of the selected kind of memorandum information is displayed on a display portion. The operator can input data of the first information item with keys by following the guidance on the display portion. When the input operation for the data of the first information item is finished, a line-feed is automatically inserted by depressing a specified key, and a next guidance as to a second information item is displayed on the display portion. The operator inputs data of the second information item with the keys by following the displayed guidance. In a similar manner, the operator sequentially inputs data of all the information items by following the corresponding guidance on the display portion.

Abstract: A multi-piece body (102) having a first hollow body (103) with a surface (105) and a second hollow body (108) with a surface (110) is provided. The first hollow body (103) and the second hollow body (108) is hingeably affixed such that the surface (105) of the first hollow body (103) and the surface (110) of the second hollow body (108) are capable of being closed on each other. A computer including a processor (560) for manipulating data, memory for data storage, an input for entering data, and an output for removing data is located in the multi-piece body (102). A plurality of optical displays (116) are operably coupled to the electronics 130, thereby enabling data to be optically displayed with the plurality of page displays (116).

Abstract: A message card includes a button type dry battery, a visual image display, a speaker, a control circuit for recording, storing and reproducing both of visual images and audio messages data, a flexible circuit substrate for mounting the control circuit, connecting substrate formed integrally to the circuit substrate for connecting electrically the control circuit with the visual image display and with the speaker, writing terminals for writing desired visual images and audio messages data on the control circuit and being connected electrically to the control circuit on the substrate, and a switch for activating the reproduction of the visual images and the audio messages data.

Abstract: An electronic book comprising a plurality of leaves, each leaf comprising pages of printed material bound at one edge to form a spine, with electrical circuits formed in each leaf. A common electronic circuit such as a speech generator and/or controller cooperates with the electrical circuits on each of the various pages, connected to the electrical circuits in the leaves through conductive paths through the spine of the book. The electrical circuits in the leaves include electrical elements such as switches, and sensory output devices (e.g., thermochromic devices, light emitting diodes, thermo-olfactory devices, electrochromic devices, and the like). The electrical elements are associated with particular portions of the printed material so that the particular portions can be selectively highlighted or emphasized (e.g., designated by actuation of a visual or olfactory device and/or text read).

Abstract: A hand held portable reading unit having a screen capable of presenting characters in variable font sizes is provided for readers, such as the visually impaired, allowing them to read characters in a font size most comfortable to them. The reader effects font size changes by depressing a font size select button, in turn activating a counter incremented the number of times the button has been depressed to generate the corresponding size font desired. The incremented counter may be used to address a particular place in memory where bit-mapped characters of different font sizes are stored or may be used as a scalar inputted into a character scaling algorithm to generate a desired character font size. The stored textual data may further be presented in useable form to the blind wherein an audible processor is utilized to convert the stored character code into audible signals inputted into a speaker.

Abstract: An electric device, such as an electronic book, retrieves information from a memory and displays the information. A matrix array of sensors associated with the display can be actuated by a user to designate particular portions of a displayed page. In response to the designations, flags are stored identifying the designated portions, and the appearance of the portions on the display is modified to visually highlight the portions. The page including the designation information can be immediately retrieved and displayed at a later time in response to a user instruction.

Abstract: A portable display device capable of presenting a document in an easy to read format, in which a simultaneous display of different parts of the document in reasonable sizes can be made, by a simple operation of the device. The display device comprises a document memory for storing documents to be displayed, at least two display screens for displaying the documents stored in the document memory means, and a display control unit for controlling displays of the documents on the display screens to be in a linked mode in which the displays on the display screens are linked together and in a separate mode in which the displays on the display screens are independent from each other.

Abstract: A portable video disc displays information on a screen, the source is a CD ROM disc contained within the unit in a removable cartridge. The device can accept several size discs, display text as well as graphics, and display information is several sizes. A memory circuit is continuously connected to a power source so as to retain information even when the unit is turned off. A rocker switch on the front of the unit allows the reader to go forward or back a page.

Abstract: An expansible notebook computer includes a mainframe unit, a display, and a keyboard unit, wherein the mainframe unit has a floppy diskdrive on the inside, a display connector connected to a mainframe connector on the display unit, a top recess, which receives the keyboard unit, a keyboard connector on the top recess electrically connected to a connector on the keyboard unit, a plurality of expansion cartridge connectors on a vertical front wall thereof for connecting an expansion cartridge, a plurality of mounting slots and a plurality of battery contacts on the vertical front wall above the expansion cartridge connectors for connecting a battery box, a hard diskdrive connector and an expansion box connector on a bottom wall thereof for connecting a hard diskdrive and an expansion box.

Abstract: A paperless portable electronic book is disclosed which is adapted for use with interchangeably magnetic floppy discs, or the like and comprises reproducing device for reading information from the floppy disc, a display and a battery. Preferentially, the display is a liquid crystal and the battery is an amorphous silicon solar cell.