Computer user interface system and method

Abstract

A computer user interface system and method arranges a set of information hosted on a computer into a set of books, where each book includes a subset of the set of information, labels each book with a respective portion of the subset of the set of information, and selects a book from the set of books. Selecting the book from the set of books includes steps of displaying the respective portions of the books as a book document image that includes pages which correspond to the respective portions of the books, generating a command for moving through the pages, displaying an animated image of the pages of the book document being at least one of flipped, scrolled, slid and flashed images, and selecting the book when a selected one of the pages containing a selection portion of the book is earlier displayed.

Description

[0001] This application is related to copending patent application, serial No.______, filed herewith and copending patent application, Ser. No. 08 / 311,454, filed Sep. 26, 1994, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates to a computer user interface system and method for the purpose of browsing through documents stored in a computer. Specifically, the present invention facilitates the browsing of a document stored in a computer in such a way that it allows a rapid view of what contents are present and the organization of the material in the document, as well as rapid access to the items in the document involved. [0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art [0005] Currently, the method for viewing documents stored in a computer is through a computer monitor screen. For documents that are longer / larger than can be contained within one screen, a means is provided to scroll the document u...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0025] In view of the aforementioned short-comings of presently available schemes for browsing through documents stored in a computer, one objective of the present invention is to provide a browsing device that exploits the use of finger operations normally involved in browsing through a book, namely, the change of speed of movement through the document involved, the change of direction of movement through the document, the jumping to other portions of the document, and the bookmarking of pages (e.g., when a page is bookmarked, it can be returned / jumped to later very quickly by using the controls operated by the fingers).

[0026] Another objective of the invention is that the positioning and design of the controls for the above-mentioned operations performed by the fingers are such that they allow almost no movement of the hand and minimal movements of the fingers, thus maximizing the ease of browsing through the stored document. The dexterity of the human fingers is to be fully exploited for these controls.

[0027] A further objective of the invention is to provide a low cost, modular browsing device that can be easily attached to existing computer systems much like how a mouse attaches tc a computer system.

[0030] Another objective of the invention is to provide the following five methods of organizing the material in the document and corresponding display formats: (a) organized into pages and can be flipped through page by page from right to left or vice versa, much like what happens when one flips through a book; (b) organized into pages and.can be flipped through page by page from bottom to top or vice versa, much like what happens when one flips through a notepad; (c) organized into pages and slid through page by page from right to left or vice versa, much like what happens when one views a microfilm; (d) organized into pages that can be flashed one after another; (e) organized so to be scrolled through, with no distinct page boundaries, much like what is normally done in a word-processor. The first three methods incur more cost in terms of storage space and processing time, but when used together with the aforementioned browsing device result in a browsing process that most resembles that of browsing through a book, a notepad, or a micro-film. The last two methods demand less storage space and reduced processing time, and even though these two methods do not precisely emulate the book-browsing process, they can still benefit from the rapidity of finger control effected on the browsing device.

[0033] Another objective of the invention is to use the above-mentioned browsing facility in conjunction with software that can highlight selected portions of the material or annotate on the pages in the document involved to facilitate browsing / viewing / reading.

[0034] Yet another objective of the invention is to provide the above-mentioned browsing facility to a word processor to facilitate the entering, processing, and viewing / browsing of material in a word processor.

Problems solved by technology

However, most people do not find this a particularly convenient way to view a document, as compared with a book.

What is involved when one interacts with the printed material in a book is a subtle and complicated process.

Interestingly, a book / magazine with soft and flexible pages is harder to handle because more finger and hand movements are needed to browse through it, while books with stiff pages can be browsed with almost no movement of the hand.

The process is both lengthy and clumsy.

The lengthiness of the process taxes the human short term memory's ability to remember items encountered in the recent past for the purpose of establishing the relationships between items and the clumsiness of the process creates distraction and interferes with the short term memory process, a well known effect in perceptual psychology.

Also, unlike the process of scrolling through a document on a screen like what is normally done in a word-processor, wherein the contents become a blur and reading is impossible, when one moves through the material in a book through flipping, one is still able to read at least the approximate contents, if not the details.

However the Kuno et al. device still does not provide the same convenience as browsing through a book, primarily because when switching between the operations for different controls—the speed of movement through the document, the change of direction of viewing, and the jumping to different parts of the document—there are a lot more hand and finger movements than is the case in manipulating a physical book.

No provision is available for downloading document files from a computer for display on the electronic book nor is the electronic book able to display any arbitrary document file.

This device is hence not suitable for browsing through documents stored in a computer.

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