WO2001031469A1

WO2001031469A1 - Electronic reading device

Info

Publication number: WO2001031469A1
Application number: PCT/US2000/028691
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael W. Riley
Original assignee: R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company
Priority date: 1999-10-22
Filing date: 2000-10-17
Publication date: 2001-05-03
Also published as: AU1209801A; WO2001031469A9

Abstract

An electronic reading device includes a display made of a paper-based substrate having a number of display elements. Each display element has two stable states wherein the first stable state renders a first appearance and the second stable state renders a second appearance. The electronic reading device also includes a memory for storing information and a circuit which renders content on the substrate.

Description

ELECTRONIC READING DEVICE

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to electronic reading devices, and more particularly, to electronic reading devices having paper-based substrates to display and disseminate information.

Background Art

Many different hand-held electronic reading devices (or "electronic books") have been proposed. A typical hand-held electronic reading device includes a display screen which displays a user interface that allows a user to control the retrieval and display of information such as text and/or images. The user interface typically also allows the user to modify the information by highlighting, underlining or otherwise marking same.

The display screen of the typical electronic reading device comprises a liquid crystal display (LCD). This type of display requires a large amount of power, thereby requiring the user to regularly change or recharge the battery used in the device. Additionally, this display generally has poor readability due to narrow viewing angles and poor contrast ratio. This poor readability is exacerbated by the high reflectivity of the screen of the display. Moreover, the typical electronic reading device must be handled carefully due to the fragile nature of the display. Finally, because this display is expensive to manufacture, the electronic reading device must be sold at a high price which prevents it from being accessible to the mass market.

In addition to the physical limitations of the typical electronic reading device, the typical electronic reading device has practical limitations. The device merely serves as a medium by which an individual user can receive and read the stored information. Such devices do not allow the individual users to disseminate the information in a tangible form, such as a piece of printed paper. Because the information is viewable only as digitized text on the display, users cannot create copies of the information in its original or modified forms for distribution to third parties. Most importantly, the typical electronic reading device is not widely accepted. Many users, particularly book and newspaper enthusiasts, are reluctant to adopt the electronic reading devices, instead preferring the look and feel of ink on paper. Also, this medium has a high contrast ratio resulting from the use of black ink on white paper which makes the text easier to read. Still further, printed matter offers more flexibility for storage and portability, is lightweight and is more durable because it will not break if dropped.

Summary of the Invention

According to one aspect of the present invention, an electronic reading device comprises a display which includes a paper-based substrate and a plurality of display elements wherein each display element has first and second stable states and a first appearance when in the first stable state and a second appearance when in the second stable state. The device further includes a memory for storing information in electronic form and means for causing the display elements to assume one of the stable states in accordance with the stored information. In a preferred embodiment, the substrate comprises a single sheet of paper removably disposed adjacent to the electronic reading device and having display elements disposed on the paper-based substrate wherein each display element is an electrically charged ink. According to one embodiment, the causing means of the electronic reading device comprises a stationary charged plate-like surface having a two-dimensional array of elements. This charged surface also includes a processor coupled to the memory.

According to specific alternative embodiments, the causing means may be a charged surface that is movable along the substrate wherein the charged surface comprises a one-dimensional or two-dimensional array of elements. Further, the electronic reading device may have a reprogrammable memory.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, an electronic reading device comprises a housing having a recess that is accessible through a slot, a paper-based substrate disposed in the recess and removable from the device through the slot and a circuit disposed in the housing which renders content on the paper- based substrate.

According to a still another aspect of the present invention, an electronic reading device includes a housing having a recess therein, a paper-based substrate disposed in the housing and having a plurality of display elements disposed on the paper, a memory disposed in the housing for storing information and an imaging apparatus. The imaging apparatus is coupled to the memory and disposed in the housing adjacent the substrate and is adapted to render content on the substrate in accordance with information stored in the memory. The present invention provides a user with the ability to select and read textual information, modify the selected information and distribute the originally selected or modified information to third persons.

Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following drawings and detailed description.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 is an perspective view of an electronic reading device according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view, with portions broken away, of the reading device according to a first embodiment of the present invention wherein the paper-based substrate is partially inserted into the electronic reading device;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the electronic reading device taken generally along the lines 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the electronic reading device of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the feeder slot of the electronic reading device of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a block diagram of a system for processing information retrieved by the electronic reading device of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a plan view, with portions broken away, similar to Fig. 2 of the electronic reading device according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the electronic reading device taken generally along the lines 8-8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the electronic reading device of Fig. 7;

Fig. 10 is a block diagram of a system for processing information received by the electronic reading device of Fig. 7; Fig. 11 is an perspective view of the electronic reading device according to

Fig 2 or Fig. 7;

Fig. 12 is a plan view of the electronic reading device of Fig. 2 or Fig 7 illustrating the annotations created by the writing stylus; and

Fig. 13 is a plan view of the electronic reading device of Fig. 12 illustrating the imaging substrate partially removed.

Description of the Preferred Embodiments

Referring first to Fig. 1, an electronic reading device 10 in the form of an electronic book according to the present invention comprises a housing 12 and a display in the form of an imaging substrate 14 having a plurality of display elements disposed thereon. The imaging substrate 14 is disposed within a recess 15. (See Figs. 3,8) The housing 12 includes a transparent face plate 16 that at least partially defines the recess 15. Preferably, the housing 12 is made of a durable, light-weight, non-breakable plastic material and is compact and easily transportable. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the housing 12 is rectangular in overall shape and has a length of approximately seven inches, a width of approximately five inches, and a depth of approximately one-half inch. Referring also to Fig. 11, preferably, the housing 12 includes four sides 18a-18d having no openings, a fifth side 18e having the cavity 20 formed therein and a sixth side 18f having a slot 22 formed therein. The cavity 20 extends into the side 18f. The housing 12 may alternatively have a different configuration, if desired.

In the preferred embodiment, the imaging substrate 14 comprises a paper- based substrate having a bistable material or other coating or other suitable material, such as a polymer composition, deposited thereon. Text and image information stored in a memory of the electronic device 10 is rendered on the side of the imaging substrate 14 which is visible to a user. The bistable material, in one embodiment, may comprise E Ink, an ink-type material containing microcapsules wherein each microcapsule contains dye and small chips of pigment carrying a positive charge. E Ink is (or will be) manufactured and/or sold by the E Ink Corporation of Cambridge, MA. To utilize this E Ink display technology, the microcapsules are exposed to an electrical charge causing the pigment chips to move to one end or the other of the microcapsules. When the pigment chips move to an upper end of each of the microcapsules, a "white" appearance results whereas a "dark" appearance results when the pigment chips move to the lower end of each of the microcapsules. The material is preferably (although not necessarily) bistable in the sense that the rendered information remains on the substrate even when the electrical charge is removed. Alternatively, material having a different number of stable states (or, in fact, no stable state) may be used. An alternate material comprises a display technology called "gyricon" invented by Xerox of Palo Alto, CA. This technology utilizes bichromal beads having hemispheres of contrasting color which are charged to exhibit an electrical dipole such that the beads flip in response to applied electrical charge. Such an alternate material is (or will be) manufactured and/or sold by 3M of Minneapolis, MN. Advantageously, the aforementioned materials allow the user to reprogram the imaging substrate 14 to render new content quickly and efficiently. Additionally, because these materials can be sprayed or otherwise deposited on the imaging substrate 14 very finely and the particles comprising these materials is so small, the resolution of the ink on the substrate is often better than current display screens and may even surpass the clarity of conventionally printed text and images. In alternate embodiments of this invention, any other ink-like composition that provides clarity and reprogrammability may be used.

The face plate 16 protects the imaging substrate 14 from any damage that might occur during ordinary use of the electronic reading device 10. The protective face plate 16 preferably is clear or may be tinted to increase contrast. Additionally, the face plate 16 may be composed of any lightweight and/or durable polymer composition. The surface finish may be treated to reduce reflectivity to improve readability. Referring now to Figs. 2-4, 7-9 and 13, in the preferred embodiment, the electronic reading device 10 is constructed such that the imaging substrate 14 may be removed and replaced with a different sheet of imaging substrate 14. In one possible mode of operation, after content has been rendered on the imaging substrate 14, the imaging substrate 14 may be removed and a different sheet of imaging substrate 14 having the electrically charged ink can be reloaded into the electronic reading device 10. Because the imaging substrate 14 can be removed from the electronic reading device 10 for distribution to third parties, the electronic reading device 10 essentially serves as both a display device and a printer. If desired, once pages of the imaging substrate 14 are removed, the content displayed on the pages may be copied for storage or distribution purposes. Figs. 4, 5 and 9 show the slot 22 consisting of a long, narrow opening in the housing 12 that is slightly longer and slightly wider than the imaging substrate 14. The feeder slot 22 permits the manual transfer of sheets of imaging substrate 14 into and out of the device. In an alternate embodiment, the feeder slot 22 may take any shape or size and/or the apparatus may be provided for automatically assisting in such transfer.

As seen in Figs. 2, 4, 7, 9 and 13, the imaging substrate 14 includes a Mylar strip 26. Preferably, the Mylar strip 26 extends across the width of the imaging substrate 14 at one end thereof and is not visible when the imaging substrate 14 is fully inserted into the electronic reading device 10. The Mylar strip 26 may be approximately one-quarter of an inch wide. In an alternate form of the invention, the Mylar strip 26 could be located anywhere on the imaging substrate 14. The Mylar strip 26 helps to prevent damage to the imaging substrate 14 when inserting and removing the substrate from the electronic reading device 10. Generally, the Mylar strip 26 is more rigid and more durable than the imaging substrate 14 and, thus, helps to reinforce imaging substrate 14 and prevent unwanted bending, cracking or tearing of the substrate. The Mylar strip 26 may include a conductive filament which cooperates with a sensor (not shown) located in the housing 12 for detecting whether or not the imaging substrate 14 has been properly inserted into the electronic reading device 10. Thus, the Mylar strip 26 may act as a type of position validation strip. The Mylar strip 26 may also facilitate the conductivity of the electrical charge traveling between the imaging plate 28 or the imaging bar 30 and the imaging substrate 14.

In a preferred embodiment, a grip tab 24 is located in approximately the center of the Mylar strip 26; however, the grip tab 24 may be positioned anywhere on the imaging substrate 14. The grip tab 24 may comprise a thickened portion of the Mylar strip 26 onto which an abrasive material is affixed to facilitate gripping of the imaging substrate 14. The grip tab 24 provides a place for a user to grasp the imaging substrate 14 with his or her thumb and forefinger during insertion and removal of the imaging substrate 14 from the electronic reading device 10. The cavity 20 exposes the grip tab 24 thereby allowing the user to easily grasp the grip tab 24 connected to the imaging substrate 14.

Referring now to Figs. 2-4 and 6, the imaging plate 28 receives electrical charges in accordance with data 50 stored in a reprogrammable memory 52 as retrieved by a processor 54. An interface circuit 56 controls the application of electrical charges to the various areas of the plate 28. The data 50 may be provided from any source, such as a network, a storage device, the Internet, etc. The charged plate 28 renders the textual and/or image information corresponding to the stored data 50 quickly and efficiently on the imaging substrate 14. To re-render a new page of content, the imaging plate 28 is charged to neutralize or clear the charged ink and, then, re-render it, similar to an erase head on a video cassette recorder or a cassette tape recorder. Once content has been rendered on the imaging substrate 14, the content remains on the imaging substrate 14 until the plate 28 is recharged in accordance with a new set of data. Thus, creation of content using the imaging plate 28 and the charged coating requires very little energy. Such a low power consumption extends battery life and allows for reductions in battery size, weight and cost relative to other electronic reading devices on the market.

Referring now to Figs. 7-10, in an alternate embodiment, the plate 28 could be replaced by a movable imaging bar 30. The imaging bar 30 has a cylindrical spindle 34 extending from one end of the imaging bar 30. A substantially similar cylindrical spindle extends from the opposite end of the imaging bar 30. When the cylindrical spindles are coupled to the imaging bar slots 38, 40 and the drive apparatus of the electronic reading device 10, the imaging bar 30 reciprocates back and forth across the imaging substrate 14. The imaging bar 30 comprises a movable one-dimensional or two-dimensional array of charged elements. The imaging bar 30 receives electrical charges in accordance with data 60 stored in a reprogrammable memory 62 as retrieved by a processor 64. An interface circuit 66 controls the application of electrical charges to the various areas of the bar 30. The data 60 may be provided from any source, such as a network, a storage device, the Internet, etc. In accordance with the information received, the imaging bar 30 translates the information into electrical changes. Due to the nature of the imaging bar 30, charges are produced line-by-line. Essentially, the imaging bar 30 functions similarly to the imaging plate 28 described above. Charges are applied which result in the rendering of content on the imaging substrate 14. However, because the imaging bar 30 renders content linearly, the imaging bar technique may be slower and potentially less efficient than the imaging plate technique. On the other hand, if the imaging bar 30 is made stationary and the imaging substrate 14 is moved past the imaging bar 30 by a feeding mechanism, the size (i.e., the length) of the imaging substrate 14 maybe made larger than the corresponding dimension of the housing 12.

Fig. 9 diagrammatically shows two imaging bar slots 38, 40 which receive the cylindrical spindle 34 and the substantially similar cylindrical spindle on the opposite side of the imaging bar 30, respectively. The imaging bar 30 may be moved in linear fashion along the slots 38,40 substantially the entire length of the housing 12 by any suitable apparatus. For example, the bar 30 may be moved by an apparatus similar or identical to that found in a scanner to enable the imaging bar 30 to linearly render content on the imaging substrate 14 from top to bottom or vice versa.

Referring to Figs. 2-4 and 7-9, the electronic reading device 10 includes a conductive sheet protector 32. As is shown, the conductive sheet protector 32 is a sheet-like protective layer located, in one embodiment, between the imaging substrate 14 and the imaging plate 28 and, in another embodiment, between the imaging substrate 14 and the imaging bar 30. The conductive sheet protector 32 facilitates the transfer of charge between the imaging substrate 14 and either the imaging plate 28 or the imaging bar 30. The conductive sheet protector 32 also protects the imaging plate 28 or imaging bar 30 from damage during the insertion or removal of the imaging substrate 14. Still further, the conductive sheet protector 32 keeps the imaging substrate 14 flat during insertion of the substrate into the electronic device 10 and maintains the flatness of the imaging substrate 14 while the device is operative by securely holding the substrate against the protective face plate 16.

Although not shown, an embodiment of the electronic reading device could have a variety of actual or virtual function keys allowing a user to involve one or more functions which control the retrieval and display of data. These function keys could be implemented in a number of different ways including, but not limited to, buttons incorporated into the housing 12, attachments to the electronic reading device 10, such as a control panel or keyboard-like device, or icons displayed on the on the imaging substrate 14 by a user interface where the icons vary according to the functions represented.

Additionally, referring to Figs. 12 and 13, the electronic reading device 10 could include a writing stylus 42 to mark or modify the information displayed on the imaging substrate. Preferably, the writing stylus 42 has a finely-pointed tip that emits a charge which, when applied to coating of ink material, flips or otherwise alters the ink particles. Thus, the electrically charged stylus may interact with the substrate 14 to make annotations on the rendered content, much like a traditional ink-based pen could be used to make markings on a traditional ink and paper page. Such annotations may be captured and electronically stored in the memory of the electronic reading device 10 for later retrieval. Thus, a page of information rendered on the imaging substrate 14 could have multiple markings made by multiple individuals which could be displayed separately or which could be layered on top of one another to review all markings made on a page. In one possible mode of operation, after content has been rendered on the imaging substrate 14 and modifications have been made to the text with the writing stylus 42, the imaging substrate 14 may be removed as illustrated in Fig 13. Once removed, the imaging substrate 14 retains the rendered content as well as the annotations and/or any other modifications. If desired, once pages of the imaging substrate 14 are removed, the content displayed on the pages may be copied for storage or distribution purposes. Morever, if desired, the user could render the original content stored in the memory of the electronic reading device 10 without any markings or annotations. An alternative design of the writing stylus 42 could allow the user to highlight or make other modifications to the rendered content on the substrate 14. Numerous modifications and alternative embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the forgoing description. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the best mode of carrying out the invention. The details of the structure may be varied substantially without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the exclusive use of all modifications which are within the scope of the appended claims is reserved.

Claims

1. An electronic reading device, comprising: a display including a paper-based substrate and a plurality of display elements wherein each display element has first and second stable states and a first appearance when in the first stable state and a second appearance when in the second stable state; a memory for storing information in electronic form; and means coupled to the memory and the display for causing the display elements to assume one of the stable states in accordance with the stored information.

2. The electronic reading device of claim 1, wherein the display elements comprise an electrically charged ink.

3. The electronic reading device of claim 1, wherein the display elements are disposed on the paper-based substrate.

4. The electronic reading device of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a single sheet of paper.

5. The electronic reading device of claim 1, wherein the substrate is removably disposed adjacent to the causing means.

6. The electronic reading device of claim 1, wherein the causing means comprises a charged surface.

7. The electronic reading device of claim 6, wherein the charged surface comprises a stationary plate having a two-dimensional array of charged elements.

8. The electronic reading device of claim 6, wherein the charged surface is movable with respect to the substrate.

9. The electronic reading device of claim 8, wherein the charged surface comprises a movable one-dimensional array of charged elements.

10. The electronic reading device of claim 8, wherein the charged surface comprises a movable two-dimensional array of charged elements.

11. The electronic reading device of claim 6, further including a processor coupled to the memory.

12. The electronic reading device of claim 1, wherein the memory is reprogrammable.

13. An electronic reading device, comprising: a housing having a recess therein accessible through a slot; a paper-based substrate disposed in the recess and removable therefrom through the slot; and a circuit disposed in the housing and which renders content on the paper- based substrate.

14. The electronic reading device of claim 13, wherein the paper-based substrate comprises an electrically charged ink disposed on paper.

15. The electronic reading device of claim 13, wherein the housing includes a transparent face plate at least partially defining the recess.

16. The electronic reading device of claim 13, wherein the circuit includes a memory and a processor.

17. The electronic reading device of claim 16, wherein the circuit further includes a stationary imaging plate.

18. The electronic reading device of claim 16, wherein the circuit further includes a movable imaging bar.

19. The electronic reading device of claim 18, wherein the imaging bar has a one dimensional array of charged elements.

20. The electronic reading device of claim 18, wherein the imaging bar has a two dimensional array of charged elements.

21. An electronic reading device, comprising: a housing having a recess therein; a paper-based substrate disposed in the housing and having a plurality of display elements disposed thereon; a memory disposed in the housing and which stores information; and an imaging apparatus coupled to the memory and disposed in the housing adjacent the substrate and adapted to render content on the substrate in accordance with the information stored in the memory.

22. The electronic reading device of claim 21 , wherein the paper-based substrate comprises an electrically charged ink disposed on paper.

23. The electronic reading device of claim 21, wherein the housing includes a transparent face plate at least partially defining a recess and wherein the substrate is disposed in the recess.

24. The electronic reading device of claim 21, further including a processor disposed in the housing and coupled to the memory.

25. The electronic reading device of claim 21, wherein the imaging apparatus includes a stationary imaging plate.

26. The electronic reading device of claim 21, wherein the imaging apparatus includes a movable imaging bar.

27. The electronic reading device of claim 26, wherein the imaging bar has a one dimensional array of charged elements.

28. The electronic reading device of claim 26, wherein the imaging bar has a two dimensional array of charged elements.