System and method for operating an electronic reading device user interface

A method of operating a user interface, comprising the steps of:

• detecting a portion of an address pattern with an electronic reading device;
• determining a position on the address pattern based on the detected portion of the address pattern;
• identifying an application to be loaded corresponding to an area that contains the detected portion of the address pattern;
• and
• retrieving a description of the application to be loaded to a local memory, said description including information about the application to be loaded.

An electronic reading device, comprising:

• a sensor for detecting portions of an address pattern;
• a position buffer for storing data identifying the detected portions of the address pattern;
• a memory for storing a grid description of a current address pattern area, said grid description being descriptive of actions associated with the detected positions of the address pattern;
• and
• a processor for determining an action to be performed based on a plurality of detected positions using the grid description of the current address pattern area, each detected position determined from data stored in the position buffer.

A method for processing information detected by an electronic reading device, comprising the steps of:

• detecting, by the electronic reading device, an initial portion of an address pattern;
• retrieving, by the electronic reading device, an address pattern grid that contains the initial detected portion of the address pattern, said address pattern grid identifying actions to be taken based on the detected portion,
• storing, in the electronic reading device, the address pattern grid;
• and
• identifying a plurality of successive positions corresponding to a plurality of successively detected portions of the address pattern, the plurality of successive positions identified using the stored address pattern grid.

A method for processing information detected by an electronic reading device, comprising the steps of:

• detecting, by the electronic reading device, an initial position on an address pattern;
• retrieving an application description containing an address pattern grid description for an application that relates to the detected initial position;
• detecting a plurality of successive positions on the address pattern;
• and
• processing the plurality of detected successive positions in accordance with the address pattern grid description contained within the application description.

A system for configuring an electronic reading device, comprising:

• an electronic reading device storing configuration instructions;
• a separate electronic device including an electronic man-machine interface (MMI), said separate electronic device operating to:
• receive the configuration instructions from the electronic reading device;
• display at least one configuration option identified in the configuration instructions;
• receive, via the electronic MMI, a user selection relating to the at least one configuration option;
• and
• send an identification of the user selection to the electronic reading device, said electronic reading device executing a function based on the user selection.

A method for configuring an electronic reading device, comprising the steps of:

• receiving configuration data identifying a plurality of configuration options for an electronic reading device, said configuration data received at a separate electronic device;
• displaying the plurality of configuration options on the separate electronic device;
• receiving a user selection of at least one of the plurality of configuration options;
• notifying the electronic reading device of the at least one selected configuration option;
• and
• executing a function based on the at least one selected configuration option.

A system for interacting with an application, comprising:

• a formatted surface having an address pattern, wherein a position on the address pattern can be determined from a portion of the address pattern;
• an electronic reading device for detecting a portion of the address pattern;
• an application server storing application data associated with the detected portion of the address pattern;
• and
• an electronic device separate from the electronic reading device, said electronic device operating to receive the application data and display the application data on a display screen, wherein a user makes a selection from the displayed application data using one of the electronic reading device in connection with the formatted surface and a man-machine interface (MMI) for the separate electronic device.

A method for interacting with an application, comprising the steps of:

• detecting a portion of an address pattern with an electronic reading device;
• determining a position of the electronic reading device relative to the address pattern based on the detected portion of the address pattern;
• retrieving application data associated with the determined position;
• displaying at least one option from the application data on an electronic device separate from the electronic reading device;
• and
• receiving a user selection of one of the at least one option.