# US 8,543,941 B2 · Electronic book contextual menu systems and methods > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,543,941 B2 - Document ID: US8543941B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/182,809 - Filed: 2011-07-14 - Published: 2012-08-30 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 2011-02-24 - Assignees: Google Inc. - Applicants: James Patterson; Nathan Moody; Scott Dougall - Inventors: James Patterson; Nathan Moody; Scott Dougall - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8543941B2 ## CPC - G06F 40/169: Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes - G06F 3/0482: Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus - G06F 3/0483: Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor - G06F 3/04842: Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) - G06F 3/04883: for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text - G06F 40/134: Hyperlinking - G06Q 30/0621: {by configuring or customising goods or services} - G06T 3/60: Rotation of whole images or parts thereof - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract An electronic book system provides interfaces particularly suited to students' use of textbooks. A finger press on a touch screen produces a contextual menu with user choices that relate to where the finger was pressed or what the user was recently doing with the book. A student provisionally navigates through a book by a specific gesture which, when it stops, returns the user to the previous position in the book. Annotations are displayed and hidden using specific gestures and through selective movement of the reader as sensed by its accelerometer. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electronic book reader, comprising: a display; and an input recognition subsystem, operably connected to the display, configured to: identify a point on the display based on a position of an object relative to the display as the object becomes proximate to the display; initiate a menu-creation animation in response to the object becoming proximate to the display, wherein the menu-creation animation comprises a circle being gradually drawn around the point on the display; and provide a contextual menu in response to the object remaining at the position until the menu-creation animation completes and turns into the contextual menu, the contextual menu including a plurality of options, the plurality of options included being responsive to the point on the display, wherein creation of the contextual menu is cancelled in response to the object ceasing to remain at the position before the menu-creation animation completes. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electronic book reader of claim 1, wherein the plurality of options included is further responsive to events occurring prior to the point on the display being identified. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The electronic book reader of claim 1, wherein the plurality of options included in the contextual menu is further responsive to material displayed on the display proximate to the point. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The electronic book reader of claim 1, wherein the input recognition subsystem is further configured to: detect the object at a second position, proximate to a second point on the display; and provide user selection of a selected contextual menu option responsive to detecting the object at the second position, the second point on the display corresponding to the selected contextual menu option. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The electronic book reader of claim 4, wherein the input recognition subsystem is further configured to initiate an option-selection animation in response to detecting the object at the second position, the selected option being selected in response to the object remaining at the second position until the option-selection animation completes, wherein selection of the selected option is cancelled in response to the object ceasing to remain at the second position before the option-selection animation completes. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the object is a finger of a user and the object becoming proximate to the display comprises the user pressing and holding the finger on the display at the point. ### Claim 7 A computer implemented method of using an electronic book, comprising: displaying the electronic book on a display; identifying a point on the display based on a position of an object relative to the display as the object becomes proximate to the display; initiating a menu-creation animation in response to the object becoming proximate to the display, wherein the menu-creation animation comprises a circle being gradually drawn around the point on the display; determining options to be presented in a contextual menu responsive to the point on the display; and providing the contextual menu in response to the object remaining at the position until the menu-creation animation completes and turns into the contextual menu, wherein creation of the contextual menu is cancelled in response to the object ceasing to remain at the position before the menu-creation animation completes. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the options to be presented are further determined responsive to events occurring prior to the point on the display being identified. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the options to be presented are further determined responsive to material displayed on the display proximate to the point. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, further comprising: detecting the object at a second position, proximate to a second point on the display; and selecting a selected contextual menu option responsive to detecting the object at the second position, the second point on the display corresponding to the selected contextual menu option. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising initiating an option-selection animation in response to detecting the object at the second position, the selected option being selected in response to the object remaining at the second position for until the option-selection animation completes, wherein selection of the selected option is cancelled in response to the object ceasing to remain at the second position before the option-selection animation completes. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the object is a finger of a user and the object becoming proximate to the display comprises the user pressing and holding the finger on the display at the point. ### Claim 13 A computer program product that comprises a non-transient computer readable storage medium containing computer executable instructions for using an electronic book, comprising: instructions to display the electronic book on a display; instructions to identify a point on the display based on a position of an object relative to the display as the object becomes proximate to the display; instructions to initiate a menu-creation animation in response to the object becoming proximate to the display, wherein the menu-creation animation comprises a circle being gradually drawn around the point on the display; instructions to determine options to be presented in a contextual menu responsive to the point on the display; and instructions to provide the contextual menu in response to the object remaining at the position until the menu-creation animation completes and turns into the contextual menu, wherein creation of the contextual menu is cancelled in response to the object ceasing to remain at the position before the menu-creation animation completes. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the options to be presented are further determined responsive to events occurring prior to the point on the display being identified. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the options to be presented are further determined responsive to material displayed on the display proximate to the point. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer executable instructions further comprise: instructions to detect the object at a second position, proximate to a second point on the display; and instructions to select a selected contextual menu option responsive to detecting the object at the second position, the second point on the display corresponding to the selected contextual menu option. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer executable instructions further comprise instructions to initiate an option-selection animation in response to detecting the object at the second position, the selected option being selected in response to the object remaining at the second position until the option-selection animation completes, wherein selection of the selected option is cancelled in response to the object ceasing to remain at substantially the second position before the option-selection animation completes. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the object is a finger of a user and the object becoming proximate to the display comprises the user pressing and holding the finger on the display at the point.