JP2009187509A - Pliable (bending/flexible) digital book reader - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic book reader combining "convenience of digital" and "a use feeling of analog" while having usability of a book using ordinary paper by an application method of electronizing documents, transferring data to an electronic device, or the like. <P>SOLUTION: A document (a display) is formed by laminating a soft organic EL display, a touch panel, or the like which are all pliant (bending/flexible) by eliminating a hard back cover part. A function of easily communicating with a personal computer so that a book can be easily transferred into the electronic book reader is built in to improve usability. Further, an infrastructure is prepared for providing an application for browsing an electronic book on the personal computer and downloading the electronic book from the Internet. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention digitizes documents used all over the world and transfers the data to the electronic device of the present invention, so that the usability of a book using ordinary paper is provided, and “digital convenience” and “analog” Is an e-book reader that balances the “feeling of use”.

Mankind has left letters on papyrus since ancient Egypt, made books, and recorded civilization and history so far.

Humans around the world need books, and the number of books that one person can read in his lifetime is enormous. Considering the resources used at this time on a global level, the amount is tremendous.

It is a book that is indispensable when learning history to build a civilization, but the idea of how much it can contribute to the improvement of the global environment when digitizing all these and reading them is the present invention Is the origin of

In recent years, the number of electronic bookstores that can read books on the screen of a personal computer by downloading via the Internet has increased. A product called an e-book reader equipped with electronic device panels has already appeared in the world.
ITmediaNEWS-electronic book reader "ΣBook" http: // plusd. itmedia. co. jp / broadband / 0310/22 / lp07. html E-book reader “WordsGear” https: // www. saidoku. com / wordsgear / Electronic book reader “Librie” http: // www. sony. jp / products / Consumer / LIBRIE / ITmediaNEWS-electronic book reader "Kindle" http: // plusd. itmedia. co. jp / lifestyle / articles / 0721/22 / news064. html ITmedia NEWS-electronic paper "FLEPia" http: // www. itmedia. co. jp / news / articles / 0704/20 / news069. html ITmedia NEWS-Thin and curved, full color organic EL http: // www. itmedia. co. jp / news / articles / 0705/24 / news076. html ITmediaNEWS-Colored electronic paper that is thin and bent http: // www. itmedia. co. jp / news / articles / 0507/13 / news075. html Bending clock using ITmediaNEWS-E-Ink http: // www. itmedia. co. jp / news / articles / 0506/27 / news044. html

The common reason that these e-book readers are not popular is the poor usability. The act of reading an e-book on a personal computer itself would be an act unfamiliar to humankind who has read books for thousands of years.

With the commercialization of the present invention, human beings around the world have at least one e-book reader per person, and each time installing and using documents necessary for each individual becomes one of the daily activities greatly You can imagine that there is no waste of valuable resources. And by standardizing the act of transferring electronic documents and reading them on an e-book reader, the number of bookbinding naturally decreases, resulting in lower transportation costs, lower raw materials, and accompanying books. It can also be expected that prices will drop, consumers willing to buy, and each country's intelligence level will improve. Naturally, transportation leads to the saving of all resources such as crude oil. It is possible to expect a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions at the world level due to a decrease in transportation volume.

One of the fatal reasons why conventional e-book readers are not widespread seems to be the hardness of the materials that make up the main body. This is equivalent to a hardcover book in the ordinary book.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to realize an electronic book reader with high usability that is easy to read by anyone who is extremely easy to read, such as a soft cover book.

The present invention is an electronic book reader that includes a combination of a display and a touch panel that provides an intuitive operational feeling, using a material that can be bent (bent and bent) such as an organic EL.

The comfort of use greatly improves the world of e-book readers so far.

As mentioned above, the present invention that gives e-book readers a feel similar to that of a real book can enable the concept of books around the world to be transferred from analog to digital without the user's resistance. This is the greatest merit of the present invention.

First, by adopting a soft display that bends (bends and bends), the usability like a soft cover book, which could not be obtained with an e-book reader like a hard cover book provided as a conventional product. Is realized.

Secondly, by making all normal operations a GUI with a combination of a touch panel and a display, the complicated operation system such as pressing buttons arranged on the device is eliminated, and real books are handled. Provides an intuitive operational feeling.

For example, in the case of page feed, “slide your finger left and right on the display”.

In addition, by making the interface a GUI including such a touch panel, not only the usability is drastically improved, but also a great contribution is made to the reduction of the parts used in the product and the weight reduction. The most important aspect of the present invention is a feeling of use based on the feeling of the user. The aim is a manual-less operation.

FIG. 1 shows a state in which the electronic book reader is opened, and the atmosphere when it is picked up and actually used.

FIG. 2 shows a state in which a writing part (display) that can be bent (bend and bend) is viewed from the bottom. This realizes a natural hold feeling when held in hand.

FIG. 3 is a view of the electronic book reader viewed from below with the electronic book reader closed. Please forgive me because the detailed design and body position are not related to the claims.

In the educational industry, a significant resource saving can be expected by putting all the textbooks used by each student into an electronic book reader. The amount of baggage when going to school can also be greatly reduced, and the burden is reduced by turning the wasteful expenses used for extremely temporary items such as school bags into the cost of introducing an e-book reader. And the good feeling of use in that case is as having mentioned above.

It is possible to respond flexibly even if the textbook contents are corrected, and in such a case, it becomes a simple task of installing the updater in the electronic book reader.

Menus such as restaurants can be changed to electronic book readers, and not only can the menu be changed according to the season, but it is also possible to accept orders for products with built-in wireless functions. Intuitive operation sensation and usage involving wireless devices will give rise to usage in all aspects.

By reducing the waste of resources, the country's international contribution is immeasurable.

A spread view of an e-book reader productized by the present invention Figure viewed from the bottom with the e-book reader crouched (bent or bent) Figure viewed from the bottom with the e-book reader closed

Explanation of symbols

1. Display part / interface part Use this two left and right display / interface to view and operate.
2 Body part (Equipped with a power button, connection terminal for PC, and speaker)
3 Display part using soft material (can provide usability that fits your hand)
4 The main unit is equipped with wired and wireless devices for communicating data with a personal computer or the like.

Claims (3)

In order to achieve a shape that is close to an object called a book, and a feeling of use close to that of an object, it is possible to bend (bend, bend) the written document in the book, such as organic EL, cholesteric liquid crystal, and E-Ink, for the purpose of video output. A flat speaker component that uses a color display or monochrome display using a certain material, has a touch panel sensor for intuitive operation purposes, and uses a piezo element or FPS (flat panel speaker) for audio output purposes ( Documents (display) bend (bend, bend) electronic book reader by combination of materials An electronic apparatus constituted by a combination of parts (materials) other than those listed in claim 1 in order to achieve the same usability as an e-book reader provided by claim 1 (bent, bent) The electronic book reader function provided by claim 1 has a function of an electronic book reader, downloads an electronic book from a store on the Internet using a credit card payment, a point card payment, or an optical drive, etc. An electronic device that can be installed on a personal computer using a personal computer and browse these electronic books on a dedicated application, as well as transfer them using a USB cable, etc.