KR20010056569A - Portable electronic book and method for driving the electronic book - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A portable electronic book and a method for operating the same are provided to facilitate a use of an electronic book and to enhance a rate occupied by a display area out of the electronic book area by reducing the number of switching element being mounted at an electronic book. CONSTITUTION: If a user turns on a switch unit by operating the switch unit(S100), a control unit compares a time for switch-on status of the switch unit with a pre-fixed the first setting time(S200). If a time for switch-on status of the switch unit is less than the first setting time, a predetermined quantity of page down of the contents displayed on a screen is performed(S300). If a time for switch-on status of the switch unit is more than the first setting time, an electronic book is turned off by cutting-off a power source being supplied to the electronic book(S500). At this time, it is desirable that a book marking is executed for memorizing a position of contents being displayed on the current screen(S400).

Description

Portable electronic book and method for driving the electronic book}

The present invention relates to a portable e-book, and more particularly, to a switching element of a portable e-book and a method of driving the portable e-book.

A portable e-book is a device that allows a user to read a file that can be used in a computer without printing a printer, and includes a flat panel display device such as a liquid crystal display device and an operation switch. 1 and 2 are perspective views schematically showing a conventional portable e-book.

The portable e-book may be classified into two types, such as a memory built-in type shown in FIG. 1 and a memory replaceable type shown in FIG. 2, according to a structure.

The memory built-in e-book includes a memory device (not shown) for storing an e-book file inside the main body 20, and displays the e-book file stored in the memory device through a separate communication means. Displayed on the device 10 to provide the content of the book to the user. Such a memory built-in e-book preferably includes a transmission means 40 such as a parallel port, a serial port, or the like. This is because the e-book cannot provide various types of documents to the user unless the memory-embedded e-book includes a transmission means for communicating with the outside.

The memory replaceable e-book does not have a built-in memory element in the main body 20, so that a separate memory pack in which the contents of the book are stored can be inserted into the interface device 50 such as a slot. Consists of. Such a memory pack stores one or more computer files and can be easily separated from an e-book. Therefore, the memory replaceable e-book can provide many kinds of documents to the user by swapping the memory pack.

Each e-book is provided with several operation keys 30 including page up / down keys so that the user can easily read the contents of the book. In addition to the page-up key and page down key for displaying the contents of a book one screen on the flat panel display, these operation keys include a font key for adjusting the size of the text, And a power key for controlling the power on / off.

In general, the operation keys 30 of the e-book are located on the front surface where the flat panel display device 10 is formed, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. And, most of these operation keys are composed of a TACT switch device.

The tact switch is configured to connect two terminals by a push operation or a corresponding operation, and displays one screen or a predetermined amount of screen content for each push operation. Can be updated.

The portable e-book needs at least three functions for smooth use of the user, and should be configured to include an operation switch for performing such a function.

First, a power switch for performing on / off of the power supply. The portable e-book may be configured to include a separate power adapter (adapter) for receiving an external power source, but if the user is to carry and use when going out, the battery (battery) must be built. In addition, a power switch for controlling the supply of power is required in the portable e-book in order to reduce the consumption of the power charged in the battery.

Second is a scroll switch for page up / down. Portable e-books display the contents of a book on a flat panel display, so that if you want to provide content to users one screen at a time, a page-up switch is provided to allow the user to read the contents of the book back and forth one screen. It must be configured with a page-down switch. The page up / down scroll switch may be composed of two types, a page up switch and a page down switch, or a single three terminal switch.

Third is a bookmark switch that marks the location of the book the user is currently reading. Conventional books use clips such as clips in the pages of the current book to make them easier to read. However, e-books can be conveniently marked by the user by software to mark the position of the book they are currently reading. Provide. In order for an e-book to provide the user with the above convenience without having such a bookmark switch, the user must continuously mark the position of the book currently displayed on the flat panel display whenever the user presses the page up / down switch. Must have

However, the conventional e-book is provided with a power switch, a page up switch, a page down switch, and a bookmark switch, respectively, and are configured to include at least four or more switches. Therefore, as the function of the e-book increases, the number of switches increases, thereby increasing the area occupied by the switches. As a result, the ratio of the area occupied by the flat panel display device in the e-book becomes low, so that the display area for the user to view the contents of the book is reduced, or the size of the e-book itself increases in order to sufficiently secure the display area.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the purpose of the present invention is to reduce the number of switch elements installed in an e-book, to facilitate the use of the e-book, and to increase the ratio of the area occupied by the display area in the e-book.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional memory-embedded portable e-book

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional memory replaceable portable e-book

Figure 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a portable e-book of the present invention

4 is a flowchart showing a driving method according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a flowchart showing a driving method according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Symbol description for main parts of drawing

100: switch unit 200: memory unit

300: transmission bus unit 400: control unit

500: power management unit 600: display unit

The e-book and the driving method thereof according to the present invention are characterized in that the page up switch or the page down switch is configured to perform a role of a power switch.

The present invention provides a switch unit that is turned on by a user's operation, a memory unit coupled to the outside to transmit and receive information, a transmission bus unit coupled to the memory unit to transmit and receive information, and an on of the switch unit. A control unit for generating a power control signal or a page control signal according to the length of a predetermined period of time, a power management unit for controlling the supply of power according to the power control signal of the control unit, and new information stored in the memory unit according to the page control signal. It is comprised including the display apparatus part which receives and displays. Figure 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a portable e-book of the present invention.

The switch unit 100 of the present invention has the same configuration as a conventional page down switch or page up switch. However, the e-book of the present invention is remarkably different from the conventional e-books in that the page down switch or the page up switch also serves as a power switch.

The memory unit 200 stores predetermined information and is configured to transmit and receive information with the outside. At this time, the memory unit 200 may be coupled to the outside, it may be provided with a fastening means that may be separated. The fastening means corresponds to an interface slot used in a computer and may be configured as a PCMCIA bus of a modem connected to a notebook computer.

The transmission bus unit 300 is coupled to the fastening means of the memory unit 200 to transmit and receive information. The transmission bus unit 300 should be configured to be suitable for the fastening means of the memory unit 200 and may be configured as a slot of the PCMCIA method.

The control unit 400 compares the period in which the switch unit 100 is on and the preset setting time, and generates a power control signal when the on period of the switch unit 100 exceeds the setting time. When the on period of the switch unit 100 is less than the preset time, the page control signal is generated. When the power supply control signal is generated, the controller 400 causes the memory 200 to store the address of the content currently displayed on the display device 600.

When the power control signal is generated, the power manager 500 controls the power supplied to the driving circuit of the e-book. That is, the power manager 500 turns on the power when the power control signal is generated while the power is off, so that the user can use the e-book, and the power is turned on. When the control signal is generated, the power is turned off.

The display device 600 receives and displays the information stored in the memory through the transmission bus unit 300 according to the page up signal and the page down signal generated by the controller 400. If the page up signal is generated, the display device 600 receives and displays information displayed on the previous screen of the information displayed on the current screen from the memory. When the page down signal is generated, the display device 600 receives and displays information to be displayed on the subsequent screen from the memory displayed on the current screen. That is, when the page up signal is generated, the information stored at the previous address of the memory address where the information displayed on the current screen is stored is transmitted to the display device 600. When the page down signal is generated, the information displayed on the current screen is stored. Information stored at an address subsequent to the memory address is transmitted to the display device unit 600.

Hereinafter, the e-book of the present invention operates on the following principle. At this time, the e-book of the present invention may have the following embodiments according to the type of the switch also serves as a power switch.

(First embodiment)

A first embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the page down switch serves as a power switch.

According to the driving method of the first exemplary embodiment, when the switch unit 100 is turned on by a user's operation, comparing the on period of the switch unit 100 with the first set time (S200 '). ), If the on period of the switch unit 100 is less than the set time, page down the content displayed on the screen by a predetermined amount (S300 ′), and turn on the switch unit 100 ( On) if the period is greater than or equal to the first set time, bookmarking the content currently displayed on the screen (S400) and the step of turning off the power of the e-book (S500) is configured. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of driving an e-book according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

First, when the user manipulates the switch unit 100 and the switch unit 100 is turned on (S100), the controller 400 of the present invention sets a preset on period of the switch unit 100. 1 Compared to the set time (S200 ').

If the on period of the switch unit 100 is less than the first setting time, the content displayed on the screen is paged down by a predetermined amount (S300 '). That is, the screen one page after the current screen is shown to the user. There are many ways to page down, but one typical method is as follows.

First, among the currently displayed information, a memory address in which any information is stored is set as a reference position. Then, the information stored at the memory address after the reference position is sequentially transmitted from the information stored at the reference position. At this time, the position of the screen on which the information is displayed is displayed from the first position of the screen. In other words, if the reference position is the n-th address, the memory address to which the information is transmitted is made from the n + 1th address to the n + 2th, n + 3th, and so on.

Alternatively, it is also preferable to separately set the amount of information to be scrolled according to the page down signal, and to display the information stored from the reference position to the memory address subsequent to that amount of units in order from the first position of the screen. That is, if the reference position is the nth address and the unit of the amount of scrolled information is m bytes, when the page down signal is generated, information stored from the nth address to the n + mth address is displayed in order from the first position on the screen. .

If the on period of the switch unit 100 is equal to or greater than the first setting time, the present invention cuts off the power supplied to the e-book to turn off the e-book (S500). In this case, it is preferable that the present invention is configured to perform a bookmarking operation (S400) which stores the position of the content displayed on the current screen while simultaneously turning off the e-book. In other words, the e-book of the present invention is off and at the same time stores the memory address of the content displayed on the current screen. In this case, the e-book driving circuit of the present invention allows the power of the portion that determines whether the switch unit 100 is turned on at the portion where the power is supplied from each component of the e-book is continuously supplied. The reason is to detect that the power is on again.

The portion with the highest power consumption in the e-book is the display device 600. Therefore, when the e-book is turned off, other parts operate even with a very small current, and thus power consumption can be reduced even if only the display device 600 which consumes a large power is turned off. Therefore, the present invention may be configured to turn off only the display device unit 600 of the e-book when the on period of the switch unit 100 is equal to or greater than the first set time. However, in order to detect the supply of power again, the power of the part that determines whether the switch unit 100 is on should not be cut off. Such part may be the controller 400 or may be a separately installed sensing unit.

If the control unit 400 determines whether the switch unit 100 is turned on, the present invention provides the control unit 400 even when the electronic book is turned off by the generation of the power control signal. By supplying power, the control unit 400 may not stop the operation of determining whether the switch unit 100 is on. Since the power consumed when the controller 400 determines whether the switch unit 100 is on is much smaller than the power consumed by the display device, the battery 400 is used even when the controller 400 is continuously supplied with power. It doesn't have a big impact on time.

In addition, if the switch unit 100 is turned on by the user operating the switch unit 100 after the power of the e-book is turned off, the controller 400 of the present invention turns on the switch unit 100. The on time is compared with the second preset time. Thus, when the on period of the switch unit 100 after the power is turned off is greater than or equal to the second predetermined time, the present invention enables the user to use the e-book by turning the power of the e-book on again. . At this time, the present invention turns on the power of the e-book and at the same time displays the contents of the memory address that was bookmarked before the power of the e-book is displayed on the display device 600 to provide the user. . As a result, the user can turn on the e-book and read the contents of the page memorized before turning off the e-book.

In the first embodiment, when the e-book is turned off, the on period of the switch unit 100 is set to be equal to or greater than the first set time, and the switch unit is turned on when the e-book is turned on. The on period of 100 may be set to be equal to or greater than the second set time. That is, when the user operates the switch unit 100 after the power of the e-book is turned off, and the switch unit 100 is turned on, the control unit 400 of the second embodiment is configured to include a switch unit ( The on period of 100) is compared with the second preset time. Thus, when the on period of the switch unit 100 after the power is turned off is greater than or equal to the second predetermined time, the first embodiment turns on the power of the e-book again to enable the user to use the e-book. To help. At this time, the first embodiment turns on the power of the e-book and simultaneously displays the contents of the memory address stored by the bookmark display operation before the power of the e-book is turned off. To the user. As a result, the user can turn on the e-book and read the contents of the page memorized before turning off the e-book.

In the first embodiment, the first setting time and the second setting time are preferably configured to be the same. However, the first setting time and the second setting time may be configured to be the same, depending on the needs of the user, the stability of the operation, and other reasons.

(Second embodiment)

A second embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the page up switch also serves as a power switch.

In the driving method of the second embodiment, when the switch unit 100 is turned on by a user's operation, comparing the on period of the switch unit 100 to the first set time (S200). If the on period of the switch unit 100 is less than the set time, the step of page up the content displayed on the screen by a predetermined amount (S300), the switch unit 100 (on) If the period is greater than or equal to the first predetermined time, the content is displayed on the current screen bookmarked (S400) and the step of turning off the power of the e-book (S500) is configured. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of driving an e-book according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

First, when the user manipulates the switch unit 100 and the switch unit 100 is turned on (S100), the controller 400 of the present invention sets a preset on period of the switch unit 100. 1 is compared to the set time (S200).

If the on period of the switch unit 100 is less than the first setting time, the content displayed on the screen is pageed up by a predetermined amount (S300). That is, the screen one page after the current screen is shown to the user. There are many ways to page up, but one typical method is as follows.

First, among the currently displayed information, a memory address in which any information is stored is set as a reference position. Then, the information stored at the memory address before the reference position is transferred from the information stored at the reference position in reverse order. At this time, the position of the screen on which the information is displayed is displayed from the last position of the screen. That is, if the reference position is the n-th address, the memory address to which information is transmitted is made from the n-1st address to the n-2nd, n-3rd, and the like.

Alternatively, the amount of information scrolled according to the page up signal may be separately set, and information stored from the previous memory address to the reference position in the reverse order from the reference position may be displayed from the first position of the screen. That is, if the reference position is the nth address and the unit of the amount of information scrolled is m bytes, when the page up signal is generated, information stored from the n-mth address to the nth address is displayed in order from the first position of the screen.

If the on period of the switch unit 100 is equal to or greater than the first setting time, the present invention cuts off the power supplied to the e-book to turn off the e-book (S500). In this case, it is preferable that the present invention is configured to perform a bookmarking operation (S400) which stores the position of the content displayed on the current screen while simultaneously turning off the e-book. That is, the e-book of the present invention is off and at the same time stores the memory address of the content displayed on the current screen. In this case, the e-book driving circuit of the present invention allows the power of the portion that determines whether the switch unit 100 is turned on at the portion where the power is supplied from each component of the e-book is continuously supplied. The reason is to detect that the power is on again.

The portion with the highest power consumption in the e-book is the display device 600. Therefore, when the e-book is turned off, other parts operate even with a very small current, and thus power consumption can be reduced even if only the display device 600 which consumes a large power is turned off. Therefore, the present invention may be configured to turn off only the display device unit 600 of the e-book when the on period of the switch unit 100 is equal to or greater than the first set time. However, in order to detect the supply of power again, the power of the part that determines whether the switch unit 100 is on should not be cut off. Such part may be the controller 400 or may be a separately installed sensing unit.

If the control unit 400 determines whether the switch unit 100 is turned on, the present invention provides the control unit 400 even when the electronic book is turned off by the generation of the power control signal. By supplying power, the control unit 400 may not stop the operation of determining whether the switch unit 100 is on. Since the power consumed when the controller 400 determines whether the switch unit 100 is on is much smaller than the power consumed by the display device, the battery 400 is used even when the controller 400 is continuously supplied with power. It doesn't have a big impact on time.

In addition, if the switch unit 100 is turned on by the user operating the switch unit 100 after the power of the e-book is turned off, the controller 400 of the present invention turns on the switch unit 100. The on time is compared with the second preset time. Thus, when the on period of the switch unit 100 after the power is turned off is greater than or equal to the second predetermined time, the present invention enables the user to use the e-book by turning the power of the e-book on again. . At this time, the present invention turns on the power of the e-book and at the same time displays the contents of the memory address that was bookmarked before the power of the e-book is displayed on the display device 600 to provide the user. . As a result, the user can turn on the e-book and read the contents of the page memorized before turning off the e-book.

In the second embodiment, the ON period of the switch unit 100 is set to be equal to or greater than the first set time when the e-book is turned off, and the switch unit is turned on when the e-book is turned on. The on period of 100 may be set to be equal to or greater than the second set time. That is, when the user operates the switch unit 100 after the power of the e-book is turned off, and the switch unit 100 is turned on, the control unit 400 of the second embodiment is configured to include a switch unit ( The on period of 100) is compared with the second preset time. Thus, when the on period of the switch unit 100 after the power is turned off for more than the second set time, the second embodiment turns on the power of the e-book again to enable the user to use the e-book. To help. At this time, the second embodiment turns on the power of the e-book while simultaneously displaying the contents of the memory address stored by the bookmark display operation before the power of the e-book is turned off. To the user. As a result, the user can turn on the e-book and read the contents of the page memorized before turning off the e-book.

In the second embodiment, the first setting time and the second setting time are preferably configured to be the same. However, the first setting time and the second setting time may be configured to be the same, depending on the needs of the user, the stability of the operation, and other reasons.

The e-book and the e-book driving method according to the present invention are configured to combine the power key and the page down key, or the power key and the page up key as compared with the conventional e-book and the e-book driving method. Therefore, the number of switches installed in the e-book can be reduced. As a result, the number of switches to be operated by the user is smaller than before, so the method of use is simpler than before, and a wider area than the conventional one is secured in the front of the e-book as an area for the display device unit. The effect is to increase the ratio further.

Claims (17)

When the switch is on, comparing the on period of the switch to a first set time, If the on period of the switch is less than the first setting time, page down the content displayed on the screen by a predetermined amount; If the on period of the switch is equal to or greater than the first set time, driving an e-book configured to store an address of a memory in which the contents displayed on the current screen are stored and to turn off the e-book. Way. The method of claim 1, If the switch is turned on after the power is turned off, comparing the time when the switch is turned on to a predetermined second set time; And if the time when the switch is on is equal to or greater than the second set time, turning on the power of the e-book. The method of claim 2, wherein the second set time is the same as the first set time. The method of claim 2, wherein the powering on the e-book is And displaying the contents stored in the stored address on the screen when the power of the e-book is turned off. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of page down Setting a memory address in which any one of the currently displayed information is stored as a reference position, And displaying information stored at the memory address after the reference position from the first position of the screen in order from the information stored at the reference position. The method of claim 5, wherein the reference position is a memory address in which information displayed at the last position of the screen among the currently displayed information is stored. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of page down Setting a memory address in which the next information of the information displayed at the last position of the screen among the currently displayed information is set as a reference position, And displaying the information stored at the memory address after the reference position from the first position of the screen in order from the information stored at the reference position. When the switch is on, comparing the on period of the switch to a first set time, If the on period of the switch is less than the first setting time, page up the content displayed on the screen by a predetermined amount; And storing the position of the content displayed on the current screen and turning off the power of the e-book when the on period of the switch is equal to or greater than the first set time. The method of claim 8, If the switch is turned on after the power is turned off, comparing the time when the switch is turned on to a predetermined second set time; And if the time when the switch is on is equal to or greater than the second set time, turning on the power of the e-book. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second setting time is the same as the first setting time. The method of claim 9, wherein the powering on the e-book is And displaying the contents stored in the stored address on the screen when the power of the e-book is turned off. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of page up Setting a memory address in which any one of the currently displayed information is stored as a reference position, And displaying information stored at the memory address before the reference position from the information stored at the reference position from the last position of the screen in reverse order. The method of claim 12, wherein the reference position is a memory address in which the information displayed at the first position of the screen among the currently displayed information is stored. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of page up Setting a memory address in which information immediately before the first position of a screen is stored among the currently displayed information as a reference position, And displaying information stored at the memory address before the reference position from the last position of the screen in reverse order from the information stored at the reference position. A switch unit that is turned on by a user's operation, A memory unit for storing predetermined information and exchanging the information with the outside; A transmission bus unit coupled to the memory unit for transmitting and receiving the information; The control unit generates a power control signal when the period in which the switch unit is on exceeds the predetermined time by comparing the period in which the switch unit is on and a predetermined set time, and the period in which the switch unit is on A control unit for generating a page control signal when the set time is less than the set time; When the power control signal is generated a power management unit for controlling the supply and shutdown of power connected to the system, and And a display device unit which receives and displays new information from the memory unit through the transmission bus unit when the page control signal is generated. The method of claim 15, wherein the switch unit A first switch to page up the information displayed on the display device; And a second switch configured to page down the information displayed on the display unit. The portable e-book according to claim 15, wherein the memory unit comprises a fastening means that can be separated / coupled to the transmission bus unit.