Data communications network, system and method for the digitization of hardcopy literary works

Abstract

The present invention relates to a data communications network, system and method for facilitating the searching and location of digitised hardcopy literary works collected by individuals who seek to loan, exchange, and / or sell such works to other reading enthusiasts, and to enable individuals interested in borrowing, exchanging and / or purchasing such digital copies and / or originals to locate such literary works and connect with the owners of same on a collaborative platform. The data communications network, system and method of the present invention is particularly useful for providing access to hardcopy literary works that are rare, unique or presently out of print and / or not available for purchase or exchange utilizing existing conventional online resources.

Description

DATA COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR THE DIGITIZATION OF HARDCOPY LITERARY WORKSFIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a data communications network, system and method for facilitating the digitization of hardcopy literary works collected by individuals who seek to loan, exchange, and / or sell such works to other reading enthusiasts, and to facilitate searching in respect of such literary works. The data communications network, system and method of the present invention is particularly useful for providing access to hardcopy literary works that are rare, unique or presently out of print and / or not available for purchase or exchange utilizing existing conventional online resources.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] As the world continues to embrace the digital age, the ability to buy, sell and loan hardcopy literary works is diminishing and, as a result, unique, out of print, or rare published works are often unavailable or inaccessible to individuals who enjoy reading and / or collecting such works.

[0003] Although various online platforms including eBay, Gumtree and other similar trading / commerce platforms exist on which literary works are available for purchase and / or sale, such platforms do not accommodate the loaning / exchange of works, and since the purpose of existing platforms is to allow the sale / purchase of digital literary works, they tend to require sellers to list their literary works for sale with a set minimum price determined by the platform.

[0004] Further, existing platforms do now allow users to easily conduct online searches for literary works, particularly those works which include ancient or premodern text and / or languages. Even if a layperson reading such texts today understands the text and language in a pre-modern literary work, cultural attitudes and biases may have changed to such an extent that it becomes very difficult for the literature to be located using known on-line searching tools. For example, old English literature is unreadable to most laypeople or at least has located a different context / meaning today, hence searching for such literature becomes very difficult since users are required to determine relevant search terms to locate such literature.

[0005] To date, there are no existing platforms enabling owners of such premodern literary works to offer their hardcopy books (or digitized versions thereof) for loan, exchange and / or sale to other users, and also, for users having an interest in locating such literature to efficiently search for same. Such platforms therefore generally fail to connect reading enthusiasts in a manner that fosters exchange of, and accessibility to, a wide range of rare, unique, and out of print literary works. This presents a challenge to owners of such literary works who seek to loan, exchange and / or sell same to other individuals prepared to acquire and / or loan a literary work (eg. a literary work that is out of print, unique or rare or that is only available in hardcopy form and hence not amendable to be offered for loan, exchange and / or sale on an online trading / commence platform).

[0006] Accordingly, there exists a need for a network, system and / or method that addresses the abovementioned problems associated with existing online / trading platforms relating to literary works, or at least provides an alternative to same. In particular, there exists a need for a network, system and / or method that enables users to more efficiently search for pre-modern or otherwise “difficult to locate” literary works of interest, and which enables such users as well as owners of literary works to connect with one another. The bringing together of reading enthusiasts and / or collectors of literary works in this way will facilitate the loan, exchange and / or sale of such works in an online environment, since users will be provided with improved access to digitised copies and / or original hard copies of books that are rare, presently out of print and / or not available for purchase or exchange according to present online resources.

[0007] The improved on-line searching facility provided by the present invention addresses a significant problem regarding the inefficient use of resources when conducting on-line searches. More particularly, in instances where on-line searching tools are inadequate to efficiently locate an item sought by a user, the user is generally required to execute a number of search requests that consumers substantial computing resources including computer processing resources and computercommunications network resources. Of course, all consumption of such resources utilises electrical energy and hence, any inefficient use of computing resources wastes those available resources and the electrical energy required to generate those resources. Regarding computer communications network resources, this is becoming an increasingly consumer resource which, when subject to substantial usage, the latency of such networks increases delaying the transfer of messages and information across such data communications networks.

[0008] The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement or any suggestion, that the prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] According to an aspect, the present invention provides a data communications network including connected data communications devices and a method of operating same for facilitating the searching and location of digitised hardcopy literary works for the purpose of loan, exchange and / or sale thereof, the method including: a first connected data communications device communicating with a first user device to receive: details for the establishment of an account associated with a first user to verify the first user’s identity and register the first user; and at least one digitised copy of a hardcopy literary work; a secure database storing the uploaded digitised copy of the at least one hardcopy literary work, the secure database including an index relating to the stored literary work which links pre-modern and / or unique terms used in the stored literary work with modern equivalent terms; the first connected data communications device further operable to: provide access to one or more second registered users, via one or more second connected data communications devices, to the secure database; enable each of the one or more second registered users to utilise a search facility to conduct a search of digitized copies of hardcopy literary works stored in the secure database, wherein the search parameters include one or more keywords relevant to a literary work sought to be loaned, exchanged and / or purchased by the second registered user; access, using the search facility, the index to determine whether a match exists between the one or more search keywords with either one or more of the pre-modern and / or unique terms or one or more modern equivalent terms associated with the digitized copy of the hardcopy literary work(s) of the first registered user; andbased on a match determined between a search keyword and one or more terms associated with a stored digitized copy of a hardcopy literary work(s) of the first registered user, configure a communication link between the first registered user and the second registered user.

[0010] The literary works may include old, rare and / or unique books that include terms for which keyword searching using conventional means will not yield relevant results since text in the literary works includes pre-modern and in some instances ancient text that will not necessarily correlate with modern text and / or language used in the search keywords. For example, a conventional search conducted using keywords “murder mystery” will not necessarily match with terms used in murder mystery literature written in the 1600’s.

[0011] According to the present invention, a secure database storing digitized copies of the literary works includes an index that links pre-modern, rare and / or unique terms used in such literary works (eg. title of the work, text in the work, author of the work, etc) with modern equivalent terms. The modern equivalent terms are able to be more easily matched with modern language and / or terms used as the search query keywords. An improved search facility is therefore provided which enables a more efficient search of literature to be undertaken by users, particularly in respect of old, rare and / or unique literature. The user is much more likely to locate a digitised copy and / or original literary work that the user is seeking to locate for the purpose of loaning, exchanging and / or purchasing.

[0012] In an embodiment, the method further includes: upon upload of the digitised copy of the at least one hardcopy literary work by the first registered user, processing the literary work to determine one or more characteristics of the literary work, including one or more of: the type of text (eg. poetry, fiction, etc), the style of text (eg. expository, descriptive, narrative, persuasive, creative, etc), the genre of text (eg. comedy, tragedy, history, etc) the age or period during which the text was written (eg. 1600’s, etc), orthe title of the text, author of the text (eg. Shakespeare, etc), the country or jurisdiction of origin (eg. England, Europe, USA, etc).

[0013] In an embodiment, the index is configured to link modern equivalent terms with text used in the stored literary works according to the one or more characteristics of the literary works. For example, if text in a literary work is determined (upon upload of a digitized version thereof) to have been written in the 1600’s, then such text will be linked with modern equivalent terms in a manner relevant to text of that era, which will be different to text of a literary work determined to have been written during another time period. The same may apply to characteristics other than the time period of the text, including any one or more of the abovementioned characteristics. In other words, the modern equivalent terms linked to text in each stored literary work may be different for each work depending upon the characteristics thereof.

[0014] In an embodiment, the search engine uses search algorithms based upon Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to interpret keywords entered by users and to match the keywords with modern equivalent terms / language that have been indexed against corresponding relevant terms in stored literary works. In this way, searches may be conducted to locate specific literary works using modern day equivalent terms as search keywords.

[0015] In an embodiment, the method may also include the use of an advanced search functionality using an inference engine, thereby enabling registered users to readily identify literary works in accordance with the users’ interests.

[0016] In an embodiment, the method may further include an intelligent recommendation engine that provides literary work recommendations according to an analysis of the previous browsing and purchasing patterns of the registered user in addition to preferences obtained from an analysis of previous search requests, the recommendations enhancing user engagement and potentially introducing registered users to previously unknown literary works.

[0017] In an embodiment, the method may further utilise data extraction techniques to collect valuable data regarding consumer taste and preferences across all registered user profiles and previous activities thereby enabling creation of data pertaining to reading trends and providing such information to one or more registered users.

[0018] In an embodiment, to the method further includes receiving one or more reviews from registered users regarding their views subsequent to reading a literary work and incorporating this data in analyses performed with respect to determining possible recommendations to individual registered users regarding future reading recommendations.

[0019] In an embodiment, the method may further include providing registered users with links to other registered users who have uploaded digitised hardcopies of literary works to the secure database that accords with a recommendation provided to the registered users thereby enabling users seeking to avail themselves of a recommendation to efficiently locate an available resource of the recommended literary work.

[0020] In an embodiment, the method may also include providing a community notice and / or discussion forum for registered users enabling users to engage in community discussions regarding experiences with respect to literary works.

[0021] In an embodiment, the method may include providing functionality to cater for diverse reading preferences including the reading preferences of registered users having visual impairments such as preferred font size, contrast and spacing to improve reading experience of such registered users.

[0022] In an embodiment, the method may further include providing payment functionality (such as PayPal) to assist effecting transactions between registered users with respect to the loan, exchange and / or purchase of any digitised copies or originals of hardcopy literary works.

[0023] A computer-implemented system for facilitating the searching and location of digitised hardcopy literary works for the purpose of loan, exchange and / or sale thereof, the system including: one or more processors operable to: communicate with a first user device to receive: details for the establishment of an account associated with a first user to verify the first user’s identity and register the first user; and at least one digitised copy of a hardcopy literary work; a secure database for storing an uploaded digitised copy of the at least one hardcopy literary work, the secure database including an index relating to the stored literary work which links pre-modern and / or unique terms used in the stored literary work with modern equivalent terms; the one or more processors further operable to: enable access to one or more second registered users, via one or more second connected data communications devices, to the secure database; enable each of the one or more second registered users to utilise a search facility to conduct a search of digitized copies of hardcopy literary works stored in the secure database, wherein the search parameters include one or more keywords relevant to a literary work sought to be loaned, exchanged and / or purchased by the second registered user; access, using the search facility, the index to determine whether a match exists between the one or more search keywords with one or more of the modern equivalent terms associated with the digitized copy of the hardcopy literary work(s) of the first registered user; and based on a match determined between a search keyword and either one or more of the pre-modern and / or unique terms or one or more modernequivalent terms associated with a stored digitized copy of a hardcopy literary work of the first registered user, configure a communication link between the first registered user and the second registered user.A non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed on a computer, causes one or more processors of the computer to perform the steps of: cause a first connected data communications device to communicate with a first user device to receive: details for the establishment of an account associated with a first user to verify the first user’s identity and register the first user; and at least one digitised copy of a hardcopy literary work; cause a secure database to store the uploaded digitised copy of the at least one hardcopy literary work, the secure database including an index relating to the stored literary work which links pre-modern and / or unique terms used in the stored literary work with modern equivalent terms; cause the first connected data communications device to further: provide access to one or more second registered users, via one or more second connected data communications devices, to the secure database, enable each of the one or more second registered users to utilise a search facility to conduct a search of digitized copies of hardcopy literary works stored in the secure database, wherein the search parameters include one or more keywords relevant to a literary work sought to be loaned, exchanged and / or purchased by the second registered user; access, using the search facility, the index to determine whether a match exists between the one or more search keywords with either one or more of the pre-modern and / or unique terms or one or more modern equivalent terms associated with the digitized copy of the hardcopy literary work(s) of the first registered user; and based on a match determined between a search keyword and one or more terms associated with a stored digitized copy of a hardcopy literary work(s) of the firstregistered user, configure a communication link between the first registered user and the second registered user.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Embodiments of the invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying Figures in which:

[0025] Figure 1 provides an overview of a data communications network according to an embodiment of the present invention showing, in particular, the interaction between various network components;

[0026] Figure 2 illustrates a diagram associated with an exemplary server component of the network illustrated in Figure 1 ;

[0027] Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a process that enables users to download and install a software application, and subsequently access, or register to use, the software application for interaction with the network illustrated in Figure 1 , including to establish a user account and to upload a digitized copy of one or more hardcopy literary works for loan, exchange and / or sale;

[0028] Figure 4 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a process that enables users to conduct searches of digitized copies of hard copy literary works and to establish a communication channel with other users for the purpose for arranging loan, exchange and / or purchase of same;

[0029] Figure 5 illustrates exemplary user interfaces including a recommendation interface that recommends literary works to users and a data collection interface that enables collection of data regarding consumer taste and preferences and providing users with information and purchasing options;

[0030] Figure 6 illustrates additional exemplary user interfaces including a communications interface that provides users with the ability to engage in a live chat and other interactions, and a review / rating interface that enables users to upload reviews, ratings and / or comments regarding literary works; and

[0031] Figure 7 illustrates a further exemplary user interface that assists users with respect to reading literary works, including providing users with impairments to access functionality of the software applicationDETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT(S) OF THE INVENTION

[0032] For simplicity and illustrative purposes, the present disclosure is described by referring to embodiment(s) thereof. In the following description, numerous specific details are set for to provide a better understanding of the present disclosure. It will be readily apparent, however, that the current disclosure may be practiced without limitation to the specific details. In other instances, some features have not been described in detailed to avoid obscuring the present disclosure.

[0033] According to an embodiment, the present invention relates to a computer- implemented data communications network and system, and a method for facilitating the searching and location of digitised hard copy literary works (70) for the purpose of loaning, exchanging and or selling the digital versions or originals thereof. The network, system and method provide a platform that hosts a computer-executable software application (40) wherein the application (40) is accessible by a plurality of registered users (30), including first users (30A) who upload digitized copies (60) of hardcopy literary works (70) (and who may also own the originals thereof) and second users (30B) seeking to loan, exchange and / or purchase the digitized copies (60) of hardcopy literary works (70). In particular, the network, system and method utilize a central server (20) (also referred to herein as a first connected data communications device) in communication with data communication devices (50) associated with the users (30) (also referred to herein as first user devices associated with the first registered users, and second user devices associated with the second registered users).

[0034] The central server (20) maintains one or more processors and / or databases for performing functions, including communicating with a first user device to receive details for the establishment of an account associated with a first user (30A) to verify the first user’s identity and register the first user (30A), along with at least one digitized copy (60) of a hardcopy literary work (70) owned by, or held on behalf of, the first user (30A). Received digitized copies (60) of hard copy literary works (70) are stored in a secure database (1 10), and the database (110) is structured (includes an index relating to the stored works) such that pre-modern and / or unique terms (or any term that is determined to be no longer used or unlikely to be understandable according tomodern language) in the stored literary works are linked with the modern day equivalents of those terms / language to enable one or more second registered users (30B) to search for literature of interest with increased efficiency. The second registered users (30B) may access the secure database (110) for the purpose of recording, borrowing, exchanging and or purchasing digitized copies (60) of hard copy literary works (70). In this regard, the users (30) are provided with a means by which to conduct searches of digitized copies of hardcopy literary works (70) stored in the secure database (110) through the use of search parameters that include keywords relevant to a literary work sought to be loaned, exchanged and / or purchased by the users (30).

[0035] The database (110) and associated index is therefore accessible to second registered users (30B) to enable the determination of whether a match exists between one or more of the search keywords (75) input by the user (30B) with either one or more of the pre-modern and / or unique terms or one or more modern equivalent terms linked with text in the digitized copies (60) of the hardcopy literary works (70), including one or more works of the first registered user (30A). Based on a match determined between a search keyword (75) and one or more terms associated with a stored digitized copy (60) of a hardcopy literary work (70) of the first registered user (30A), a communication channel may be configured between the users (30A) and (30B).

[0036] Accordingly, once the second user (SOB) has located and established an interest in borrowing, exchanging and / or purchasing a particular digitized copy (60) of a hard copy literary work (70), a communication channel may be configured between the relevant first user (30A) with whom the particular literary work (70) is associated for the purpose of finalizing arrangements with respect to the loan, exchange and / or purchase of a digitized copy (60) of the literary work (70) and / or the original literary work (70) (if the first user (30A) holds the original and is offering same for loan, exchange and / or purchase).

[0037] Accordingly, the present invention addresses problems associated with individual users seeking to locate literary works, particularly older and rarer publications which may be out of print, and with individual users seeking to loan, exchange and / or sell digitized copies or originals of such hard copy literary works (70toother reading enthusiasts with whom they can engage in a community to improve their reading experiences. The platform therefore provides opportunities for users (30B) to access, for example, publications that may be out of print or otherwise not available for purchase or exchange according to existing online resources. In this way, a community of like-minded users and a co-operation that gives rise to inter-user lending, exchanging and / or purchasing of old, rare and out of print literature is developed and fostered. The technical problem regarding wasted computer processing and networking resources is also addressed since users (30) are no longer required to utilize significant resources in order to address the inability to efficiently locate literary works (70) of interest, which typically requires the use of computer hardware and software to search for and locate online resources that may store or direct the user to literary works of interest.

[0038] Figure 1 is divided into segments which are further expanded in subsequent Figures 2 to 7. In particular, Segment 200 of Figure 1 shows the server component (20) with which the software application (40) operating on data communication devices (50) are configured to communicate. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the relevant field of technology that the software application (40) may be a mobile application or a web-based application and that, similarly, the data communications devices (50) utilized by users (30) may be a portable device such as a mobile (cell) phone, tablet or laptop, or alternatively, a fixed location computer device such as a workstation or personal computer. The server computer (20) is additionally detailed in Figure 2.

[0039] The skilled person will appreciate that the steps described herein may be executed by the devices (50), wherein such operations are facilitated by the software application (40) operating on each device. According to another implementation of the present invention, the server (20) may be programmed to provide all of the functions described herein where they cannot be provided locally on the user devices (50), or where it may be impractical or commercially or technically infeasible to operate such a configuration. In other words, the steps herein as performed by the device (50), or components thereof that are described as implementing the invention, may be associated with hardware located externally to the device (50) such that as the remotecentral server (20) (ie. in a distributed architecture). Different arrangements are possible in this regard, and alternate variations will be apparent to the person skilled in the relevant field of technology.

[0040] Segment 300 of Figure 1 shows a first user (30A) downloading and installing the application (40) and subsequently accessing the application (40) in order to establish an account and user profile, including to upload at least one digitized copy (60) of a hardcopy literary work (70) which the first user (30A) is prepared to loan, exchange and / or make available for purchase through the platform, as further detailed in Figure 3. Segment 400 of Figure 1 illustrates how a second user (30B) may utilize the interface (170) to access the secure database (110) in which uploaded digitized copies (60) of hard copy literary works (70) are stored using an index which links text that is determined to be pre-modern, rare and / or unique in the literary works (70) (and hence not easily searchable using modern keywords) with modern day equivalent terms, including the work(s) which have been uploaded by the first user (30A), and to engage in loaning, exchanging and or purchasing digitized copies (60) or originals of such literary works (70), as further detailed in Figure 4.

[0041] Segment 500 of Figure 1 illustrates additional functionality of the software application (40) including a recommendation interface (190) that enables recommendations to be generated and displayed to users (30B) with respect to literary works (70) of interest based on, for example, the user’s previous browsing and purchasing patterns, and interface (210) which enables collection of data regarding consumer taste and preferences and the provision of information and purchasing options to users (SOB) in view of same, as further detailed in Figure 5. Segment 600 of Figure 1 illustrates yet further functionality of the software application (40) including a general communication interface (220) which also provides a community notice / discussion forum, and interface (230) enabling users to upload reviews, ratings and comments (90) regarding literary works (70), etc, as further detailed in Figure 6. Finally, Segment 700 of Figure 1 illustrates a further interface (240) configured to assist users (30) who may have an impairment such as a visual impairment to access the functionality of the software application (40), as further detailed in Figure 7.

[0042] As mentioned above, Figure 2 shows in greater detail Segment 200 of Figure 1 and, in particular, Figure 2 shows the server component (20) which includes infrastructure upon which the platform of the present invention operates. The infrastructure may be local or cloud-based.

[0043] The central server (20) may operate one or more computer processors and maintain one or more databases to enable the following functionality and / or storage:• User account register (100) storing user details such as name, age, address, contact details, identifiers such as driver’s license or passport details, and any additional data which may be relevant for the purpose of identifying and verifying each user (30A) and (30B);• User info / preferences database (105) storing additional details relating to each user (30) including preferences with respect to their use of the software application (40), including whether they are seeking to locate or offer literature for loan, exchange and / or purchase, and additional information associated with each user (30) including, for example, associated financial institution accounts, interests of the user, etc;• Secure database (110) which utilizes an index (ie. a data structure) to store uploaded digitized copies (60) of literary works (70) and linking same to user accounts, as well as linking text in each stored literary work that is determined not to be easily searchable using modern search terms to the modern day equivalents of those terms;• Data processing functionality (115) for processing user input commands and data received to generate relevant outputs for display. For example, data processing functionality (115) may be responsible for providing a search facility to users (30) that enables access to the abovementioned index, thereby enabling users to conduct searches using a search engine (eg. based on a user’s selection of search parameter keywords (75) relevant to a literary work) and to determine matches between keywords (75) entered and either premodern and / or unique terms or one or more of the stored modern day equivalents of terms used in the literary works. Searching may also be assisted with language the use of search algorithms that also allow searching by category. The functionality (150) further enables communication (80) betweenusers (30A) and (30B) for the purpose of allowing them to negotiate a loan, exchange and / or purchase of a digitized copy 60) of a hard copy literary work (70) or the original hard copy literary work (70). Functionality (115) may also be responsible for generating recommendations according to an analysis of previous browsing and purchasing patterns of users (30) (which may be stored in database (105) for example) in addition to user preferences, and use data extraction techniques to collect valuable data regarding taste and preferences across the different user profiles;• Reading functionality (120) which allows the software application (40) to be used by users (30) to view / read loaned, exchanged and / or purchased copies (60) of literary works (70);• Alert / notification functionality (125) responsible for generating alerts and / or notifications as required by the software application (40) including, for example, when a message is received from another user (30), when a new literary work (70) of potential interest to a user (30) is made available for loan, exchange and / or purchase, etc;• Application programming interface (API) functionality (130) which enables API integration, allowing connection with external applications or systems to exchange data and perform actions. For example, the API may be used to integrate with an external database of literary works and related information (eg. an external database which assists the linking of modern day equivalent terms to pre-modern, rarer, etc, terms used in the literary works), for the purpose of downloading and displaying such information for users; and• Payment gateway functionality (135) that enables financial transactions to be conducted through the software application (40), including to enable the users (30B) to purchase original or digitized copies of literary works (70) from other users (30A), pay any required subscription fees, etc.

[0044] Figure 2 also depicts that server (20) is configured to enable communication (140) with the user devices (50) and, in particular, the software application (40) operating on each device (50). Such communication may occur via the internet or similar network.

[0045] Figure 3 shows in greater detail Segment 300 of Figure 1 and, in particular, the steps associated with a first user (30A) installing the application (40) which may be achieved by downloading the software application (40) from an application store. The user (30A) may create an account using the application (40) and the account information may be stored in the user account register (100) and / or user info / preferences database (105). As described above, the account register (100) may capture information sufficient to enable each user (30) to be correctly identified and verified. The same or similar process may apply with respect to both sets of users (30A) and (30B).

[0046] The process of downloading the application (40) is indicated by arrow (150), and interface (160) is also shown which enables the user (30A) to install the application (40) in order to access the functionality thereof, including to create and maintain a user profile specifying preferences of the user (30A). Such preferences may be entered through interface (160) or any associated interface which may prompt the user (30) to enter such preferences. In other words, once the application (40) has been accessed by a user (30), the user may be presented with an interface, identical or similar to the interface (160), to allow the user to add preferences to their profile including the ability to edit profile details. Once sufficient information is provided by the user (30) and such information is verified, the user (30) will be successfully registered such that the user (30) becomes a registered user who may then utilize the functionality of the application (40), which may be in accordance with a subscription level of the user (30).

[0047] Also shown in Figure 3 is an example of a hardcopy literary work (70) which has been uploaded by the first user (30A) and converted into a digitized copy (60) for the purpose of making same accessible and efficiently searchable to other users (30B) who may be interested in loaning, exchanging and / or purchasing of the digital copy (60) and / or the original hard copy (70). Any suitable conversion technique may be utilized including by prompting the user (30A) to scan the hard copy literary work (70) to create the digitized copy (60). The software application (40) may provide additional functionality that assists the creation of the digitized copy (60) as well as editing functionality that allows the user (30A) to improve the quality / digital appearance of each page of the literary work, if required. Part of this digitization process willpreferably involve processing the literary work to identify terms that are unlikely to be easily searchable using modern day search terms / language (eg. pre-modern, rare and / or unique terms used in the literature), and linking such terms with their modern day equivalents such that the database index is developed to include a plurality of such older, rarer, etc, terms with modern day equivalent terms which are more easily searchable using modern search terms / language. In a further alternative embodiment, the original hard copy literary work (70) may be sent to a third party specializing in converting hard copy literary works to digitized copies (60), for example in circumstances where the literary work may be old and / or fragile and therefore not capable digitizing using conventional scanning techniques.

[0048] Upon upload of a digitised copy (60) of a hardcopy literary work (70) by the first registered user (30A), the processing which occurs on the document may further include a determination of one or more characteristics of the literary work (70), eg. the type of text (eg. poetry, fiction, etc), the style of text (eg. expository, descriptive, narrative, persuasive, creative, etc), the genre of text (eg. comedy, tragedy, history, etc), the age or period during which the text was written (eg. 1600’s, etc), the title of the text, the author of the text (eg. Shakespeare, etc), the country or jurisdiction of origin (eg. England, Europe, USA, etc), etc. The index may be configured to link modern equivalent terms with text used in the stored literary works according to one or more of the abovementioned characteristics.

[0049] For example, if text in a literary work (70) is determined (upon upload of a digitized version thereof) to have been written in the 1600’s, then such text may be linked to modern equivalent terms in a manner that is relevant to text of that era, which will be different to text of a literary work determined to have been written during a different time period. The same may apply to characteristics other than the time period of the text. For example, text may be linked to modern equivalent terms in a manner relevant to text from a particular author, which may be different to the way text from another author is treated. In other words, the modern equivalent terms that are linked to text in each stored literary work may be different for each literary work (70) depending upon the characteristics thereof.

[0050] Figure 4 shows in greater detail segment 400 of Figure 1 and, in particular, a second user (30B) who has downloaded the software application (40) and successfully registered to use the software application (40) in a similar manner as described earlier with respect to user (30A). The second user (30B) utilizes the search engine via a search interface (170) provided by the software application (40) to conduct searches of digitized copies (60) of hardcopy literary works (70) stored in the secure database (110). In this regard, the interface (170) may provide the user (30B) with the ability to enter specific search keywords (75) relevant to literary works which will be matched against stored modern day equivalent terms linked to text in the stored literary works, resulting in an efficient search that is much more likely to yield relevant search results for users (30B).

[0051] When a key word (75) is entered by user (30B), the network may utilize search algorithms based upon natural language processing (NLP) technology to interpret keywords and to match the keywords to modern equivalent terms that have been indexed against corresponding relevant terms in stored literary works. In this way, searches may be conducted more quickly and efficiently locate specific literary works. Since the stored digitized copies (60) of literary works (70) are indexed in a data structure, the location and retrieval thereof based upon search queries by users (30B) is facilitated. An advanced search may also be offered to users wherein an inference engine is utilized to enable users (30B) to readily identify literary works which also reflect their interests based on information stored in databases (100) and / or (105).

[0052] Once the user (30B) has located a literary work (70) of interest and prefers to engage with the owner (30A) of the literary work with a view to borrowing, exchanging and / or purchasing the original or a digitized copy (60) of the literary work (70), interfaces (180) enable the establishment of a communication channel (80) between such users for the purpose of making the necessary arrangements. In particular, the interfaces (180) may provide the users with a live chat facility as well as a means of exchanging funds utilizing the payment gateway functionality (135) of the server (20), as well as for the purpose of arranging pickup of any hard copy literary works (70) at an address associated with the first user (30A). The payment gateway functionality (135) provides users (30A) and (30B) with the ability to effect financial transactionsbetween the users, including through the use of a user’s credit card, PayPal account, etc., with respect to any literary works (70) they have agreed to loan, exchange and / or purchase.

[0053] Figure 5 shows in greater detail segment 500 of Figure 1 and, in particular, a first interface (190) configured to provide recommendations to users (30B) with respect to literary works (70) of likely interest to the user (30B), as well as interface (210) that enables users (30) to view various analytics including, for example, most popular literary works (70), most rare literary works (70), reading trends, etc. In this regard, the data processing functionality (115) may utilize an intelligent recommendation engine responsible for generating recommendations presented through interface (190), and such an engine may analyze, for example, previous browsing and purchasing patterns of registered users (30B) as well as preferences obtained from an analysis of previous search requests. In this way, the recommendations generated may enhance user engagement and also introduce registered users (30B) to previously unknown literary works (70).

[0054] Similarly, the data processing functionality (115) may utilize data extraction techniques to collect valuable data regarding consumer taste and preferences across all registered user profiles as well as previous activities, thereby giving rise to useful data that may be viewable by users (30B) in interface (210). For example, the users (30B) may be provided with data pertaining to analytics such as reading trends and the like, and such information may also be of interest and hence may also be made accessible to owners of literary works (30A).

[0055] Figure 6 shows in greater detail segment 600 of Figure 1 and, in particular, additional user interfaces (220) and (230). Interface (220) provides a general communications interface for users (30) to communicate for purposes other than negotiating a loan, exchange and / or purchase of a literary work, and may include communications amongst users (30) as well as with an administrator of the platform, etc. The interface (230) illustrated in Figure 6 is a review / rating interface (270) that enables one or more reviews and / or ratings (90) to be submitted by users (30), eg. subsequent to reading a literary work (70). Such review and rating data may also be utilized in the process of generating recommendations as previously described,thereby providing users (30) with the ability to receive future reading recommendations that align with their previous ratings and / or reviews (90).

[0056] When recommendations are provided to users, eg. via interface (190), such recommendations may include relevant links. For example, a recommendation for a particular literary work (70) may include a link to one or more other registered users (30A) who have uploaded the particular recommended literary work (or similar works) for loan, exchange and / or purchase, thereby enabling users (30B) seeking to avail themselves of a recommendation to officially locate an available resource of the recommended literary work (70).

[0057] The communications interface (220) may also provide additional functionality in the form of a community notice and / or discussion forum for registered users (30), which enables users (30) to engage in community discussions regarding any relevant experience with respect to the platform including, for example, discussions amongst users (30) who have a shared interest in particular literary works (70).

[0058] Figure 7 shows segment 700 of Figure 1 in greater detail and, in particular, the use of an interface (240) which provides users (30) with the ability to read digitized copies (60) of literary works (70). The interface (240) further provides functionality to cater for diverse reading preferences including the reading preferences of registered users (30) having visual impairments. For example, the interface (240) may provide such users with modified interfaces as compared with those described herein such that the modified interfaces provide, for example, increased font size, improved contrast, increased text spacing, etc., to improve the reading experience of such registered users.

[0059] It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the relevant field of technology that numerous variations and / or modifications may be made to the invention as detailed in the embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all aspects as illustrative and not restrictive.

[0060] Throughout this specification and claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word “comprise”, and variations such as “comprises” and“comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated feature or step, or group of features or steps, but not the exclusion of any other feature or step or group of features or steps.

Claims

The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. A data communications network including connected data communications devices and a method of operating same for facilitating the searching and location of digitised hardcopy literary works for the purpose of loan, exchange and / or sale thereof, the method including: a first connected data communications device communicating with a first user device to receive: details for the establishment of an account associated with a first user to verify the first user’s identity and register the first user; and at least one digitised copy of a hardcopy literary work; a secure database storing the uploaded digitised copy of the at least one hardcopy literary work, the secure database including an index relating to the stored literary work which links pre-modern and / or unique terms used in the stored literary work with modern equivalent terms; the first connected data communications device further operable to: provide access to one or more second registered users, via one or more second connected data communications devices, to the secure database; enable each of the one or more second registered users to utilise a search facility to conduct a search of digitized copies of hardcopy literary works stored in the secure database, wherein the search parameters include one or more keywords relevant to a literary work sought to be loaned, exchanged and / or purchased by the second registered user; access, using the search facility, the index to determine whether a match exists between the one or more search keywords with either one or more of the pre-modern and / or unique terms or one or more modern equivalent terms associated with the digitized copy of the hardcopy literary work(s) of the first registered user; and based on a match determined between a search keyword and one or more terms associated with a stored digitized copy of a hardcopy literarywork(s) of the first registered user, configure a communication link between the first registered user and the second registered user.

2. A data communications network according to claim 1 , wherein the literary works include publications in which old, rare and / or unique terms determined as difficult to search and / or unlikely to yield relevant results using modern language search keywords.

3. A data communications network according to claim 2, wherein the secure database storing the digitized copies of the literary works includes an index that links the old, rare and / or unique terms with modern language equivalent terms.

4. A data communications network according to claim 3, wherein the method further includes: upon upload of the digitised copy of the at least one hardcopy literary work by the first registered user, processing the literary work to determine one or more characteristics of the literary work, the characteristics including one or more of: the type of text, the style of text, the genre of text, the age or period during which the text was written, the title of the text, author of the text, or the country or jurisdiction of origin.

5. A data communications network according to claim 4, wherein the linking of modern equivalent terms with text used in the stored literary works accords with the one or more characteristics of the literary works such that the modern equivalent terms linked to text in each stored literary work is different for each work depending upon the characteristics thereof.

6. A data communications network according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the search facility uses search algorithms incorporating Natural Language Processing techniques to interpret keywords entered by users and correlate the keywords with modern equivalent terms that have been indexed along with the corresponding original terms in stored literary works.

7. A data communications network according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the method further includes providing an advanced search functionality using an inference facility which enables registered users to readily identify literary works in accordance with the users’ interests.

8. A data communications network according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the method further includes providing an intelligent recommendation facility that provides literary work recommendations to a registered user according to an analysis of the previous browsing and activities of the registered user.

9. A data communications network according to claim 8, wherein the method further includes receiving one or more reviews from registered users regarding their views subsequent to reading a literary work and incorporating same in the analysis performed with respect to determining literary work recommendations for individual registered users.

10. A data communications network according to either claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the method further includes providing second registered users with links to first registered users who have uploaded digitised hard copies of literary works to the secure database, thereby enabling users seeking to avail themselves of a recommendation to efficiently locate an available resource of the recommended literary work.

11. A data communications network according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the method further includes utilising data extraction techniques to collect data regarding user preferences across all registered user profiles and previous activities, thereby enabling creation of data pertaining to reading trends and providing such information to one or more registered users.

12. A data communications network according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the method further includes providing a community notice and / or discussion forum for registered users enabling users to engage in community discussions regarding experiences with respect to literary works.

13. A data communications network according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the method further includes providing functionality to cater for diverse reading preferences including the reading preferences of registered users having visual impairments.

14. A data communications network according to claim 13, wherein the reading preferences include one or more of the following to improve a reading experience of the registered users: preferred font size, preferred contrast, or preferred text spacing.

15. A data communications network according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the method further includes providing payment functionality to enable financial transactions between registered users with respect to the loan, exchange and / or purchase of any digitised copies or originals of hardcopy literary works.

16. A computer-implemented system for facilitating the searching and location of digitised hardcopy literary works for the purpose of loan, exchange and / or sale thereof, the system including: one or more processors operable to: communicate with a first user device to receive: details for the establishment of an account associated with a first user to verify the first user’s identity and register the first user; and at least one digitised copy of a hardcopy literary work;a secure database for storing an uploaded digitised copy of the at least one hardcopy literary work, the secure database including an index relating to the stored literary work which links pre-modern and / or unique terms used in the stored literary work with modern equivalent terms; the one or more processors further operable to: enable access to one or more second registered users, via one or more second connected data communications devices, to the secure database; enable each of the one or more second registered users to utilise a search facility to conduct a search of digitized copies of hardcopy literary works stored in the secure database, wherein the search parameters include one or more keywords relevant to a literary work sought to be loaned, exchanged and / or purchased by the second registered user; access, using the search facility, the index to determine whether a match exists between the one or more search keywords with either one or more of the pre-modern and / or unique terms or one or more modern equivalent terms associated with the digitized copy of the hardcopy literary work(s) of the first registered user; and based on a match determined between a search keyword and one or more terms associated with a stored digitized copy of a hardcopy literary work of the first registered user, configure a communication link between the first registered user and the second registered user.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed on a computer, causes one or more processors of the computer to perform the steps of: cause a first connected data communications device to communicate with a first user device to receive: details for the establishment of an account associated with a first user to verify the first user’s identity and register the first user; and at least one digitised copy of a hardcopy literary work;cause a secure database to store the uploaded digitised copy of the at least one hardcopy literary work, the secure database including an index relating to the stored literary work which links pre-modern and / or unique terms used in the stored literary work with modern equivalent terms; cause the first connected data communications device to further: provide access to one or more second registered users, via one or more second connected data communications devices, to the secure database; enable each of the one or more second registered users to utilise a search facility to conduct a search of digitized copies of hardcopy literary works stored in the secure database, wherein the search parameters include one or more keywords relevant to a literary work sought to be loaned, exchanged and / or purchased by the second registered user; access, using the search facility, the index to determine whether a match exists between the one or more search keywords with either one or more of the pre-modern and / or unique terms or one or more modern equivalent terms associated with the digitized copy of the hardcopy literary work(s) of the first registered user; and based on a match determined between a search keyword and one or more terms associated with a stored digitized copy of a hardcopy literary work(s) of the first registered user, configure a communication link between the first registered user and the second registered user.

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