Indexing Targets for Manual Book Content Retrieval

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional methods for locating specific content within a book are laborious, as they require visually reviewing many pages, and creating and maintaining a written index or table of contents is burdensome and time-consuming.

Innovation Solution

A system using indexing targets on the pages of a book, where creators attach book darts to indexing targets to characterize content, forming a physical index that allows for quick access, and an electronic version is automatically created by capturing images and analyzing these markings to construct electronic indices.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If visual content is manually created in a book, then content can be stored and reviewed by turning pages, but locating specific content becomes laborious and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent storageVSAvoidtime to locate content

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Indexing targets are pre-positioned on pages before content is created, allowing users to immediately mark and locate content without needing to create an index later. This preliminary setup enables efficient content retrieval while maintaining the simplicity of manual content creation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Indexing targets serve as intermediary markers between the physical book content and the user's search process. These targets provide a structured interface that bridges the gap between raw content and organized retrieval, enabling efficient location of specific content without reviewing entire pages.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If a written index or table of contents is created to aid content location, then finding specific content becomes easier, but the creation and maintenance process is burdensome and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent locationVSAvoidtime to create and maintain index

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The indexing system allows users to independently mark content pages with book darts on indexing targets without requiring external assistance for index creation or maintenance. Each user can self-manage their own index by simply placing darts on relevant pages, eliminating the burden of complex index creation while maintaining ease of content location.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

Indexing targets are pre-positioned on all pages before use, eliminating the need to create an index structure from scratch. Users can immediately begin marking content by placing book darts on pre-prepared targets, significantly reducing the time and effort required to establish an functional indexing system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of operation

If manual indexing is performed by marking indexing targets with book darts, then random access to book content is enabled, but the process requires significant manual effort

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverandom access capabilityVSAvoidindexing speed

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Users can mark only the specific indexing targets relevant to their current needs rather than systematically indexing every page. This partial action approach enables rapid random access to needed content without requiring complete indexing of the entire book, significantly improving indexing speed while maintaining accessibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The indexing system divides the book into discrete segments marked by individual indexing targets on each page. Each target represents a manageable unit that can be independently marked with a book dart, allowing users to efficiently index only relevant sections rather than treating the entire book as a single indexing task.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

4Extent of automation

If electronic version of the book is created by capturing images and analyzing markings, then automatic index construction is achieved, but computer resources are consumed for processing

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveindex construction automationVSAvoidcomputer processing resources

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the essential indexing information (positions of book darts on indexing targets) from captured page images rather than processing and analyzing the entire content of each page. This selective extraction approach enables automatic index construction while minimizing computer resource consumption by focusing processing only on relevant marking elements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS11701914B2Using indexing targets to index textual and/or graphical visual content manually created in a book

Publication Date: 2023.07.18 RILEY EDWARD

AI summary

A book made up of pages is described. At least some of the pages contain both space for manually-created visual content, and instances of preprinted indexing target symbols. Each of the indexing target symbol instances has at least a portion within one inch of three unbound page edges. When the book is closed, the instances of each particular indexing target symbol are in a substantially collinear stack that is substantially perpendicular to the faces of the pages.