Anchoring Bookmarks to Words for Reflow Context
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of electronic devices face difficulty in maintaining context when reflowable content refreshes or jumps to a new page, as the position of reference points changes, requiring them to read the entire page to locate their current position.
Innovation Solution
The system emphasizes text associated with a reference point by highlighting or emboldening it, while deemphasizing other text, such as by making it transparent, to provide a visual landmark and attract the user's attention, thereby aiding in locating the current location within the page.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If reflowable content is used to enable customization based on device settings, then adaptability is improved, but the user's ability to maintain context and locate current position deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies visual formatting changes including highlighting, bolding, and color changes to emphasize text associated with reference points. When content reflows or when users navigate, the system automatically highlights the current position and surrounding context text, making it visually distinct from non-emphasized text. This allows users to quickly locate their current position without reading the entire page.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes text parameters such as font weight, color, and opacity based on the user's current position and device settings. When reflow occurs, the system adjusts which text receives emphasis formatting to maintain context awareness. This parameter-based approach allows the same content to be presented differently based on viewing conditions while preserving user orientation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If content reflows to new layout or page, then device setting adaptability is improved, but user time to locate current position increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary emphasis formatting on text associated with reference points before users need to locate their position. When content is displayed or reflowed, the system proactively highlights the current position and context text, so users immediately see their location without needing to search through the page. This preliminary action eliminates the time users would otherwise spend scanning to find their place.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses visual formatting changes including highlighting, bolding, and color changes to emphasize text associated with reference points. When content reflows or when users navigate, the system automatically highlights the current position and surrounding context text, making it visually distinct from non-emphasized text. This allows users to quickly locate their current position without reading the entire page.
3Adaptability or versatility
If reference point position changes during reflow, then content presentation flexibility is improved, but user context awareness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies visual formatting changes including highlighting, bolding, and color changes to emphasize text associated with reference points. When content reflows or when users navigate, the system automatically highlights the current position and surrounding context text, making it visually distinct from non-emphasized text. This allows users to quickly locate their current position without reading the entire page.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces visual emphasis formatting as an intermediary element between the user and the reflowed content. This intermediary layer of highlighting and bolding text acts as a bridge, maintaining context awareness even as the underlying content structure changes during reflow. The emphasized text serves as a stable reference point that helps users orient themselves despite layout changes.
Data Source
AI summary
Devices, systems and methods are disclosed for anchoring bookmarks to individual words for precise positioning within electronic documents. The bookmarks may be anchored based on user input selecting particular words, based on gaze tracking identifying most recently read words, or based on estimated reading speed. The bookmarks may be a link used to navigate within the document, may be used as an anchor for a new layout after content reflow or may be automatically saved when the e-reader turns off the display to provide the user with a most recently read passage. If a bookmark isn't anchored to specific words by the user, the device may anchor the bookmark to the beginning of a sentence or a paragraph including the recently read words determined using gaze tracking or estimated reading speed.