One embodiment includes a portable e-book reading device for reading a paginated e-book, where each page includes one or more sections, with at least one section including a piece of text linked to an illustration. The device includes a controller, a display and a screen layout module coupled to the controller and the display. The module can be configured to layout the at least one section of the e-book at least by keeping the piece of text with the illustration to be displayed in one screen of the display, and to maintain the pagination if a page is in more than one screen of the display. Another embodiment includes a paginated e-book with a text sub file, an illustration sub file and a logic sub file. The text sub file can store at least one piece of text and an attribute regarding the text. The illustration sub file can store at least an illustration and an attribute regarding the illustration. Either the text sub file or the illustration sub file includes position information linking the illustration to a corresponding piece of text in the text sub file. The logic sub file can include a rule to instruct an e-book reading device on how a section of the e-book should be displayed on a screen of a display at the device. Yet another embodiment includes an e-book with a logic sub file that can analyze an attribute of and provide a response to the reader.

Computer-aided methods and systems for e-books

In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, systems and program products. A server system receives from a plurality of computing devices indications that a user of each of the computing devices requested to receive posts that a first user authors. The server system receives from a first computing device a post that was authored by the first user. The post is transmitted from the server system to the plurality of computing devices. A score for the post is determined to satisfy a criteria for transmission to a second user who has not requested to receive posts authored by the first user. The determination uses a distance of the second user to the first user in a social network graph. In response, the post is transmitted from the server system to a second computing device that is associated with the second user.

Recommending posts to non-subscribing users

A meaning of a term is determined using the contents of a corpus of books through use of metadata about the books within the corpus, terms in the same work which provide context, and so forth. Users may query to determine the meaning of a term. Users may also build vocabulary skills by testing as well. A changing meaning of a term over time may be determined and utilized as well. Searches are facilitated by the enhanced ability to determine meaning of the terms, particularly in context. Feedback from the searches may also be used to refine future searches.

Disambiguation of term meaning

A system and method for training a student employ a simulation station that displays output to the student and receives input. The computer system has a rules engine operating on it and computer accessible data storage storing (i) learning object data including learning objects configured to provide interaction with the student at the simulation system and (ii) rule data defining a plurality of rules accessed by the rules engine. The rules data includes, for each rule, respective (a) if-portion data defining a condition of data and (b) then-portion data defining an action to be performed at the simulation station. The rules engine causes the computer system to perform the action when the condition of data is present in the data storage. For at least some of the rules, the action comprises output of one of the learning objects so as to interact with the student.

Adaptive training system, method, and apparatus

A sound-enhanced ebook is disclosed, the sound being presented to a reader of the ebook in accordance with the reader's progress through the ebook. The sound-enhanced ebook includes text information, and a plurality of sound events, each sound event being played in response to a reader's progress through particular text information associated with the sound event. Also disclosed is an ebook presenter for presenting text and coordinated sound events of a sound-enhanced ebook to a reader, the sound events being presented as the reader progresses through particular text of the ebook. The ebook presenter includes a text presentation module, a reader progress module, and a sound event presentation module, each sound event being associated with particular text information of the ebook, and each sound event being presentable in response to the reader's progress through the text information of the ebook as estimated by the reader progress module.

A sound-enhanced ebook with sound events triggered by reader progress

A computer-implemented adaptive learning method is disclosed. The method is intended for performance within the context of a task being carried out by a user. At least one of a sequence of elements presented to the user as part of the task is designated as a learning item. A learning object is selected in dependence upon the designated learning item, information relating to previous performance of the learning method in relation to the user, and a predetermined scheme devised to manage an overall learning process for the user. Presentation of the selected learning object to the user is intended to advance the user's knowledge of the designated learning item in some way. Once the learning object has been presented to the user, the information is updated in dependence upon the presented learning object and/or how the user interacts with or responds to the presented learning object.

Philip Glenny Edmonds

Papers

Computer-implemented learning method and apparatus