Electronic book having electronic commerce features

Abstract

A viewer for displaying an electronic book and providing for electronic commerce. In conjunction with viewing an electronic book, a user can view information about products and services, view an on-line electronic catalog, and receive samples of products available for purchase. By entering a purchase request, the user can purchase products or services. In the case of a digital product, the user can download the purchased product directly into the viewer. The viewer also records statistics concerning purchase and information requests in order to recommend related products or services, or for directing particular types of advertisements to the user.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for providing electronic commerce using an electronic book viewer, comprising:
 receiving an electronic book for display on the electronic book viewer;   providing an identification of a product or service associated with the electronic book on the electronic book viewer while the electronic book is displayed;   receiving a user's selection of the product or service;   receiving a request for a sample concerning a product or service;   retrieving the sample from a database, and   displaying the sample on the electronic book viewer.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising accessing an index of samples cross-referenced with the corresponding products and services. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the database is located in a library unit that is different and separate from the electronic book viewer. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the database is accessed locally via a network. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the sample includes a video clip, an audio clip, a portion of an electronic book, an image, a slide show, or an animation. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sample is played by a speaker when the sample is an audio clip. 
     
     
         7 . An apparatus for providing electronic commerce using an electronic book viewer, comprising:
 a display module for receiving an electronic book for display on the electronic book viewer, wherein the electronic book viewer is in a form of a book;   a presentation module for providing an identification of a product or service associated with the electronic book on the electronic book viewer while the electronic book is displayed;   a receive module for receiving a user's selection of the product or service; and   an execution module for performing a transaction to execute the purchase request, wherein the execution module further comprises:
 a module for receiving a request for a sample concerning a product or service; 
 a module for retrieving the sample from a database, and 
 a module for displaying the sample on the electronic book viewer. 
   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising accessing an index of samples cross-referenced with the corresponding products and services. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the database is located in a library unit that is different and separate from the electronic book viewer. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the database is accessed locally via a network. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the sample is displayed in a product sample section within the displayed electronic book. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the sample is played by a speaker when the sample is an audio clip. 
     
     
         13 . A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having control logic stored therein for causing a computer to execute a method for providing electronic commerce using an electronic book viewer, the control logic comprising:
 a first computer readable module for receiving an electronic book for display on the electronic book viewer;   a second computer readable module for providing an identification of a product or service associated with the electronic book on the electronic book viewer while the electronic book is displayed;   a third computer readable module for receiving a user's selection of the product or service through a task bar of the electronic book viewer;   a fourth computer readable module for receiving a request for a sample concerning a product or service;   a fifth computer readable module for retrieving the sample from a database, and a seventh computer readable module for displaying the sample on the electronic book viewer.