Techniques for paging through digital content on touch screen devices

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for providing a page flipping mode in electronic touch sensitive devices. The user can engage the page flipping mode by performing an activation gesture, which causes the device to display a magazine page flipping mode or a fast page flipping mode. The page flipping modes may show paginated content such as an opened book or magazine in a single stack or side-by-side layout. The fast page flipping modes may show a single page lying relatively flat or somewhat curled with the edges of subsequent pages visible at the right edge of the page. A page flipping gesture may prompt an animation showing one or more pages folding up to display subsequent pages to the user. In some cases, the number of pages being flipped and/or the speed at which the pages are flipped, is dependent upon the speed and/or length and/or duration of the page flipping gesture.

1 . A computer program product including one or more non-transitory machine readable mediums encoded with instructions that when executed by one or more processors cause a process to be carried out, the process comprising:
 in response to a page flipping mode activation gesture performed on paginated digital content, enter a page flipping mode; and   in response to a page flipping gesture, causing display of a page flipping animation showing at least one page of paginated digital content flipping, wherein at least one of the number of pages being flipped and the page flipping speed is controlled by the distance of a contact point of the page flipping gesture from a point of reference;   wherein the page flipping gesture is distinct from the page flipping mode activation gesture, and can be used to turn one or more pages of the paginated digital content at a time.   
     
     
         2 . The computer program product of  claim 1  wherein the point of reference is an edge of a touch screen display. 
     
     
         3 . The computer program product of  claim 2  wherein the greater the distance of the contact point of the page flipping gesture from the edge, the greater the number of pages being flipped. 
     
     
         4 . The computer program product of  claim 2  wherein the greater the distance of the contact point of the page flipping gesture from the edge, the faster the page flipping speed. 
     
     
         5 . The computer program product of  claim 1  wherein the activation gesture comprises two simultaneous swipe gestures oriented toward opposite edges of a touch screen display. 
     
     
         6 . The computer program product of  claim 1  wherein the activation gesture comprises a press-and-hold gesture. 
     
     
         7 . The computer program product of  claim 1  wherein the page flipping mode is further configured to show a graphic of paginated content in a stack and an edge of that content stack appears slanted or staircased, and wherein a page flipping animation commences in response to the at least one of the activation gesture and the page flipping gesture being received on or near the slanted or staircased edge. 
     
     
         8 . The computer program product of  claim 1  wherein the page flipping mode is further configured to display a page flipping animation in response to a page flipping gesture, the animation showing a corner of at least one page folded upwards to display a corner portion of a next page. 
     
     
         9 . The computer program product of  claim 1  wherein the paginated content includes paginated content having single pages of content in a stack. 
     
     
         10 . The computer program product of  claim 1  wherein the page flipping mode at least one of automatically slows and stops flipping through pages when a page including a designated area of interest is at least one of about to be displayed and is being displayed. 
     
     
         11 . The computer program product of  claim 10  wherein the page flipping mode is further configured to highlight any content displayed to the user related to the area of interest. 
     
     
         12 . The computer program product of  claim 10  wherein designated areas of interest include at least one of a page having product of interest, a topic of interest, a chapter title page, a page annotated with highlights, and a page annotated with notes. 
     
     
         13 . A mobile computing system comprising the computer program product of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         14 . A computer program product including one or more non-transitory machine readable mediums encoded with instructions that when executed by one or more processors cause a process to be carried out, the process comprising:
 in response to a page scrolling mode activation gesture performed on paginated digital content, enter a page scrolling mode; and   in response to a page scrolling gesture, causing display of a page scrolling animation showing at least one page of paginated digital content scrolling, wherein at least one of the number of pages being scrolled and the page scrolling speed is controlled by the distance of a contact point of the page scrolling gesture from a point of reference;   wherein the page scrolling gesture is distinct from the page scrolling mode activation gesture, and can be used to scroll one or more pages of the paginated digital content at a time.   
     
     
         15 . The computer program product of  claim 14  wherein the point of reference is an edge of a touch screen display. 
     
     
         16 . The computer program product of  claim 15  wherein the greater the distance of the contact point of the page scrolling gesture from the edge, the faster the page scrolling speed. 
     
     
         17 . The computer program product of  claim 14  wherein the paginated content includes serial paginated content having single pages of content in a line. 
     
     
         18 . The computer program product of  claim 14  wherein the page scrolling mode at least one of automatically slows and stops scrolling through pages when a page including a designated area of interest is at least one of about to be displayed and is being displayed. 
     
     
         19 . The computer program product of  claim 18  wherein designated areas of interest include at least one of a page having product of interest, a topic of interest, a chapter title page, a page annotated with highlights, and a page annotated with notes. 
     
     
         20 . A mobile computing system comprising the computer program product of  claim 14 .