Synchronized consumption modes for e-books

Abstract

An e-book system receives and stores different versions of an e-book supporting different consumption modes. Additionally, the e-book system stores signposts for the e-book. The signposts include corresponding locations in different versions of the e-book. When a user switches from a first version to a second version, the e-book system determines based on the signposts a location in the second version of the e-book that corresponds to the current location in the first version. The e-book system then presents the content in the second version from the determined location.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 : A computer-implemented method for synchronizing consumption modes of an e-book across multiple devices, the method comprising:
 transmitting, by a computing system and to a first device, a first version of the e-book;   transmitting, by the computing system and to a second device, a second version of the e-book, wherein the first version of the e-book and the second version of the e-book are different versions of the e-book, and wherein the first device and the second device are different devices, and wherein the first device and the second device are each associated with a user;   storing, by the computing system, one or more signposts associated with the first version of the e-book and the second version of the e-book, wherein the one or more signposts include information for facilitating determination of corresponding locations in the different versions of the e-book;   receiving, by the computing system, a current location in the first version of the e-book, wherein the current location of the first version of the e-book is a location of the first version of the e-book at which the user is currently consuming or most recently ceased consuming the first version of the e-book;   determining, by the computing system and based on the one or more signposts, a current location in the second version of the e-book corresponding to the current location in the first version of the e-book; and   transmitting, by the computing system and to the second device, the current location in the second version of the e-book.   
     
     
         22 : The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 determining, by the computing system, a plurality of respective locations in the first version of the e-book that each correspond to one of a plurality of respective locations in the second version of the e-book; and   creating, by the computing system and based on the plurality of respective locations in the first version of the e-book that each correspond to the one of the plurality of respective locations in the second version of the e-book, the one or more signposts, wherein each of the one or more signposts specifies one of the respective locations in the first version of the e-book and the corresponding one of the respective locations in the second version of the e-book.   
     
     
         23 : The method of  claim 22 , wherein the first version of the e-book is a text version of the e-book, and wherein the second version of the e-book is an audio version of the e-book, the method further comprising:
 converting, by the computing system using speech recognition, the audio version of the e-book to into a converted text version of the e-book, the converted text version of the e-book including a plurality of text snippets,   wherein determining the plurality of respective locations in the first version of the e-book that each correspond to one of a plurality of respective locations in the second version of the e-book comprises:
 identifying, by the computing system and based on a first respective location from the plurality of respective locations in the audio version of the e-book, one text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book; 
 identifying, by the computing system and based on the one text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book, a particular text snippet from a plurality of text snippets of the text version of the e-book by at least comparing the one snippet to one or more snippets from the plurality of snippets of the text version of the e-book; and 
 determining that the first respective location from the plurality of respective locations in the audio version of the e-book corresponds to a location of the particular text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the text version of the e-book. 
   
     
     
         24 : The method of  claim 23 , further comprising:
 determining, by the computing system, a respective likelihood that each text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book was correctly converted from a corresponding portion of the audio version of the e-book;   storing, by the computing system, the respective likelihoods for each of the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book; and   storing, by the computing system, respective timing information for each of the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book, the respective timing information indicating a respective location of each of the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book in the audio version of the e-book.   
     
     
         25 : The method of  claim 23 , wherein:
 the one text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book is a first text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book,   the particular text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the text version of the e-book is a first text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the text version of the e-book, and   determining, based on the one or more signposts and the current location in the first version of the e-book, the current location in the second version of the e-book comprises:
 identifying, based on the current location in the text version of the e-book, a second text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the text version of the e-book; 
 identifying, based on the second text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the text version of the e-book, a second text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book; and 
 identifying, based on the second text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book, the current location within the audio version of the e-book. 
   
     
     
         26 : The method of  claim 25 , wherein the current location within the audio version of the e-book includes timing information specifying the current location within the audio version of the e-book corresponding to the second text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book. 
     
     
         27 : The method of  claim 22 , wherein the first version of the e-book is a text version of the e-book, and wherein the second version of the e-book is an audio version of the e-book, the method further comprising:
 converting, by the computing system using speech recognition, the audio version of the e-book to into a converted text version of the e-book, the converted text version of the e-book including a plurality of text snippets;   determining, by the computing system, a respective likelihood that each text snippet from the plurality of text snippets was correctly converted from a corresponding portion of the audio version of the e-book; and   selecting, by the computing system, one or more text snippets from the plurality of text snippets having respective likelihoods greater than a threshold likelihood,   wherein determining the plurality of respective locations in the first version of the e-book that each correspond to one of a plurality of respective locations in the second version of the e-book is based on the one or more text snippets having respective likelihoods greater than a threshold likelihood.   
     
     
         28 : A computing system for synchronizing consumption modes of an e-book across multiple devices, the computing system comprising:
 one or more processors;   a network adapter; and   a non-transitory storage device storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
 transmit, via the network adapter and to a first device, a first version of the e-book; 
 transmit, via the network adapter and to a second device, a second version of the e-book, wherein the first version of the e-book and the second version of the e-book are different versions of the e-book, wherein the first device and the second device are different devices, and wherein the first device and the second device are each associated with a user; 
 store one or more signposts associated with the first version of the e-book and the second version of the e-book, wherein the one or more signposts include information for facilitating determination of corresponding locations in the different versions of the e-book; 
 receive, via the network adapter and from the first device, a current location in the first version of the e-book, wherein the current location of the first version of the e-book is a location of the first version of the e-book at which the user is currently consuming or most recently ceased consuming the first version of the e-book; 
 determine, based on the one or more signposts, a current location in the second version of the e-book corresponding to the current location in the first version of the e-book; and 
 transmit, via the network adapter and to the second device, the current location in the second version of the e-book. 
   
     
     
         29 : The computing system of  claim 28 , wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
 determine a plurality of respective locations in the first version of the e-book that each correspond to one of a plurality of respective locations in the second version of the e-book; and   create, based on the plurality of respective locations in the first version of the e-book that each correspond to the one of the plurality of respective locations in the second version of the e-book, the one or more signposts, wherein each of the one or more signposts specifies one of the respective locations in the first version of the e-book and the corresponding one of the respective locations in the second version of the e-book.   
     
     
         30 : The computing system of  claim 29 , wherein the first version of the e-book is a text version of the e-book, and wherein the second version of the e-book is an audio version of the e-book, and wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
 convert, using speech recognition, the audio version of the e-book to into a converted text version of the e-book, the converted text version of the e-book including a plurality of text snippets; and   determine the plurality of respective locations in the first version of the e-book that each correspond to one of a plurality of respective locations in the second version of the e-book by at least causing the one or more processors to:
 identify, based on a first respective location from the plurality of respective locations in the audio version of the e-book, one text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book; 
 identify, based on the one text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book, a particular text snippet from a plurality of text snippets of the text version of the e-book by at least comparing the one snippet to one or more snippets from the plurality of snippets of the text version of the e-book; and 
 determine that the first respective location from the plurality of respective locations in the audio version of the e-book corresponds to a location of the particular text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the text version of the e-book. 
   
     
     
         31 : The computing system of  claim 30 , wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
 determine a respective likelihood that each text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book was correctly converted from a corresponding portion of the audio version of the e-book;   store the respective likelihoods for each of the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book; and   store respective timing information for each of the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book, the respective timing information indicating a respective location of each of the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book in the audio version of the e-book.   
     
     
         32 : The computing system of  claim 30 , wherein:
 the one text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book is a first text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book,   the particular text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the text version of the e-book is a first text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the text version of the e-book, and   the instructions cause the one or more processors to determine, based on the one or more signposts and the current location in the first version of the e-book, the current location in the second version of the e-book by at least causing the one or more processors to:
 identify, based on the current location in the text version of the e-book, a second text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the text version of the e-book; 
 identify, based on the second text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the text version of the e-book, a second text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book; and 
 identify, based on the second text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book, the current location within the audio version of the e-book. 
   
     
     
         33 : The computing system of  claim 32 , wherein the current location within the audio version of the e-book includes timing information specifying the current location within the audio version of the e-book corresponding to the second text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book. 
     
     
         34 : The computing system of  claim 29 , wherein the first version of the e-book is a text version of the e-book, wherein the second version of the e-book is an audio version of the e-book, and wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
 convert, using speech recognition, the audio version of the e-book to into a converted text version of the e-book, the converted text version of the e-book including a plurality of text snippets;   determine a respective likelihood that each text snippet from the plurality of text snippets was correctly converted from a corresponding portion of the audio version of the e-book; and   select one or more text snippets from the plurality of text snippets having respective likelihoods greater than a threshold likelihood; and   determine the plurality of respective locations in the first version of the e-book that each correspond to one of a plurality of respective locations in the second version of the e-book based on the one or more text snippets having respective likelihoods greater than a threshold likelihood.   
     
     
         35 : A non-transitory storage device storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of a computing system, cause the one or more processors to:
 transmit, to a first device, a first version of the e-book;   transmit, to a second device, a second version of the e-book, wherein the first version of the e-book and the second version of the e-book are different versions of the e-book, and wherein the first device and the second device are different devices, and wherein the first device and the second device are each associated with a user;   store one or more signposts associated with the first version of the e-book and the second version of the e-book, wherein the one or more signposts include information for facilitating determination of corresponding locations in the different versions of the e-book;   receive, from the first device, a current location in the first version of the e-book, wherein the current location of the first version of the e-book is a location of the first version of the e-book at which the user is currently consuming or most recently ceased consuming the first version of the e-book;   determine, based on the one or more signposts, a current location in the second version of the e-book corresponding to the current location in the first version of the e-book; and   transmit, to the second device, the current location in the second version of the e-book.   
     
     
         36 : The non-transitory storage device of  claim 35 , wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
 determine a plurality of respective locations in the first version of the e-book that each correspond to one of a plurality of respective locations in the second version of the e-book; and   create, based on the plurality of respective locations in the first version of the e-book that each correspond to the one of the plurality of respective locations in the second version of the e-book, the one or more signposts, wherein each of the one or more signposts specifies one of the respective locations in the first version of the e-book and the corresponding one of the respective locations in the second version of the e-book.   
     
     
         37 : The non-transitory storage device of  claim 36 , wherein the first version of the e-book is a text version of the e-book, and wherein the second version of the e-book is an audio version of the e-book, and wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
 convert, using speech recognition, the audio version of the e-book to into a converted text version of the e-book, the converted text version of the e-book including a plurality of text snippets; and   determine the plurality of respective locations in the first version of the e-book that each correspond to one of a plurality of respective locations in the second version of the e-book by at least causing the one or more processors to:
 identify, based on a first respective location from the plurality of respective locations in the audio version of the e-book, one text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book; 
 identify, based on the one text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book, a particular text snippet from a plurality of text snippets of the text version of the e-book by at least comparing the one snippet to one or more snippets from the plurality of snippets of the text version of the e-book; and 
 determine that the first respective location from the plurality of respective locations in the audio version of the e-book corresponds to a location of the particular text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the text version of the e-book. 
   
     
     
         38 : The non-transitory storage device of  claim 37 , wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
 determine a respective likelihood that each text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book was correctly converted from a corresponding portion of the audio version of the e-book;   store the respective likelihoods for each of the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book; and   store respective timing information for each of the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book, the respective timing information indicating a respective location of each of the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book in the audio version of the e-book.   
     
     
         39 : The non-transitory storage device of  claim 37 , wherein:
 the one text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book is a first text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book,   the particular text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the text version of the e-book is a first text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the text version of the e-book, and   the instructions cause the one or more processors to determine, based on the one or more signposts and the current location in the first version of the e-book, the current location in the second version of the e-book by at least causing the one or more processors to:
 identify, based on the current location in the text version of the e-book, a second text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the text version of the e-book; 
 identify, based on the second text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the text version of the e-book, a second text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book; and 
 identify, based on the second text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book, the current location within the audio version of the e-book, wherein the current location within the audio version of the e-book includes timing information specifying the current location within the audio version of the e-book corresponding to the second text snippet from the plurality of text snippets of the converted text version of the e-book. 
   
     
     
         40 : The non-transitory storage device of  claim 36 , wherein the first version of the e-book is a text version of the e-book, wherein the second version of the e-book is an audio version of the e-book, and wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:
 convert, using speech recognition, the audio version of the e-book to into a converted text version of the e-book, the converted text version of the e-book including a plurality of text snippets;   determine a respective likelihood that each text snippet from the plurality of text snippets was correctly converted from a corresponding portion of the audio version of the e-book; and   select one or more text snippets from the plurality of text snippets having respective likelihoods greater than a threshold likelihood; and   determine the plurality of respective locations in the first version of the e-book that each correspond to one of a plurality of respective locations in the second version of the e-book based on the one or more text snippets having respective likelihoods greater than a threshold likelihood.