The Amazon Kindle is a series of e-readers designed and marketed by Amazon.com. Amazon Kindle devices enable users to browse, buy, download and read e-books, newspapers, magazines and other digital media via wireless networking to the Kindle Store. 

The name was devised by branding consultants Michael Cronan and Karin Hibma who suggested Kindle, meaning to light a fire. They felt this was an apt metaphor for reading and intellectual excitement.

The hardware platform, developed by Amazon subsidiary Lab126, began as a single device and now comprises a range of devices. Kindle hardware has evolved from the original Kindle introduced in 2007 and the Kindle DX (with its larger screen) introduced in 2009. 

This patent titled 'Hand Held Electronic Book Reader Device having Dual Displays' was filed on the 17th of June, 2010. It shows the somewhat blocky lines of the original Kindle hardware. Under the guidance of founder Jeff Bezos, Amazon successfully became the first large retailer to get to market with the e-reader. And light a fire it did with over 4.6 millions e-books now available on the Kindle store as of July 2016.

Want to know more about what a patent is, we have created a description page here.