Electronic pen and method for recording of handwritten information

• US 20030107558A1
• Filed: 11/29/2002
• Published: 06/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Anoto Group AB
• Original Assignee: Anoto Group AB
• Inventors: Bryborn, Mattias, Sandstrom, Ola
• Granted Patent: US 7,385,595 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0321 by optically sensing the absolute position with respect to a regularly patterned surface forming a passive digitiser, e.g. pen optically detecting position indicative tags printed on a paper sheet constructional details of pen-shaped pointing devices G06F3/03545, G06F3/03542, G06F3/037
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/17 using hand-held instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/19 by sensing codes defining pattern positions

Abstract

An electronic pen for recording of handwritten or hand-drawn information has a control unit and a memory. The control unit registers pen movements across at least one base, stores a plurality of digital pen strokes in the memory as a function of said movements, and supplies a set of the digital pen strokes for processing. The digital pen strokes include a first type, which is processed as graphical information constituting the information to be recorded, and a second type, which is processed as instructions for the processing of digital pen strokes of the first type. The electronic pen also has session-determining means adapted to detect a current working session of the pen. The control unit indicates, for the processing of the set of digital pen strokes, the working session during which the respective digital pen strokes have been input.

Claims

1. An electronic pen for recording of handwritten or hand-drawn information, comprising

a control unit;

and

a memory,

wherein the control unit is arranged to register pen movements across at least one base, to store a plurality of digital pen strokes in the memory as a function of said movements, and to supply a set of the digital pen strokes for processing, and

wherein the digital pen strokes include a first type, which is intended to be processed as graphical information constituting said information to be recorded, and a second type, which is intended to be processed as instructions for the processing of digital pen strokes of the first type,

the electronic pen further comprising;

session-determining means adapted to detect a current working session of the pen, wherein

the control unit is arranged to indicate, for the processing of said set of digital pen strokes, the working session during which the respective digital pen strokes have been input.

2. The electronic pen as claimed in claim 1, in which the control unit is arranged to cause only such digital pen strokes of the second type to be processed, which originate from working sessions for which there are digital pen strokes of the first type included in said set.

3. The electronic pen as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a session counter which is stored in the memory and which is incremented by the control unit when the session-determining means has detected that a new working session has been initiated, the control unit being adapted to store the digital pen strokes together with the session counter values applying at the time of input of the respective pen strokes and being arranged to use these values when determining which digital pen strokes of the second type are to be processed.

4. The electronic pen as claimed in claim 2, in which the control unit is arranged to note the times at which new working sessions are initiated, store these times and use them when determining which digital pen strokes of the second type are to be processed.

5. The electronic pen as claimed in claim 1, in which said session-determining means comprises a mechanical, optical, electrical or magnetic switch which is connected to said control unit.

6. The electronic pen as claimed in claim 5, in which the pen comprises a pen body and a protective cap, said switch being placed so as to detect that the protective cap is removed from the pen body.

7. The electronic pen as claimed in claim 1, intended to be used with a first base for inputting digital pen strokes of said first type, and with a second base for inputting digital pen strokes of said second type.

8. The electronic pen as claimed in claim 1, in which said base comprises a position-coding pattern.

9. The electronic pen as claimed in claim 1, in which said second type of digital pen strokes represents at least one property of said first type of digital pen strokes.

10. The electronic pen as defined in claim 9, wherein said property includes at least one of the following:

a visual graphic property such as color, thickness, pattern or visibility;

temporal or spatial resolution for the pen strokes;

a background for the pen strokes;

a context to which the pen or its user belongs, such as a certain user, group, company, shop, book, etc.;

or an indication of restricted access to the pen strokes.

11. The electronic pen as claimed in claim 1, in which said second type of digital pen strokes represents at least one command for affecting an interpretation of digital pen strokes of said first type.

12. The electronic pen as defined in claim 11, wherein said interpretation of digital pen strokes of said first type includes character recognition and wherein said command serves to interpret a plurality of pen strokes as a text, a sequence of characters, a sequence of digits, a sequence of upper-case characters, a sequence of lower-case characters, or an address for electronic communication.

13. The electronic pen as defined in claim 11, wherein said interpretation of digital pen strokes of said first type includes geometrical object recognition and wherein said command serves to interpret a plurality of pen strokes as an ideal geometrical shape.

14. The electronic pen as defined in claim 11, wherein said interpretation of digital pen strokes of said first type includes character recognition and wherein said command serves to define a page format parameter such as page break, page column or page margin.

15. The electronic pen as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a transmitter for communication with a remote processing device, wherein the control unit is adapted to supply said set of digital pen strokes to said remote processing device for processing therein.

16. The electronic pen as claimed in claim 1, further comprising local processing means in said pen, wherein said local processing means is adapted to perform the processing of said set of digital pen strokes.

17. The electronic pen as defined in claim 16, wherein said local processing means is implemented by said control unit.

18. The electronic pen as defined in claim 9 and 16, wherein said local processing means is adapted, when processing said set of digital pen strokes, to detect that a certain digital pen stroke is indicated as having been input during a different working session than a preceding digital pen stroke and, as a consequence of this, to restore the property for successive digital pen strokes of the first type to an initial or default state.

20. The system as claimed in claim 19, comprising an electronic pen as claimed in any one of claims 1-18.

27. Use of an electronic pen as claimed in claim 3 or 4 for defragmenting or so-called garbage collection of the pen'"'"'s memory.

19. A system for electronic recording of handwritten or hand-drawn information, comprising:

an electronic pen which is intended to be moved in desired pen movements across at least one base and to register the pen movements as a plurality of digital pen strokes; and

a processing device for receiving registered digital. pen strokes from the electronic pen, the digital pen strokes including a first type, which is processed by the processing device as graphical information constituting said information to be recorded, and a second type, which is processed by the processing device as an indication of a property of digital pen strokes of the first type,

the electronic pen further comprising;

session-determining means adapted to detect a current working session of the pen;

wherein, upon transmission of the digital pen strokes to the processing device, the electronic pen is arranged to indicate during which working session the respective digital pen strokes have been input; and

wherein, upon processing of the digital pen strokes, the processing device is arranged to detect that a certain digital pen stroke is indicated as having been input during a different working session than a preceding digital pen stroke and, as a consequence of this, to restore the property for successive digital pen strokes of the first type to an initial or default state.

21. A method for recording of handwritten or hand-drawn information originating from the pen movements of an electronic pen which are registered as digital pen strokes, wherein the digital pen strokes include a first type, which concerns graphical information constituting said information to be recorded, and a second type, which concerns instructions for the processing of digital pen strokes of the first type, the method comprising the steps of:

a) detecting the working session of the pen during which the respective digital pen strokes are recorded,

b) determining the working session(s) during which a plurality of digital pen strokes of said first type were recorded; and

c) supplying for processing only such digital pen strokes of said second type which have been registered during the working session(s) determined in step b).

22. The method as claimed in claim 21, wherein step a) is carried out by detecting that the electronic pen is started or activated and, as a consequence of this, incrementing a working session counter, and wherein a value associated with said working session counter is used when performing steps b) and c).

23. The method as claimed in claim 21, wherein step a) is carried out by detecting that the electronic pen is started or activated and, as a consequence of this, recording a time at which this happened, and wherein this time is used when performing at least step c).

24. A method for processing of handwritten or hand-drawn information in the form of a plurality of digital pen strokes which have been registered by the pen movements of an electronic pen and which include a first type, which concerns graphical information constituting said information to be recorded, and a second type, which concerns an indication of at least one property of digital pen strokes of the first type, the method comprising the steps of processing a set of recorded digital pen strokes as follows:

a digital pen stroke of the second type determines a current property of digital pen strokes of the first type;

digital pen strokes of the first type are assigned the current property; and

if a certain digital pen stroke is indicated as having been recorded during a different working session of the electronic pen than a preceding digital pen stroke, the current property is reset to an initial or default state.

25. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein said property of the digital pen strokes of said first type, which is indicated by digital pen strokes of said second type, includes:

a visual graphical property such as color, thickness, pattern or visibility;

temporal or spatial resolution for the pen strokes;

a background for the pen strokes;

a context to which the pen or its user belongs, such as a certain user, group, company, shop, book, etc.;

or an indication of restricted access to the pen strokes.

26. A computer program product which can be loaded into a memory belonging to a processor and which comprises program code for carrying out the steps as claimed in claim 24 or 25.