Pen and system for writing encoded lines

• US 20030146286A1
• Filed: 11/12/2002
• Published: 08/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: William Berson
• Original Assignee: William Berson
• Inventors: Berson, William
• Granted Patent: US 6,715,687 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/487
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/121 by printing code marks applying code marks to labels B65C9/46; marking or coding completed packages B65B61/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06018 one-dimensional coding

Abstract

A writing pen that forms a line of ink from a sequence of small line segments of at least two lengths in a pattern that encodes information in the line. The information includes the location and time of writing, a pen identifier, and a pen usage counter. This allows a signature to be authenticated by scanning the signature, extracting the information, and comparing it to known times, locations, and pen uses of a claimed signatory. Autographs of famous persons can be authenticated this way. The pen has an ink jet head that produces the encoded line under control of a logic and data processor. A global positioning system, internal clock, pressure-sensing stylus, pen motion detector, event counter, and pen identification number, all in the pen body, provide inputs to the processor. The rate of production of the line segments is proportional to the writing speed.

Claims

1. A pen for writing encoded lines, comprising:

a writing pen body having a writing end;

an ink reservoir in the body;

a data and logic processing unit in the body that includes memory with identification data;

an ink jet writing head in the body in fluid communication with the reservoir, and in control communication with the processing unit;

a global positioning system receiver in the body in data communication with the processing unit;

a stylus extending from the writing end of the body with a pressure transducer in signal communication with the processing unit for sensing pressure on the stylus; and

logic in the data and logic processing unit that organizes data from the global positioning system receiver and the memory, and causes the processing unit to send a data stream to the writing head that produces a line of ink on the writing surface with embedded information encoded in the form of line segments of at least two different lengths, creating an encoded line.

2. The pen of claim 1, further including an optical motion sensor in the writing end of the body, in data communication with the processing unit, that senses motion of the writing end of the body relative to a writing surface in contact with the stylus;

and wherein the logic in the processing unit causes the data stream to be transmitted to the writing head at a rate proportional to the speed of motion of the writing end of the body relative to a writing surface in contact with the stylus.

3. A pen for writing encoded lines, comprising:

a writing pen body having a writing end;

an ink reservoir in the pen body;

a data and logic processing unit in the body that includes memory;

identification data in the memory that uniquely identifies the pen;

an event counter in memory that uniquely identifies a usage of the pen;

an internal clock in the processing unit that provides timestamp data to the processing unit;

an ink jet writing head in the pen body in fluid communication with the reservoir, and in control communication with the processing unit;

a global positioning system receiver in the pen body that provides the current geographic location of the pen to the processing unit;

a stylus extending from the writing end of the body with a pressure transducer in signal communication with the processing unit for sensing pressure on the stylus;

an optical motion sensor in the writing end of the body, in data communication with the processing unit, that senses motion of the writing end of the body relative to a writing surface in contact with the stylus;

compilation logic in the data and logic processing unit that organizes input data and signals from the global positioning system receiver, the stylus, and the motion sensor, along with the identification data, event counter, and timestamp, and causes the processing unit to send a control data stream to the writing head that produces a line of ink on the writing surface with embedded information encoded in the form of line segments of at least two different lengths; and

signaling rate control logic in the processing unit that causes the data stream to be transmitted to the writing head at a signaling rate proportional to the speed of motion of the writing end of the body relative to a writing surface in contact with the stylus.