Stylus providing variable line width as a function of pressure

• US 20030214490A1
• Filed: 05/20/2002
• Published: 11/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cool, Kenneth J.
• Application Number:
  US10/151,566
• Publication Number:
  US 20030214490A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus

Abstract

A digital input stylus includes a sensor to determine pressure being applied to the stylus. The determined pressure is translated to a line thickness for display on a display device. The pressure is digitized and communicated to the display device, such as a tablet PC. Settings in the tablet PC are modifiable by a user to determine the format of the line thickness, correlating detected pressure with desired thickness.

Claims

1. A drawing device comprising:

a housing;

a tip positioned at one end of the housing;

a force sensor coupled to the tip to detect pressure applied by a user through the housing to the tip; and

a transmitter that transmits signals representative of a line width desired by the user based on the amount of pressure applied to the tip.

2. The drawing device of claim 1 wherein the pressure is directly proportional to the desired line width.

3. The drawing device of claim 1 and further comprising an analog to digital converter that converts an analog signals representative of pressure from the force sensor to a digital representation for transmission by the transmitter.

4. The drawing device of claim 3 wherein the digital signal is a linearized representation of desired line width.

5. The drawing device of claim 1 wherein the transmitter is a wireless transmitter.

6. The drawing device of claim 5 wherein the transmitter is one of an infrared or RF transmitter.

7. A drawing device comprising:

a housing;

a tip coupled to the housing;

a force sensor coupled to the tip to detect pressure applied by a user through the housing to the tip;

a transmitter coupled to the force sensor that transmits signals representative of the amount of pressure applied to the tip;

a grid that detects movement of the tip on the grid and provides a signal representative of the movement; and

a display that receives the pressure signal and the movement signal and displays a variable width line based on such signals.

8. The drawing device of claim 7 wherein the gird is one of a capacitive or resistive grid.

9. The drawing device of claim 7 wherein the display and grid comprise a tablet computer.

10. The drawing device of claim 9 wherein the tablet computer further comprises:

a receiver that receives pressure signals; and

a processor coupled to the receiver.

11. The drawing device of claim 7 wherein the pressure is directly proportional to the desired line width.

12. The drawing device of claim 7 and further comprising an analog to digital converter that converts an analog signals representative of pressure from the force sensor to a digital representation for transmission by the transmitter.

13. The drawing device of claim 12 wherein the digital signal is a linearized representation of desired line width.

14. The drawing device of claim 7 wherein the transmitter is a wireless transmitter.

15. The drawing device of claim 14 wherein the transmitter is one of an infrared or RF transmitter.

16. A method of drawing variable width lines with a stylus, the method comprising:

detecting pressure on the tip of a stylus;

converting the pressure to signal representative of detected pressure;

transmitting the signal to a display; and

displaying a line having a width proportional to the pressure.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the line width is directly proportional to the pressure.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the line width is a function of a user provided sensitivity.

19. The method of claim 16 and further comprising:

detecting movement of the tip of the stylus; and

wherein the direction of the line drawn is a function of the detected movement of the tip of the stylus.

20. The method of claim 16 and further comprising digitizing the force signal prior to transmitting it.

21. A method of drawing a variable line width on a tablet computer, the method comprising:

receiving a signal transmitted via a wireless protocol from a stylus representative of pressure applied to a tip of the stylus;

detecting movement of the tip on a grid of the tablet computer; and

displaying a variable width line responsive to the signal and detected movement.

22. An apparatus, comprising:

a stylus; and

a force sensor disposed within said stylus to provide stylus pressure information during the utilization of said stylus.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising a transmitter disposed in the stylus to transmit the stylus pressure information to a remote device.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising a memory disposed in the stylus to store the stylus pressure information.

25. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the stylus pressure information represents a varying line width as a function of a pressure applied by a user with the stylus when the user utilizes the stylus.

26. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising an electronic device including a processor to receive stylus pressure information from the force sensor.

27. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

a transmitter disposed in the stylus to transmit the stylus pressure information;

an electronic device including a receiver to receive stylus pressure information transmitted by said transmitter; and

a processor coupled to the receiver to process the stylus pressure information.

28. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

a transmitter disposed in said stylus to transmit the stylus pressure information;

an electronic device including a receiver to receive stylus pressure information transmitted by said transmitter;

a processor coupled to said receiver to process the stylus pressure information; and

a graphics device coupled to the processor to display a varying line width as a function of a pressure applied by a user with the stylus when the user utilizes the stylus.

29. An apparatus, comprising:

a housing; and

a processor disposed within the housing to process stylus pressure information received from a stylus that includes a force sensor disposed in the stylus to provide the stylus pressure information.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising a receiver disposed in said housing to receive the stylus pressure information transmitted from a transmitter disposed in the stylus.