Portable document scan accessory for use with a wireless handheld communications device

• US 20040028295A1
• Filed: 08/07/2002
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Allen, Ross R., Jensen, Philip E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,167,604 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/313
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00222 details of image data generation or reproduction, e.g. scan-to-email or network printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00225 details of image data generation, e.g. scan-to-email or network scanners using an image reading device as a local input to a computer H04N1/00241
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00315 with a radio transmission apparatus with a cordless telephone H04N1/00305; systems or arrangements for the transmission of a picture signal specially adapted for transmission via radio H04N1/00103; H04N1/00307 takes precedence; radio transmission systems H04B7/00; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00384 Key input means, e.g. buttons or keypads electromechanical details of key input means in general H01H13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00397 Switches, knobs or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00413 using menus, i.e. presenting the user with a plurality of selectable options H04N1/00464 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/107 with manual scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0013 Arrangements for the control of the connected apparatus by the still picture apparatus arrangements for the control of a still picture apparatus by the connected apparatus H04N2201/0074; control of image communication with the connected apparatus H04N2201/0015
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0049 By wire, cable or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0053 Optical, e.g. using an infrared link
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0081 Image reader H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence

Abstract

A scanning system includes a scanner accessory which is operationally supported by a wider-purpose wireless handheld communications device. The communications device may be a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular phone, a combined PDA/cellular phone, or a similar device that enables wireless communications. The scanner accessory is adapted for freehand scanning and includes an image sensor, at least one navigator, and data transfer circuitry that is compatible with exchanging information with the communications device, including outgoing captured image information and incoming scan control information for controlling scanning operations by the scan accessory. Simultaneous with capturing image information by the image sensor, the navigator tracks the position of the image sensor relative to a document being scanned, so that the image information can be “position-tagged” to form an electronic image for display at the communications device. Alternatively, the scanning capability can be integrated into the wireless handheld communications device.

Claims

1. A scanner accessory which is operationally supported by selectively linking said scanner accessory to a wireless handheld communications device having a user interface and having scan control programming, said scanner accessory comprising:

an image sensor enabled to capture image information that is specific to a surface of interest;

a navigator enabled to generate navigation information that is dependent upon positions of said image sensor relative to said surface of interest; and

data transfer circuitry compatible with exchanging information with said wireless handheld communications device, including outgoing captured image information for display and including incoming scan control information that is specific to controlling scanning operations.

2. The scanner accessory of claim 1 further comprising a housing, said image sensor and navigator being connected to said housing, said housing being separate from a display capability such that said image sensor is dependent upon a display of said wireless handheld communications device for presenting said captured image information.

3. The scanner accessory of claim 1 wherein said image sensor includes a linear array of optoelectronic elements and wherein said navigator includes at least one two-dimensional array of optoelectronic elements.

4. The scanner accessory of claim 3 wherein said navigator has an optical resolution to image structural features of a document having said surface of interest, thereby enabling images of said structural features to be used as said navigational information.

5. The scanner accessory of claim 1 further comprising an image processor connected to said image sensor and said navigator to receive said image information and said navigation information, said image processor being configured to correlate said image and navigation information to generate a reconstructed digital image from said image information.

6. The scanner accessory of claim 5 wherein said image processor has inputs from said image sensor and said navigator, said image processor having an output connected to said data transfer circuitry.

7. The scanner accessory of claim 5 wherein said image processor is responsive to commands received from said wireless handheld communications device via said data transfer circuitry, said commands including a start-scan command.

8. The scanner accessory of claim 6 wherein said image processor is configured to generate an image file that is representative of an image of said surface of interest.

9. The scanner accessory of claim 1 wherein said data transfer circuitry is configured to communicate with a personal digital assistant (PDA).

10. The scanner accessory of claim 1 wherein said data transfer circuitry is configured to communicate with a cellular telephone.

11. A method of scanning documents comprising:

programming a handheld device to include a program for controlling document scan operations;

linking said handheld device to a portable peripheral device having document scanning capability, said portable peripheral device being responsive to signals from said handheld device;

generating command signals at said handheld device for transmission to said portable peripheral device, said command signals being specific to implementing scan operations; and

transferring image files from said portable peripheral device to said handheld device, said image files being captured during said scan operations.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising displaying said image files at said handheld device as a first viewing of said image files, said portable peripheral device being without a display capability.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein generating said command signals includes using software keys that are presented at a display of said handheld device, said software keys being enabled by said programming.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

enabling freehand movement of said portable peripheral device across documents during said scan operations; and

forming said image files by arranging image information acquired during said freehand movement.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein forming said image files includes arranging said image information on a basis of navigation information that is simultaneously acquired and that is specific to relative positioning of said documents and said portable peripheral device.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein forming said image files includes optically acquiring said navigation information by imaging structural features on the surfaces of said documents and wherein linking said handheld device includes connecting a PDA or a cellular telephone to said portable peripheral device.

21. The freehand scanner system of claim 16 wherein said communications device is programmed to present selectable keys on a display of said communications device, activation of said selectable keys triggering said command signals to said scan device.

22. The freehand scanner system of claim 16 wherein said scan and communications devices are cooperative to present said image files on a display of said communications device in substantially real time with operations of said image processor.

17. A freehand scanner system comprising:

a scan device having an imaging optical array and a navigation sensor, said scan device having an image processor enabled to generate image files based on data from said imaging optical array and said navigation sensor, said scan device further having an input/output for receiving and sending information; and

a wireless handheld communications device that is selectively linked to said scan device and that is operable independently of said scan device, said communications device having programming specific to operating said scan device, said communications device being in communication with said scan device when selectively linked to said input/output in order to transfer command signals to said scan device and to receive said image files.

18. The free-hand scanner system of claim 17 wherein said scan device has a configuration to be detachably connected to said communications device such that said scan and communications devices are mechanically attached to move in unison.

19. The freehand scanner system of claim 17 wherein said communications device is a PDA or a cellular telephone and said imaging optical array of said scan device is a linear array of optoelectronic elements.

20. The freehand scanner system of claim 19 wherein said navigation sensor is a two-dimensional array of optoelectronic elements having a resolution to detect structural features of documents being scanned.

23. A wireless handheld communications device comprising:

a portable housing;

an image sensor fixed to said portable housing and enabled to capture image information as said portable housing is moved relative to a surface of interest;

a navigator fixed to said portable housing and enabled to generate navigation information that is indicative of relative movement between said image sensor and said surface of interest;

processing circuitry contained within said portable housing, said processing circuitry having computational capacity to correlate said image information with said navigation information to form a reconstructed image from said image information; and

a transceiver connected to said portable housing to support wireless transmissions of said reconstructed image to remote devices.

24. The wireless handheld communications device of claim 23 further comprising a display operationally associated with said processing circuitry to display said reconstructed image, said display being along a surface of said portable housing.

25. The wireless handheld communications device of claim 24 wherein said portable housing and said processing circuitry are components of a personal digital assistant (PDA), such that said image sensor and said navigator provide an image scanning capability to said PDA.

26. The wireless handheld communications device of claim 24 wherein said portable housing and said processing circuitry are components of a cellular telephone, such that said image sensor and said navigator provide an image scanning capability to said cellular telephone.