Method and apparatus for generating images of a document with interaction

• US 20050047683A1
• Filed: 08/09/2004
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Grosvenor, David Arthur, Cheatle, Stephen Philip, Pollard, Stephen Bernard
• Granted Patent: US 7,640,508 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/306
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00222 details of image data generation or reproduction, e.g. scan-to-email or network printing

Abstract

Embodiments provide a system and method for generating images of a document with interaction of a primary user with the document in an interaction session. Briefly described, one embodiment comprises an image capture means adapted to capture an initial image of the document without interaction by a user and to subsequently capture at least one additional image of the document during an interaction session including interaction from the user during that session, and a processing means adapted to generate a data set representing the interaction session from the initial image and the additional image, the data set containing at least the initial image along with information indicative of the interaction of the user during the session obtained from the additional image.

Claims

1. Apparatus for generating images of a document and interaction of a primary user with the document in an interaction session, the apparatus comprising:

image capture means adapted to capture an initial image of the document without interaction by a user and to subsequently capture at least one additional image of the document during an interaction session including interaction from the user during that session; and

a processing means adapted to generate a data set representing the interaction session from the initial image and the additional image, the data set containing at least the initial image along with information indicative of the interaction of the user during the session obtained from the additional image.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image capture means further comprises a digital camera.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data set comprises at least the initial image and the complete additional image, and wherein the additional image has a lower resolution than the initial image.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data set comprises the initial image and a part of the additional image which corresponds to at least one area of the additional image that contains some interaction by the user.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing means is adapted to identify within each subsequently captured image those areas of the image that correspond to interaction.

6. Apparatus for generating images of a document and interaction of a primary user with the document in an interaction session, the apparatus comprising:

image capturing means adapted to produce an initial image of the document and at least one subsequent, additional image of the document during the interaction session; and

in which the initial image is of the document without interaction by a user whilst the additional image is of the document including interaction from the user during that session;

processing means arranged to determine a location within the additional image of a user interaction and to;

generate a data set representing the interaction session, the data set containing at least the initial image along with the location of the interaction within the additional image.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image capture means comprises a digital camera.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the processing means executes instructions provided in a computer program which cause a processor to extract the interaction locations.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the processing means is arranged to generate a set of co-ordinates indicative of the location of the extracted interaction within the additional image, the co-ordinates forming part of the data set.

10. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising data transmission means for sending the data set across a network to a remote device.

11. A system for capturing images of a document and interaction of a primary user with the document in an interaction session and a display of the document and interaction at a remote location, the system comprising:

image capture means adapted to capture an initial image of the document at a first resolution and at least one additional image of the document at a second resolution during the interaction session, the first resolution being greater than the second resolution; and

data transmission means for sending a data set including the initial captured image and information indicative of the content of at least a part of the additional image across a network to a remote device;

wherein

the remote device comprises the display which is adapted to present to a user of the remote device information obtained from the initial image of the document and the information indicative of the part of the additional image which have been sent across the network.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the information indicative of the additional image that is sent across the network comprises the whole or a substantial part of each of the additional image.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the display is adapted to display the initial image, or an image derived therefrom, together with a separate image derived from the information indicative of the additional image.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the display is adapted to present to the user a composite image produced from the initial image and the information from the additional image.

15. A system for capturing images of a document and interaction of a primary user with the document in an interaction session and a display of the document and interaction at a remote location, the system comprising:

image capturing means arranged to receive an initial image of the document which is free from user interaction and at least one additional image of the document produced during the interaction session and which includes the user interaction;

processing means arranged to determine a location of the user interaction within the additional image; and

data transmission means for sending a data set including the initial captured image and the location of the user interaction in the additional image across a network to a remote device;

wherein

the remote device comprises the display which is adapted to present to the user of the remote device a composite image comprising the initial image of the document overlaid with a pointer icon positioned at the location of the user interaction included in the data set.

16. The system of claim 15 arranged to generate a set of pointer co-ordinates indicative of the location of the extracted user interaction and forming part of the data set, and in which the remote device produces the composite image in which the pointer icon is overlaid on an original image at the location according to the set of pointer co-ordinates which have been sent across the network.

17. A method of sharing document interaction information across a network comprising:

generating an initial high-resolution image of the document;

sending information indicative of the high-resolution image across the network to a remote device;

rendering the high-resolution image on a display at the remote device;

generating at least one subsequent image of the document together with the interaction of a user with the document, the subsequent image having a lower resolution than the high-resolution image; and

sending the information indicative of the content of at least a portion of the subsequent image across the network to the remote device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the subsequent image is captured at the lower resolution than the high-resolution image.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein sending the information across the network further comprises sending the high-resolution image and the subsequent image.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising extracting from the subsequent image location of a user'"'"'s interaction with the document, and wherein sending the information across the network further comprises sending the high-resolution image along with a set of co-ordinates representing extracted locations of the interaction.

21. A method of sharing document interaction information across a network comprising:

generating an initial high-resolution image of the document;

sending information indicative of the high-resolution image across the network to a remote device for rendering on a display;

generating at least one subsequent image of the document together with the interaction of a user with the document;

extracting from the subsequent image a set of pointer co-ordinates indicative of a location of a user'"'"'s interaction within the subsequent image; and

sending the set of pointer co-ordinates across the network to the remote device.

22. A data carrier which carries a computer program which when running on a processor causes the processor to:

generate an initial high-resolution image of a document using an image capture device;

send information indicative of the high-resolution image across a network to a remote device where the information is rendered on a display;

generate at least one subsequent image of the document together with interaction of a user with the document, the subsequent image having a lower resolution than the high-resolution image; and

send the information indicative of the content of at least a portion of the subsequent images across the network to the remote device.

23. A data carrier which carries a computer program which when running on a processor causes the processor to:

generate a data set including data recording an initial high-resolution image of a document;

send the data set across a network for rendering on a display by a remote device;

generate further data recording at least one subsequent image of the document together with interaction of a user with the document;

extract from the further data recording at least one set of pointer co-ordinates indicative of a location of a user'"'"'s interaction within the subsequent image; and

send the set of pointer co-ordinates across the network to the remote device.