Universal computing device

• US 20060109263A1
• Filed: 01/11/2006
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wang, Jian, Zhang, ChunHui
• Application Number:
  US11/329,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20060109263A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus

Abstract

A universal input device is described. The universal input device provides a common user interface for a variety of different computing platforms including printed documents. Using the present system, one may use the universal input device to control various computing devices as well as capture handwritten electronic ink and have the electronic in be associated with new or stored documents.

Claims

1. An input device for generating data representative of hand written strokes, the input device comprising:

an image capturing unit for capturing an image of an area of an object over which the input device is positioned and generating captured image data, said data representative of hand written strokes being determined from location information extracted from said captured image data;

a processor processing the captured image data; and

a memory storing data,

wherein the object comprises a display of a computing device including an image pattern providing location information of an area on the display.

2. An input device according to claim 1, wherein the image of the area over which the input device is positioned includes image data representative of a location of the area of the object.

3. An input device according to claim 2, wherein the image data representative of a location of the area of the object includes an image pattern representative of the location of the area of the object.

4. An input device according to claim 1, wherein the image data representative of a location of the area of the object includes a coded reference representative of the location of the area of the object.

5. An input device according to claim 1, wherein the processor processes the captured image data and creates an image file representing handwritten inputs.

6. An input device according to claim 1, wherein the image capturing unit captures multiple images of multiple areas of the object, and

the processor processes the captured images, detects data within the captured images representative of the location of the area over which the input device is located, and processes the detected data to generate information representative of user inputs.

7. An input device according to claim 6, wherein the data within the captured images representative of a location of the area of the object includes an image pattern representative of each location of each area of the object.

8. An input device according to claim 6, wherein the data within the captured images representative of a location of the area of the object includes a portion of a maze-like pattern.

9. An input device according to claim 6, wherein the data within the captured images representative of a location of the area of the object includes a coded reference representative of the location of the area of the object.

10. An input device according to claim 6, wherein the data within the captured images representative of a location of the area of the object includes a feature of the object appearing in more than one captured image.

11. An input device according to claim 10, wherein the processor performs a comparison of the locations of a feature of the object in multiple captured images to determine movement of the input device over the object.

12. An input device according to claim 1, wherein the image pattern representative of the location of an area within the display is generated as part of the image produced on the display of the computing device.

13. An input device according to claim 1, wherein the image pattern representative of the location of an area within the display is formed in the structure of the display.

14. An input device according to claim 1, wherein the object comprises a writing surface.

15. An input device according to claim 14, wherein the writing surface includes an image pattern representative of the location of an area within the writing surface.

16. An input device according to claim 1, wherein the object comprises a non-uniform reflective surface.

17. An input device according to claim 1, the input device further including an inertial sensor for generating supplemental data representing movement of the input device.

18. An input device according to claim 17, wherein the processor processes the captured image data and the supplemental data and creates an image file representing handwritten inputs.

19. An input device according to claim 1, the input device further including a communication unit transmitting data representing movement of the input device to an external processing unit for generating signals representative of handwritten inputs.

20. An input device according to claim 7, the input device further including a communication unit transmitting data representative of handwritten inputs to an external processing unit.