Machine-differentiatable identifiers having a commonly accepted meaning

• US 20060209043A1
• Filed: 06/24/2005
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Cohen, Alexander J., Lord, Robert W., Jung, Edward K.Y., Levien, Royce A., Malamud, Mark A., Rinaldo, John D. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,791,593 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/002 Specific input/output arrangements not covered by G06F3/01 - G06F3/16 other optical apparatus G02B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/12 Details of acquisition arrangements; Constructional details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1423 the instrument generating sequences of position coordinates corresponding to handwriting preprocessing or recognising digital ink G06V30/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1448 based on markings or identifiers characterising the document or the area
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/32 Digital ink

Abstract

Embodiments include an article of manufacture, apparatus, device, system, computer-program product, and method. In an embodiment, system is provided that includes at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers, each identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers being respectively keyed to a data recipient and associatable with a hand-formed mark on a surface. The system also includes a commonly accepted meaning respectively associated by a group of users with each machine-differentiatable identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers. The system may include a surface displaying the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers. The system may include a surface displaying the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers and the commonly accepted meaning respectively associated by a group of users with each machine-differentiatable identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers, each identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers being respectively keyed to a data recipient and associatable with a hand-formed mark on a surface; and

a commonly accepted meaning respectively associated by a group of users with each machine-differentiatable identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the each identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers being respectively keyed to a data recipient and associatable with a hand-formed mark on a surface includes a user-understandable identifier corresponding to the commonly accepted meaning respectively associated by a group of users with each machine-differentiatable identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the user-understandable identifier corresponding to the commonly accepted meaning respectively associated by a group of users with each machine-differentiatable identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers includes a user visually-recognizable and understandable identifier corresponding to the commonly accepted meaning respectively associated by a group of users with each machine-differentiatable identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the user-understandable identifier corresponding to the commonly accepted meaning respectively associated by a group of users with each machine-differentiatable identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers includes a user touch-recognizable and understandable identifier corresponding to the commonly accepted meaning respectively associated by a group of users with each machine-differentiatable identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the user-understandable identifier includes at least one of a user understandable color, a pattern, a shade, a tone, a letter, a word, a phrase, a number, an alphanumeric, a character, an icon, a geometric shape, a figure, a graphic, a glyph, a repeated pattern, a random pattern, an image, a region, and/or a legend.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one machine-differentiatable identifier is respectively substantially similar to at least one user-understandable identifier.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the machine-differentiatable identifier keyed to a data recipient further includes at least one of a color, a pattern, a shade, a tone, a letter, a word, a phrase, a number, an alphanumeric, a character, an icon, a geometric shape, a figure, a graphic, a glyph, a repeated pattern, a random pattern, an image, a region, and/or a legend keyed to a data recipient.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the machine-differentiatable identifier keyed to a data recipient includes an identifier recognizable by a pattern recognition method and keyed to a data recipient.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the machine-differentiatable identifier keyed to a data recipient includes an identifier corresponding to a data recipient.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the machine-differentiatable identifier keyed to a data recipient includes an identifier uniquely identifying a data recipient.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the machine-differentiatable identifier keyed to a data recipient includes an identifier keyed to at least one of a file, a record, a database, and/or a storage medium.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the each identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers being respectively keyed to a data recipient and associatable with a hand-formed mark on a surface includes each identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers being respectively keyed to a data recipient, formable on a surface by a handheld writing implement, and associatable with a hand-formed mark on a surface.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the each identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers being respectively keyed to a data recipient and associatable with a hand-formed mark on a surface includes each identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers being respectively keyed to a data recipient and spatially associatable with a hand-formed mark on a surface.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the each identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers being respectively keyed to a data recipient and associatable with a hand-formed mark on a surface includes each identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers being respectively keyed to a data recipient and temporally associatable with a hand-formed mark on a surface.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the each identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers being respectively keyed to a data recipient and associatable with a hand-formed mark on a surface includes each identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers being respectively keyed to a data recipient, user scannable and user associatable with a hand-formed mark on a surface.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the each identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers being respectively keyed to a data recipient and associatable with a hand-formed mark on a surface includes each identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers being respectively keyed to a data recipient and user drag and drop associatable with a hand-formed mark on a surface.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the each identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers being respectively keyed to a data recipient and associatable with a hand-formed mark on a surface includes each identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers being respectively keyed to a data recipient and gesturally associatable with a hand-formed mark on a surface.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the commonly accepted meaning respectively associated by a group of users with each machine-differentiatable identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers includes a commonly accepted meaning respectively associated with each machine-differentiatable identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers by a prospective group of users.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the commonly accepted meaning respectively associated by a group of users with each machine-differentiatable identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers includes a commonly accepted meaning respectively associated with each machine-differentiatable identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers by a current group of users.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the commonly accepted meaning respectively associated by a group of users with each machine-differentiatable identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers includes commonly accepted meaning respectively associated with each machine-differentiatable identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers by a de facto group of users.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the commonly accepted meaning respectively associated by a group of users with each machine-differentiatable identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers includes commonly accepted meaning respectively associated with each machine-differentiatable identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers by a de jure group of users.

22. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a surface displaying the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers.

23. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a surface displaying the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers and the commonly accepted meaning respectively associated by a group of users with each machine-differentiatable identifier of the at least two machine-differentiatable identifiers.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the surface includes a paper surface.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the surface includes an electronically driven display surface.

26. A system comprising:

first means for labeling a hand-formed mark on a surface and for keying to a first data recipient; and

second means for labeling the hand-formed mark on a surface and keying to a second data recipient,

the first means and the second means respectively having a commonly accepted meaning by a group of users.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the first means and the second means respectively having a commonly accepted meaning by a group of users includes the first means and the second means respectively having a commonly accepted meaning by a de facto group of users.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the first means and the second means respectively having a commonly accepted meaning by a group of users includes the first means and the second means respectively having a commonly accepted meaning by a de jure group of users.

29. A method comprising:

providing a set of labels, each label respectively including a unique machine-distinguishable identifier keyed to a data recipient, a meaning, and a user associability with a handwritten mark on a surface; and

causing the meaning of each respective label of the set of labels to be a commonly accepted meaning by a group of users.

30. A system comprising:

an article comprising;

at least two unique tags, each tag of the at least two unique tags respectively includes a commonly accepted meaning, a machine-distinguishable identifier keyed to a data recipient, and a user associability with a hand-formed mark on a surface,

the commonly accepted meaning of each respective tag of the at least two unique tags includes a commonly accepted meaning in a group of users; and

a computer program product including;

(a) program instructions operable to perform a process in a computer system, the process comprising;

receiving a signal indicative of the hand-formed mark on a surface;

receiving a signal indicative of a tag associated with the hand-formed mark, the tag being a tag selected from the at least two unique tags; and

in response to the tag, distributing a representation of the hand-formed mark to a data recipient; and

(b) a computer-readable signal-bearing medium bearing the program instructions.