Scanning apparatus

• US 20060292543A1
• Filed: 08/29/2006
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: James Marggraff, Mark Flowers
• Original Assignee: James Marggraff, Mark Flowers
• Inventors: Flowers, Mark, Marggraff, James
• Application Number:
  US11/512,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20060292543A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/350
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0321 by optically sensing the absolute position with respect to a regularly patterned surface forming a passive digitiser, e.g. pen optically detecting position indicative tags printed on a paper sheet constructional details of pen-shaped pointing devices G06F3/03545, G06F3/03542, G06F3/037
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisions for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/12 using a selected wavelength, e.g. to sense red marks and ignore blue marks
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/17 using hand-held instruments

Abstract

A system including a scanning apparatus is disclosed. In one embodiment, the system has (a) an article having (i) a surface having a plurality of positions and a plurality of print elements respectively at the plurality of positions, and (ii) a plurality of codes respectively at the plurality of positions and relating to absolute or relative locations of the positions. The system also has (b) a scanning apparatus comprising (i) a stylus having an optical detector and an optical emitter, (ii) a processor coupled to the optical detector and the optical emitter, (iii) a memory unit comprising code for audio corresponding to the print elements, the memory unit coupled to the processor, and (iv) an audio output device coupled to the processor.

Claims

1. An interactive system comprising:

a scanning apparatus comprising (i) a stylus having an optical detector, (ii) a processor coupled to the optical detector and the optical emitter, (iii) a memory unit comprising code for different audio outputs corresponding to a plurality of print elements on a surface and code for determining locations on the surface, the memory unit coupled to the processor, and (iv) an audio output device coupled to the processor, wherein the scanning apparatus recognizes at least one of the plurality of print elements on a surface via the code for determining locations, and provides an audio output in accordance with the one print element.

2. The interactive system of claim 1 wherein the surface is a sheet of paper or a molded plastic body.

3. The interactive system of claim 1 wherein the stylus further comprises a writing element.

4. The interactive system of claim 1 wherein the processor, the memory unit, and the audio output device are in the stylus.

5. The interactive system of claim 1 further comprising a platform and wherein the processor, the memory unit, and the audio output device are in the platform.

6. The interactive system of claim 1 wherein the surface is a globe.

7. The interactive system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of print elements includes words and the different audio outputs comprise spelling or sounding words.

8. The interactive system of claim 1 wherein the surface has a plurality of positions and the plurality of print elements are respectively at the plurality of positions, and a plurality of substantially invisible codes respectively are at the plurality of positions and associated with the plurality of positions on the surface, and wherein the plurality of codes comprise a plurality of dots that represent binary codes.

9. The interactive system of claim 1 wherein the different audio outputs comprise different music outputs associated with the print elements.

10. The interactive system of claim 1 wherein the different audio outputs comprise instructions for learning math.

11. A scanning apparatus for use with an article comprising (i) a surface having a plurality of positions and a plurality of different print elements respectively at the plurality of positions, and (ii) a plurality of substantially invisible codes respectively at the plurality of positions and associated with the plurality of positions on the surface, the scanning apparatus comprising:

a stylus comprising an optical detector;

a processor coupled to the optical detector;

a memory unit comprising code for different audio outputs corresponding to the different print elements and code for correlating the locations of the plurality of positions with the audio outputs, the memory unit coupled to the processor; and

an audio output device coupled to the processor.

12. The scanning apparatus of claim 11 wherein the article comprises a sticker.

13. The scanning apparatus of claim 11 wherein the processor, memory unit, and the audio output device are in the stylus.

14. The scanning apparatus of claim 11 wherein the different audio outputs comprise the sounds of words, the spelling of words, or music.

15. The scanning apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a transceiver coupled to the processor.

16. The scanning apparatus of claim 11 wherein the memory unit further comprises code for rendering audible questions, code for playing games, code for recording audio provided by the user, code for user entered data, and/or code for recognizing handwriting or printed characters.

17. A scanning apparatus for use with an article comprising a surface having a plurality of positions and a plurality of print elements respectively at the plurality of positions and a plurality of substantially invisible codes at the plurality of positions, wherein the codes relate to locations for the positions, wherein the substantially invisible codes are free of audio data, and wherein the scanning apparatus in the form of a stylus, the scanning apparatus comprising:

an optical detector;

a processor coupled to the optical detector;

a memory unit storing code for different audio outputs corresponding to the print elements, the memory unit coupled to the processor; and

an audio output device coupled to the processor.

18. A method for generating an audio output in response to scanning, the method comprising:

determining a first location of a first print element on a surface and correlating the first location to the first print element;

producing a first audio output corresponding to the first print element;

determining a second location of a second print element on the surface and correlating the second location to the second print element; and

producing a second audio output corresponding to the second print element, wherein the second audio output is different than the first audio output.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the first and second audio outputs comprise math instruction.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the first and second audio outputs are produced by a scanning apparatus comprising a writing element.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the first and second audio outputs are produced by a scanning apparatus comprising a speaker.

22. A method for scanning, the method comprising:

determining a location of a print element on a surface and correlating the location to the print element, the print element created by a writing element in a scanning apparatus; and

generating an audio output corresponding to the print element, the audio output generated by the scanning apparatus.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the surface is a sheet of paper.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein the audio output is related to a mathematical computation defined by the print element.

25. An interactive system comprising:

a scanning apparatus comprising (i) a stylus having an optical detector, (ii) a processor coupled to the optical detector, (iii) a memory unit storing code for audio outputs and code for storing locations of a plurality of positions of a surface, the memory unit coupled to the processor, and (iv) an audio output device coupled to the processor, wherein the surface has a plurality of positions and a plurality of substantially invisible codes respectively at the plurality of positions and associated with the plurality of positions on the surface, wherein the substantially invisible codes are free of audio data.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the surface comprises a sheet of paper.

27. The system of claim 25 wherein the processor, the memory unit, and the audio output device are in the stylus.

28. An interactive system comprising:

a scanning apparatus comprising (i) a stylus having an optical detector, (ii) a processor coupled to the optical detector, (iii) a memory unit coupled to the processor, wherein the memory unit comprises code for an output dependent on the scanning of a first substantially invisible code and a second substantially invisible code, and (iv) an audio output device coupled to the processor, wherein the first substantially invisible code comprises at least one sticker and a first print element, and the second substantially invisible code comprises a second print element, wherein the at least one sticker is on an object.

29. The interactive system of claim 28 wherein the first print element is on a first sticker and the second print clement is on a second sticker.

30. The interactive system of claim 28 wherein the output relates to numbers.

31. The interactive system of claim 28 wherein the first and second print elements are letters.

32. A method comprising:

(a) scanning a first substantially invisible first code of an article including at least one sticker comprising the first substantially invisible code and a first print element and a second substantially invisible code and a second print element;

(b) scanning the second substantially invisible code; and

(d) generating audio relating to the first print element and the second print element.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the first and second codes are in the form of dot patterns.

34. The method of claim 32 wherein the first and second print elements are letters.

35. The method of claim 32 wherein the first and second print elements are on first and second stickers.

36. The method of claim 32 wherein the first and second print elements are numbers.