System and method for providing visible physical feedback

• US 20070113271A1
• Filed: 11/16/2004
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Pleunis, Johannes
• Application Number:
  US10/579,931
• Publication Number:
  US 20070113271A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/9
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/02 Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing

Abstract

There is provided an electronic system (10) for providing visible user physical feedback via at least one data token (80). The system (10) includes a computing means (50), a data store (40) coupled to said computing means (50) for at least one of inputting data and outputting data content from the store (40), and a token interfacing means (60, 70) coupled to said computing means (50) for interfacing to said at least one data token (80) detachable from the system (10), said at least one token (80) for representing data content in the store (40). The system (10) is arranged to perform operations including at least one of delete, read, write, and rearrange data content associated with said at least one token (80) to read from said at least one token (80) using the token interfacing means (60, 70) details of said data content to identify said data content and/or to record on said at least one token (80) using the token interfacing means (60, 70) one or more details of said operations so that said one or more details are optically readable from said at least one token (80) when user-inspected, thereby enabling said at least one token (80) to be a representation in tangible form of corresponding data content stored in the data store (40).

Claims

1. An electronic system (10) for providing visible user physical feedback via at least one data token (80), characterized in that the system (10) includes:

(a) computing means (50);

(b) a data store (40) coupled to said computing means (50) for at least one of inputting data and outputting data content from the store (40); and

(c) token interfacing means (60, 70) coupled to said computing means (50) for interfacing to said at least one data token (80) detachable from the system (10), said at least one token (80) for representing data content in the store (40),

the system (10) being arranged to perform operations including at least one of delete, read, write, and rearrange data content associated with said at least one token (80) to read from said at least one token (80) using the token interfacing means (60, 70) details of said data content to identify said data content and/or to record on said at least one token (80) using the token interfacing means (60, 70) one or more details of said operations so that said one or more details are optically readable from said at least one token (80) when user-inspected, thereby enabling said at least one token (80) to be a representation in tangible form of corresponding data content stored in the data store (40).

2. A system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the token interfacing means (60) is subdivided into spatial sub-regions (200), each subregion (200) being associated with a specific type of corresponding operation on the data content represented by said at least one token (80) when presented in spatial proximity of said sub-region (200).

3. A system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the token interfacing means (60) is arranged to be capable of handling a pack comprising a plurality of said at least one token (80) and performing said operation on at least one token (80) in the pack.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the computing means (50) is arranged so as to prevent said data content from being subject to at least a sub-set of said operation when its corresponding token (80) is spatially remote from the token interfacing means (50, 60).

5. A system (10) according to claim 1, wherein said at least one token (80) is provided with:

(a) a first region (110) susceptible to being user-marked with user optically-readable information; and

(b) a second region (120) susceptible to presenting information optically, said second region (120) being arranged to be written to from the system (10) for providing a user optically-readable indication of data content associated with said token (80).

6. A system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the system (10) is arranged to interrogate said at least one token (80) when spatially presented to the system (10) for indicating to the system (10) user-preferred data content to be subject to said operation.

7. A system (10) according to claim 6, wherein said at least one token (80) is arranged to be interrogated from the system (10) by at least one of:

radio interrogation, optical interrogation, contact electrical interrogation, and magnetically-coupled electrical interrogation.

8. A system (10) according to claim 6, wherein said at least one token (80) is provided with a unique identification code for use in enabling the system (10) to identify said at least one token (80) and thereby data content associated with said at least one token (80).

9. A system (10) according to claim 1, wherein said at least one token (80) is provided with at least one corresponding region (120) which is susceptible to being electronically programmed by the system (10) to present visual information provided from the system (10), said visual information being related to data content associated with said at least one token (80).

10. A system (10) according to claim 9, wherein said at least one region (120) is provided with electrically-writable ink for use in providing user-readable visual information of data content associated with said at least one token (80).

11. A system (10) according to claim 1, wherein said at least one token (80) is implemented in the form of at least one substantially plastics material planar substrate.

12. A data token (80) for use with a system (10) according to claim 1.

13. A method of providing visible physical feedback for an electronic system (10), characterized in that the method includes the steps of:

(a) providing the system (10) with computing means (50), a data store (40) coupled to said computing means (50) for at least one of inputting data and outputting data content from the store (40), and token interfacing means (60, 70) coupled to said computing means (50) for interfacing to at least one data token (80) detachable from the system (10), said at least one token (80) for representing data content in the store (40); and

(b) on performing an operation of at least one of deleting, reading, writing, and rearranging data content associated with said at least one token (80), arranging for the system (10) to read from said at least one token (80) using the token interfacing means (60, 70) details of said data content to identify said data content and/or to record on said at least one token (80) using the token interfacing means (60, 70) one or more details of said operation so that said one or more details are optically readable from said at least one token (80) when user-inspected, thereby enabling said at least one token (80) to be a representation in tangible form of corresponding data content stored in the data store (40).