DIGITAL PEN

• US 20070126716A1
• Filed: 11/17/2006
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Jonathan Haverly
• Original Assignee: Jonathan Haverly
• Inventors: Haverly, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US11/561,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20070126716A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/046 by electromagnetic means

Abstract

A handheld writing instrument achieves digital positioning capabilities in a compact form factor by incorporating passive fiducials such as RFID tags into the body of the writing instrument. By positioning the fiducials in known locations relative to the writing tip, an active sensing system outside of the pen can remotely stimulate the passive fiducials and gather distance and/or position data for locating the writing tip.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a body formed as a hand-held writing implement, the body including a writing tip adapted to mark a surface with a physical marking; and

a plurality of passive devices within the body, each one of the plurality of passive devices having a known location relative to the writing tip, and each one of the plurality of passive devices providing a characteristic signal in response to a predetermined external stimulus, the characteristic signal suitable for determining a location of the one of the plurality of passive devices.

2. The device of claim 1 further comprising a power source separate from the body that provides the predetermined external stimulus as an electromagnetic field that remotely powers the plurality of passive devices.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the characteristic signal of each one of the plurality of passive devices includes a unique electromagnetic signature.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the characteristic signal of each one of the plurality of passive devices includes an acoustic signature.

5. The device of claim 1 further comprising one or more remote sensors that detect the characteristic signals from the plurality of passive devices to provide sensor data.

6. The device of claim 5 further comprising a processor configured to receive the sensor data and determine a plurality of distances from the one or more remote sensors to the plurality of passive devices, the processor further configured to calculate a position of the writing tip.

7. The device of claim 5 further comprising a processor adapted to receive the sensor data and determine a position and orientation of the body.

8. The device of claim 5 wherein the one or more remote sensors include an RFID reader.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the body includes an erasing tip on an opposing end of the body to the writing tip, the erasing tip adapted to remove the physical marking.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of passive devices include at least one passive RFID tag.

11. The device of claim 1 further comprising an ink reservoir coupled to the writing tip to distribute ink for the physical marking.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein the writing tip includes a ball point pen tip.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein the writing tip includes a pencil tip.

14. The device of claim 1 wherein the passive devices are removably connected to the body.

15. The device of claim 1 wherein each characteristic signal encodes one or more of a distance from the writing tip, a distance from a centerline of the body, a distance from an opposing tip of the body, a code specifying whether an associated one of the passive devices is nearer to the writing tip of the opposing tip, and a unique identification code.

16. The device of claim 1 wherein one or more of the plurality of devices includes an associated memory.

17. A system comprising:

a writing surface;

a plurality of sensors arranged about the writing surface, each sensor adapted to receive a signal from one or more of a plurality of passive devices having a known location relative to a writing tip of a writing instrument, and to provide sensor data indicative of a distance to the one or more of the plurality of devices; and

a processor coupled to the plurality of sensors, the processor configured to receive the sensor data and to calculate therefrom a location of the writing tip, and the processor further configured to digitally record a position of the writing tip when the writing tip is substantially in the plane of the writing surface.

18. The system of claim 17 further comprising a remote power source that stimulates one or more of the passive devices to transmit a characteristic signal.

19. The system of claim 17 further comprising a memory to store the position of the writing tip when the writing tip is substantially in the plane of the writing surface.

20. The system of claim 17 further comprising one or more thickness sensors to measure a thickness of an object placed on the writing surface.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the processor accounts for the thickness of the object when determining whether the writing tip is substantially in the plane of the writing surface.

22. The system of claim 17 wherein the passive devices include passive RFID tags and the sensors include an RFID reader.

23. The system of claim 17 further comprising a hand-held writing implement adapted to mark a surface with a physical marking, the hand-held writing implement containing the writing tip and the plurality of passive devices.

24. A system comprising a plurality of passive devices adapted to be removably and replaceably attached to an exterior of a hand-held writing implement that includes a writing tip adapted to mark a surface with a physical marking, each one of the plurality of passive devices having a known location relative to the writing tip, and each one of the plurality of passive devices providing a characteristic signal in response to a predetermined external stimulus, the characteristic signal suitable for determining a location of the one of the plurality of passive devices.

25. The positioning device of claim 24 wherein the hand-held writing implement includes a ball point pen.

26. The positioning device of claim 24 wherein the hand-held writing implement includes a mechanical pencil.