UNIQUELY IDENTIFIABLE INKING INSTRUMENTS

• US 20070188478A1
• Filed: 05/11/2006
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Keam, Nigel, Duncan, Brigham, Robert, Adan, Manolito, Silverstein, Dana
• Granted Patent: US 7,791,597 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03542 Light pens for emitting or receiving light
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means

Abstract

A method of interacting with a computing device via one or more inking instruments to generate digital ink may include the steps of emitting light from a light emitting device to an inking instrument, receiving first user inputs from the inking instrument, and identifying the inking instrument based on sensed light reflected from the inking instrument. Another method may include the steps of simultaneously detecting first user inputs from a first inking instrument and second user inputs from a second inking instrument by receiving first light emitted from the first inking instrument and second light emitted from a second inking instrument that each have one or more identifying characteristics, identifying the inking instrument based on their identifying characteristics, and generating corresponding digital ink. These methods may be implemented via computer-executable instructions and may be used with a horizontally-placed display, tablet-based laptop computers, and passive or active digital inking instruments.

Claims

1. A method of interacting with a computing device via one or more inking instruments to generate digital ink, the computing device having a light emitting device and a light sensing device, the method comprising the steps of:

emitting light from the light emitting device to a tip portion of an inking instrument; and

receiving user inputs from the inking instrument, the step of receiving user inputs comprising;

receiving, at the light sensing device, reflected light reflected from the tip portion of the inking instrument; and

identifying the inking instrument based on one or more characteristics of the sensed reflected light.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a digital ink object based on the received user inputs; and

visibly marking the digital ink object as corresponding to the inking instrument.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of visibly marking the digital ink object includes displaying the digital ink object using a first color.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the inking instrument is a first inking instrument, the method further comprising:

receiving user inputs from a second inking instrument, the step of receiving user inputs from the second inking instrument comprising;

receiving, at the light sensing device, reflected light reflected from a tip portion of the second inking instrument; and

identifying the second inking instrument based on one or more characteristics of the sensed reflected light from the second inking instrument, the one or more characteristics of the sensed reflected light from the second inking instrument differing from the one or more characteristics of the sensed reflected light from the first inking instrument.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

displaying a first digital ink object based on the received first user inputs and a second digital ink object based on the received second user inputs; and

visibly marking the first digital ink object as corresponding to the first inking instrument and the second digital ink object as corresponding to the second inking instrument.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of visibly marking includes displaying the first digital ink object using a first color and the second digital ink using a second color different than the first color.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein, for the step of emitting light, the emitted light has a wavelength and, for the steps of receiving user inputs from the first and second inking instruments, the reflected light from the first and second inking instruments have the same wavelength as the emitted light.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the steps of receiving user inputs from the first and second inking instruments each include the step of diffusing the reflected light from the first and second inking instruments to reduce the transmission of the reflected lights to the light sensing device when the first and second inking instruments are not proximate a digital writing surface of the computing device.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein, for the steps of identifying the first and second inking instruments, the characteristics of the sensed reflected light from the first and second inking instruments include the amount of the sensed reflected lights in comparison with the amount of the light emitted from the emitting device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving user inputs further includes:

receiving, at the light sensing device, a pattern of lights emitted from the inking instrument; and

selecting characteristics for digital ink corresponding to inking instrument based on the received pattern of lights.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the pattern of lights includes a first light emitted from the inking instrument spaced apart from a second light emitted from the inking instrument.

12. A method of interacting with a computing device via a plurality of inking instruments to generate digital ink, the method comprising the steps of:

simultaneously detecting first user inputs from a first inking instrument and second user inputs from a second inking instrument, the step of simultaneously detecting first and second user inputs comprising;

simultaneously receiving first light emitted from a first inking instrument contacting a display surface of the computing device and second light emitted from a second inking instrument contacting the display surface, the first light having a first identifying characteristic, the second light having a second identifying characteristic differing from the first identifying characteristic;

identifying the first inking instrument based on the first identifying characteristic; and

identifying the second inking instrument based on the second identifying characteristic;

generating digital ink displaying a first object having a first distinguishing feature, the first distinguishing feature corresponding to the first inking instrument; and

generating digital ink displaying a second object having a second distinguishing feature, the second distinguishing feature corresponding to the second inking instrument.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first identifying characteristic includes a first geometric shape and the second identifying characteristic includes a second geometric shape different than the first geometric shape.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the first identifying characteristic includes a first light wavelength and the second identifying characteristic includes a second light wavelength different than the first light wavelength.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the first identifying characteristic includes a first pattern of lights and the second identifying characteristic includes a second pattern of lights.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of simultaneously receiving first and second lights includes diffusing the first and second lights emitted from the first and second inking instruments to reduce the reception of the emitted first and second lights when the first and second inking instruments are not proximate a digital writing surface.

17. A kit for interacting with a computing device to generate digital ink, the kit comprising:

a first inking instrument having a first reflectivity for a specified light wavelength;

a second inking instrument having a second reflectivity for the specified light wavelength, the second reflectivity differing from the first reflectivity by 1% or more; and

a computer readable medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon for performing steps comprising;

identifying the first inking instrument based on one or more characteristics of reflected light at the specified light wavelength received at a light sensing device as reflected by the first inking instrument from light emitted from a light source; and

identifying the second inking instrument based on one or more characteristics of reflected light at the specified light wavelength received at the light sensing device as reflected by the second inking instrument from light emitted from the light source.

18. The kit of claim 17, wherein the computer readable medium includes computer readable instructions for performing further steps comprising:

generating first digital ink having a first identification feature corresponding to the first inking instrument; and

generating second digital ink having a second identification feature corresponding to the second inking instrument.

19. The kit of claim 18, wherein the first identification feature includes a first color and the second identification includes a second color different than the first color.

20. The kit of claim 18, wherein the second reflectivity differs from the first reflectivity by 5% or more.