ELECTRONIC PAPER RECORDING APPARATUS

• US 20070283248A1
• Filed: 05/31/2007
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Yoshida, Junichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,068,098 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/273
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/372 the positions of the elements being controlled by the application of an electric field

Abstract

An electronic paper is mounted on a paper mounting unit on which the electronic paper is mounted detachably. When a user operation is performed on the display screen of the electronic paper, the user operation position with respect to the display screen of the electronic paper is detected by the operation position detecting unit of the paper mounting unit. The data corresponding to the detected user operation position with respect to the display screen of the electronic paper is transmitted to the electronic paper via mutual communication units. The nonvolatile display unit of the electronic paper displays the data. This enables the data corresponding to the user operation on the electronic paper to be displayed on the nonvolatile display unit.

Claims

1. An electronic paper recording apparatus comprising an electronic paper and a paper mounting unit on which the electronic paper is mounted detachably,

the electronic paper including

a nonvolatile display unit which uses the paper surface as a nonvolatile display screen, and

a communication unit which transmits and receives a signal to and from the paper mounting unit, and

the paper mounting unit including

a pad structure unit which acts as a pad placed under the electronic paper when the paper is mounted,

a communication unit which transmits and receives a signal to and from the electronic paper,

an operation position detecting unit which detects a user operation position with respect to the display screen of the electronic paper mounted on the pad structure unit, and

display control means for transmitting data corresponding to the user operation position with respect to the display screen of the electronic paper detected by the operation position detecting unit to the electronic paper via the communication unit and causing the nonvolatile display unit of the electronic paper to display the data.

2. The electronic paper recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an electronic pen,

wherein the operation position detecting unit of the paper mounting unit detects a user operation position by the electronic pen with respect to the display screen of the electronic paper.

3. The electronic paper recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic paper further includes an overlap detecting unit which detects whether another electronic paper is overlapped with the surface of the electronic paper,

the paper mounting unit further includes valid paper determining means for determining an electronic paper with no overlap to be a valid electronic paper on the basis of an overlap detection signal received via the communication unit from the overlap detecting unit of the electronic paper, and

the display control means transmits data corresponding to a user operation position with respect to the display screen of the electronic paper detected by the operation position detecting unit to the electronic paper determined to be valid by the valid paper determining means via the communication unit and causes the nonvolatile display unit of the electronic paper to display the data.

4. The electronic paper recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the electronic paper further includes a mounting state notifying unit which notifies the paper mounting unit that the paper has been mounted so as to correspond to the pad surface of the pad structure unit of the paper mounting unit, and

the valid paper determining means of the paper mounting unit determines an electronic paper mounted so as to correspond to the pad surface with no overlap to be a valid electronic paper on the basis of an overlap detection signal received from the overlap detecting unit of the electronic paper via the communication unit and the mounting state at the pad structure unit notified by the mounting state notifying unit.

5. The electronic paper recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the electronic paper further includes a paper size storage unit which stores size information on the electronic paper, and

the valid paper determining means of the paper mounting unit determines an electronic paper of a minimum size mounted so as to correspond to the pad surface with no overlap to be a valid electronic paper on the basis of an overlap detection signal received from the overlap detecting unit of the electronic paper via the communication unit, the mounting state at the pad structure unit notified by the mounting state notifying unit, and the paper size information read from the paper size storage unit via the communication unit.

6. The electronic paper recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the paper mounting unit further includes a power source unit and a power supply unit which supplies electric power output from the power source unit to the electronic paper by wireless, and

the electronic paper further includes a power receiving unit which receives by wireless the electric power supplied by wireless from the power supply unit of the paper mounting unit.

7. The electronic paper recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic paper further includes a paper identifier storage unit which stores the identifier of the electronic paper, and

the paper mounting unit further includes electronic paper identifying means which identifies each of a plurality of electronic papers mounted on the paper mounting unit on the basis of the identifier of the electronic paper read from the paper identifier storage unit of the electronic paper via the communication unit.

8. The electronic paper recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the communication unit of the paper mounting unit includes a magnetic core which is provided so as to correspond to a bind-in unit of the electronic paper and is for transmitting and receiving a signal by electromagnetic induction, and

the communication unit of the electronic paper includes a magnetic core provided so as to correspond to the position of the magnetic core included in the communication unit of the paper mounting unit and a planar toroidal coil which is provided so as to surround the magnetic core and is for transmitting and receiving a signal by electromagnetic induction.

9. The electronic paper recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the power supply unit of the paper mounting unit is provided so as to correspond to the bind-in unit of the electronic paper and includes a magnetic core for supplying a power supply voltage signal output from the power source unit to the electronic paper by electromagnetic induction, and

the power receiving unit of the electronic paper includes a magnetic core provided so as to correspond to the position of the magnetic core included in the power supply unit of the paper mounting unit and a planar toroidal coil which is provided so as to surround the magnetic core and is for receiving a power supply voltage signal supplied by electromagnetic induction.

10. The electronic paper recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the communication unit of the paper mounting unit includes a convex magnetic core which is provided so as to correspond to a bind-in hole of the electronic paper and is for transmitting and receiving a signal by electromagnetic induction, and

the communication unit of the electronic paper includes a planar toroidal coil which is provided so as to surround a bind-in hole into which the convex part of the convex magnetic core included in the communication unit of the paper mounting unit is inserted and is for transmitting and receiving a signal by electromagnetic induction.

11. The electronic paper recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the power supply unit of the paper mounting unit includes a convex magnetic core which is provided so as to correspond to a bind-in hole of the electronic paper and is for supplying a power supply voltage signal output from the power source unit to the electronic paper by electromagnetic induction, and

the power receiving unit of the electronic paper includes a planar toroidal coil which is provided so as to surround a bind-in hole into which the convex part of the convex magnetic core included in the power supply unit of the paper mounting unit is inserted and is for receiving the power supply voltage signal supplied by electromagnetic induction.

12. The electronic paper recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic paper further includes a mounting position notifying unit which notifies the paper mounting unit of a mounting position with respect to the paper mounting unit,

the paper mounting unit further includes position correcting means for correcting a user operation position with respect to the display screen of the electronic paper detected by the operation position detecting unit according to the mounting position notified by the mounting position notifying unit of the electronic paper, and

the display control means transmits data corresponding to the user operation position with respect to the display screen of the electronic paper after the correction by the position correcting means to the electronic paper via the communication unit and causes the nonvolatile display unit of the electronic paper to display the data.

13. The electronic paper recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the operation position detecting unit of the paper mounting unit is composed of a tablet which detects an electromagnetic induction signal generation position, and

the mounting state notifying unit of the electronic paper is an electromagnetic induction coil which is provided in the electronic paper and is for generating an electromagnetic induction signal and causing the tablet of the paper mounting unit to detect the signal.

14. The electronic paper recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

the operation position detecting unit of the paper mounting unit is composed of a tablet which detects an electromagnetic induction signal generation position, and

the mounting position notifying unit of the electronic paper is electromagnetic induction coils which are provided in a plurality of places of the electronic paper and which generate electromagnetic induction signals and cause the tablet of the paper mounting unit to detect positions.

15. The electronic paper recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the paper mounting unit further includes soft key control means which causes the electronic paper to function as a soft keyboard.

16. An electronic paper recording apparatus comprising an electronic paper and a paper mounting unit on which the electronic paper is mounted detachably,

the electronic paper including

a nonvolatile display unit which uses the paper surface as a nonvolatile display screen,

a paper identifier storage unit which stores the identifier of the electronic paper, and

a communication unit which transmits and receives a signal to and from the paper mounting unit, and

the paper mounting unit including

a pad structure unit which acts as a pad placed under the electronic paper when the paper is mounted,

a communication unit which transmits and receives a signal to and from the electronic paper,

an operation position detecting unit which detects a user operation position with respect to the display screen of the electronic paper mounted on the pad structure unit,

an external connection unit which connects with a server on an external network,

paper identifier transmitting means for transmitting the identifier of the electronic paper read from the paper identifier storage unit of the electronic paper via the communication unit to the server unit connected by the external connection unit,

user operation position transmitting means for transmitting the user operation position with respect to the display screen of the electronic paper detected by the operation position detecting unit to the server connected by the external connection unit, and

display control means which causes the paper identifier transmitting means to transmit the identifier of the electronic paper to the server unit and which transmits the data received from the server unit to the electronic paper via the communication unit in response to the transmission of the user operation position with respect to the display screen of the electronic paper by the user operation position transmitting means to the electronic paper via the communication unit and causes the nonvolatile display unit of the electronic paper to display the data.

17. An electronic paper recording apparatus comprising an electronic paper and a paper mounting unit on which the electronic paper is mounted detachably,

the electronic paper including

a nonvolatile display unit which uses the paper surface as a nonvolatile display screen,

an operation position detecting unit which detects a user operation position with respect to the display screen of the nonvolatile display unit, and

a communication unit which transmits and receives a signal to and from the paper mounting unit, and

the paper mounting unit including

a pad structure unit which acts as a pad placed under the electronic paper when the paper is mounted,

a communication unit which transmits and receives a signal to and from the electronic paper, and

display control means which receives the user operation position with respect to the display screen detected by the operation position detecting unit of the electronic paper mounted on the pad structure unit via the communication unit and transmits data corresponding to the user operation position to the electronic paper via the communication unit and which causes the nonvolatile display unit of the electronic paper to display the data.

18. An electronic paper recording apparatus comprising an electronic paper and a paper mounting unit on which the electronic paper is mounted detachably,

the electronic paper including

a nonvolatile display unit which uses the paper surface as a nonvolatile display screen, and

a communication unit which transmits and receives a signal to and from the paper mounting unit, and

the paper mounting unit including

a binder structure unit which clips the electronic paper for mounting,

a communication unit which transmits and receives a signal to and from the electronic paper,

an external connection unit which connects with an external portable communication device, and

display control means for transmitting data received from the portable communication device via the external connection unit to the electronic paper via the communication unit and causing the nonvolatile display unit of the electronic paper to display the data.