Relative-position, absolute-orientation sketch pad and optical stylus for a personal computer

• US 20070285405A1
• Filed: 08/16/2007
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Peter Rehm
• Original Assignee: Peter Rehm
• Inventors: Rehm, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,077,155 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/002 Specific input/output arrangements not covered by G06F3/01 - G06F3/16 other optical apparatus G02B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/021 Arrangements integrating additional peripherals in a keyboard, e.g. card or barcode reader, optical scanner
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0317 in co-operation with a patterned surface, e.g. absolute position or relative movement detection for an optical mouse or pen positioned with respect to a coded surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0395 Mouse pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means

Abstract

A notebook computer is upgraded by providing stylus-cooperating indicia near the keyboard and an optical stylus that can recognize the indicia. The indicia includes a sketch pad area that cooperates with the optical stylus to transmit movement data to the computer. The movement data is relative in position and absolute in orientation, providing ΔX and ΔY in the sketch pad'"'"'s coordinate plane rather than the stylus'"'"'s. Other indicia represents tool buttons recognized by both humans and the stylus. A stylus and stickers kits is used to upgraded existing notebook computers. New ones can be manufactured with the stylus-cooperating indicia in place or the indicia may be provided on a substrate that may be attached to any notebook computer, as selected and positioned by the end user. The stickers or substrate is thin enough to permit the notebook computer to be closed as usual. In an alternative embodiment, the indicia is printed on a mouse pad or other surface to provide tablet and stylus functionality to other kinds of personal computers as well.

Claims

1. A computer sketch pad and stylus for use with an existing notebook computer, comprising:

a. at least one sketch pad, each said sketch pad having a top surface and a bottom surface;

b. stylus-cooperating indicia on the top surface of said at least one sketch pad;

c. attachment means for attaching said stylus-cooperating indicia to said existing notebook computer such that said stylus-cooperating indicia is visible at least when said existing notebook computer is in use;

d. an optical stylus comprising at least one camera oriented for optically detecting said stylus-cooperating indicia, and said optical stylus additionally comprising transmitting means for transmitting data derived from its optical detections to said existing notebook computer.

2. The computer sketch pad and stylus of claim 1 wherein said optical stylus additionally comprises processor means for interpreting successive camera images to derive movement data and wherein said transmitting means transmits this movement data to said existing notebook computer.

3. The computer sketch pad and stylus of claim 1 additionally comprising a software driver for said existing notebook computer, wherein said transmitting means comprises means for transmitting camera images of said stylus-cooperating indicia as raw video frames to said existing notebook computer and wherein said software driver interprets successive camera images to derive movement data for use by said existing notebook computer.

4. The computer sketch pad and stylus of claim 1 wherein said optical stylus additionally comprises at least one contact detector on at least one end of said stylus that corresponds to the oriented view of at least one camera, and wherein said transmitting means additionally includes means for transmitting the contact and no contact status of said contact detector.

5. The computer sketch pad and stylus of claim 1 wherein said optical stylus additionally comprises at least one force detector on at least one end of said stylus that corresponds to the oriented view of at least one camera, and wherein said transmitting means additionally includes means for transmitting the amount of force detected by said force detector, whereby said stylus is pressure sensitive.

6. The computer sketch pad and stylus of claim 1 additionally comprising means for optically determining the hovering distance of said optical stylus in a third dimension.

7. The computer sketch pad and stylus of claim 1 additionally comprising tool button indicia near said sketch pad, and wherein said optical stylus additionally transmits tool button data to said existing notebook computer.

8. The computer sketch pad and stylus of claim 1 wherein said stylus-cooperating indicia includes indicia for distinguishing horizontal motion from vertical motion, whereby the stylus can report motion consistently in spite of minor variations in the orientation of the stylus to the sketch pad and minor variations in rotation about the stylus'"'"'s own longitudinal axis.

9. The computer sketch pad and stylus of claim 8 wherein said stylus-cooperating indicia also establishes at least one fixed angle, whereby said fixed angle disambiguates motion up from motion down and motion left from motion right, regardless of the orientation of the stylus to the sketch pad and regardless of any rotation about the stylus'"'"'s own longitudinal axis.

10. The computer sketch pad and stylus of claim 1 wherein said attachment means comprises an adhesive affixed to said bottom surface of said sketch pad and said sketch pad is provided with a separable membrane protecting said adhesive.

11. The computer sketch pad and stylus of claim 1 wherein said attachment means is selected from the group consisting of (a) a separate adhesive for application between said bottom surface of said sketch pad and said existing notebook computer, (b) magnetic, (c) fasteners, (d) cohesion, (e) transfer of said stylus-cooperating indicia from a substrate to said existing notebook computer, (f) suction, (g) static electricity, (h) etching, and (i) inherent tackiness (stickiness) of said sketch pad to said existing notebook computer in the absence of any adhesive compound.

12. The computer sketch pad and stylus of claim 10 wherein said adhesive on said bottom surface of sketch pad is protected by a peelable cover and said peelable cover is marked with potential cut points where the sketch pad may be cut to adapt it to a particular existing notebook computer prior to its being attached.

13. The computer sketch pad and stylus of claim 1 wherein said sketch pad is marked with potential cut points that are positioned such that the aspect ratio of the post-cut sketch pad can be made to match the aspect ratio of a variety of display screens of common existing notebook computers.

14. The computer sketch pad and stylus of claim 1 wherein:

a. said optical stylus additionally comprises processor means for interpreting successive camera images to derive movement data;

b. said optical stylus additionally comprises at least one contact detector on at least one end of said stylus that corresponds to the oriented view of at least one camera;

c. said transmitting means transmits to said existing notebook computer the derived movement data and at least the contact and no contact status of said contact detector;

d. said attachment means comprises an adhesive on said bottom surface of said sketch pad;

e. said stylus-cooperating indicia includes indicia for distinguishing horizontal motion from vertical motion and also establishes at least one fixed angle;

f. whereby said fixed angle disambiguates motion up from motion down and motion left from motion right, regardless of the orientation of the stylus to the sketch pad and regardless of any rotation about the stylus'"'"'s own longitudinal axis.

15. A computer mouse pad and optical stylus for use with an existing computer, comprising:

a. stylus-cooperating indicia forming a sketch pad on the top surface of said mouse pad, said stylus-cooperating indicia unambiguously distinguishing horizontal and vertical motion relative to the mouse pad and independent of the orientation of said optical stylus;

b. a plurality of tool button indicia on the top surface of said mouse pad outside said sketch pad, each said tool button indicia being visibly unique and recognizable to a person and said optical stylus;

c. said optical stylus comprising at least one camera oriented for optically detecting said stylus-cooperating indicia and each of said plurality of tool button indicia, and said optical stylus additionally comprising transmitting means for transmitting data derived from its optical detections to said existing computer.

16. A portable notebook computer with sketch pad and optical stylus system, said system comprising a notebook computer that comprises a display member and a base member, said display member comprising a display and said base member comprising a keyboard and a stylus-cooperating sketch pad, said stylus-cooperating sketch pad bearing indicia for distinguishing horizontal motion from vertical motion and said indicia also establishing at least one fixed angle to disambiguates the stylus'"'"'s motion up from motion down and motion left from motion right, regardless of the orientation of the stylus to the sketch pad and regardless of any rotation about the stylus'"'"'s own longitudinal axis, said stylus comprising at least one camera oriented for optically detecting said stylus-cooperating indicia, and said optical stylus additionally comprising transmitting means for transmitting data derived from its optical detections to said portable notebook computer.

17. The portable notebook computer with sketch pad and optical stylus system of claim 16 additionally comprising tool button indicia on said base member and wherein said optical stylus additionally transmits tool button data to said portable notebook computer.

18. A method of upgrading an existing computer with a stylus-type of input device, comprising the steps of:

a. applying stylus-cooperating indicia to a surface of said existing computer, said stylus-cooperating indicia including at least a sketch pad, positioned so that said sketch pad is accessible to a stylus when said computer is in use;

b. providing an optical stylus comprising at least one camera oriented for optically detecting said stylus-cooperating indicia;

c. establishing a communication channel for transmitting data derived from said stylus'"'"'s optical detections to said existing computer.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said stylus-type input device provides relative-position, absolute-orientation movement data to said existing computer.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said existing computer is an existing notebook computer having a flat surface in front of its keyboard, and said stylus-cooperating indicia is applied to at least part of said flat surface, and said step of applying stylus-cooperating indicia is selected from the group consisting of:

a. peeling a protective cover off of an sketch pad adhesive sticker and affixing said sketch pad adhesive sticker to said flat surface;

b. applying a sketch pad transfer decal that transfers pigment to said flat surface;

c. affixing a sketch pad member to said flat surface by applying a separate adhesive;

d. affixing a sketch pad member with a fastener;

e. affixing a sketch pad member magnetically;

f. direct printing onto said flat surface; and

g. chemical etching a sketch pad onto said flat surface.