METHOD OF PRINTED BILL PAYMENT USING OPTICALLY IMAGING PEN

• US 20090020345A1
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul, Walmsley, Simon Robert, Lapstun, Jacqueline Anne
• Application Number:
  US12/240,867
• Publication Number:
  US 20090020345A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 178/19.50
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/26 for printing, stamping, franking, typing or teleprinting apparatus ticket printing or the like apparatus G07F17/42

Abstract

A method of enabling payment of bills using an optically imaging pen is provided in which a coded tag printed on a bill is optically imaged with an image sensor of the pen, the position of the pen nib relative to the bill during the imaging is computed in the pen, and indicating data is generating in the pen and transmitted thereby to a computer system to enable bill payment. The bill has information on a requested payment and the coded tags. Each tag encodes the bill'"'"'s identity and it'"'"'s printed location. The nib position is computed from the tag location identified in the imaged tag, an observed perspective distortion on the imaged tag, and a known spatial relationship between the pen'"'"'s physical axis containing the nib and the pen'"'"'s optical axis containing the image sensor. The indicating data is indicative of the bill'"'"'s identity and the computed nib position.

Claims

1. A method of enabling payment of bills using an optically imaging pen, the method comprising the steps of:

optically imaging a coded tag printed on a bill with an image sensor of the pen, the bill being printed with information on a requested payment and a plurality of coded tags, each tag encoding an identity of the bill and it'"'"'s printed location;

computing, in the pen, the position of a nib of the pen relative to the bill during said optical imaging from;

the tag location identified in the imaged tag;

an observed perspective distortion on the imaged tag; and

a known spatial relationship between the pen'"'"'s physical axis containing the nib and the pen'"'"'s optical axis containing the image sensor, said axes being different from each other;

generating, in the pen, indicating data indicative of the identity of the bill identified in the imaged tag and the computed position of the nib relative to the bill; and

transmitting the indicating data to a computer system to enable payment of the bill therein.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of, in the computer system:

determining a position on the bill from the computed position of the nib relative to the bill indicated by the received indicating data; and

identifying, from a map of the bill maintained in the computer system, at least one parameter relating to a requested payment associated with the determined position on the bill.

3. A method according to claim 2 in which the parameter is an action parameter of the requested payment, the method including effecting, in the computer system, an operation in respect of the action parameter.

4. A method according to claim 3 in which the action parameter of the requested payment is selected from the group consisting of:

requesting that payment be made;

specifying a payment amount; and

resetting the bill to an original state.

5. A method according to claim 2 in which the parameter is an option parameter of the requested payment, the method including identifying, in the computer system, that a hand-drawn mark has been entered on the bill by means of the pen and effecting, in the computer system, an operation associated with the option parameter.

6. A method according to claim 5 in which the option parameter is associated with at least one of:

a cardholder name;

a payment method; and

a credit card type.

7. A method according to claim 2 in which the parameter is a text parameter of the requested payment, the method including identifying, in the computer system, that handwritten text data has been entered on the bill by means of the pen and effecting, in the computer system, an operation associated with the text parameter.

8. A method according to claim 7 which includes converting, in the computer system, the handwritten text data to computer text.

9. A method according to claim 8 which includes converting, in the computer system, the handwritten text data to computer text using an online handwriting recognition program.

10. A method according to claim 9 in which the text parameter is associated with at least one of:

a cardholder name;

an amount paid; and

a card expiry date.

11. A method according to claim 2 in which the parameter is an authorization parameter of the requested payment, the method including identifying, in the computer system, that a handwritten signature has been entered on the bill by means of the pen and effecting, in the computer system, an operation associated with the authorization parameter.

12. A method according to claim 11 which includes verifying, in the computer system, that the signature is that of a particular person.

13. A method according to claim 12 in which the authorization parameter is associated with payment authorization.