Information processing
First Claim
1. Apparatus for information processing comprising an inputting implement, together with a tablet which includes a free surface inputting region accessible to the implement, an initial signal generator including said implement or said region, an initial signal detector including the other of said implement or said region, in which positioning of the implement within the inputting region is determinative of at least part of the information to be processed, together with provision for generation of a final signal including such positioning information, said region being electrically segmented into at least five segments in at least one direction within the said region, each such segment being at least ten times coarser than the resolution of positioning information included in the final signal, together with means for interpolating position of the inputting element within a segment thereby resulting in positioning information of such resolution, further including means for electrical pulsing of the said initial signal generator for producing a corresponding time-dependent initial signal in the said initial signal detector, whereby the said final signal is yielded and is transmitted to an associated unit of the said information processing apparatuscharacterized in that the said initial signal comprises time-dependent, undigitized, analog initial positioning information, and in that the said initial signal detector includes a time domain, centroid-finding filter for interpolating position to yield positioning information of such resolution for inclusion in the final signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Information processing, for example by means of a computer, is served by a tablet in combination with an inputting implement such as stylus or human finger. Such a tablet-implement combination may serve in lieu of or ancillary to other inputting means such as a keyboard. Implement positional information, e.g., as contacting the tablet, depends upon interpolation as between segmenting lines in the tablet. Cost advantage commensurate with resolution/noise desiderata is ascribable to use of analog information (without digitization) in interpolation.
243 Citations
32 Claims
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1. Apparatus for information processing comprising an inputting implement, together with a tablet which includes a free surface inputting region accessible to the implement, an initial signal generator including said implement or said region, an initial signal detector including the other of said implement or said region, in which positioning of the implement within the inputting region is determinative of at least part of the information to be processed, together with provision for generation of a final signal including such positioning information, said region being electrically segmented into at least five segments in at least one direction within the said region, each such segment being at least ten times coarser than the resolution of positioning information included in the final signal, together with means for interpolating position of the inputting element within a segment thereby resulting in positioning information of such resolution, further including means for electrical pulsing of the said initial signal generator for producing a corresponding time-dependent initial signal in the said initial signal detector, whereby the said final signal is yielded and is transmitted to an associated unit of the said information processing apparatus
characterized in that the said initial signal comprises time-dependent, undigitized, analog initial positioning information, and in that the said initial signal detector includes a time domain, centroid-finding filter for interpolating position to yield positioning information of such resolution for inclusion in the final signal.
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13. Method for information processing comprising introducing information by capacitive interaction of an inputting implement and an inputting region of an electrically segmented tablet, electrically pulsing the implement or tablet so as to yield an initial time-dependent signal containing initial position data for said implement relative to the said region, interpolating such initial position data so as to yield a final signal containing final position data which establishes position at a resolution which is better than that of electrical segmentation,
characterized in that initial position data is in analog form and is input to a time domain, centroid-finding filter, thereby yielding said final position data.
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19. Apparatus for information processing comprising an inputting implement, together with a tablet, which includes a free surface inputting region accessible to the implement, an initial signal generator including said implement or said region, an initial signal detector including the other of said implement or said region, in which positioning of the implement within the inputting region is determinative of at least part of the information to be processed, together with provision for generation of a final signal including such positioning information, said region being electrically segmented into at least five segments in at least one direction within the said region, each such segment being at least ten times coarser than the resolution of positioning information included in the final signal, together with means for interpolating position of the inputting element within a segment thereby resulting in positioning information of such resolution, further including means for electrical pulsing of the said initial signal generator for producing a corresponding time-dependent initial signal in the said initial signal detector, whereby the said final signal is yielded and is transmitted to an associated unit of the said information processing apparatus
characterized in that the said inputting implement comprises a stylus provided with a force-sensitive element for sensing the force with which the stylus engages the said region and in which such force-sensitive element depends upon a capacitor having a first plate which moves relative to a second capacitor plate responsive to such force so as to result in a force-dependent change in capacitance.
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24. Apparatus for information processing comprising an inputting implement, together with a tablet, which includes a free surface inputting region accessible to the implement, an initial signal generator including said implement or said region, an initial signal detector including the other of said implement or said region, in which positioning of the implement within the inputting region is determinative of at least part of the information to be processed, together with provision for generation of a final signal including such positioning information, said region being electrically segmented into at least five segments in at least one direction within the said region, each such segment being at least ten times coarser than the resolution of positioning information included in the final signal, together with means for interpolating position of the inputting element within a segment thereby resulting in positioning information of such resolution, further including means for electrical pulsing of the said initial signal generator for producing a corresponding time-dependent initial signal in the said initial signal detector, whereby the said final signal is yielded and is transmitted to an associated unit of the said information processing apparatus said apparatus further including a display device underlying the tablet for producing a visible display of a pattern introduced by the said inputting implement
characterized in that the said tablet and inputting element are capacitively coupled whereby positioning information is capacitance dependent, in which segmentation of the said tablet is by electrically conductive segmenting lines with each such segment being defined by ganged segmenting lines, electrically connected in parallel, in which each line contained in a gang is of insufficient thickness as to significantly interfere with transparency, sufficiency of capacitive coupling being assured by multiplicity of lines within the gang.
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28. Apparatus for information processing comprising an inputting implement, together with a tablet, which includes a free surface inputting region accessible to the implement, an initial signal generator including said implement or said region, an initial signal detector including the other of said implement or said region, in which positioning of the implement within the inputting region is determinative of at least part of the information to be processed, together with provision for generation of a final signal including such positioning information, said region being electrically segmented into at least five segments in at least one direction within the said region, each such segment being at least ten times coarser than the resolution of positioning information included in the final signal, together with means for interpolating position of the inputting element within a segment thereby resulting in positioning information of such resolution, further including means for electrical pulsing of the said initial signal generator for producing a corresponding time-dependent initial signal in the said initial signal detector, whereby the said final signal is yielded and is transmitted to an associated unit of the said information processing apparatus
characterized in that the said inputting implement is a stylus having a point in contact with the said inputting region during at least a part of the time of introduction to be processed, in which electrical segmentation is by electrically conductive segmenting lines and in which provision is made for electrically spacing such lines relative to the portion of the tablet-contacting stylus determinative of positioning information, such spacing being within the range of from 0.25× - to 4×
segment dimension, with a view to obtaining appropriate interpolation accuracy commensurate with signal-to-noise ratio. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30)
- to 4×
Specification