Electronic stylus type optical reader

• US 5,369,262 A
• Filed: 08/02/1993
• Issued: 11/29/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Thomas, Ralph, Fuller, Robert, Goldner, Leonard H., Goren, David, Dvorkis, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHIN, ESTHER
• Application Number:
  US08/100,220
• Time in Patent Office: 484 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462, 235/472, 235/454, 235/440, 235/470, 382/59, 382/65, 345/156, 345/179, 178/18, 178/19
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners

Abstract

An electronic stylus, for use with a computer having a digitizer, has a light emitter for emitting light to illuminate optically encoded information. A photodetector senses light reflected from the illuminated optically encoded information and produced an electrical signal representative of the optically encoded information. Stylus electronics provide positional input data by contacting a digitizer tablet with the stylus. The stylus housing contains the light emitter, photodetector and stylus electronics. A tip at a fore end of the housing is adapted for contact with the digitizer tablet and the light is emitted from other than the fore end of the housing.

Claims

1. An electronic stylus for use with a computer having a digitizer, said stylus comprising:

a light emitter for emitting light for illumination of optically encoded information;

a photodetector for sensing light reflected from the illuminated optically encoded information and producing an electrical signal representative of the optically encoded information;

stylus electronics for providing positional input data by contacting a digitizer tablet with said stylus; and

a stylus housing containing said light emitter, said photodetector and said stylus electronics, said stylus housing having a tip disposed at a fore end of said housing adapted for contact with the digitizer tablet;

wherein said light is emitted from other than said fore end of said housing.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising a wireless transmitter for sending data signals representative of the optically encoded information from said apparatus to a computer.

3. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said stylus housing includes a fore end portion which tapers to a point for contact with a digitizer tablet during operation of the apparatus as a stylus.

4. An apparatus as in claim 3, wherein a distal end of said housing contains the light emitter and the photodetector, said light emitter being oriented to emit the light from said distal end of said housing in a direction toward the point of the fore end portion of the housing.

5. An apparatus as in claim 3, wherein a distal end of said housing contains the light emitter and the photodetector, said light emitter being oriented to emit the light from said distal end of said housing in a direction away from the fore end of the housing.

6. An apparatus as in claim 3, wherein:

said housing is elongated in a direction;

said fore end portion contains said stylus electronics, and a distal end portion contains said light emitter and photodetector; and

said distal end portion has a cross sectional area orthogonal to said direction which is larger than a cross sectional area of said fore end portion orthogonal to said direction.

7. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said digitizer tablet includes signal processing circuitry for processing a signal corresponding to said electrical signal.

8. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein a distal end of said housing contains said light emitter and said light is emitted from said distal end of said housing.

9. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein:

said tip and said light emitter are separated by a distance; and

said light emitter is disposed from said optically encoded information by said distance during the emitting of light.

10. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said tip is a conductive electrical contact.

11. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said light emitter includes a scanning motor for repetitively oscillating a light source, and said emitted light is a scanning light beam.

12. An apparatus as in claim 11, wherein said scanning motor also repetitively oscillates said photodetector.