Universal computer input device

• US 5,420,943 A
• Filed: 10/29/1992
• Issued: 05/30/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stephen M. Mak
• Original Assignee: Stephen M. Mak
• Inventors: Mak, Stephen M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, David K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CAMMARATA, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US07/968,110
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• Field of Search: 382/59, 382/62, 382/69, 382/67, 382/68, 382/61, 340/710, 340/708, 358/473, 358/474, 358/486, 358/488, 235/436, 235/440, 235/472, 235/454, 235/466, 235/495, 250/221, 345/163, 345/166
• US Class Current: 382/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03542 Light pens for emitting or receiving light
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0163 by means of additional timing marks on the record-carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/047 Detection, control or error compensation of scanning velocity or position H04N1/0402 and H04N1/17 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0476 Indicating the scanning velocity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/107 with manual scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/1072 Means for guiding the scanning, e.g. rules H04N1/1077 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/04703 using the scanning elements as detectors, e.g. by performing a prescan
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/04705 using inactive scanning elements, e.g. elements outside the scanning area
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/04717 on the scanned sheet, e.g. a reference sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/04727 on a linear encoder
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/04729 in the main-scan direction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/04731 in the sub-scan direction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/04734 Detecting at frequent intervals, e.g. once per line for sub-scan control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/04749 Detecting position relative to a gradient, e.g. using triangular-shaped masks, marks or gratings

Abstract

The invention is a universal input device for a computer which can be either used as a point-and-click bar code reader, a bar code scanner, mouse, handwriting input, or text scanner, all from an off-screen medium. The universal input device can be used to read both arbitrary user-defined bar code or standardized bar code. In either case, the bar code may symbolize any alphanumeric character or macro instruction for an operating system which is programmed on the computer. The universal input device uses a single line of linear CCD detectors. In the static mode, the single linear array is used as a point-and-click input device for bar code, provided that the optical length of the bar code is equal to or less than the length of the single linear array. In the linear mode, the bar code may exceed the optical length of the single linear array and the array then moved or scanned over the bar code. In the two-dimensional mode, a grid is used in combination with the single linear array to detect vertical and horizontal motion of the array. Alternatively, a scanning ruler with diagnonal timing bars may be used to guide the array across the line of text which then processed for character recognition. Still further, the array can be used in the two-dimensional mode to provide a bit map of handwriting. Used to read bar codes or as a mouse, the input device can be used to simulate an ASCII keyboard to input ASCII codes corresponding to the alphanumeric characters.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing input to a computer from an off-screen medium comprising:

a handheld pen;

a single linear array of optical detectors disposed in said pen;

input logic means coupled to said linear array and to said computer for selectively configuring said single linear array of detectors in one of a plurality of input modes including at least a two-dimensional input mode to optically read information from said off-screen medium into said computer, said two-dimensional input mode being defined as relative motion of said single linear array of detectors in at least two noncolinear directions with respect to said off-screen medium;

wherein said off-screen medium comprises a grid, said grid comprising in turn a plurality of horizontal lines and a plurality of diagonal lines, said horizontal lines being detected by said input logic means through said single linear array of optical detectors to detect relative motion of said apparatus with respect to said off-screen medium in a direction perpendicular to said horizontal lines, detection of relative movement with respect to said diagonal lines being interpreted by said input logic means to indicate motion of said apparatus parallel to the said horizontal lines, so that said apparatus is operable as a mouse input device, said horizontal lines of said grid comprising a plurality of horizontal lines of a first predetermined thickness and spaced apart from each other by a dimension less than the optical length of said single linear array of detectors, and wherein said plurality of diagonal lines comprise a plurality of diagonal line segments disposed between each of said horizontal lines, said diagonal line segments having a second thickness, said second thickness being distinguishable by said input logic means from said first thickness,

whereby a universal input device for said computer is provided.

2. An improvement in an apparatus for providing a mouse input to a computer through a single linear array of photodetectors from an off-screen medium, said single linear array of photodetectors disposed in said apparatus and having an optical length, comprising:

a grid comprising a plurality of horizontal lines and a plurality of diagonal lines,

said horizontal lines being detected by said single linear array to detect relative motion of said apparatus with respect to said off-screen medium in a direction perpendicular to said horizontal lines, said horizontal lines having a first predetermined thickness and spaced apart from each other by a dimension less than said optical length of said single linear array; and

means for detecting relative movement of said apparatus with respect to said diagonal lines to indicate motion of said apparatus parallel to the said horizontal lines, so that said apparatus is operable as a mouse input device, said plurality of diagonal lines comprising a plurality of diagonal line segments disposed between each of said horizontal lines, said diagonal line segments having a second thickness, said second thickness being distinguishable by said apparatus from said first thickness,

whereby a universal input device for said computer is provided.

3. An apparatus for providing input to a computer from an off-screen medium comprising:

a handheld pen;

a single linear array of optical detectors disposed in said pen;

input logic means coupled to said linear array and to said computer for selectively configuring said single linear array of detectors in one of a plurality of input modes to optically read information from said off-screen medium into said computer, one of said input modes being a text line scanning mode wherein said input logic means receives output from said linear array as scanned text and generates unique codes corresponding to said scanned text,

wherein said plurality of input modes comprises at least a static mode input, said static mode input being defined as input through said single linear array of detectors without relative movement of said single linear array with respect to said off-screen medium;

wherein said text line scanning mode is a linear dimensional mode, said linear dimensional mode being defined as a sequence of data which is input as a result of relative movement of said single linear array of detectors with respect to said off-screen medium in a line of direction; and

wherein said plurality of input modes comprises at least a mouse input mode which is a two-dimensional input mode, said two-dimensional input mode being defined as data which is input while said single linear array of detectors is arbitrarily moved in at least two noncolinear directions with respect to said off-screen medium, said data being indicative of the position in two dimensions of said linear array on said off-screen medium, said off-screen medium comprising a grid, said grid comprising in turn a plurality of horizontal lines and a plurality of diagonal lines, said horizontal lines being detected by said input logic means through said single linear array of optical detectors to detect relative motion of said apparatus with respect to said off-screen medium in a direction perpendicular to said horizontal lines, detection of relative movement with respect to said diagonal lines being interpreted by said input logic means to indicate motion of said apparatus parallel to the said horizontal lines, so that said apparatus is operable as a mouse input device, said horizontal lines of said grid comprising a plurality of horizontal lines of a first predetermined thickness and spaced apart from each other by a dimension less than the optical length of said single linear array of detectors, and wherein said plurality of diagonal lines comprise a plurality of diagonal line segments disposed between each of said horizontal lines, said diagonal line segments having a second thickness, said second thickness being distinguishable by said input logic means from said first thickness,

whereby a universal input device for said computer is provided.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein data input as a result of movement of said single linear array of detectors across said off-screen medium is interpreted by said input logic means as a pixel map of handwriting.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said off-screen medium comprises a plurality of unique positions, each of said positions corresponding to a character/command, said input logic means identifying said unique position and generating a digital code corresponding to said character/command.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said off-screen medium comprises bar codes having a plurality of bars, said bar codes including at least one clock bar, said input logic means for selectively detecting said clock bar to asynchronously time detection of remaining bars in said bar code as said single linear array of detectors are moved thereacross, so that the rate of motion of said single linear array of detectors with respect to said bar codes may be arbitrary.

7. A method of providing a universal input device for a computer comprising the steps of:

providing a single linear array of detectors;

generating an output from said single linear array of detectors from an off-screen medium over which said detectors are disposed; and

selectively interpreting said output from said simple linear array of detectors according to one of a plurality of modes, said plurality of modes comprising a static mode defined as a sequence of data which is input while said single linear array of detectors and off-screen medium is relatively fixed with respect to each other during generation of said output, a linear mode defined as a sequence of data which is input while said single linear array of detectors is moved with respect to said off-screen medium in a single direction during said step of generating said output, said sequence of data being selectively interpreted as either text data or pixel data, and a two-dimensional mode defined as data which is input while said single linear array of detectors is arbitrarily moved in two noncolinear directions with respect to said off-screen medium during said step of generating said output, said data being indicative of the position in two dimensions of said linear array on said off-screen medium, wherein said off-screen medium comprises a grid, said grid comprising in turn a plurality of horizontal lines and a plurality of diagonal lines,

wherein selectively interpreting said output senses said horizontal lines by said input logic means through said single linear array of optical detectors to detect relative motion of said apparatus with respect to said off-screen medium in a direction perpendicular to said horizontal lines, detection of relative movement with respect to said diagonal lines being interpreted by said input logic means to indicate motion of said apparatus parallel to the said horizontal lines, so that said apparatus is operable as a mouse input device, said horizontal lines of said grid comprising a plurality of horizontal lines of a first predetermined thickness and spaced apart from each other by a dimension less than the optical length of said single linear array of detectors, and wherein said plurality of diagonal lines comprise a plurality of diagonal line segments disposed between each of said horizontal lines, said diagonal line segments having a second thickness, said second thickness being distinguishable by said input logic means from said first thickness in said step of selectively interpreting,

whereby said universal input device is selectively operated as a point-and-click bar code reader, bar code scanner, mouse, handwriting input, and text scanner.