Handwriting capture device

• US 5,539,159 A
• Filed: 12/15/1994
• Issued: 07/23/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Wills, David C., Klement, Scott M., Protheroe, Robert L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOOMIS, PAUL A
• Application Number:
  US08/356,802
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 178/18, 178/19, 178/20, 178/87, 382/3, 382/13, 345/156, 345/157, 345/173, 345/174, 345/179, 345/901, 238/380, 238/381, 238/382, 238/383
• US Class Current: 178/18.05
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0393 Accessories for touch pads or touch screens, e.g. mechanical guides added to touch screens for drawing straight lines, hard keys overlaying touch screens or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means

Abstract

A handwriting capture device which employs a highly sensitive digitizer to accurately capture signature information entered using a writing force greater than or equal to a predetermined writing force. The handwriting capture device includes a housing having a top surface, a resistive membrane digitizer mounted in the top surface and having a low pattern density, a layer of urethane rubber for frictionally holding the receipt in place, circuitry for processing digitizer information, a clamp for retaining a receipt in place over the digitizer during movement of the device, and circuitry for sensing the presence of the receipt and for activating data capture by the digitizer when the receipt is positioned under the clamp. In the preferred embodiment, the clamp also serves to minimize finger contact with the digitizer.

Claims

1. A point-of-service (POS) system comprising:

a POS terminal; and

handwriting capture device coupled to the POS terminal including

a housing having a surface;

a digitizer, mounted within the surface;

a retainer located over the surface which holds a paper receipt from the POS terminal in a predetermined position over the digitizer, wherein the retainer is capable of holding paper receipts of various lengths, and wherein the retainer includes a window through which a signature is applied to the receipt and to the digitizer; and

a processing circuit which is coupled to the digitizer and which processes written information and controls information flow from the handwriting capture device to the POS terminal.

2. A signature capture device comprising:

a housing having a surface;

a digitizer, mounted within the surface;

a retainer located over the surface which holds a paper receipt from a POS terminal in a predetermined position over the digitizer, wherein the retainer is capable of holding paper receipts of various lengths, and wherein the retainer includes a window through which a signature is applied to the receipt and to the digitizer; and

a processing circuit which is coupled to the digitizer and which processes written information and controls information flow from the handwriting capture device to the POS terminal.

3. A method for capturing a signature without immediate feedback from an electronic display comprising the steps of:

generating a paper receipt on a point-of-service (POS) terminal;

providing a signature capture device, having a first surface, including a digitizer within the first surface, and including a retainer over the first surface having a window;

aligning the paper receipt over the digitizer and between the surface and the retainer;

recording a signature applied simultaneously to the digitizer and to the paper receipt through the window; and

processing a signal representing the signature from the digitizer.