Business card as electronic mail token

• US 6,679,420 B1
• Filed: 09/15/2000
• Issued: 01/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Lapstun, Paul, Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nowlin, April
• Application Number:
  US09/663,579
• Time in Patent Office: 1,222 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/380, 705/7, 705/26
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/12 specially adapted for small cards, envelopes, or the like , e.g. credit cards, cut visiting cards
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 19/207 Encoding along a bar
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/445 Printers integrated in other types of apparatus, e.g. printers integrated in cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 15/02 Postcards; Greeting, menu, business or like cards; Letter cards or letter-sheets B42D25/00 takes precedence; envelopes B65D27/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management

Abstract

The present invention provides a method of enabling a first user to record in a computer system, using a business card of a second user, an electronic mail address of the second user, the business card including coded data indicative of the identity of the business card and of at least one reference point of the business card, the method including the steps of: receiving, in the computer system, indicating data from a sensing device regarding the identity of the business card and a position of the sensing device relative to the business card, the sensing device, when placed in an operative position relative to the business card, sensing the indicating data using at least some of the coded data; identifying, in the computer system and from the indicating data a request to record the electronic mail address of the second user; and recording, in the computer system at a location accessible to the first user, the electronic mail address of the second user.

Claims

1. A method of enabling a first user to record in a computer system, using a business card of a second user, an electronic mail address of the second user, the business card including coded data indicative of the identity of the business card and of at least one reference point of the business card, the method including the steps of

receiving, in the computer system, indicating data from a sensing device regarding the identity of the business card and a position of the sensing device relative to the business card, the sensing device, when placed in an operative position relative to the business card, sensing the indicating data using at least some of the coded data;

identifying, in the computer system and from the indicating data, a request to record the electronic mail address of the second user; and

recording, in the computer system at a location accessible to the first user, the electronic mail address of the second user.

2. The method of claim 1 in which said request to record the second user'"'"'s electronic mail address is associated with at least one zone of the business card and in which the method includes identifying, in the computer system and from the zone relative to which the sensing device is located, said request.

3. The method of claim 2 which includes

receiving, in the computer system, data regarding movement of the sensing device relative to the business card, the sensing device sensing the movement relative to the business card using at least some of the coded data; and

identifying, in the computer system and from said movement being at least partially within said at least one zone, the request to record the electronic mail address of the second user.

8. The method of any one of claim 1, 4, 5 or 6 which includes printing the business card on demand.

9. The method of claim 8 which includes printing the business card on a surface of a surface-defining means and, at the same time that the business card is printed, printing the coded data on the surface.

10. The method of claim 1, 4, 5 or 6 in which the coded data is substantially invisible to an unaided human eye.

11. The method of claim 1 or 6 which includes retaining a retrievable record of each business card generated, the business card being retrievable using the business card'"'"'s identity as contained in the coded data.

12. The method of claim 1 or 4 in which the sensing device contains an identification means which imparts a unique identity to the sensing device and identifies the sensing device as belonging to a particular first user and in which the method includes monitoring, in the computer system, said identity.

4. A method of enabling a first user to record in a computer system, using a business card of a second user, an electronic mail address of the second user, the business card including coded data indicative of a request to record the electronic mail address of the second user, the method including the steps of

receiving, in the computer system, data from a sensing device operated by the first user regarding the request and regarding movement of the sensing device relative to the business card, the sensing device, when moved relative to the business card, sensing the data regarding the request and generating the data regarding the movement relative to the business card using at least some of the coded data;

interpreting, in the computer system, said movement of the sensing device as designating the request; and

recording, in the computer system at a location accessible to the first user, the electronic mail address of the second user.

5. A method of enabling a first user to record in a computer system, using a business card of a second user, an electronic mail address of the second user, the business card including coded data indicative of a request to record the electronic mail address of the second user, the method including the steps of

receiving, in the computer system and from a sensing device operated by the first user, indicating data regarding the request, the sensing device, when placed in an operative position relative to the business card, sensing the indicating data using at least some of the coded data;

interpreting, in the computer system, the indicating data as designating the request; and

recording, in the computer system at a location accessible to the first user, the electronic mail address of the second user.

6. A method of enabling a first user to record in a computer system, using a business card of a second user, an electronic mail address of the second user, the business card including coded data indicative of a request to record the electronic mail address of the second user, the method including the steps of

receiving, in a computer system, data from a sensing device regarding an identity of the first user and regarding the request, the sensing device containing data regarding the identity of the first user and sensing the data regarding the request using at least some of the coded data;

interpreting, in the computer system from the data regarding the identity of the first user and the data regarding the request, the request to record the electronic mail address of the second user; and

recording, in the computer system at a location accessible to the first user, the electronic mail address of the second user.

7. The method of claim 6 which includes receiving, in the computer system, data from the sensing device regarding movement of the sensing device relative to the business card.

13. A system for enabling a first user to record in a computer system, using a business card of a second user, an electronic mail address of the second user, the business card including coded data indicative of the identity of the business card and of at least one reference point of the business card, the system including

a computer system for receiving indicating data from a sensing device for identifying a request to record the electronic mail address of the second user, the indicating data being indicative of the identity of the business card and a position of the sensing device relative to the business card, the sensing device, when placed in an operative position relative to the business card, sensing the indicating data using at least some of the coded data, the computer system being configured to record the electronic mail address of the second user at a location accessible to the first user.

14. The system of claim 13 in which said request to record the electronic mail address of the second user is associated with at least one zone of the business card.

15. The system of claim 13 which includes the sensing device, the sensing device sensing its movement relative to the business card using at least some of the coded data.

20. The system of any one of claim 15, 16, 17 or 19 in which the sensing device includes a marking nib.

21. The system of any one of claim 15, 16 or 17 in which the sensing device contains an identification means which imparts a unique identity to the sensing device and identifies the sensing device as being associated with a particular first user.

22. The system of any one of claim 13, 16, 17 or 18 in which the business card is printed on a surface of a surface-defining means and in which the system includes a printer for printing the business card on demand.

23. The system of claim 22 in which the printer prints the coded data at the same time as printing the business card on the surface.

24. The system of any one of claim 13, 16, 17 or 18 in which the coded data is substantially invisible to an unaided human eye.

16. A system for enabling a first user to record in a computer system, using a business card of a second user, an electronic mail address of the second user, the business card including coded data indicative of a request to record the electronic mail address of the second user, the system including

a computer system for receiving data from a sensing device operated by the first user, the data from the sensing device regarding the request and regarding movement of the sensing device relative to the business card, the sensing device, when moved relative to the business card, generating the data regarding the movement relative to the business card, the sensing device also sensing the data regarding the request using at least some of the coded data, the computer system being configured to interpret said movement as designating the request, and being configured to record the electronic mail address of the second user at a location accessible to the first user.

17. A system for enabling a first user to record in a computer system, using a business card of a second user, an electronic mail address of the second user, the business card including coded data indicative of a request to record the electronic mail address of the second user, the system including

a computer system for receiving indicating data from a sensing device operated by the first user, the indicating data regarding the request, the sensing device, when placed in an operative position relative to the business card, sensing the indicating data using at least some of the coded data, the computer system being configured to interpret the indicating data as designating the request, and being configured to record the electronic mail address of the second user at a location accessible to the first user.

18. A system for enabling a first user to record in a computer system, using a business card of a second user, an electronic mail address of the second user, the business card including coded data indicative of a request to record the electronic mail address of the second user, the system including

a computer system for receiving data from a sensing device regarding an identity of the first user and regarding the request, the sensing device containing the data regarding the identity of the first user and sensing the data regarding the request using at least some of the coded data, the computer system being configured to record the electronic mail address of the second user at a location accessible to the first user.

19. The system of claim 18 which includes the sensing device, the sensing device sensing its movement relative to the business card.