Method for sharing information between electronic reading devices

• US 6,813,396 B1
• Filed: 10/31/2000
• Issued: 11/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Gärdenfors, Torbjörn, Hollström, Magnus
• Primary Examiner(s): COUSO, YON JUNG
• Application Number:
  US09/703,326
• Time in Patent Office: 1,463 Days
• Field of Search: 382/305, 382/306, 382/119, 382/187, 382/189, 382/314, 345/162, 345/179, 345/180
• US Class Current: 382/305
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/315 characterised by selective application of heat to a heat sensitive printing or impression-transfer material B41J2/385, B41J2/435 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/393 Devices for controlling or analysing the entire machine ; Controlling or analysing mechanical parameters involving printing of test patterns
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/36 for portability , i.e. hand-held printers or laptop printers B41J3/4075 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/002 Specific input/output arrangements not covered by G06F3/01 - G06F3/16 other optical apparatus G02B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0321 by optically sensing the absolute position with respect to a regularly patterned surface forming a passive digitiser, e.g. pen optically detecting position indicative tags printed on a paper sheet constructional details of pen-shaped pointing devices G06F3/03545, G06F3/03542, G06F3/037
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/028 by thermal printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2215/0005 Accepting output data; Preparing data for the controlling system
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10 by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• 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 1/107 with manual scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/04712 using unbroken arrays of detectors, i.e. detectors mounted on the same substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/04717 on the scanned sheet, e.g. a reference sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/04734 Detecting at frequent intervals, e.g. once per line for sub-scan control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/04737 by detecting the scanned medium directly, e.g. a leading edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/08 : between user and terminal device

Abstract

A method and system for electronic information sharing is implemented between two electronic reading devices. A first electronic reading device detects portions of an address pattern. The address pattern is formatted such that a position of the first electronic reading device relative to the address pattern can be determined from the detected portions of the address pattern. A communication interface between the first electronic reading device and a second electronic reading device facilitates a sharing of information between the electronic reading devices. For example, information relating to the portions of the address pattern detected by the first electronic reading device can be shared with the second electronic reading device.

Claims

1. An electronic information sharing system, comprising:

a first electronic reading device for detecting portions of an address pattern, wherein a position of the first electronic reading device relative to the address pattern can be determined from each detected portion of the address pattern;

a second electronic reading device;

a communication interface between the first electronic reading device and the second electronic reading device, the communication interface used in connection with a sharing, with the second electronic reading device, of information relating to the portions of the address pattern detected by the first electronic reading device; and

wherein the first electronic reading device is adapted to concurrently detect a current portion of the address pattern and share information relating to a previously-detected portion of the address pattern.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is used for sharing coordinates associated with the detected portions of the address pattern with the second electronic reading device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the communication interface comprises a wireless local link between the first electronic reading device and the second electronic reading device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the wireless local link comprises a Bluetooth radio interface.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the communication interface comprises a network connection.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the network connection uses an Internet protocol.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is used for initiating a sharing of information between the first electronic reading device and the second electronic reading device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the communication interface comprises a wireless local link between the first electronic reading device and the second electronic reading device.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the communication interface comprises a network connection.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the shared information comprises application-based data.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the detected portions of the address pattern are associated with a particular application, further comprising a processor for converting the detected portions of the address pattern into application data relating to the particular application.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first electronic reading device forwards information about the detected portions of the address pattern to the second electronic reading device and the processor performs said conversion using information about the detected portions of the address pattern provided by the second electronic reading device.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the second electronic reading device is used to initiate a retrieval of the application data.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is located in an application server on a network.

29. The electronic information sharing system of claim 1, wherein the current portion of the address pattern and the previously-detected portion of the address pattern are identical.

15. A method for sharing electronic information, comprising the steps of:

authorizing a sharing of information between a first electronic reading device and a second electronic reading device;

detecting a first portion of an address pattern using the first electronic reading device;

detecting a second portion of the address pattern using the first electronic reading device;

initiating a retrieval of information relating to the first detected portion of the address pattern using the second electronic reading device; and

wherein the detecting of the second portion of the address pattern and the initiating of the retrieval of the information relating to the first detected portion of the address pattern occur, at least in part, concurrently with one another.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of transmitting coordinates corresponding to the first detected portion of the address pattern directly from the first electronic reading device to the second electronic reading device via a wireless local link.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of sending coordinates corresponding to the first detected portion of the address pattern from the first electronic reading device to the second electronic reading device via a network.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

sending coordinates corresponding to the first detected portion of the address pattern from the first electronic reading device to the second electronic reading device; and

processing the coordinates to generate the information relating to the first detected portion of the address pattern, wherein the step of initiating the retrieval of said information comprises sending the coordinates from the second electronic reading device to a processor.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the coordinates are sent from the second electronic reading device to the processor via a wireless local link.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of displaying the retrieved information on an electronic display.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of printing the retrieved information.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of converting the first detected portion of the address pattern into application data.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the information is retrieved to an electronic device associated with the second electronic reading device.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of authorizing a sharing of information is performed directly between the first electronic reading device and the second electronic reading device via a wireless local link.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of authorizing a sharing of information is performed via a network.

26. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of authorizing a sharing of information comprises detecting a specific portion of the address pattern with one of the first electronic reading device and the second electronic reading device.

27. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of authorizing a sharing of information is performed using a separate electronic device.

28. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of authorizing a sharing of information uses a preset authorization.

30. The method for sharing electronic information of claim 15, wherein the first portion of the address pattern and the second portion of the address pattern are identical.

31. The method for sharing electronic information of claim 15, wherein the steps of claim 15 are performed in the order listed.