Method and system for composition and delivery of electronic mail with coded marks

• US 6,825,956 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2002
• Issued: 11/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Kimberly
• Assistant Examiner(s): Carter, Tia A.
• Application Number:
  US10/291,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20030090737A1
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 358/402, 358/1.15, 358/430, 358/478, 358/473, 358/472, 382/187, 382/188, 382/313, 382/314, 382/317, 382/122, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 178/18.09, 235/375, 455/66, 455/556, 379/93.01, 379/93.24
• US Class Current: 358/402
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 19/207 Encoding along a bar
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/02 Framework
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/36 for portability , i.e. hand-held printers or laptop printers B41J3/4075 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1265 Printing by reference, e.g. retrieving document/image data for a job from a source mentioned in the job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1894 Outputting the image data to the printing elements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/21 Combinations with auxiliary equipment, e.g. with clocks or memoranda pads
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• 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 2201/0082 Image hardcopy reproducer H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3269 of machine readable codes or marks, e.g. bar codes or glyphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3271 Printing or stamping

Abstract

A method for composition and transmission of an electronic mail message including: printing a document to facilitate composition and transmission of the electronic mail message; composing the electronic mail message on the document utilizing a sensing device adapted to read coded data in the document; transmitting interaction data from the sensing device to a computer system, the interaction data representing interaction of the sensing device with the coded data to allow the message to be electronically captured in the computer system; and transmitting the message to at least one recipient address.

Claims

1. A method for composition and transmission of an electronic mail message including:

printing a document to facilitate composition and transmission of the electronic mail message;

composing the electronic mail message on the document utilizing a sensing device adapted to read coded data in the document when placed in an operative position relative to the document, the coded data comprising a plurality of substantially undifferentiated marks positioned relative to a set of predetermined nominal mark positions;

transmitting interaction data from the sensing device to a computer system, the interaction data representing interaction of the sensing device with the coded data to allow the message to be electronically captured in the computer system; and

transmitting the message to at least one recipient address.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein each mark represents one of a plurality of coded values.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the coded value represented by a mark is at least partially determined by the position of the mark relative to the set of predetermined nominal mark positions.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined nominal mark positions are arranged relative to a plurality of nominal lines.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein at least one pair of the lines are spaced apart from one another by a distance of less than 100 millimeters.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the marks have centers and wherein the relative spacing of the centers of at least one pair of adjacent marks is less than 12 millimeters.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein each mark has a minimum radius and a maximum radius and wherein the length of a mark'"'"'s minimum radius is greater than 40% of the length of that mark'"'"'s maximum radius.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein any 10 millimeter diameter area of the coded data includes sufficient information to identify the electronic mail message.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the address of the recipient is converted, in the computer system, from hand-written indicia on the document to an electronic form of the address to facilitate transmission.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least part of the message as applied to the document is converted, in the computer system, from hand-written indicia or alpha-numerals to electronic equivalents.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least part of the electronic mail message as applied to the document is converted, in the computer system, from hand-written indicia, alpha-numerals, diagrams, figures, or the like, to an electronic form which substantially preserves the format and appearance of the relevant part of the message.

12. A method as claimed in claim 10 or 11, wherein electronically capturing the message includes receiving, in the computer system, at least one of movement data and position data regarding at least one of a movement and a position of the sensing device relative to the document.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, including the sensing device sensing at least one of the movement and the position of the sensing device relative to the form using at least some of the sensed coded data.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least part of the electronic mail message is transmitted to the recipient address as digital ink.

15. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the message is delivered at the address in the form of a second document containing the electronic mail message.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the second document has at least one user interactive element which enables a recipient to indicate a response to associated information in the second document by interacting with the user interactive element using a sensing device which is adapted to transmit response data to a computer.

17. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a user addresses the electronic mail message to the recipient address by selecting a name from a list on the document using the sensing device.

18. A method as claimed in claim 1, including receiving, in the computer system, indicating data derived from the coded data, regarding the identity of the document and at least one of a position and a movement of the sensing device relative to the document in order to identify the document and determine when the sensing device is used to interact with the document.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18, including the sensing device sensing at least one of the movement and the position of the sensing device relative to the document using the coded data.

20. A system for composition and transmission of an electronic mail message including:

a printer for printing a document with coded data, to facilitate composition and transmission of the electronic mail message, the coded data comprising a plurality of substantially undifferentiated marks positioned relative to a set of predetermined nominal mark positions;

a sensing device for reading the coded data when placed in an operative position relative to the document and transmitting interaction data, representing interaction of the sensing device with the coded data to allow for electronic capture of the message, generated by moving the sensing device relative to the document; and

a computer system for receiving the interaction data from the sensing device and transmitting the message to a recipient address.

21. A system according to claim 20, wherein each mark represents one of a plurality of coded values.

22. A system according to claim 21, wherein the coded value represented by a mark is at least partially determined by the position of the mark relative to the set of predetermined nominal mark positions.

23. A system according to claim 20, wherein the predetermined nominal mark positions are arranged relative to a plurality of nominal lines.

24. A system according to claim 23 wherein at least one pair of the lines are spaced apart from one another by a distance of less than 100 millimeters.

25. A system according to claim 20, wherein the marks have centers and wherein the relative spacing of the centers of at least one pair of adjacent marks is less than 12 millimeters.

26. A system according to claim 20, wherein each mark has a minimum radius and a maximum radius and wherein the length of a mark'"'"'s minimum radius is greater than 40% of the length of that mark'"'"'s maximum radius.

27. A system according to claim 20, wherein any 10 millimeter diameter area of the coded data indicative of the identity of the electronic mail message includes sufficient information to identify the electronic mail message.

28. A system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the computer system is adapted to transmit the electronic mail message to an electronic mail server.

29. A system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the computer system is provided with means so that the address of the recipient is converted from hand-written indicia on the document to an electronic form of the address.

30. A system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the computer system is provided with means so that at least part of the electronic mail message as applied to the document is converted from electronically captured hand-written indicia or alpha-numerals to electronic equivalents.

31. A system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the computer system is provided with means so that at least part of the electronic mail message as applied to the document is converted from electronically captured hand-written indicia, alpha-numerals, diagrams, figures, or the like, to an electronic form which substantially preserves the format and appearance of the relevant part of the electronic mail message.

32. A system as claimed in claim 30 or 31, wherein the computer system is adapted to receive at least one of movement data and position data regarding at least one of a movement and a position of the sensing device relative to the coded data, in order to electronically capture the message.

33. A system as claimed in claim 32, wherein the sensing device senses at least one of the movement and the position of the sensing device relative to the document using at least some of the coded data.

34. A system as claimed in claim 20, further including a printer at the recipient address for producing a second document containing the electronic mail message.

35. A system as claimed in claim 34, wherein the second document has at least one user interactive element which enables a recipient to indicate a response to associated information in the second document by interacting with the user interactive element using a sensing device which is adapted to transmit response data to a computer.

36. A system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the coded data serves to identify the document and a position of the sensing device relative to the document.

37. A system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the computer system is adapted to receive at least one of movement data and position data regarding at least one of the movement and the position of the sensing device relative to coded data, in order to capture the message.

38. A system as claimed in claim 37, wherein the sensing device generates at least one of the movement data and the position data using at least some of the sensed coded data.