Viewer with code sensor and printer

• US 6,946,672 B1
• Filed: 11/25/2000
• Issued: 09/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Lapstun, Paul, Silverbrook, Kia, King, Tobin Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Glick, Edward J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KAO, CHIH CHENG G
• Application Number:
  US09/722,147
• Time in Patent Office: 1,760 Days
• Field of Search: 235/435, 235/454, 235/494, 235/462.01, 235/472.01, 235/472.02, 250/234, 250/235, 250/566, 250/568, 347/2, 358/1.18, 358/505, 358/508, 358/296
• US Class Current: 250/566
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/445 Printers integrated in other types of apparatus, e.g. printers integrated in cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1688 the I/O peripheral being integrated loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0384 Wireless input, i.e. hardware and software details of wireless interface arrangements for pointing devices
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2755 by optical scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 : including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 : Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0015 : First party call control architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 : with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 : with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• 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 1/00326 : with a data reading, recognizing or recording apparatus, e.g. with a bar-code apparatus arrangements for the associated working of recording or reproducing apparatus with related apparatus G11B31/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00392 : Other manual input means, e.g. digitisers or writing tablets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00968 : by scanning marks on a sheet mark-sheet input means H04N1/00355; sensing record carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 : in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32133 : on the same paper sheet, e.g. a facsimile page header
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32778 : using a mark-sheet or machine-readable code request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/60 : using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 : in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 : embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/422 : Input-only peripherals , i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS] input devices also receiving signals from specially adapted client devices H04N21/4104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 : sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 : Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0082 : Image hardcopy reproducer H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 : of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3247 : Data linking a set of images to one another, e.g. sequence, burst or continuous capture mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3264 : of sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3269 : of machine readable codes or marks, e.g. bar codes or glyphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 : Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 : for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 : Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 : Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 : using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 : Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/187 : Continuous sectional layer

Abstract

A viewer (100) is provided for displaying and allowing interaction with interactive information and application interfaces. The viewer includes at least one code sensor (112) for sensing coded data (202) disposed on a surface (200). The viewer transmits data derived from the sensed data to a computer system and receives, in response, data for display on a color display (102). The visual content of the display may be synchronized with the visual content of the underlying coded surface. The viewer also includes a printer mechanism (200) for transferring to the underlying surface input captured via a touch-sensitive overlay (132) on the display (102).

Claims

1. A viewing device for interacting with a human discernable interface surface provided on a substrate, the device including:

at least one sensor for sensing coded data on or in a substrate and for generating first data based at least partly on the coded data;

a transmitter for transmitting, to a computer system, said first data, or second data at least partially based on the first data;

a receiver for receiving, from the computer system, at least display data associated with an identity derived from first data;

at least one display device for outputting visual information based at least partially on said display data, the visual information corresponding to at least part of the human discernable interface,

a printer mechanism for printing on the substrate;

a user interface and control means operable to cause the printer mechanism to print markings on the substrate based at least partially on user input to thereby allow a user to interact with the part of the human discernable interface; and

,

wherein the device for interacting is configured and arranged such that the sensor is operative to sense the coded data when the display device is positioned, in use, at least partly overlapping the substrate.

2. A device for interacting according to claim 1, wherein the display device at least partly overlaps the sensor device, such that the sensor device is positioned between the display device and the coded data when the device for interacting is in use.

3. A device for interacting accordingly to claim 2, wherein the visual information represents a portion of an electronic document, the electronic document having been used as a basis for generation of the human discernable interface on the substrate.

4. A device for interacting according to claim 3, wherein the visual information replicates at least some of the human discernable interface.

5. A device for interacting according to claim 3, wherein the human discernable interface visible to an average unaided human eye.

6. A device for interacting according to claim 1, wherein the printer device is configured to print data corresponding at least partly with, or based at least partly upon, the display data or visual information.

7. A device for interacting according to claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a touch-sensitive overlay.

8. A device for interacting according to claim 7, wherein the printer mechanism is configured to print markings on the substrate as a user interacts with the touch-sensitive overlay.

9. A device for interacting according to claim 8, wherein the printer mechanism prints markings on the substrate as a user has completed interaction with the touch-sensitive overlay.

10. A device for interaction according to claim 9, wherein user input to the touch-sensitive overlay is uploaded to the computer system and the computer system downloads data based on the uploaded data for printing on the substrate.

11. A device for interacting according to claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a touch-sensitive overlay, and wherein the device for interacting prints markings on the substrate at a position aligned with a point at which the user touches the touch-sensitive overlay.

12. A device for interacting according to claim 1, wherein the device for interacting is configured to display visual information corresponding to at least part of the human discernable interface at a position aligned with the at least part of the human discernable interface on the substrate.

13. A device for interacting according to claim 1, wherein the human discernable interface surface includes at least one field, and wherein the device for interacting is configured to:

display visual information corresponding to the at least one field; and

, print markings in the at least one field based at least partially on user input.

14. A device for interacting, according to claim 13, wherein the human discernable interface is a form.