Post-bit: multimedia ePaper stickies

• US 7,195,170 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2005
• Issued: 03/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Takashi, Back, Maribeth
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Haupt; Kristy A.
• Application Number:
  US11/149,000
• Publication Number:
  US 20060278692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 23547201-47203, 715/769, 715/702
• US Class Current: 235/472.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1607 Arrangements to support accessories mechanically attached to the display housing G06F1/1603, G06F1/1605 take precedence
• 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 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• 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 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device and methods for storing, sorting, sharing and communicating information with a device, which uses a tangible real-world user interface. In an embodiment of the invention, the device is intended to facilitate communication of information through intuitive operations and commands.

Claims

1. A hand held device facilitating ease of communication of information external of itself, which comprises:

(a) at least one sensor for receiving the information;

(b) a module for providing the information;

(c) at least one processor for controlling feedback from the at least one sensor and/or changes in the module; and

(d) wherein a visual tangible real-world representation is displayed to facilitate the ease of communication of the information, where the information is a single file and there is one to one correspondence between the tangible real world representation and the file.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor and the module and/or the at least one sensors are configured to perform the following steps:

(e) determine a proximity of the device relative to another device; and

(f) determine whether the device will receive and/or transmit information to another device based on the proximity.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensors are physically embedded into the device and are selected from the group consisting of visual, auditory, odorous, tactile and kinesthetic.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the module for providing the information comprises:

(g) at least one user interface driver, and

(h) at least one user interface for providing the information, wherein the user interface is physically embedded into the device and is selected from the group consisting of visual, auditory, odorous, tactile and kinesthetic.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising at least one source of energy for powering the device.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor and the module and/or the at least one sensors are configured to determine the direction of orientation of the device relative to gravity.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor and the module and/or the at least one sensors are configured to receive information about tangible operations which the device is sensing selected from the group consisting of smelling hearing, speaking, touching, pressing, sliding, flipping, squeezing, moving, dropping and rubbing.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein a tilt sensor is used to determine the direction of orientation of the device relative to gravity.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the body of the device is pliable.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the processor and the module and/or the at least one sensors are configured to receive information about tangible operations which the device is sensing selected from the group consisting of smelling, hearing, speaking, touching, pressing, sliding, flipping, flexing, squeezing, moving, dropping and rubbing.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor and the module and/or the at least one sensors are configured to determine information about the device selected from the group consisting of proximity, spatial position, direction of orientation, sequence and order relative to another device.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor and the module and/or the at least one sensors are configured to receive information about other devices selected from the group consisting of proximity, spatial position, direction of orientation, sequence and order.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the device communicates with another device selected from the group consisting of a like device, analog circuit device, integrated circuit device, personal computer, computer, phone, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), pager, music player, audio-responsive sensing device, video player, light-responsive detecting device, odor-releasing device, odor-sensing device, sensation/movement-producing device and kinesthetic/tactile-sensing device.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the communication of information is restricted to a device that is within about 3×

10<sup>−

1</sup> meter of a fixed location corresponding to another device.

15. A hand held device facilitating ease of communication of information external of itself, which comprises:

(a) at least one sensor for receiving the information;

(b) a module for providing the information;

(c) at least one processor for controlling feedback from the at least one sensor and/or changes in the module;

(d) wherein the module uses tangible real-world representations to facilitate the ease of communication of the information;

(e) at least one source of energy for powering the device; and

(f) a base, wherein the base recharges the source of energy, wherein the base allows the device to receive and/or transfer information with another device, wherein the base allows a sequence of the device relative to other devices to be determined; and

wherein the base allows the order of the device relative to other devices to be determined.

16. A hand held device facilitating ease of communication of information external of itself, which comprises:

(a) at least one sensor for receiving the information;

(b) a module for providing the information;

(c) at least one processor for controlling feedback from the at least one sensor and/or changes in the module;

(d) wherein the module uses tangible real-world representations to facilitate the ease of communication of the information;

(e) at least one source of energy for powering the device; and

(f) a binder, wherein the binder is used to transport more than one device and wherein the binder establishes the sequence of devices inserted into the binder.

17. A handheld device for facilitating ease of communication of information with a second device, which comprises:

(a) a pliable body containing one or more sensors embedded into the body selected from the set of;

a tilt sensor, a tact switch, a flex sensor and a slider;

(b) at least one display driver,

(c) at least one display physically embedded into the body adapted for displaying information;

(d) a battery physically embedded into the body,

(e) a micro-controller physically embedded into the body for controlling feedback from the sensor and changes in the display; and

(f) wherein the handheld device signals one or both of the display driver and a display driver on the second device to generate one or more tangible real-world representations to facilitate the ease of communication of the information, wherein one or more of the tangible real-world representation connect and communicate with a graphical user interface of the second device.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the device further comprises a binder, wherein the binder is used to transport more than one device and wherein the binder establishes the sequence of devices inserted into the binder.

19. The device of claim 17, further comprising a base, wherein the base allows the source of energy to be recharged, wherein the base allows the device to receive and/or transfer information with another device, wherein the base allows a sequence of the device relative to other devices to be determined.

20. The hand held device of claim 17, wherein the device uses a method for facilitating the ease of communication of information by using tangible real-world representations to indicate receipt and/or transfer of information comprising:

(a) detecting the proximity of the hand held device relative to a second device;

(b) determining that the proximity is sufficiently close to the second device;

(c) indicating that the hand held device is sufficiently close to transfer the information;

(d) transferring the information;

(e) representing the transfer with a tangible real-world representation, where the tangible real-world representation connects and communicates with a graphical user interface of the second device;

(f) disabling the hand held device from further information transfer; and

(g) indicating that the hand held device is not sufficiently close to transfer the information.

21. The hand held device of claim 17, wherein the device uses a method for facilitating the ease of communication of information by using tangible real-world representations to indicate receipt and/or transfer of information comprising:

(a) means for detecting the proximity of the hand held device relative to a second device;

(b) means for determining that the proximity is sufficiently close to the second device;

(c) means for indicating that the hand held device is sufficiently close to transfer the information;

(d) means for transferring the information;

(e) means for representing the transfer with a tangible real-world representation, where the tangible real-world presentation connects and communicates with a graphical user interface of the second device;

(f) means for disabling the hand held device from further information transfer; and

(g) means for indicating that the hand held device is not sufficiently close to transfer the information.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the method is carried out using a system or hand held device for facilitating ease of communication of information using tangible real-world representations to indicate handling and transfer of information to and from a second device, which comprises:

(a) one or more processors capable of using tangible real-world representations and representations to receive information;

capable of detecting the proximity of the hand held device relative to the second device;

capable of indicating the hand held device is ready to enable information transfer;

capable of initiating information transfer using tangible real-world representations to transfer information;

capable of disabling the hand held device from further information transfer; and

(b) a machine readable medium including operations stored thereon that when processed by one or more processors cause a system to perform the steps of using tangible real-world representations to receive information;

detecting the proximity of the hand held device relative to one of a person, the second device or a hand held device;

indicating the hand held device is ready to enable information transfer, initiating information transfer using tangible real-world representations to transfer information;

disabling the hand held device from further information transfer.

23. A machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon to cause a system to:

detect proximity of a hand held device relative to a second device;

determine that proximity of the hand held device is sufficiently close to the second device;

indicate that the hand held device is sufficiently close to transfer information;

transfer the information;

represent the transfer with tangible real-world representation, where one or both of the hand held device and the second device use one or more tangible real-world representation to connect and communicate with a graphical user interface of the second device;

disable the hand held device from further information transfer; and

indicate that the hand held device is not sufficiently close to transfer the information.