Hand-propelled wand printer

• US 7,246,958 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2004
• Issued: 07/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: White, Stephen D., Fitch, John S., Saund, Eric, Hadimioglu, Babur B., Hecht, David L., LaPalma, legal representative, Goldstein, deceased
• Primary Examiner(s): COLILLA, DANIEL JAMES
• Application Number:
  US10/988,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20050135857A1
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• US Class Current: 400/88
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/36 for portability , i.e. hand-held printers or laptop printers B41J3/4075 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera

Abstract

In accordance with one aspect of the present exemplary embodiment, provided is a hand-held printer system and method for printing on a target. The system includes a hand-held printer, a target position sensing system which senses a position of the target, and a hand-held printer position sensing system which senses a position of the hand-held printer relative to a printing surface of the target. A control mechanism actuates the printing of the hand-held printer based on the sensed positions.

Claims

1. A hand-held printer system for printing on a target, comprising:

a hand-held printer;

a target position sensing system that senses a position of the target;

a hand-held printer position sensing system that senses a position of the hand-held printer relative to a printing surface of the target; and

a control mechanism that actuates the printing by the hand-held printer based on the sensed position.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the hand-held printer position sensing system is configured to provide the control mechanism with position data, wherein the control mechanism activates the hand-held printer to generate a target image on the target which is aligned with a border of the target at a non-skewed angle irrespective of the position of the target.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the target position sensing system is configured to sense a position of the target.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the target sensing system is a target level sensing system, and the location of the target is determined with reference to the target itself.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the target level sensing system is configured to sense the position of the hand-held printer, when located on the target.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein the target is a rectangle of a known aspect ratio.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the target sensing system is a global workspace level sensing system, and wherein the location of the target is determined with reference to the location of the target within the global workspace.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the global workspace level system is configured to sense the position of the hand-held printer, when located on the target.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the hand-held printer is configured to only be activated for printing when in a printing area on the target.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the system is configured to define the print area via a pointing system.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the print area is defined as locations between ruled lines of the target.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the print area is defined as at least one entry block on a pre-printed form.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the control mechanism is configured to control the hand-held printer to position appropriate information into the at least one entry block.

14. A method for marking on a surface using a hand-held printer, comprising:

determining a position of a target on which an image is to be printed;

adjusting for a deviation of the position of the target from an expected location;

providing data to the hand-held printer quantifying the deviation;

sensing a position of the hand-held printer relative to a surface of the target; and

activating the hand-held printer to generate markings on the surface of the target, based on the sensed position of the hand-held printer and the quantified deviation data.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the activating step includes generating a target image on the target which is aligned with a border of the target at a non-skewed angle irrespective of the position of the target.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the determining step includes determining the position of the target at a target level, wherein reference is made to the target itself.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the determining step is undertaken knowing the target is a rectangle and knowing an aspect ratio of the target.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein the determining step includes determining the position of the target, based on reference to a global workspace within which the target is located.

19. A printing system comprising,

a device for generating data to be printed;

and

a hand-held printer system for printing on a target, including,

a hand-held printer,

a target position sensing system that senses the position of the target,

a hand-held printer position sensing system that senses a position of the hand-held printer relative to a printing surface of the target, and

a control mechanism that actuates the hand-held printer based on the sensed positions.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the data generating device is a wand stamp.

21. The system according to claim 19, wherein the hand-held printer is an address printer.

22. The system according to claim 19, wherein the data generating device is a digital camera.

23. The system according to claim 19, wherein the data generating device is a video camera which obtains audio and video data, and wherein the obtained audio and video data is stored in a system data storage device as digital data in a digital format for use by the hand-held printer system for printing an image.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein the system data storage device is configured to store data in addition to the audio and video data, including data which points to off-system data maintained in an off-system data storage device.

25. The system according to claim 24, wherein the printed image includes the pointer data in human readable form which points to the off-system data maintained in the off-system data storage separate from the system data storage.

26. The system according to claim 25, wherein the human readable data is in the form of a URL.

27. The system according to claim 19, wherein the device includes a microphone system configured to capture, digitize and store a digital version of words spoken into the microphone system, for printing of the stored data.

28. The system according to claim 19, wherein the device includes a means for printing a customizable digitized book.