Mobile telecommunications device with interactive paper sensor

• US 7,431,449 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2005
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul, King, Tobin Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Meier, Stephen D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Liang, Leonard S
• Application Number:
  US11/124,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20050200687A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• Field of Search: 347/108, 347/109, 347/29, 347/42, 347/30, 347/31, 347/32, 401/45, 401/28, 401/47, 401/194, 401/195, 178/18, 178/79, 345/179
• US Class Current: 347/109
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/36 for portability , i.e. hand-held printers or laptop printers B41J3/4075 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B43K 8/006 using a spraying system, e.g. airbrushes
• CPC Class Codes: B43K 8/22 with electrically or magnetically activated writing-points

Abstract

A mobile telecommunications device comprising: a first transmitter for transmitting signals over a mobile telephony system, and a first receiver for receiving signals from a mobile telephony system; a first monochrome image sensor device for sensing coded data and for outputting raw data based on said sensed data; and a transmitter controller operable to control the first transmitter to transmit output data based at least partially on said sensed data via the mobile telephony system to a computer system.

Claims

1. A mobile telecommunications device comprising a body incorporating:

a first transmitter for transmitting signals over a mobile telephony system;

a first receiver for receiving signals from a mobile telephony system;

a first monochrome image sensor device for sensing coded data printed on a substrate surface and for outputting raw data based on said sensed data;

a transmitter controller operable to control the first transmitter to transmit output data based at least partially on said sensed data via the mobile telephony system to a computer system; and

a printer mechanism having;

a pagewidth, printhead positioned adjacent a media feed path through the device for printing on a media substrate; and

a capper assembly movable between a capped position covering nozzles of the printhead and an uncapped position spaced from the nozzles, the capper assembly being held in the uncapped position by the media such that it moves to the capped position upon disengagement with the media.

2. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 further comprising a stylus allowing the user to use the mobile telecommunications device as a writing or drawing device.

3. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 2 wherein the first monochrome image sensor device is positioned on the stylus.

4. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 2 wherein the stylus has a printhead tip with an array of nozzles to effect the writing or drawing.

5. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 wherein the printer mechanism is adapted to receive document data and to print an interface onto a surface, the interface being at least partially based on the document data, the document data including identity data indicative of at least one identity, the identity being associated with a region of the interface, the interface including coded data.

6. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 further comprising at least one ink reservoir for the printer mechanism.

7. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 further comprising a second transmitter and a second receiver adapted to transmit data to and to receive data from one or more monochrome image sensor devices, the sensor devices transmitting data.

8. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 further comprising a transmitter controller adapted to cause the mobile telephone unit to transmit data based on the first data to a computer system via the first transmitter.

9. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 8 further comprising:

a drive shaft for feeding the sheet of media substrate past the printhead;

wherein during use,

the sheet disengages from the drive shaft before completion of its printing such that the trailing edge of the sheet projects past the printhead by momentum to complete its printing.

10. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 wherein the sheet of media substrate is encoded with the coded data and the print engine controller uses a sensor to determine the position of the sheet relative to the printhead.

11. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 further comprising a media feed roller for feeding the media past the printhead.

12. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 wherein the media substrate is a sheet and the trailing edge of the sheet disengages from the media feed roller before it is printed and is projected past the printhead by its momentum.

13. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 12 wherein the capper assembly lightly grips the sheet after it has been printed so that it partially extends from the mobile telecommunications device in readiness for manual collection.

14. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 wherein the capper assembly moves out of the capped position and toward the uncapped position upon engagement with the leading edge of the sheet.

15. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 wherein the printhead is incorporated into a cartridge that further comprises a print media feed path for directing the print media past the printhead in a feed direction during printing, and a drive mechanism for driving the print media past the printhead for printing.

16. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 wherein the printhead has an array of ink ejection nozzles and is incorporated into a cartridge that further comprises at least one ink reservoir for supplying ink to the printhead for ejection by the nozzles, each of the at least one ink reservoirs including at least one absorbent structure for inducing a negative hydrostatic pressure in the ink at the nozzles.

17. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 further comprising:

a drive shaft with a media engagement surface for feeding a media substrate along a feed path; and

,

a media guide adjacent the drive shaft for biasing the media substrate against the media engagement surface.