Mobile telecommunications device with stylus having printhead tip

• US 7,456,994 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2005
• Issued: 11/25/2008
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Coles, Edward L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham, Thierry L
• Application Number:
  US11/124,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20050219231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,296 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.1, 358/1.9, 358 111- 118, 400/88, 400/61, 400/70, 400/76, 455/557, 455/556.1, 235/472.02, 379/428.01, 379/433.01
• US Class Current: 358/1.18
• 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 receiver for receiving signals from a mobile telephony system; a first transmitter for transmitting signals over the mobile telephony system; and a sylus allowing the user to use the mobile device as a writing or drawing device.

Claims

1. A mobile telephone comprising:

a first receiver for receiving voice and data signals from a mobile telephony system;

a printer mechanism with a pagewidth printhead for printing on a media substrate,

the printhead positioned adjacent a media feed path through the mobile telephone;

a first transmitter for transmitting voice and data signals over the mobile telephony system; and

a stylus having a printhead tip with an array of nozzles that allows the user to handwrite information on the media substrate.

2. A mobile telephone according to claim 1 farther comprising:

a first 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.

3. A mobile telephone according to claim 2 wherein the first sensing device is postioned on the stylus.

4. A mobile telephone 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.

5. A mobile telephone according to claim 1 further comprising at least one ink reservoir wherein the printhead tip in the stylus and the printer mechanism share the at least one ink reservoir.

6. A mobile telephone 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 sensor devices, the sensor devices transmitting data.

7. A mobile telephone 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.

8. A mobile telephone according to claim 1 wherein the printer mechanism further comprises a capper assembly movable between a capped position covering the nozzles and an uncapped position spaced from the nozzles;

wherein,

the capper assembly is held in the uncapped position by the media such that it moves to the capped position upon disengagement with the media.

9. A mobile telephone according to claim 8 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.

10. A mobile telephone according to claim 8 further comprising a media feed roller for feeding the media past the printhead.

11. A mobile telephone according to claim 8 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.

12. A mobile telephone according to claim 11 wherein the capper assembly lightly grips the sheet after it has been printed so that it partially extends from the mobile telephone in readiness for manual collection.

13. A mobile telephone according to claim 8 wherein the capper assembly moves out of the capped position and toward the uncapped position upon engagement with the leading edge of the sheet.

14. A mobile telephone according to claim 8 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.

15. A mobile telephone according to claim 8 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, and a capping mechanism for capping the printhead when not in use.

16. A mobile telephone according to claim 8 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.

17. A mobile telephone according to claim 7 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.