Active embedded interaction code

• US 7,502,507 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2002
• Issued: 03/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wang, Qiang, Li, Yue, Wang, Jian, Zhang, Chunhui
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu; Jingge
• Assistant Examiner(s): Akhavannik; Hadi
• Application Number:
  US10/284,412
• Publication Number:
  US 20040086181A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,322 Days
• Field of Search: 382/232, 382/182
• US Class Current: 382/182
• 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: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/142 using hand-held instruments; Constructional details of the instruments

Abstract

A system and method is described for providing an encoding scheme for a bit stream and displaying or printing the encoded bit stream. Using the encoded bit stream, a pen with a camera may capture an image of a portion of the encoded bit stream. The captured image may then be decoded to provide an indication of the location of the image in relation to the encoded bit stream. The encoding scheme includes information regarding orientation, thus making decoding easier.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an input for receiving a bit stream;

a storage having a graphical pattern representing a bit and another graphical pattern representing another bit, wherein the graphical patterns are comprised of dark and light pixels;

a processor for encoding the bit stream into an encoded bit stream using the graphical patterns, said encoded bit stream corresponding to an overall graphical pattern, wherein the overall graphical pattern is configured to eliminate a type of shape by juxtaposing together the graphical patterns representing the bits; and

,

an output for outputting the encoded bit stream as the overall graphical pattern, wherein the overall graphical pattern comprises orientation information to recover a location of a captured image with respect to the overall graphical pattern, the captured image being a copy of a portion of the overall graphical pattern, wherein the orientation information is found by rotating the captured image until determining a lack of the type of shape within the captured image, the lack of the type of shape indicating an orientation from which the encoded bit stream can be decoded.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said output is a paper printer.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said output is a computer display.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein one of said graphical patterns is a bar of dark pixels.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein one of said graphical patterns is an bar of irregularly alternating dark and light pixels.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein one of said graphical patterns is at least two bars of alternating dark and light pixels.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the type of shape is a top left corner.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the overall graphical pattern is a single maze pattern.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the output is further configured for outputting the pattern with a document.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the overall graphical pattern is not the entirety of the overall graphical pattern.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein the orientation information enables at least a portion of a rotation amount to be determined.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the orientation information comprises the type of shape eliminated from the pattern.

10. A method comprising:

receiving a bit stream;

maintaining a graphical pattern representing a bit and another graphical pattern representing another bit;

encoding with a processor the bit stream using the graphical patterns into an encoded bit stream, the encoded bit stream corresponding to an overall graphical pattern, wherein the overall pattern is configured to eliminate a type of shape by juxtaposing together the graphical patterns representing the bits to form the overall graphical pattern; and

outputting to a memory the encoded bit stream as the overall graphical pattern, wherein the overall graphical pattern comprises orientation information to recover a location of a captured image with respect to a portion of the overall graphical pattern, wherein the orientation information is found by rotating the captured image until determining a lack of the type of shape within the captured image, the lack of the type of shape indicating an orientation from which the encoded bit stream can be decoded.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising associating the encoded bit stream with a document.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising printing the pattern onto the document.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the portion of the overall graphical pattern is not the entirety of the overall graphical pattern.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the orientation information enables at least a portion of a rotation amount to be determined.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the orientation information comprises the type of shape eliminated from the pattern.

19. A system comprising:

means for receiving a bit stream;

means for maintaining a graphical pattern representing a bit and another graphical pattern representing another bit, wherein the graphical patterns are comprised of a bar of alternating dark and light pixels;

means for encoding the bit stream into an encoded bit stream corresponding to an overall graphical pattern using the graphical patterns, wherein the overall graphical pattern is configured to eliminate a type of shape by juxtaposing together the graphical patterns representing the bits to form the overall graphical pattern, the encoded bit stream comprising orientation information to recover a location of a captured image with respect to the overall graphical pattern, wherein the orientation information is found by rotating the captured image until determining a lack of a shape within the captured image, the lack of the shape indicating an orientation from which the encoded bit stream can be decoded; and

means for outputting the encoded bit stream as the overall graphical pattern.