Embedded interaction code document

• US 7,607,076 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2005
• Issued: 10/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wu, Jiang, Wang, Jian, Chen, Liyong, Liu, Youjun
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton; Doug
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blackwell; James H
• Application Number:
  US11/062,166
• Publication Number:
  US 20060190818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,705 Days
• Field of Search: 715/500, 715505-508, 715/512, 715/513, 715/753, 715/200, 715221-224, 715/230, 715/234, 715/251, 715/537, 382/291, 382/321, 382/306, 382/314, 345/173, 345/179, 178/18.09, 707/E17.008
• US Class Current: 715/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4393 Multimedia presentations, e.g. slide shows, multimedia albums
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/171 by use of digital ink

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses that synchronize a paper document to an associated digital document by establishing a mapping. An embedded interactive code (EIC) Document is created as a digital file that serves as an intermediate tier between the paper document and the digital document. Both the paper document and the EIC document are generated while printing the paper document. The EIC document records the corresponding EIC array allocations and a unique document identification number. An image capturing pen may generate a stroke on any page of paper document. With the EIC document, the methods and apparatuses inform an application the page and location on the page of the stroke.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions that when executed by a processor performs a method, the method comprising:

generating a sequence of numbers, wherein each segment of the sequence of predetermined length occurs in the sequence only once;

constructing a two-dimensional array by folding the generated sequence of numbers;

obtaining an EIC pattern by converting each number of the two-dimensional array into a graphical element;

receiving a first request for creating an embedded interaction code (EIC) document, the first request containing a document address of a corresponding digital document;

obtaining the corresponding digital document;

obtaining a unique identifier for the corresponding digital document;

embedding as metadata within the EIC pattern the unique identifier for the corresponding digital document;

creating the EIC document, including;

embedding within the EIC document a URL associated with the corresponding digital document;

allocating, within the EIC document, an EIC array allocation, the EIC array allocation containing a mapping of document pages to a portion of the EIC pattern, the document pages corresponding to printed pages of a corresponding paper document; and

returning the EIC document with the EIC array allocation as a response to the first request,

wherein the EIC document is stored separately from the corresponding digital document,

wherein when the digital document is printed, each page of the printed document includes the portion of the EIC pattern mapped to the page by the EIC array allocation of the EIC document, and

wherein the EIC array allocation of the EIC document is used to determine the page from which an image of the printed document is captured, the image containing a portion of the EIC pattern, without decoding page information directly from the portion of the EIC pattern.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second request to save the EIC document; and

saving the EIC document.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a third request to retrieve the EIC document, the third request containing the document identification;

using the document identification to retrieve the EIC document; and

returning the EIC document.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising:

embedding the document identification in the EIC document.

5. A computer-readable storage medium containing computer-executable instructions that when executed by a computer having a memory and a processor cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

generating a first request to create an embedded interaction code (EIC) document, the first request containing a document address of a corresponding digital document;

receiving the EIC document, the EIC document containing;

an embedded document identification as metadata in an EIC pattern, wherein the EIC pattern is generated at least in part by;

generating a sequence of numbers, wherein each segment of the sequence of predetermined length occurs in the sequence only once,

constructing a two-dimensional array by folding the generated sequence of numbers, and

converting each number of the two-dimensional array into a graphical element, and

an EIC array allocation, the EIC array allocation containing a mapping of each page of a corresponding paper document to a portion of the EIC pattern, the corresponding paper document corresponding to a printed version of the corresponding digital document;

storing the EIC document separately from the corresponding digital document;

capturing an image of a page of the printed version of the corresponding digital document;

identifying a portion of the EIC pattern contained within the captured image; and

using the EIC array allocation of the received EIC document to identify the page of the corresponding digital document from which the captured image was captured,

wherein when the corresponding digital document is printed, each page of the printed document includes the portion of the EIC pattern mapped to the page by the EIC array allocation of the EIC document, and

wherein the EIC array allocation of the EIC document is used to determine the page from which an image of the printed document is captured, the image containing a portion of the EIC pattern, without decoding page information directly from the portion of the EIC pattern.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, further comprising:

generating a second request to print the corresponding paper document, the corresponding paper document containing the EIC pattern with a pagination corresponding to the EIC array allocation.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, further comprising:

updating the EIC document with at least one stroke object, each stroke object being associated with an EIC document object.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, further comprising:

generating a second request to save the EIC document.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, further comprising:

defining at least one EIC document object, each of the at least one EIC document object being associated with a corresponding region of the corresponding paper document and a digital document object of the corresponding digital document; and

delegating the at least one EIC document object to the EIC document.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising:

determining a position of at least one field on the corresponding paper document; and

mapping the at least one field to the at least one EIC document objects.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising:

creating a stroke object from a stroke, the stroke object containing stroke data for the stroke.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising:

binding the stroke object to one of the at least one EIC document objects.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising:

creating another stroke object for another stroke and binding the other stroke object to said one of the at least one EIC document object.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein a paper document is associated with the corresponding digital document, the method further comprising:

mapping a region of the corresponding paper document to an EIC command control object, the EIC command control object being associated with a corresponding application command.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising:

processing the corresponding application command in response to an image capturing pen tip touching the region of the corresponding paper document.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the command information is selected from the group consisting of a command identification, a command parameter, a command control region, and a command transformation.

17. An apparatus having a processor and a memory that processes an electronic document, comprising:

an embedded interaction code (EIC) renderer module that obtains an EIC document corresponding to the electronic document, wherein the EIC document and the corresponding electronic document are stored separately, wherein the EIC document includes an EIC array allocation, the EIC array allocation mapping portions of an EIC pattern to pages of a paper document associated with the electronic document, and that embeds an embedded document identification as metadata into an associated EIC pattern, wherein the associated EIC pattern is generated at least in part by;

generating a sequence of numbers, wherein each segment of the sequence of predetermined length occurs in the sequence only one,

constructing a two-dimensional array by folding the generated sequence of numbers, and

converting each number of the two-dimensional array into a graphical element,

wherein when the electronic document is printed, each page of the printed document includes the portion of the EIC pattern mapped to the page by the EIC array allocation of the EIC document, and

wherein the EIC array allocation of the EIC document is used to determine the page from which an image of the printed document is captured, the image containing a portion of the EIC pattern, without decoding page information directly from the portion of the EIC pattern;

a low layer module that receives stroke information from an image capturing pen, wherein a stroke is generated in relation to the paper document;

a high layer module that obtains the stroke information from the low layer module and that maps the stroke to an associated EIC document object; and

an application module that interfaces with the high layer module and that synchronizes the stroke to a portion of the paper document using the EIC array allocation by determining from which page the stroke from the image capturing pen was captured at least in part by comparing the received stroke information with the EIC array allocation of the EIC document

wherein the modules comprise computer-executable instructions stored in memory for execution by the processor.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the application module further instructs a printer to print the paper document that includes the associated EIC pattern.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

an apparatus module that maps a region of the paper document with an EIC command control object, wherein the EIC command control object is associated with a corresponding application command.