Modular mobile telecommunications device having a printer

• US 7,761,114 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2008
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Lapstun, Paul, Silverbrook, Kia, Walmsley, Simon Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah, Charles N
• Assistant Examiner(s): DOAN, KIET M
• Application Number:
  US12/140,271
• Publication Number:
  US 20080280643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: 400/88, 358/473, 705/64, 455/456.1, 455/557, 455/446.11
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/21 Combinations with auxiliary equipment, e.g. with clocks or memoranda pads
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2755 by optical scanning

Abstract

A modular mobile telecommunications device has a printer and image capture means for printing and interacting with printed media. The device includes a mobile phone module for operatively executing a phone operating system, and a sensor module in signal communication with the phone module, the sensor module configured for sensing tags encoded on the printed media. The device also includes a print engine controller module in signal communication with the phone module, the print engine controller module configured for controlling the printer. Also included is a media transport to transport the print media through the printer.

Claims

1. A modular mobile telecommunications device comprising:

a printer for printing a graphical impression onto print media to generate printed media, said printer including a two dimensional image sensor configured for imaging tags on all print media printed by said printer, said tags encoding data indicative of a plurality of coordinate locations and of a print media identity;

a mobile phone module for operatively executing a phone operating system;

a tag decoder module in signal communication with the phone module, the tag decoder module configured for decoding the imaged tags and determining the print media identity;

communication means for communicating the print media identity to a server such that the server can associate the print media identity with the graphical impression;

a print engine controller module in signal communication with the phone module, the print engine controller module configured for controlling the printer; and

a media transport to transport the print media through the printer,

wherein the image sensor includes an infrared LED to facilitate reflective sensing of infrared tags.

2. The mobile telecommunications device of claim 1, wherein the print engine controller module includes a media sensor so that the printer is only operated when the print media is present.

3. The mobile telecommunications device of claim 1, wherein the mobile phone module includes a printer driver via which instructions are sent to the print engine controller module.