Uniquely identifiable inking instruments

• US 7,791,597 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2006
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Duncan, , Silverstein, Dana Lu, Keam, Nigel Stuart, Brigham, Robert, Adan, Manolito E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shalwala; Bipin
• Assistant Examiner(s): SPAR, ILANA L
• Application Number:
  US11/382,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20070188478A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,580 Days
• Field of Search: 345/175, 345179-183
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03542 Light pens for emitting or receiving light
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means

Abstract

A method of interacting with a computing device via one or more inking instruments to generate digital ink may include the steps of emitting light from a light emitting device to an inking instrument, receiving first user inputs from the inking instrument, and identifying the inking instrument based on sensed light reflected from the inking instrument. Another method may include the steps of simultaneously detecting first user inputs from a first inking instrument and second user inputs from a second inking instrument by receiving first light emitted from the first inking instrument and second light emitted from a second inking instrument that each have one or more identifying characteristics, identifying the inking instrument based on their identifying characteristics, and generating corresponding digital ink. These methods may be implemented via computer-executable instructions and may be used with a horizontally-placed display, tablet-based laptop computers, and passive or active digital inking instruments.

Claims

1. A method of an inking instrument interacting with a computing device to generate digital ink, the method comprising:

receiving a particular light at an inking instrument from a light emitting device;

receiving input at the inking instrument selecting a light configuration to be generated by the inking instrument and at a time in which the inking instrument is in a color-sense mode, wherein the inking instrument comprises;

a handle;

a first light source and a second light source connected to the handle, wherein light that is generated by the first light source is visible light and light that is generated by the second light source is non-visible light; and

bristles attached to the handle, comprising fiber optic bristles operably connected to at least the first light source and the second light source, and passive reflective bristles comprising a material that reflects the particular light with one or more first characteristics, wherein some of the fiber optic bristles are connected to the first light source to emit the visible light generated by the first light source and some other of the fiber optic bristles are connected to the second light source to emit the non-visible light generated by the second light source;

with one or more second characteristics, and wherein the first and second characteristics enable the computing device to identify the light configuration of the inking instrument;

based on the received input, selecting the light configuration and illuminating the first light source and the second light source according to the selected light configuration, thereby generating visible light from the first light source and non-visible light from the second light source, to emit the visible light and the non-visible light from the fiber optic bristles;

simultaneously reflecting the particular light from the reflective bristles and emitting the generated visible and non-visible light from the fiber optic bristles proximate a display of a computing system, wherein the visible light indicates the light configuration to a user, and wherein the reflected particular light and the non-visible light have the first and second characteristics, respectively, and are received by one or more light sensing devices of the computing system, and which causes the computing system to;

detect a location of the inking instrument relative to the display;

identify the light configuration of the inking instrument based on the first and second characteristics; and

display digital ink at the display with a first distinguishing feature corresponding directly to the selected light configuration, and corresponding to the location of the inking instrument.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the first light source and second light source are configured to generate and emit a plurality of different wavelengths of light.

3. The method recited in claim 2, wherein the first light source and second light source include a plurality of distinct light sources.

4. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the inking instrument includes a plurality of input controls for selectably controlling which of a plurality of different available light configurations are selected as the selected light configuration.

5. The method recited in claim 4, wherein the received input is manually entered by the user via at least one of the plurality of input controls.

6. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the method further includes the inking instrument receiving the received input from the computing system in response to the inking instrument being placed proximate a color palette display that is provided by a computing system.

7. An inking instrument that is configured to interact with a computing device to generate digital ink, the inking instrument comprising:

a handle,

at least a first light source and a second light source connected to the handle, wherein light that is generated by the first light source is visible light and light that is generated by the second light sources is non-visible light;

bristles attached to the handle, comprising fiber optic bristles operably connected to at least the first light source and the second light source, and passive reflective bristles intermingled with the fiber optic bristles comprising a material that reflects a particular light with one or more first characteristics, wherein some of the fiber optic bristles are connected to the first light source to emit the visible light generated by the first light source and some other of the fiber optic bristles are connected to the second light source to emit the non-visible light generated by the second light source with one or more second characteristics, wherein the particular light is reflected simultaneously with the emission of the visible light that is generated by the first light source, and wherein the first and second characteristics enable the computing device to detect a location of the inking instrument and to identify the light configuration of the inking instrument; and

a plurality of input controls that selectably control which of a plurality of different light configurations are generated by the first light source and second light source and that are thereafter emitted from the fiber optic bristles, wherein each of the available configurations of light comprises visible and non-visible light being generated.

8. An inking instrument as recited in claim 7, wherein the first light source and second light source include a plurality of distinct lights that each generate a different wavelength of light.