Including contextual information with a formed expression

• US 7,826,687 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2006
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Cohen, Alexander J., Cohen, B. Isaac, Levien, Royce A., Harlow, Ed, Malamud, Mark A., Leuthardt, Eric C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bali; Vikkram
• Assistant Examiner(s): ENTEZARI, MICHELLE M
• Application Number:
  US11/603,289
• Publication Number:
  US 20070126717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,443 Days
• Field of Search: 345/179, 382/313, 382/314, 382/179, 23546201-46216
• US Class Current: 382/314
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03 Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0317 in co-operation with a patterned surface, e.g. absolute position or relative movement detection for an optical mouse or pen positioned with respect to a coded surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Embodiments include a method, a manual device, a handheld manual device, a handheld writing device, a system, and an apparatus. An embodiment provides an apparatus. The apparatus includes a writing element having a first portion operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a movement of the writing element over the surface and a second portion operable to discharge a second marking substance on the surface in response to a controller. The apparatus also includes the controller operable to encode information corresponding to a context of the apparatus by regulating the discharge of the second marking substance.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a writing element having a first portion operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a movement of the writing element over the surface and a second portion operable to discharge a second marking substance on the surface, the second mark being a binary mark encoding information that is not included in the discharge of the first marking substance, the binary mark following a contour of the movement of the writing element over the surface and in response to a controller; and

the controller operable to encode information corresponding to a context of the apparatus by regulating the discharge of the second marking substance.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the writing element having a first portion operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a movement of the writing element over the surface and a second portion operable discharge a second marking substance on the surface in response to a controller further includes:

a writing element having a first orifice operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a movement of the writing element over the surface and a second orifice operable discharge a second marking substance on the surface in response to a controller.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the writing element having a first portion operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a movement of the writing element over the surface and a second portion operable discharge a second marking substance on the surface in response to a controller further includes:

a writing element having a first portion operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a movement of the writing element over the surface and a second portion operable discharge a second marking substance on the surface in response to a controller, the first portion of a writing element being proximate to the second portion of the writing element.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the writing element having a first portion operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a movement of the writing element over the surface and a second portion operable discharge a second marking substance on the surface in response to a controller further includes:

a writing element having a first portion operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a movement of the writing element over the surface and a second portion operable discharge a second marking substance on the surface in response to a controller, the first portion of a writing element being spaced apart from the second portion of the writing element.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the writing element having a first portion operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a movement of the writing element over the surface and a second portion operable discharge a second marking substance on the surface further includes:

a writing element having a first portion operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a movement of the writing element over the surface and a second portion operable discharge a second marking substance on the surface in response to a controller, wherein the second marking substance being at least substantially similar to the first marking substance.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the writing element having a first portion operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a movement of the writing element over the surface and a second portion operable discharge a second marking substance on the surface further includes:

a writing element having a first portion operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a movement of the writing element over the surface and a second portion operable discharge a second marking substance on the surface, wherein the second marking substance being at least substantially dissimilar to the first marking substance.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the writing element having a first portion operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a movement of the writing element over the surface and a second portion operable discharge a second marking substance on the surface in response to a controller further includes:

a writing element having a first portion operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a movement of the writing element over the surface and a second portion operable discharge a second marking substance on the surface in response to a controller, wherein the second marking substance being a same marking substance as the first marking substance.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the writing element having a first portion operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a movement of the writing element over the surface and a second portion operable discharge a second marking substance on the surface in response to a controller further includes:

a writing element having a first portion operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a movement of the writing element over the surface and a second portion operable discharge a second marking substance on the surface in response to a controller, wherein the second marking substance includes at least one of visible and/or invisible marking substance.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the writing element having a first portion operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a movement of the writing element over the surface and a second portion operable discharge a second marking substance on the surface in response to a controller further includes:

a writing element having a first portion operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a movement of the writing element over the surface and a second portion operable discharge a second marking substance on the surface in response to a controller, wherein the second marking substance includes at least one of ink, graphite, paint, particles, nanoparticles, and/or quantum dots.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the writing element having a first portion operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a movement of the writing element over the surface and a second portion operable discharge a second marking substance on the surface in response to a controller further includes:

a writing element having a first portion operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a movement of the writing element over the surface and a second portion operable discharge in response to a controller a second marking substance in two dimensions on the surface.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller operable to encode information corresponding to a context of the apparatus by regulating the discharge of the second marking substance further includes:

a controller operable to encode information corresponding to a context of the apparatus by regulating the discharge of the second marking substance in a manner that is at least substantially independent of the movement of the writing element over the surface.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller operable to encode information corresponding to a context of the apparatus by regulating the discharge of the second marking substance further includes:

a controller operable to encode information corresponding to a context of the apparatus by regulating an orthogonal discharge of the second marking substance relative to a movement of the writing element.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor operable to acquire the information corresponding to a context of the apparatus.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor operable to acquire and transmit the information corresponding to a context of the apparatus.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an imaging device operable to capture an aspect of the surface.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a reservoir configured to contain a supply at least one of the first marking substance and/or the second marking substance.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory configurable by file that includes at least one instance of a context and a code indicative of the context.

18. A method comprising:

acquiring information corresponding to a context of a handheld writing device having at least two electronically driven printheads;

discharging a marking substance from a first electronically driven printhead of the at least two electronically driven printheads in response to a movement of the handheld writing device vis-a-vis a surface; and

encoding the information corresponding to a context of the handheld writing device by regulating a discharge of a second marking substance from a second electronically driven printhead of the at least two electronically driven printheads the discharge being a binary mark encoding the information that is not included in the discharge from the first electronically driven printhead, the binary mark following a contour of the marking substance from the first electronically driven printhead.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the acquiring information corresponding to a context of a handheld writing device having at least two electronically driven printheads further includes:

sensing information corresponding to a context of a handheld writing device having at least two electronically driven printheads.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the acquiring information corresponding to a context of a handheld writing device having at least two electronically driven printheads further includes:

receiving information corresponding to a context of a handheld writing device having at least two electronically driven printheads from a sensor not physically coupled with the handheld writing device.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the acquiring information corresponding to a context of a handheld writing device having at least two electronically driven printheads further includes:

acquiring information corresponding to an environmental context of a handheld writing device having at least two electronically driven printheads.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the acquiring information corresponding to a context of a handheld writing device having at least two electronically driven printheads further includes:

acquiring information corresponding to a user context of a handheld writing device having at least two electronically driven printheads.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the discharging a marking substance from a first electronically driven printhead of the at least two electronically driven printheads in response to a movement of the handheld writing device vis-a-vis a surface further includes:

at least one of emitting, dispersing, imparting, releasing, ejecting, and/or flowing a marking substance from a first electronically driven printhead of the at least two electronically driven printheads in response to a movement of the handheld writing device vis-a-vis a surface.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the discharging a marking substance from a first electronically driven printhead of the at least two electronically driven printheads in response to a movement of the handheld writing device vis-a-vis a surface further includes:

discharging at least one of ink, graphite, paint, particles, nanoparticles, and/or quantum dots from a first electronically driven printhead of the at least two electronically driven printheads in response to a movement of the handheld writing device vis-a-vis a surface.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein the encoding the information corresponding to a context of the handheld writing device by regulating a discharge of a second marking substance from a second electronically driven printhead of the at least two electronically driven printheads further includes:

encoding the information corresponding to a context of the handheld writing device by regulating a parameter of a discharge of a second marking substance from a second electronically driven printhead of the at least two electronically driven printheads.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the encoding the information corresponding to a context of the handheld writing device by regulating a discharge of a second marking substance from a second electronically driven printhead of the at least two electronically driven printheads further includes:

encoding the information corresponding to a context of the handheld writing device by regulating a discharge of a second marking substance from a second electronically driven printhead of the at least two electronically driven printheads, wherein the second marking substance is at least substantially similar with the first marking substance.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein the encoding the information corresponding to a context of the handheld writing device by regulating a discharge of a second marking substance from a second electronically driven printhead of the at least two electronically driven printheads further includes:

encoding the information corresponding to a context of the handheld writing device by regulating a discharge of a second marking substance from a second electronically driven printhead of the at least two electronically driven printheads, wherein the first electronically driven print head is proximate to the second electronically driven printhead.

28. A handheld writing device operable in a context, the device comprising:

means for acquiring information corresponding to a context of the handheld writing device having at least two electronically driven printheads;

means for discharging a marking substance from a first electronically driven printhead of the at least two electronically driven printheads in response to a movement of the handheld writing device vis-a-vis a surface; and

means for encoding the information corresponding to a context of the handheld writing device by regulating the discharge of a second marking substance from a second electronically driven printhead of the at least two electronically driven printheads, the discharge being a binary mark encoding information that is not included in the discharge from the first electronically driven printhead, the binary mark following a contour of the marking substance from the first electronically driven printhead.