Linking an object to a position on a surface

• US 7,937,108 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2010
• Issued: 05/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul, Walmsley, Simon Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): ZEWDU, MELESS NMN
• Application Number:
  US12/832,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20100273525A1
• Time in Patent Office: 298 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411- 413, 455/66.1, 455410-411, 4554141-4144, 455/415, 455418-420, 455/460, 455/514, 455/517, 455/550.1, 455/552.1, 4555561-5562, 455557-558, 455/564, 455/566, 713/176, 713179-181, 713184-185, 713/193, 709202-203, 709217-219, 709/228, 709/232, 358/3.28, 358/3.31, 358301-305, 358/443, 358/476, 358470-474, 270/52.07, 270 5201- 5202, 270/52.1, 270 5213- 5214, 270/52.05, 270/58.01, 382312-314, 382/321, 283112-113, 283/711, 707/E17.107, 707E17112-E17113, 707/E17.117, 707723-724, 707/729
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/445 Printers integrated in other types of apparatus, e.g. printers integrated in cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2755 by optical scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera

Abstract

A method of generating an association between a software object and a position on a surface is disclosed. The method starts by sensing, by a sensing device placed on the position on the surface coded data at the position on the surface. The coded data at the position on the surface encodes an identity of the surface and the position of the coded data relative to the surface. The sensing device then generates indicating data using the sensed coded data. The indicating data is indicative of the identity of the surface and the position of the sensed coded data relative to the surface. Upon receiving the indicating data from the sensing device by a computer system, the computer system identifies, using the indicating data, the identity of the surface and the position of the sensed coded data relative to the surface. The computer system also identifies the software object, and then generates an association between the identity of the surface, the position of the sensed coded data relative to the surface, and the software object.

Claims

1. A method of generating an association between a software object and a position on a printed surface, the method including the steps of:

sensing, by a sensing device placed on the position on the printed surface coded data at the position on the printed surface, the sensed coded data at the position on the printed surface encoding an identity of the surface and the position of the sensed coded data relative to the printed surface;

generating, by the sensing device, indicating data using the sensed coded data, the indicating data being indicative of the identity of the printed surface and the position of the sensed coded data relative to the surface;

receiving, by a computer system, the indicating data from the sensing device;

identifying by the computer system, using the indicating data, the identity of the printed surface and the position of the sensed coded data relative to the printed surface;

identifying by the computer system the software object; and

generating by the computer system an association between the identity of the printed surface, the position of the sensed coded data relative to the printed surface, and the software object.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the object is stored in an object repository, the method including, in the computer system:

generating the association based at least partially on the object stored in the object repository.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the method includes, in the computer system:

receiving object data indicative of at least one received object; and

,

storing, using the received object data, the at least one received object in the object repository.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the coded data is indicative of an object type, the method including:

receiving the indicating data indicative of the object type; and

,

identifying, using the indicating data, the object type and the object of the object type.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method includes, in the computer system:

recording the generated association in the computer system.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the method includes, in the computer system:

deleting, from the object repository, the object after generating the association.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein the stored objects in the object repository are ordered according to when a received object was stored in the object repository, the method including, in the computer system:

updating, using the received object data, the order of received objects in the object repository;

determining, using the order indicated by the object repository, a stored object which has been most recently stored in the object repository; and

,

generating an association based at least partially on the most recently stored object.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the method includes, in the computer system:

deleting, from the object repository, the most recently stored object after generating the association.

9. The method according to claim 3, wherein the object repository is located on a server, the method including, in a computer system:

storing, using the received object data, the received object in the object repository located on the server;

retrieving, using the object repository located on the server, the object; and

,

recording, in the object repository located on the server, the association.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sensing device includes a current operating mode selected from a plurality of potential operating modes including an association mode, and wherein the method includes, in the computer system:

determining, using the indicating data, a selected operating mode of the sensing device;

setting the current operating mode of the sensing device to the selected operating mode; and

,

when the current operating mode of the sensing device is set to the association mode, allowing the generation of an association.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the method includes, in the computer system:

when the current operating mode of the sensing device is set to the association mode, generating an association using the next indicating data received from the sensing device.

12. The method according to claim 3, wherein the method includes, in the computer system:

receiving object data indicative of an identity of the received object;

storing the identity of the object in the object repository; and

,

generating an association at least partially based on the identity of the object.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein if the object repository is empty, the method includes, in the computer system:

indicating an error when an association cannot be generated.

14. The method according to claim 3, wherein the association is generated according to a user identity, wherein the method includes:

storing, using the received object data, the received object associated with the user identity in the object repository.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the method includes, in the computer system:

determining, using the object repository and the user identity, the object.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is substantially invisible to an unaided human.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is printed on the printed surface using at least one of:

an invisible ink; and

,

an infrared-absorptive ink.