Interactive paper system

• US 8,115,948 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2006
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rosenfeld, Daniel Allen, Chellapilla, Kumar H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Poon, King
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zheng, Jacky X
• Application Number:
  US11/379,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20070247665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,125 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/474, 358/505, 358537-538, 382/306, 382/305, 382/186, 382/187, 715/541
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00222 details of image data generation or reproduction, e.g. scan-to-email or network printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00933 Timing control or synchronising H04N1/00928, H04N1/00931, H04N1/00954 and H04N1/0096 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0096 Simultaneous or quasi-simultaneous functioning of a plurality of operations H04N1/32545 takes precedence; multiprogramming arrangements of computers G06F9/46

Abstract

A printer, scanner device and methods for using same are described herein. A printer device may include a dedicated input that, when actuated, generates and sends a request to a computer for known data or a predetermined print job, e.g., schedule information from a personal information management (PIM) application. A scanner device may include another dedicated input that, when actuated, automatically scans a document fed to the device by the user and sends the scanned image to IM (or other) software on a computer, bypassing the need to manipulate the scanned image using scanner software. The device may be used with printed metapaper, which includes a barcode or other indicia identifying the metapaper and corresponds to a stored template image of the metapaper. When the metapaper is rescanned, the scan can be compared to the stored template information to identify changes and synchronize the changes with the IM software.

Claims

1. One or more tangible computer readable storage media storing executable instructions for performing a method of managing printed data, said method comprising steps of:

receiving a print request to print a known view comprising a calendar of an information management software application, said calendar having one or more calendar entries;

storing template information corresponding to the print request in a database as a database entry, said stored template information comprising a unique template index and template region information identifying one or more regions on a printed document printed based on the print request, wherein the unique template index identifies the database entry, said database entry comprising a specification of a user of the calendar of the received print request and further comprising a specification of the information management software application;

generating a print job based on the print request, said print job defining the printed document, wherein said printed document comprises a first indicia uniquely identifying the template index in the database entry and a plurality of template indicia each identifying a different one of said one or more regions in said database entry;

sending the print job to a printer for printing the printed document;

receiving a digital image of a scanned document, said scanned document comprising the printed document having a handwritten change;

extracting a second indicia from the received digital image;

determining that the second indicia identifies the unique template index in the database entry the database; and

comparing the digital image with the template information to detect and extract the handwritten change between the printed document as compared to the scanned document;

determining the extracted handwritten change to be a desired calendar entry, said determining comprising determining the application corresponding to the database entry to be the information management software application;

converting a first portion of the extracted handwritten change into a data value, said first portion comprising recognized handwriting;

generating from the data value of the first portion a new calendar entry for the calendar of the user specified in the database entry of the information management software application, said generated entry corresponding to the desired calendar entry;

appending a remainder portion of the extracted handwritten change which is not converted into the data value to the generated new calendar entry as a stored image of a handwritten annotation, said remainder portion comprising non-recognized handwriting; and

adding the generated new calendar entry to the one or more calendar entries of the calendar of the information management software application.

2. The computer readable storage media of claim 1, wherein said known view comprises one of a weekly schedule and a monthly schedule.

3. The computer readable storage media of claim 1, said adding further comprising updating an existing calendar entry with the new calendar entry.

4. The computer readable storage media of claim 3, said method further comprising determining the extracted handwritten change to be a desired calendar entry based on a first region of the one or more regions in which the handwritten change is located.

5. The computer readable storage media of claim 4, wherein the handwritten change identifies a date, a time, and a description of an appointment, and the generated new calendar entry comprises an appointment for the identified date and the identified time.