System for providing information through interaction with a printed page

• US 8,121,782 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2010
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Lapstun, Paul, Lapstun, Jacqueline Anne, Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US12/720,660
• Publication Number:
  US 20100165415A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 701200-202, 701207-209, 701/211, 701/213, 345/179, 345/180, 345/173, 345/175, 178/18.03, 178/18.09, 178/18.01, 178/19.01, 382/314, 382/315, 382/317, 341/13, 235/456
• US Class Current: 701/202
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/0439 using geographical maps
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/186 Guessing games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/241 Touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/532 using secure communication, e.g. by encryption, authentication
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/183 electric
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/106 for the sheet output section
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17503 Ink cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 Inner structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17553 Outer structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/2114 Ejecting specialized liquids, e.g. transparent or processing liquids B41J2/211 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B42C 9/0081 applying adhesive to individual sheets for binding them together by fusing, welding B42C9/0093
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3623 using a camera or code reader, e.g. for optical or magnetic codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1423 the instrument generating sequences of position coordinates corresponding to handwriting preprocessing or recognising digital ink G06V30/32
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 : with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00358 : Type of the scanned marks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00376 : Means for identifying a mark sheet or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00567 : Handling of original or reproduction media, e.g. cutting, separating, stacking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 : Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 : in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 : attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32133 : on the same paper sheet, e.g. a facsimile page header
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32771 : in response to a request, e.g. for a particular document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32778 : using a mark-sheet or machine-readable code request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 : of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3207 : of an address
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 : of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3242 : of processing required or performed, e.g. for reproduction or before recording H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 : which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3271 : Printing or stamping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 : Transmission

Abstract

A system for providing information is disclosed. The system has a server which stores page descriptors. A printer is also includes which prints a printed page with visible and invisible data. The invisible data is indicative of one or more of the page descriptors. A sensing device senses the invisible data when placed in an operative position relative to the printed page, and transmits information extracted from sensed invisible data to the server. The server is configured to interpret the positioning of the sensing device based upon the page descriptors indicated by sensed invisible data and to provide information associated with the page descriptors.

Claims

1. A system for providing information, said system comprising:

a printer for printing a printed page with visible and invisible data, said visible and invisible data being printed simultaneously, said invisible data being indicative of a position of the invisible data on the printed page and an identity of a page descriptor, the page descriptor describing a spatial extent of the visible data;

a server for storing a plurality of page descriptors; and

a sensing device for sensing the invisible data when placed in an operative position relative to the printed page, and transmitting information extracted from sensed invisible data to the server, wherein the server is configured to identify the page descriptor of the printed page, to interpret the positioning of the sensing device indicated by sensed invisible data, and to provide information associated with the page descriptor and positioning of the sensing device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system provides navigational and related route planning information based on the interpreted positioning of the sensing device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the page descriptor consists of a graphic element and an interactive element having a field value uniquely identifying the printed page.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the invisible data is printed on the page in infrared ink.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the sensing device is pen-shaped and includes infra-red sensors to detect the invisible data.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the invisible data is encoded on the printed page by means of a Reed-Solomon code.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the invisible data is redundantly encoded.