Customer authoring tools for creating user-generated content for smart pen applications

• US 8,842,100 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2013
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Livescribe Incorporated (Anoto Group AB)
• Original Assignee: Livescribe Incorporated (Anoto Group AB)
• Inventors: Edgecomb, Tracy L., Van Schaack, Andrew J., Marggraff, James L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Application Number:
  US14/138,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20140111489A1
• Time in Patent Office: 274 Days
• Field of Search: 345179-184
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L

Abstract

In a pen-based computing system, a user-specific smart pen application is created from a template application using customer authoring tools. The template application contains computer program code that is to be executed by a processor of a smart pen. Application content and a representation for printed content are received. The application content, provided by user or customer, defines functional interactions between the printed content representation and a smart pen. The template application is combined with application content to generate a user-specific application comprising instructions for being executed on a processor of a smart pen. The user-specific application is stored on a storage medium.

Claims

1. A method for generating printable content associated with a smart pen application, the method comprising:

receiving, at a computing system, a representation of printable content;

determining that a portion of the representation of the printable content is incompatible with a dot pattern on a writing surface, wherein the portion of the representation of the printable content will interfere with a smart pen detecting the dot pattern on the writing surface when the portion of the representation is printed to the writing surface having the dot pattern;

responsive to determining that the portion of the representation of the printable content is incompatible with the dot pattern on the writing surface, modifying the portion of the representation so that it does not interfere with detection of the dot pattern by the smart pen when the portion of the representation is printed to the writing surface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the portion of the representation is incompatible with the dot pattern on the writing surface comprises determining that a color of the representation of the printable content is incompatible with a color of the dot pattern of the writing surface.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein modifying the portion of the representation comprises dimming the color of the representation to a color that is compatible with the dot pattern.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the representation of printable content comprises importing an image.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the representation of printable content comprises receiving a selection for constructing an image.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a template application from a plurality of template applications, wherein the representation of printable content is based on the template application.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the template application comprises a plurality of user-assignable smart pen functions, each user-assignable smart pen function including a user-selected output signal to be reproduced by the smart pen, the user-selected output signal comprising at least one of:

an audio signal to be played back by a speaker of the smart pen;

a visual signal to be displayed on a display of the smart pen; and

a vibration signal to be generated by a vibrational feedback device of the smart pen.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the template application comprises code for displaying text or graphics content on a display device of the smart pen in response to receiving a particular gesture signal from a gesture capture device of the smart pen, and wherein the printable content comprises the text or graphics content.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the template application comprises code for playing audio content on a speaker of the smart pen in response to receiving a particular gesture signal from a gesture capture device of the smart pen, and wherein the smart pen application comprises the audio content.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the template application comprises code for recording audio on a microphone of the smart pen and for storing the recorded audio, the recording and storing in response to receiving a particular gesture signal from a gesture capture device of the smart pen.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for generating printable content associated with a smart pen application, the instructions when executed by a processor causing the processor to perform steps including:

receiving a representation of printable content;

determining that a portion of the representation of the printable content is incompatible with a dot pattern on a writing surface, wherein the portion of the representation of the printable content will interfere with a smart pen detecting the dot pattern on the writing surface when the portion of the representation is printed to the writing surface having the dot pattern;

responsive to determining that the portion of the representation of the printable content is incompatible with the dot pattern on the writing surface, modifying the portion of the representation so that it does not interfere with detection of the dot pattern by the smart pen when the portion of the representation is printed to the writing surface.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein determining that a portion of the representation is incompatible with the dot pattern on the writing surface comprises determining that a color of the representation of the printable content is incompatible with a color of the dot pattern of the writing surface.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein modifying the portion of the representation comprises dimming the color of the representation to a color that is compatible with the dot pattern.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein receiving the representation of printable content comprises importing an image.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein receiving the representation of printable content comprises receiving a selection for constructing an image.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising computer code for:

receiving a selection of a template application from a plurality of template applications, wherein the representation of printable content is based on the template application.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the template application comprises a plurality of user-assignable smart pen functions, each user-assignable smart pen function including a user-selected output signal to be reproduced by the smart pen, the user-selected output signal comprising at least one of:

an audio signal to be played back by a speaker of the smart pen;

a visual signal to be displayed on a display of the smart pen; and

a vibration signal to be generated by a vibrational feedback device of the smart pen.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the template application comprises code for displaying text or graphics content on a display device of the smart pen in response to receiving a particular gesture signal from a gesture capture device of the smart pen, and wherein the printable content comprises the text or graphics content.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the template application comprises code for playing audio content on a speaker of the smart pen in response to receiving a particular gesture signal from a gesture capture device of the smart pen, and wherein the smart pen application comprises the audio content.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the template application comprises code for recording audio on a microphone of the smart pen and for storing the recorded audio, the recording and storing in response to receiving a particular gesture signal from a gesture capture device of the smart pen.