Method and system for digital pen assembly

• US 8,963,890 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2011
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Raif, Ran, Kedem, Noam, Kokarev, Michael, Gotman, Max, Altman, Nathan
• Primary Examiner(s): HORNER, JONATHAN R
• Application Number:
  US13/329,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20120086675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-163, 345/184, 200/51.R, 200 51- 16, 200 61- 78, 200/519, 200/520, 200/529, 200530-532, 200/553
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A digital pen comprising: an electric circuit, an acoustic transmitter, detached from the electric circuit, and configured to transmit acoustic signals, and a resilient holder, configured to mechanically press the electric circuit into electrical contact with the transmitter, so as to electrically connect the electric circuit and the transmitter.

Claims

1. A digital pen comprising:

an electric circuit;

an acoustic transmitter, detached from said electric circuit, and configured to transmit acoustic signals; and

a resilient holder, configured to mechanically press said electric circuit into electrical contact with said acoustic transmitter upon application of mechanical pressure applied on said resilient holder to a pen body by a pen housing, said resilient holder having elasticity to enable easy assembly of said digital pen by sliding the resilient holder into position, extensions rising perpendicularly from either side of said resilient holder to secure said resilient holder to said pen body so as to electrically connect said electric circuit and said acoustic transmitter.

2. The digital pen of claim 1, wherein said resilient holder further comprises a base, said extensions arising perpendicularly from said base, said resilient holder being configured for location of a first electrical circuit and a second electrical circuit thereon within the confines of said pen housing, and such as to bring about an electrical contact between said first and second electrical circuits due to said confinement within said housing.

3. The digital pen of claim 1, wherein said acoustic transmitter is an ultrasound transducer.

4. The digital pen of claim 1, wherein said resilient holder is electrically conductive.

5. The digital pen of claim 2, wherein said extensions impart a U shape to said resilient holder.

6. The digital pen of claim 1, wherein said pen housing is configured to apply mechanical pressure on said resilient holder, thereby to bring about said electrical contact.

7. The digital pen of claim 6, wherein said pen housing comprises a changeable cover element.

8. The digital pen of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of infrared emitters, deployed on a plurality of positions on the digital pen, for emitting infrared light.

9. The digital pen of claim 1, further comprising:

a switch assembly having two switching points for pressing said switch assembly to achieve first and second switching modes respectively, the switch assembly further having a third mode selectable upon said two switching points being pressed substantially simultaneously.

10. The digital pen of claim 9, wherein said switch assembly comprises a switching rod balanced about a fulcrum, wherein said fulcrum is resiliently configured to retain said switching rod at either one of a higher levered position and a lower received position and wherein said two switching points being pressed substantially simultaneously has the effect of lowering said lever into said received position.

11. The digital pen of claim 1, further comprising:

a pen tip located in proximity to said acoustic transmitter; and

a smooth contact switch, configured to smoothly actuate the digital pen upon transmission thereto of a writing pressure from said pen tip.

12. The digital pen of claim 11, wherein said smooth contact switch comprises a resilient element, mounted on a first side of an open electric circuit, and disconnected from a second side of said open electric circuit, said resilient element being compressible into a position where said resilient element contacts said second side of said open electric circuit, thereby closing said open electric circuit, upon applying said writing pressure compressing said resilient element into said position.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said resilient element further comprises a conductive additive, for making said resilient element electrically conductive, or is made of an electrically conductive material, or is glued to said open electric circuit.

14. The digital pen of claim 11, wherein said writing pressure is lower than 25 grams, or wherein said writing pressure compresses said resilient element along a distance of less than 0.1 mm, or wherein said writing pressure on said smooth contact switch is generated upon the digital pen touching a surface.

15. The digital pen of claim 1, further comprising:

an elongated body terminating in a writing tip;

a writing element protruding from said writing tip;

said acoustic transmitter being deployed adjacent to said writing tip; and

a rotating cover, adjacently mounted to said writing tip, covering said writing element upon being rotated in one direction, and exposing said writing element upon being rotated in a direction opposite to said one direction.

16. The digital pen of claim 1, further comprising:

an elongated body terminating in a writing tip;

a writing element protruding from said writing tip,

said acoustic transmitter deployed adjacent to said writing tip; and

an elongated housing covering said elongated body, said elongated body being movable inside said elongated housing for exposing and for covering said writing element.

17. The digital pen of claim 16, further comprising a spring urging said elongated body into a position where said writing element is covered by said elongated housing, and a means for securing said elongated body into a position where said writing element is exposed.

18. The digital pen of claim 1, further comprising two acoustic signal transmitters, each acoustic signal transmitter being configured to transmit an acoustic signal, and positioned respectively apart on the digital pen.

19. The digital pen of claim 1, further comprising:

an acoustic wave guide, positioned adjacent to said acoustic transmitter, said acoustic wave guide comprising a plurality of fins radiating outwardly in a direction away from said acoustic transmitter, said fins being positions so as to guide said acoustic signals.

20. The digital pen of claim 19, wherein said fins are positioned so as to spatially divide the region about said acoustic transmitter into a plurality of directional sectors, so as to substantially isolate first acoustic signals transmitted by said acoustic transmitter through one of said sectors from second acoustic signals transmitted from said acoustic transmitter through remaining ones of said sectors.

34. The digital pen of claim 1, further comprising a smooth contact switch, the smooth contact switch comprising a resilient element, mounted on a first side of an open electric circuit and disconnected from a second side of said open electric circuit, said resilient element being smoothly compressible into a position where said resilient element contacts said second side of said open electric circuit, thereby smoothly closing said open electric circuit, upon applying pressure smoothly compressing said resilient element into said position.

35. The digital pen of claim 34, wherein said resilient element comprises a conductive additive, for making said resilient element electrically conductive, or wherein said resilient element comprises an electrically conductive material, or wherein said resilient element is glued to said open electric circuit.

36. The digital pen of claim 34, wherein said pressure is lower than 25 grams, or wherein said pressure compresses said resilient element along a distance of less than 0.1 mm.

37. The digital pen of claim 1, further comprising a digital sleeve, mountable on a writing instrument, the digital sleeve comprising a writing sensor, connected to said acoustic transmitter, configured to detect a predefined movement of the writing instrument in relation to the digital sleeve and to actuate said acoustic transmitter upon said detection.

21. A digital pen system comprising:

a digital pen comprising a first electric circuit;

an acoustic transmitter, detached from said first electric circuit˜ and

configured to transmit acoustic signals; and

a resilient holder, configured to mechanically press said first electric circuit into electrical contact with said acoustic transmitter upon application of mechanical pressure applied on said resilient holder to a pen body by a pen housing, said resilient holder having elasticity to enable easy assembly of said digital pen by sliding the resilient holder into position, extensions rising perpendicularly from either side of said resilient holder to secure said resilient holder to said pen body so as to electrically connect said electric circuit and said acoustic transmitter; and

a receiving unit for receiving the acoustic signals from the digital pen, comprising at least two ultrasound receivers, for receiving the acoustic signals from the digital pen; and

a second electric circuit connected to said ultrasound receivers, and configured to extract the acoustic signals received by said ultrasound receivers, said extraction comprises referencing a reference model comprising data pertaining to expected reference signals.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said ultrasound receivers are at least one of the group consisting of electret microphones and MEMS microphones.

23. The system of claim 21, further comprising at least one attachment device, for removably attaching the receiving unit to another item.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein said at least two ultrasound receivers are positioned less than 65 mm apart from each other.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein said receiving unit further comprises a receiver housing, configured to house said ultrasound receivers and having a changeable cover element.

26. A digital pen system comprising:

a digital pen having an electric circuit, an acoustic transmitter configured to transmit acoustic signals, detached from said electric circuit, and a resilient holder, configured to press said electric circuit into contact with said acoustic transmitter upon applying a mechanical pressure to said resilient holder, said mechanical pressure on said resilient holder being further applied to a pen body by a pen housing, said resilient holder having elasticity to enable easy assembly of said digital pen by sliding the resilient holder into position, extensions rising perpendicularly from either side of said resilient holder to secure said resilient holder to said pen body so as to electrically connect said electric circuit and said acoustic transmitter;

at least one receiving unit for receiving said acoustic signals from said digital pen; and

a processor, associated with said at least one receiving unit, configured to process said received acoustic signals for determining a location of said digital pen.

27. The system of claim 26, further comprising a map, configured to graphically map a predefined area, so as to assist a user in positioning the digital pen in said predefined area.

28. The digital pen system of claim 26, wherein said digital pen further comprises:

a switch assembly having two switching points for pressing said switch assembly to achieve first and second switching modes respectively, said switch assembly further having a third mode selectable upon said two switching points being pressed substantially simultaneously.

29. The digital pen system of claim 26, further comprising a smooth contact switch configured to actuate the digital pen upon applying a pressure on said smooth contact switch;

said smooth contact switch comprises a resilient element, mounted on a first side of an open electric circuit and disconnected from a second side of said open electric circuit, said resilient element being compressible into a position where said resilient element contacts said second side of said open electric circuit, thereby closing said open electric circuit, upon applying a writing pressure compressing said resilient element into said position.

30. The digital pen system of claim 26, wherein said determining said location comprises referencing a reference model comprising data pertaining to expected reference signals.

31. The digital pen system of claim 30, further comprising at least one attachment device, for removably attaching said at least one receiving unit to another item.

32. The digital pen system of claim 26, wherein said at least one receiving unit comprises a receiver housing, and at least two acoustic signal receivers positioned inside said housing, and configured to receive said acoustic signals from said digital pen;

the at least one receiving unit having a securing plate mounted thereon, wherein the securing plate is configured to fit a substantially right angled corner, for securing the at least one receiving unit to the right angle corner.

33. The digital pen system of claim 32, wherein said receiver housing comprises a changeable cover element.

38. The digital pen system of claim 32, wherein said securing plate is further configured to fit a middle position on a paper sheet, for securing the at least one receiving unit to said middle position.

39. The digital pen system of claim 32, wherein said substantially right angled corner is a corner of a paper sheet.