Method and system for capturing a note-taking session using processing sensor

• US 20030106019A1
• Filed: 11/12/2002
• Published: 06/05/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,293,233 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/512
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/106 for the sheet output section
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 Inner structure
• CPC Class Codes: B42C 19/02 starting with single sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B42C 9/0006 by applying adhesive to a stack of sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B42C 9/0081 applying adhesive to individual sheets for binding them together by fusing, welding B42C9/0093
• CPC Class Codes: B42P 2261/04 Producing books by printing sheets in following order, e.g. for ordering via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 29/34 from supports slid from under the articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 37/04 for securing together articles or webs, e.g. by adhesive, stitching or stapling adhering replacement to expiring web during change of web roll B65H19/18
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/19 by sensing codes defining pattern positions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/225 based on a marking or identifier characterising the area
• 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: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 : Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 : specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information

Abstract

The invention concerns a system and method capturing, in a computer system, data relating to a note-taking session, the session consisting of handwritten annotations made by a user by way of a writing implement on a plurality of pages.

Specifically, the method includes the steps of receiving, in the computer system and via the writing implement, an indication of the start of the note-taking session, receiving, in the computer system and via the writing implement, data indicative of said handwritten annotations made by said user on said plurality of pages, receiving, in the computer system and via the writing implement, an indication of the end of the note-taking session, and retaining a retrievable record of the received data for the note-taking session. Control for the note-taking session (eg. starting, ending and printing a session) takes place by way of printed command buttons for designation by the writing implement, which buttons may be printed on each page, or on a part of a backing sheet of a notepad of pages extending beyond the periphery of the pages themselves.

The system and method of the invention are suitable for use in an educational environment or a meeting environment. For example, participants in a meeting can collaboratively mark up the physical pages of a whiteboard pad, and at the end of the meeting can print out a reduced-size version of those marked pages, conveniently bound and timestamped.

Claims

1. A method of capturing, in a computer system, data relating to a note-taking session, the session consisting of handwritten annotations made by a user by way of a writing implement on a plurality of pages, said pages including coded data indicative of at least one reference point of the page and the method including the steps of:

receiving, in the computer system and via the writing implement, an indication of the start of the note-taking session;

receiving, in the computer system and via the writing implement, data indicative of said handwritten annotations made by said user on said plurality of pages;

receiving, in the computer system and via the writing implement, an indication of the end of the note-taking session; and

retaining a retrievable record of the received data for the note-taking session, wherein the writing implement comprises;

(a) an image sensor adapted to capture images of at least some of the coded data when the writing implement is placed in an operative position relative to the page; and

(b) a processor adapted to;

(i) identify at least some of the coded data from one or more of the captured images;

(ii) determine an orientation, within the captured images, of at least some of the coded data;

(iii) decode at least some of the coded data;

(iv) generate the data regarding said indication of at least one of the start and the end of the note-taking session using at least some of the decoded coded data; and

(v) generate the data indicative of said handwritten annotations using at least some of the decoded coded data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor is housed within the writing implement.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor is adapted to operate at processing speeds ranging from 1 instruction per second to 1×

10¹² instructions per second.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the processor is adapted to operate at processing speeds ranging from 10 instructions per second to 1×

10⁶ instructions per second.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the image sensor is housed within the writing implement.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the image sensor is adapted to capture images at rates ranging from 1 image per second to 1,000 images per second.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the image sensor is adapted to capture images at rates ranging from 10 images per second to 200 images per second.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the coded data comprises non-barcode coded data.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of the pages includes coded data indicative of an identity of the page, and said writing implement is adapted to detect at least some of said coded data indicative of the identity of the page.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said indication of the start of the note-taking session is provided by the computer system receiving data indicative of said handwritten annotations made by said user on said plurality of pages.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of pages is associated with a control portion comprising at least one control zone, the computer system receiving an indication via said writing implement that said user has designated one or more control zones using the writing implement.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein one or more of said pages includes said control portion.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein said plurality of pages are provided in the form of a notepad, the notepad includes said control portion on a part of the notepad other than on one of said pages.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein said at least one control zone includes a zone associated with the start of the note-taking session, and said indication of the start of the note-taking session is provided by the computer system receiving an indication that said user has designated said zone by way of said writing implement.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein said at least one control zone includes a zone associated with the end of the note-taking session, and said indication of the end of the note-taking session is provided by the computer system receiving an indication that said user has designated said zone by way of said writing implement.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein said writing implement includes a writing nib, and said writing nib is associated with a sensor able to detect nib contact with one of said plurality of pages.

17. The method according to claim 1 including the step of using said retrievable record to selectively print the data indicative of said handwritten annotations.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein said plurality of pages is associated with a control portion including a zone associated with the printing of the note-taking session, the computer system receiving an indication via said writing implement that said user has designated said zone using the writing implement.

19. The method according to claim 17, the data being printable on a plurality of pages corresponding to the plurality of pages annotated in the note-taking session.

20. A system for capturing data relating to a note-taking session, the session consisting of handwritten annotations made by a user by way of a writing implement on a plurality of pages, said pages including coded data indicative of at least one reference point of the page and the system including:

a computer system for receiving indicating data via the writing implement operated by the user, said indicating data regarding at least one of a position and a movement of the writing implement relative to a page,

the computer system including;

(a) a start/end-identifier for identifying, from the indicating data, an indication of the start of the note-taking session and an indication of the end of the note-taking session; and

(b) a memory for retaining a retrievable record of the received data for the note-taking session, said retrievable record being indicative of said handwritten annotations made by said user on said plurality of pages between the start and end of the note-taking session,

wherein the writing implement comprises;

(a) an image sensor adapted to capture images of at least some of the coded data when the writing implement is placed in an operative position relative to the page; and

(b) a processor adapted to;

(i) identify at least some of the coded data from one or more of the captured images;

(ii) determine an orientation, within the captured images, of at least some of the coded data;

(iii) decode at least some of the coded data; and

(iv) generate the indicating data using at least some of the decoded coded data.

21. The system according to claim 20, including the plurality of pages.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein each page includes coded data indicative of an identity of the page, said indicating data being indicative of the identity of the page and at least one of the position and the movement of the writing implement relative to a page.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor is housed within the writing implement.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor is adapted to operate at processing speeds ranging from 1 instruction per second to 1×

10¹² instructions per second.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the processor is adapted to operate at processing speeds ranging from 10 instructions per second to 1×

10⁶ instructions per second.

26. The system of claim 20, wherein the image sensor is housed within the writing implement.

27. The system of claim 20, wherein the image sensor is adapted to capture images at rates ranging from 1 image per second to 1,000 images per second.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the image sensor is adapted to capture images at rates ranging from 10 images per second to 200 images per second.

29. The system of claim 20, wherein the coded data comprises non-barcode coded data.

30. The system according to claim 20 including the writing implement.

31. The system according to claim 30, wherein said writing implement includes a writing nib, and said writing nib is associated with a sensor able to detect nib contact with one of said plurality of pages.

32. The system according to claim 20 including a plurality of pages, said plurality of pages being associated with a control portion comprising at least one control zone, the computer system receiving an indication via said writing implement that said user has designated one or more control zones using the writing implement.

33. The system according to claim 32, wherein one or more of said pages includes said control portion.

34. The system according to claim 32 including at least one notepad incorporating said plurality of pages, the at least one notepad including said control portion on a part of the notepad other than on one of said pages.

35. The system according to claim 32, wherein said at least one control zone includes a session start zone, said means for identifying an indication of the start of the note-taking session comprises means for receiving an indication that said user has designated said zone by way of said writing implement.

36. The system according to claim 32, wherein said at least one control zone includes a session end zone, said means for identifying an indication of the end of the note-taking session comprises means for receiving an indication that said user has designated said zone by way of said writing implement.

37. The system according to claim 32, wherein said at least one control zone includes a print zone, said system including means for receiving an indication that said user has designated said print zone by way of said writing implement and means, in response to said indication, to print from said retrievable record data indicative of said handwritten annotations.