Card having coded data and visible information, for operating a device

• US 20040041018A1
• Filed: 08/20/2003
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Walsmley, Simon Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,073,713 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0005 Curl smoothing, i.e. smoothing down corrugated printing material, e.g. by pressing means acting on wrinkled printing material
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14427 Structure of ink jet print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1623 bonding and adhesion
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1626 etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1628 dry etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1629 wet etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1631 photolithography
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1632 machining
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1635 dividing the wafer into individual chips
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1637 molding
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1642 thin film formation by CVD [chemical vapor deposition]
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1645 thin film formation by spincoating
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1646 thin film formation by sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1648 Production of print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16585 for paper-width or non-reciprocating print heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 Inner structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17596 Ink pumps, ink valves
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/041 Electromagnetic transducer
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14491 Electrical connection
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/21 Line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 : Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 29/00 : Combinations of cameras, projectors or photographic printing apparatus with non-photographic non-optical apparatus, e.g. clocks or weapons; Cameras having the shape of other objects combinations with flash apparatus G03B15/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 : with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0866 : for peripheral storage systems, e.g. disk cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 : in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/86 : Secure or tamper-resistant housings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/2022 : Flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 : Authenticate client device independently of the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/121 : by printing code marks applying code marks to labels B65C9/46; marking or coding completed packages B65B61/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 13/00 : Conveying record carriers from one station to another, e.g. from stack to punching mechanism conveying record carriers combined with another operation, e.g. with reading G06K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/00 : Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06 : characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 : multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10 : by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 : Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 : using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 : 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/20 : Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/02 : Affine transformations for image registration G06T3/147; for image mosaicing G06T3/4038
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0281 : Arrangement of scan or data electrode driver circuits at the periphery of a panel not inherent to a split matrix structure
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/56 : using storage elements with more than two stable states represented by steps, e.g. of voltage, current, phase, frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00278 : with a printing apparatus, e.g. a laser beam printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00355 : Mark-sheet input sensing record carriers G06K7/00; character recognition G06V30/10; document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0044 : for image preview or review, e.g. to help the user position a sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00968 : by scanning marks on a sheet mark-sheet input means H04N1/00355; sensing record carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 : using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2154 : the still video camera incorporating a hardcopy reproducing device, e.g. a printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2307 : Circuits or arrangements for the control thereof, e.g. using a programmed control device, according to a measured quantity H04N1/27, H04N1/29 take precedence
• 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 1/32133 : on the same paper sheet, e.g. a facsimile page header
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 : Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0008 : Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 : Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3222 : of processing required or performed, e.g. forwarding, urgent or confidential handling
• 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 2201/3269 : of machine readable codes or marks, e.g. bar codes or glyphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3276 : of a customised additional information profile, e.g. a profile specific to a user ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/328 : Processing of the additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 : Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 : Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/14 : Structural association of two or more printed circuits providing electric connection to or between printed circuits H05K1/11, H01R12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/189 : characterised by the use of a flexible or folded printed circuit H05K3/326 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A card for causing the device to operate in a predetermined operation mode. The card comprises, on a first surface, a visual representation of the operation mode, and on a second surface, a visually encoded representation of the operation mode. The encoded representation is readable and decodable by the device so as to cause the device to operate in the operation mode. Methods of determining an output data of sensed data are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of determining an output data value of sensed data, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) dividing a sensed data value into three contiguous regions comprising a middle region, a lower region, and an upper region, and;

(b) with each value in the lower region, designating the corresponding bit value to be a first value;

(c) with each value in the upper region, designating the corresponding bit value to be a second value; and

(d) with each value in the middle region, utilising the spatially surrounding values to determine whether said value in the middle region is a first value or a second value.

2. A card for operating a device, said card being adapted to cooperate with said device so as to cause the device to operate in a predetermined operation mode, wherein said card comprises, on a first surface, a visual representation of said operation mode, and on a second surface, a visually encoded representation of said operation mode, said encoded representation being readable by said device and decodable by said device so as to cause the device to operate in said operation mode.

3. A card as claimed in claim 2, wherein said device comprises a camera adapted to receive a sensed image, and means for transforming the appearance of the sensed image, wherein the visual representation is indicative of a mode of operation wherein a particular transformation is applied to the sensed image.

4. A card as claimed in claim 2, wherein said device comprises a book reader and said card includes a book contents portion for display by said book reader.

5. A method of distributing information on a card, said method comprising the steps of:

dividing a surface of the card into a plurality of predetermined areas;

printing a first data portion onto a first predetermined area;

utilising said printed first data portion when reading information stored on said card;

and when the information stored on the card is to be updated, identifying a second predetermined area to print further information on said card, said second predetermined area not having been previously utilised to print data.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said predetermined areas are selected in a predetermined order.

7. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said printing utilises a high resolution ink dot printer.

8. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said data portion is printed in an encoded form having a degree of fault tolerance.

9. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said data portion is printed in a Reed-Solomon encoded form.

10. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said data portion is replicated in a chosen predetermined area.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein each of said predetermined areas includes a number of border target markers indicating the location of said region.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said border markers are utilised when reading information stored on the card to locate said predetermined areas.

13. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said border targets comprise a relatively large area of a first colour and a relatively small area of a second colour located centrally of said relatively large area.

15. An information carrier that comprises:

a card; and

a plurality of dots that are printed on the card, the plurality of dots carrying data representing a set of instructions that are readable by a processing device, the array of dots having the following characteristics;

the dots are set out in a generally rectangular array with a logical upper side, a logical lower side, a logical left side and a logical right side, with a data area bounded by the logical sides;

the dots define a plurality of targets that extend along both the logical left and the right side of the array, each target being identifiable as such by a reading device;

the dots are positioned in a plurality of substantially parallel columns that extend between the logical upper and lower sides of the array; and

the dots define a plurality of clock markers that are positioned along each of the upper and lower logical sides of the array, in aligned pairs with each said column extending between clock markers of respective pairs.

14. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said card is of a generally rectangular credit card sized shape.

16. An information carrier that comprises:

a card;

a plurality of dots that are printed on the card, the plurality of dots carrying data representing a set of instructions that are readable by a processing device, the array of dots having the following characteristics;

the dots are set out in a generally rectangular array;

the dots define a plurality of rectangular data blocks making up the array, each rectangular data block having a logical left side, a logical right side, a logical upper side and a logical lower side;

the dots define a plurality of targets that extend along both the logical left side and the right side of the array, each target being identifiable as such by a reading device;

the dots of each data block are positioned in a plurality of substantially parallel columns that extend between the logical upper and lower sides of the data block; and

the dots define a plurality of clock markers that are positioned along each of the upper and lower logical sides of the data blocks, in aligned pairs with each said column extending between clock markers of respective pairs.