Systems for processing information and identifying individual

• US 5,453,762 A
• Filed: 01/14/1994
• Issued: 09/26/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nakajima, Akira, Ito, Jun, Koreeda, Hiroyuki, Kumai, Hiroyuki, Inoue, Yoshiisa, Matsuda, Yasumasa, Oheda, Shigeto
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Oh, Minsun
• Application Number:
  US08/180,999
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.72, 340/825.69, 348/734, 341/176, 345/156, 345/169, 345/179, 345/825.31, 345/825.34, 382/18, 382/13, 382/3
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/83 input devices, e.g. keyboards, mice or controllers thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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: G06V 30/373 using a special pattern or subpattern alphabet

Abstract

A system for processing information with an electronic pen includes a coordinates indicating device and a coordinates sensing device. Both of the devices serves to output the information stored in itself to each other and store the information outputted from the other. The power supply for driving the information processing system itself is fed by a battery built in the coordinates indicating device.

Claims

1. An information processing system arranged to have one or more coordinates indicating devices and a coordinates sensing device composed of coordinates sensing means for sensing a coordinates indicated by said coordinates indicating device, processing means for doing a process based on the sensed result, and display means for displaying the processed result, comprising:

said coordinates indicating device, which is capable of being coupled with and separated from said coordinates sensing device, having first storage means for storing a device identifier given to said coordinates indicating device and first output means for outputting the device identifier stored in said first storage means;

said coordinates sensing device having second storage means for storing a combination of said device identifier outputted from said first output means and a processed result obtained by said processing means in response to an indication of the coordinates indicating device which outputted said device identifier, and second output means for outputting the device identifier and the processed result stored in said second storage means; and

said first storage means including a rewritable memory means for storing the processed result outputted from said second output means in the event that the device identifier outputted from said second output means is equal to the device identifier stored in said first storage means.

2. An information processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second output means operates to output the device identifier and the processed result stored in said second storage means when the state where a point of coordinates is sensed is shifted to the state where no point of coordinates is sensed.

3. An information processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second output means operates to output the device identifier and the processed result stored in said second storage means when the point of coordinates sensed by said coordinates sensing means is the point in the predetermined specific range.

4. An information processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said processed result contains a processed result identifier corresponding to each processed result, and said first and second storage means replace the stored processed result with a latest processed result when the first and second storage means is storing the processed result identifier which is identical with the processed result identifier of the latest processed result.

5. An information processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said processed result is proper information required for indicating an operation done by said coordinates indicating device for each of said coordinates indicating devices, said first output means further outputs the proper information stored in said first storage means, and said processing means performs a process based on the proper information outputted from said first output means.

6. An information processing system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said second storage means further stores common information to the operation to be done by all the coordinates indicating devices and said processing means performs the process based on the proper information outputted from said first output means and said common information stored in said second storage means.

7. An information processing system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said proper information is an individual dictionary of an owner of each coordinates indicating device and said common information is a common dictionary to owners of all the coordinates indicating devices.

8. An information processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first output means further outputs the processed result stored in said first storage means and said second storage means further stores the device identifier outputted by said first output means and the processed result in combination.

9. An information processing system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said processed result is proper information required for an operation to be done by said coordinates indicating device at each of said coordinates indicating devices, and said processing means performs a process based on the proper information stored in said second storage means.

10. An information processing system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said second storage means further stores common information to operations to be done by all the coordinates indicating devices and said processing means performs a process based on the proper information and the common information stored in said second storage means.

11. An information processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said processed result contains an identifier for the processed result and update history information added to said processed result, said first output means further outputs the processed result stored in said first storage means, and if the combination of the device identifier outputted from said first output means and the processed result containing the same identifier for the processed result as that contained in the processed result outputted from said first output means is not stored in said second storage means, said second storage means further stores the combination of the device identifier and the processed result outputted from said first output means, or if the combination of the device identifier outputted from said first output means and the process result containing the same identifier for the processed result as that contained in the processed result outputted from said first output means is stored in said second storage means, said second storage means overwrites new update history information contained in the processed result outputted from said first output means on the update history information contained in the processed result stored in said second storage means if the former is newer than the latter.

12. An information processing system as claimed in claim 11, wherein when storing the processed result, said second storage means deletes the combination having the oldest update history information contained in the processed result, of the combinations of the device identifier and the processed result stored in said second storage means itself, if the volume of the stored data exceeds the predetermined volume.

13. An information processing system as claimed in claim 11, wherein if the combination of the device identifier outputted from the first output means and the processed result containing the same identifier for the processed result as that contained in the processed result outputted from said first output means is stored in said second storage means, the update history information contained in the processed result outputted from said first output means is older than the update history information contained in the processed result stored in said second storage means, and said second output means serves to output the device identifier and the processed result stored in said second storage means.

14. An information processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said coordinates indicating device provides a battery built therein, and further comprising power control means for operating a function of a main unit of said system with power being fed from said battery, and a connecting code for electrically connecting said coordinates indicating device with the main unit of said system in a manner to feed power from said battery provided inside of said coordinates indicating device to said power control means provided in the main unit of said system.

15. An information processing system as claimed in claim 14, wherein said coordinates indicating device includes first voltage sensing means for sensing an electric potential of said battery and voltage display means for displaying a voltage sensed by said first voltage sensing means.

16. An information processing system as claimed in claim 14, wherein said coordinates indicating device includes second voltage sensing means for sensing whether or not the voltage of said electric power fed from said coordinates indicating device is an operative voltage of the main body of said information processing system, and state switching means for switching the function of the main unit of said system to an operative state when said second voltage sensing means senses that the voltage of the fed power is an operative voltage of the main unit of said system or stopping the function of the main unit of said system when said second voltage sensing means senses that the voltage of the fed power is an inoperative voltage of the main unit of said system.

17. An information processing system as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

processing means for executing a function of the main unit of said system;

storage means for storing information;

second voltage sensing means for sensing whether or not the voltage of power fed from said coordinate indicating device stays in the range of an operative voltage for said processing means;

power cut-off means for feeding power from said coordinates indicating device to said processing means and said storage means when said second voltage sensing means senses that the voltage of said fed power stays in the range of an operative voltage for said processing means or cutting off power fed from said coordinates indicating device to said processing means and said storage means when said second voltage sensing means senses that the voltage of said fed power is an inoperative voltage of said information processing system;

state switching means for switching the state of said processing means to an operative state when said second voltage sensing means senses that the voltage of said fed power stays in the range of an operative voltage for said processing means or stopping the operation of said processing means and storing the content of the operation immediately before the operation of said processing means is stopped in said storage means; and

a storage-holding battery for feeding power to said storage means if power from said coordinates indicating means is interrupted.

18. An information processing system as claimed in claim 14, wherein said coordinates indicating device provides an opening formed for plugging said battery in or out of the inside of said device and a removable cap on said opening.

19. A system for identifying an individual, arranged to have one or more coordinates indicating devices and a coordinates sensing device having coordinates sensing means for sensing a point of coordinates indicated by said coordinates indicating device, processing means for performing a process on the sensed result of said coordinates sensing means, and display means for displaying the processed result, comprising:

said coordinates indicating device, which is capable of being coupled with and separated from said coordinates sensing device, having first storage means including a rewritable memory means for storing a calligraphic stroke of a predetermined character train of an owner of said coordinates indicating device and first output means for outputting said calligraphic stroke stored in said first storage means; and

said processing means operating to perform a process if the calligraphic stroke represented by the point of coordinates sensed by said coordinates sensing means is equal to the calligraphic stroke outputted from said first output means.

20. A system for identifying an individual, arranged to have one or more coordinates indicating devices and a coordinates sensing device composed of coordinates sensing means for sensing a point of coordinates indicated by said coordinates indicating device, processing means for performing a process based on the sensed result give by said coordinates sensing means, and display means for displaying said processed result, comprising:

said coordinates sensing device having second output means for outputting a calligraphic stroke represented by the point of coordinates sensed by said coordinates sensing means;

said coordinates indicating device, which is capable of being coupled with and separated from said coordinates sensing device, having first storage means including rewritable memory means for storing a calligraphic stroke of a predetermined character train of an owner of said coordinates indicating device and first output means for comparing said calligraphic stroke stored in said first storage means with said calligraphic stroke outputted by said second output means and outputting the compared result; and

said processing means serving to perform a process if the compared result outputted by said first output means indicates that both are equal to each other.

21. A system for identifying an individual, arranged to have one or more coordinates indicating devices and a coordinates sensing device having coordinates sensing means for sensing a point of coordinates indicated by said coordinates indicating device, processing means for performing a process based on the sensed result of said coordinates sensing means, and display means for displaying the processed result, comprising:

said coordinates indicating device having first storage means for storing a device identifier added to said coordinates indicating device and first output means for outputting a device identifier stored in said first storage means;

said coordinates sensing device, which is capable of being coupled with and separated from said coordinates indicating device, having second storage means including a rewritable memory means for storing a combination of the same device identifier as that stored in said first storage means of said coordinates sensing device and a calligraphic stroke of a predetermined character train of an owner of said coordinates sensing device in each of said coordinates sensing devices; and

said processing means serving to perform a process if the calligraphic stroke stored in said second storage means in concert with the device identifier outputted from said first output means is equal to the calligraphic stroke represented by a point of coordinates sensed by said coordinates sensing means.

22. An information processing system arranged to have a coordinates indicating device and a coordinates sensing device composed of coordinates sensing means for sensing a point of coordinates indicated by said coordinates indicating device, processing means for performing a process based on said sensed result, and display means for displaying the processed result, comprising:

said coordinates indicating device having first storage means for storing information and first output means for outputting information stored in said first storage means;

said coordinates sensing device, which is capable of being coupled with and separated from said coordinates sensing device, having second storage means including a rewritable memory means for storing information containing the processed result and second output means for outputting information stored in said second storage means;

said first storage means of said coordinates indicating device further storing information outputted from said second output means of said coordinates sensing device; and

said second storage means of said coordinates sensing device further storing information outputted from said first output means of said coordinates indicating device.

23. An information processing system as claimed in claim 22, wherein said coordinates indicating device having state sensing means for sensing whether or not said coordinates indicating device is in the coordinates indicating state, said first output means starts to operate at a time when said state sensing means starts to sense that the device is the coordinates indicating state or senses that the device is not the coordinates indicating state, and said second output means starts to operate at a time when said coordinates sensing means starts to sense a point of coordinates.