Presentation board digitizers

• US 6,724,371 B1
• Filed: 12/18/2001
• Issued: 04/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pegasus Technologies Limited (Yifang Digital Technology Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Pegasus Technologies Limited (Yifang Digital Technology Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zloter, Itzhak, Shenholtz, Gideon, Serber, Ron
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Application Number:
  US09/958,316
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174, 345/175, 345/176, 345/177, 345/179, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 178/18.04, 178/18.05, 178/18.06, 178/18.07, 178/19.01, 178/19.02, 178/19.03, 178/19.04
• US Class Current: 345/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0433 in which the acoustic waves are either generated by a movable member and propagated within a surface layer or propagated within a surface layer and captured by a movable member

Abstract

A handheld device (200) includes a housing (202) having a cylindrical bore (204) therein and which terminates at a distal end (206) of the housing with a central orifice communicating therewith. The housing serves for receiving a portion of a body of a drawing implement with its drawing tip extending from the central orifice. The device (200) further includes an ultrasonic receiver or transmitter (220) mounted within the housing, remote from the drawing tip, yet in close proximity with the bore. This device serves for receiving or transmitting an intermittent ultrasound signal through the bore and the plurality of openings, thereby enabling triangulation of the drawing tip.

Claims

1. A handheld device for use with a board supplemented with a processing system for digitizing operative strokes of the handheld device on the board, the handheld device comprising:

(a) a housing having a substantially cylindrical bore therein terminating at a distal end of said housing with a central orifice communicating with said bore, said housing receiving a portion of a body of a drawing implement with its drawing tip extending from said central orifice, said housing being formed with a plurality of openings being circumferencly arranged at said distal end of said housing and communicating with said bore; and

(b) an ultrasonic receiver or transmitter device mounted within said housing, remote from said drawing tip, yet in close proximity with said bore, said device being for receiving or transmitting an intermittent ultrasound signal through said bore and said plurality of openings, thereby enabling triangulation of said drawing tip.

2. A handheld device for use with a board supplemented with a processing system for digitizing operative strokes of the handheld device on the board, the handheld device comprising:

(a) a housing having a substantially cylindrical bore therein terminating at a distal end of said housing with a central orifice communicating with said bore, said housing receiving and releasing a portion of a body of a removably attachable drawing implement through said orifice with its drawing tip extending from said central orifice;

(b) a retainer in said housing for releasably retaining said removably attached drawing implement within said housing;

(c) an ultrasonic receiver or transmitter device being connected to said housing for receiving or transmitting an intermittent ultrasound signal;

(d) a microswitch in said housing being actuated when contacted by a proximal end of said body, so as to be responsive to a force exerted on said drawing tip of said drawing implement; and

(e) an electronic circuitry being in said housing and electronically communicating with said microswitch for affecting operation of said device at least when said microswitch indicates that said force is exerted on said drawing tip of said drawing implement.

3. A handheld device for use with a board or screen supplemented with a processing system for digitizing operative strokes of the handheld device on the board or screen, the handheld device comprising:

(a) a housing having a substantially cylindrical bore therein terminating at a distal end of said housing with a central orifice communicating with said bore, said housing receiving and releasing a portion of a body of a removably attachable operative implement through said orifice with its operative tip extending from said central orifice, said operative implement being selected from the group consisting of a drawing implement and an annotation implement;

(b) a retainer in said housing for releasably retaining said removably attached operative implement within said housing; and

(c) an ultrasonic receiver or transmitter device being connected to said housing for receiving or transmitting an intermittent ultrasound signal.

4. In a board or screen digitizing system including at least three spaced apart ultrasound receivers associated with the board or screen surface, and a handheld device including an intermittent signal transmitter, a method of tracking the handheld device, the signals being transmitted with a preset first interval therebetween, the method comprising the steps of collecting a plurality of time non-referenced ultrasound signals by each of the at least three spaced apart ultrasound receivers and calculating a position of the handheld device for each of the time non-referenced ultrasound signals, thereby tracking the handheld device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein reception of each of said at least three spaced apart ultrasound receivers is suspended for a second time interval following the reception of a signal thereby, said second time interval is shorter than said first time interval.

6. A handheld device for use with a board or screen supplemented with a processing system for digitizing operative strokes of the handheld device on the board or screen, the handheld device comprising:

(a) a housing having a substantially cylindrical bore therein terminating at a distal end of said housing with a central orifice communicating with said bore, said housing receiving and releasing a portion of a body of a removably attachable operative implement through said orifice with its operative tip extending from said central orifice and being selectable among a plurality of different operative implements;

(b) a retainer in said housing for releasably retaining said removably attached operative implement within said housing; and

(c) an ultrasonic transmitter device being connected to said housing for transmitting one of a plurality of intermittent ultrasound signals, each of said plurality of intermittent ultrasound signals having a different frequency, each of said frequencies being associated with one of said plurality of different operative implements; and

(d) a controller on or in said housing for setting said transmitter device to transmit an intermittent ultrasound signal of a frequency corroborating with one of said plurality of different operative implements.

7. A handheld device for use with a board or screen supplemented with a processing system for digitizing operative strokes of the handheld device on the board or screen, the handheld device comprising:

(a) a housing having a substantially cylindrical bore therein terminating at a distal end of said housing with a central orifice communicating with said bore, said housing receiving a portion of a body of an operative implement with its operative tip extending from said central orifice;

(b) an ultrasonic transmitter device being connected to said housing for transmitting one of two intermittent ultrasound signals, each of said two intermittent ultrasound signals having a different frequency;

(c) a microswitch in said housing being in a first mode or a second mode, said microswitch being in said first mode when in contact with a proximal end of said body and in said second mode when not in contact with said proximal end of said body; and

(d) an electronic circuitry electronically communicating between said microswitch and said transmitter device, said electronic circuitry being for associating one of said first and second modes with said transmitter device, such that said intermittent ultrasound signals of said different frequency are transmitted by said transmitting device in a mode dependent manner, thereby informing the processing system whether said operative tip is in contact with, or removed from, the board or screen.

8. A handheld device for use with a board or screen supplemented with a processing system for digitizing operative strokes of the handheld device on the board or screen, the handheld device comprising:

(a) a housing having a substantially cylindrical bore therein terminating at a distal end of said housing with a central orifice communicating with said bore, said housing receiving a portion of a body of an operative implement with its operative tip extending from said central orifice, at least a longitudinal portion of said housing originating at said distal end of said housing being of an infrared conveying material;

(b) an ultrasonic receiver or transmitter device being connected to said housing for receiving or transmitting an intermittent ultrasound signal;

(c) an infrared transmitter device being implemented at a proximal end of said longitudinal portion of said housing, said infrared transmitter device being designed for directing infrared radiation emitted thereby through said longitudinal portion of said housing.

9. The handheld device of claim 8, wherein said longitudinal portion of said housing is supplemented with an infrared reflector for reflecting said infrared radiation out of said housing.

10. A handheld device for use with a board or screen supplemented with a processing system for digitizing operative strokes of the handheld device on the board or screen, the handheld device comprising:

(a) a housing having a substantially cylindrical bore therein terminating at a distal end of said housing with a central orifice communicating with said bore, said housing receiving a portion of a body of an operative implement with its operative tip extending from said central orifice;

(b) an ultrasonic receiver or transmitter device being connected to said housing for receiving or transmitting an intermittent ultrasound signal;

(c) a pressure sensitive microswitch in said housing being actuated when pressured by a proximal end of said body, so as to be responsive to a force exerted on said drawing tip of said drawing implement; and

(d) an electronic circuitry being in said housing and electronically communicating with said microswitch for affecting operation of said device at least when said microswitch indicates that said force is exerted on said drawing tip of said drawing implement.

11. A remotely controlled handheld device for use with a board or screen supplemented with a processing system for digitizing operative strokes of the handheld device on the board or screen, the handheld device comprising:

(a) a housing having a substantially cylindrical bore therein terminating at a distal end of said housing with a central orifice communicating with said bore, said housing receiving a portion of a body of an operative implement with its operative tip extending from said central orifice;

(b) an ultrasonic receiver or transmitter device being connected to said housing for receiving or transmitting an intermittent ultrasound signal; and

(c) a remote signal receiver for receiving operational command signals from a remote signal transmitter being controlled by an operator.

12. A handheld device for use with a board or screen supplemented with a processing system for digitizing operative strokes of the handheld device on the board or screen, the handheld device comprising:

(a) a housing having a substantially cylindrical bore therein terminating at a distal end of said housing with a central orifice communicating with said bore, said housing receiving a portion of a body of an operative implement with its operative tip extending from said central orifice;

(b) a transparent ultrasonic receiver or transmitter device being connected to said housing and surrounding said operative tip for receiving or transmitting an intermittent ultrasound signal, thereby rendering said operative tip visible to a user.