Robot for making an interface surface

• US 7,245,760 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2006
• Issued: 07/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Yourlo, Zhenya Alexander, Lapstun, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Leykin; Rita
• Application Number:
  US11/474,271
• Publication Number:
  US 20060238155A1
• Time in Patent Office: 386 Days
• Field of Search: 318/568.11, 318/568.12, 318/568.16, 318/587, 701/208, 701/211, 701/1, 701/23, 701/28, 701/41, 700245-264, 901/1, 180/204, 180/167, 382/153
• US Class Current: 382/153
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/00826 Changeable playing pieces
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00643 Electric board games; Electric features of board games electric word or number games A63F3/0421; computer chess G06F; electric raffle games A63F3/081
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 2200/00 Computerized interactive toys, e.g. dolls
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/28 for printing downwardly on flat surfaces, e.g. of books, drawings, boxes , envelopes, e.g. flat-bed ink-jet printers
• CPC Class Codes: B43L 13/00 Drawing instruments, or writing or drawing appliances or accessories not otherwise provided for stencils for surface decoration B44D
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45084 Service robot
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0227 using mechanical sensing means, e.g. for sensing treated area
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

A robot for marking an interface surface is provided. The interface surface has coded data identifying a plurality of locations on the interface surface printed thereon. The robot comprises: an image sensor for sensing at least some of the coded data; a processor for generating indicating data using the sensed coded data, the indicating data comprising data regarding a position of the robot on the interface surface; communication means for transmitting the indicating data to a computer system and receiving instructions from the computer system; a steerable drive system for moving the robot over the interface surface in response to movement instructions received from the computer system; and a marking device for selectively marking the interface surface in response to marking instructions received from the computer system.

Claims

1. A robot for marking an interface surface, the interface surface having coded data identifying a plurality of locations on the interface surface printed thereon, the robot comprising:

an image sensor for sensing at least some of the coded data;

a processor for generating indicating data using the sensed coded data, said indicating data comprising data regarding a position of the robot on the interface surface;

communication means for transmitting the indicating data to a computer system and receiving instructions from the computer system;

a steerable drive system for moving the robot over the interface surface in response to movement instructions received from the computer system; and

a marking device for selectively marking the interface surface in response to marking instructions received from the computer system.

2. The robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the marking device is at least one pen, or the like, attached to or held by the robot.

3. The robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the marking device is at least one printhead attached to or held by the robot.

4. The robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the marking device is selectively moveable into and out of a marking configuration.

5. The robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein a characteristic of the marking device is determined by the robot decoding a barcode on the marking device.

6. The robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein a characteristic of the marking device is determined by the robot reading a value from a solid-state memory associated with the marking device.

7. The robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein a characteristic of the marking device is determined by a user activating a hyperlink on the interface surface using the robot.

8. The robot as claimed in claim 7, wherein said characteristic of the marking device is the color of the ink in the marking device.

9. The robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the robot is operable in a raster mode or a vector mode.

10. The robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the robot is remotely controllable by a user.

11. The robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive system comprises electronically driven wheels.

12. The robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein a computer application runs on said computer system, said computer application controlling the marking device and/or the drive system in response to the indicating data received by the computer system.

13. The robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the robot has a unique robot identifier which for distinguishing the robot from other robots.

14. The robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indicating data is transmitted to the computer system by a wireless signal.

15. The robot as claimed in claim 14, wherein the computer system is configured for receiving the indicating data via a relay device in wireless communication with the robot.

16. The robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interface surface is a netpage.

17. The robot as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coded data also identifies the interface surface.

18. A system for marking an interface surface, said system comprising:

an interface surface having coded data identifying a plurality of locations on the interface surface printed thereon; and

a robot comprising;

an image sensor for sensing at least some of the coded data;

a processor for generating indicating data using the sensed coded data, said indicating data comprising data regarding a position of the robot on the interface surface;

communication means for transmitting the indicating data to a computer system and receiving instructions from the computer system;

a steerable drive system for moving the robot over the interface surface in response to movement instructions received from the computer system; and

a marking device for selectively marking the interface surface in response to marking instructions received from the computer system.

19. A system for marking an interface surface using a robot,

said interface surface having coded data identifying a plurality of locations on the interface surface printed thereon,

said robot comprising:

an image sensor for sensing at least some of the coded data;

a processor for generating indicating data using the sensed coded data, said indicating data comprising data regarding a position of the robot on the interface surface;

first communication means for transmitting the indicating data to a computer system and receiving instructions from the computer system;

a steerable drive system for moving the robot over the interface surface in response to movement instructions received from the computer system; and

a marking device for selectively marking the interface surface in response to marking instructions received from the computer system,

wherein said system comprises;

a computer system having a computer application running thereon, said computer application being configured to generate instructions for controlling the marking device and/or the drive system of the robot; and

second communication means for transmitting said instructions generated by the computer application to the first communication means of the robot.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the computer application is configured to generate said instructions in response to indicating data received by the computer system from the robot.