System and method for interacting with hard copy documents

• US 7,930,642 B1
• Filed: 03/20/2008
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Gerde, Matthew E., Wolfe, Jeffrey M.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, TING ZHOU
• Application Number:
  US12/052,423
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• Field of Search: 715/764, 715/700, 715/200, 715/230, 382/312, 358/505, 359/17
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/002 Specific input/output arrangements not covered by G06F3/01 - G06F3/16 other optical apparatus G02B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40 Picture signal circuits H04N1/387 takes precedence

Abstract

Systems and methods for facilitating user interaction with physical documents. A system may include a physical document interface configured to receive a physical document having a surface including document data items, such that at least a portion of the surface of the physical document is visible to a user. The system further includes a device including a computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions executable by the device to implement an application, which may be executable to display a user interface including application data items, each of which may be selectable via the user interface. In response to the selection of a given application data item via the user interface, the device is configured to cause the physical document interface to visibly indicate a location on the surface of the physical document, where the location includes a document data item corresponding to the application data item selected via the user interface.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a physical document interface configured to receive a physical document having a surface including a plurality of document data items, such that at least a portion of said surface of the physical document is visible to a user;

a device comprising a computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions executable by the device to implement an application, wherein the application is executable to display a user interface including a plurality of application data items;

wherein each of the plurality of data items is selectable via the user interface,

wherein, in response to selection of a given one of the application data items via the user interface, the device is configured to cause the physical document interface to visibly indicate a location on said surface of the physical document that includes one of the document data items corresponding to the one of the application data items selected via the user interface of the application,

wherein said physical document interface is further configured to receive input data from said physical document and to communicate said input data to said device, wherein to receive input data from said physical document, said physical document interface is further configured to scan optical data from said surface of said physical document,

and

wherein in response to said user selecting a particular area of said surface of said physical document, said application is further configured to indicate to said user one or more particular application data items corresponding to said particular area of said surface of said physical document.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said particular area of said surface corresponds to a particular one of said document data items, and wherein to indicate to said user said one or more particular application data items corresponding to said particular area, said application is further configured to indicate one or more data values within said application that are determined dependent upon said particular document data item.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said device and said physical document interface are implemented by a single integrated device configured to provide an interactive computing surface, wherein said interactive computing surface is configured to receive input data from said physical document and to display output data to said user.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein to visibly indicate said location on said surface of said physical document, said physical document interface is further configured to illuminate said corresponding area.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein to visibly indicate said location on said surface of said physical document, said physical document interface is further configured to display an indication outside the periphery of said physical document.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a computer-executable document engine configured to identify said physical document to said application.

7. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein said document engine is further configured to identify said physical document dependent upon image data captured from said physical document.

8. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein said document engine is further configured to derive said application data items from said physical document and to communicate said application data items to said application.

9. A method, comprising:

a physical document interface receiving a physical document, such that at least a portion of a data surface of said physical document is visible to a user;

receiving, by said physical document interface, input data from said physical document and communicating said input data to an application configured to execute on a device coupled to the physical document interface, wherein said application is further configured to display a user interface comprising a plurality of application data items, wherein said physical document interface receiving input data from said physical document comprises said physical document interface scanning optical data from said surface of said physical document;

in response to said user selecting a given one of said plurality of application data items displayed by said application, said physical document interface visibly indicating a corresponding area within said portion of said data surface of said physical document to said user;

detecting, by said physical document interface, a selection by said user of a particular area of said data surface of said physical document; and

communicating, by said physical document interface, said selection of said particular area to said application and causing said application to indicate to said user one or more particular application data items, of said plurality of application data items, corresponding to said particular area of said data surface of said physical document.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein said physical document interface is implemented by a single integrated device configured to provide an interactive computing surface, and wherein the method further comprises said interactive computing surface receiving input data from said physical document and displaying output data to said user.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising said integrated device executing said application.

12. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein said physical document interface visibly indicating said corresponding area within said portion of said data surface of said physical document to said user comprises said physical document interface illuminating said corresponding area.

13. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein said physical document interface visibly indicating said corresponding area within said portion of said data surface of said physical document to said user comprises said physical document interface displaying an indication outside the periphery of said physical document.

14. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising a computer-executable document engine identifying said physical document to said application.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein said document engine further identifying said physical document occurs dependent upon image data captured from said physical document.

16. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising said document engine deriving said data items from said physical document and to communicating said data items to said application.

17. A computer-accessible storage medium storing program instructions, wherein the program instructions are computer-executable to:

detect a physical document interface receiving a physical document;

receive input data from said physical document via said physical document interface and communicate said input data to an application configured to execute on a device coupled to said physical document interface, wherein said application is further configured to display a user interface comprising a plurality of application data items, wherein to receive said input data from said physical document via said physical document interface comprises said physical document interface scanning optical data from a data surface of said physical document;

in response to a user selecting a given one of said plurality of data items displayed by said application, visibly indicate via said physical document interface a corresponding area of said physical document to said user;

detect a selection by said user via said physical document interface of a particular area of said data surface of said physical document;

communicate said selection of said particular area to said application;

and

cause said application to indicate to said user one or more particular application data items, of the plurality of application data items, corresponding to said particular area of said data surface of said physical document.

18. The computer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim 17, wherein said physical document interface is implemented by a single integrated device configured to provide an interactive computing surface, and wherein the program instructions are executable by said integrated device to implement said interactive computing surface receiving input data from said physical document and displaying output data to said user.

19. The computer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim 17, wherein to visibly indicate said corresponding area of said physical document to said user via said physical document interface, the program instructions are further computer-executable to instruct said physical document interface to illuminate said corresponding area.

20. The computer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim 17, wherein to visibly indicate said corresponding area of said physical document to said user via said physical document interface, the program instructions are further computer-executable to instruct said physical document interface to display an indication outside the periphery of said physical document.