Including environmental information in a manual expression

• US 8,823,636 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2006
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Cohen, Alexander J., Cohen, B. Isaac, Harlow, Ed, Leuthardt, Eric C., Levien, Royce A., Malamud, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALMEIDA, CORY A
• Application Number:
  US11/603,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20070120837A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,843 Days
• Field of Search: 345179-183
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/12 Details of acquisition arrangements; Constructional details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1423 the instrument generating sequences of position coordinates corresponding to handwriting preprocessing or recognising digital ink G06V30/32

Abstract

Embodiments include a method, a manual device, a handheld manual device, a handheld writing device, a system, and an apparatus. An embodiment provides a system. The system includes a manual device. The manual device includes a first writing element operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a movement of the first writing element upon the surface. The manual device also includes a second writing element operable to discharge a second marking substance on the surface in response to a controller. The controller is operable to encode information corresponding to an environment of the manual device by regulating a discharge of the second marking substance. The system also includes a sensor operable to acquire data indicative of an environment of the manual device.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a manual device, including at least;

a longitudinal body;

a first marking element operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a manual movement of the first marking element upon the surface, the first marking element proximate to a first end of the longitudinal body;

a second marking element operable to discharge a second marking substance on a surface in response to a controller, the second marking element proximate to an opposing end of the longitudinal body spaced apart from the first end; and

the controller operably coupled to at least the second marking element, the controller capable of at least;

regulating discharge of the second marking substance bearing digitally-encoded data in at least two dimensions via the second marking element; and

regulating discharge of the second marking substance based at least in part on acquired data indicative of at least one aspect of an environment of the manual device; and

a sensor operable to acquire data indicative of one or more aspects of an environment associated with the manual device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein regulating discharge of the second marking substance based at least in part on acquired data indicative of at least one aspect of an environment of the manual device comprises:

regulating discharge of the second marking substance, the second marking substance including at least a liquid marking substance, based at least in part on acquired data indicative of one or more temperatures associated with the environment of the manual device, including at least adjusting a flow rate of the liquid marking substance based at least in part on the acquired data indicative of one or more temperatures.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller operably coupled to at least the second marking element comprises:

a controller operably coupled to the at least second marking element, the controller capable of at least directing the second marking element to produce at least one of a two-dimensional barcode or a QR code on a surface via regulating discharge of the second marking substance via the second marking element.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller operably coupled to at least the second marking element comprises:

a controller operably coupled to at least the second marking element, the controller capable of at least regulating discharge of the second marking substance to at least produce a barcode on a surface, the barcode capable of being decoded by a barcode reader.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller operably coupled to at least the second marking element comprises:

a controller operably coupled to at least the second marking element, the controller capable of at least regulating discharge of at least three quantum dots, the discharge of the at least three quantum dots in at least two dimensions.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller operably coupled to at least the second marking element comprises:

a controller operably coupled to at least the second marking element, the controller capable of at least regulating discharge at least three quantum dots in at least two dimensions, the at least three quantum dots capable of being distinguished from at least a portion of the second marking substance.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller operably coupled to at least the second marking element comprises:

a controller operably coupled to at least the second marking element, the controller capable of at least regulating discharge of the second marking substance bearing digitally-encoded data in at least two orthogonal dimensions.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller operably coupled to at least the second marking element comprises:

a controller operably coupled to at least the second marking element, the controller capable of at least regulating discharge of the second marking substance bearing digitally-encoded data wherein at least a portion of the discharged second marking substance is invisible to a human.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first marking element operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a manual movement of the first marking element upon the surface, the first marking element proximate to a first end of the longitudinal body comprises:

the first marking element operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to at least one of a manual movement of the first marking element upon the surface or the controller.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller operably coupled to at least the second marking element comprises:

a controller operably coupled to at least the second marking element, the controller capable of at least regulating discharge of the second marking substance bearing digitally-encoded data in at least two dimensions, including at least discharging two or more bits of data in a first dimension and two or more bits of data in a second dimension.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor operable to acquire data indicative of one or more aspects of an environment associated with the manual device comprises:

a sensor operable to acquire data indicative of one or more temperatures associated with the environment of the manual device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein regulating discharge of the second marking substance based at least in part on acquired data indicative of at least one aspect of an environment of the manual device comprises:

regulating discharge of the second marking substance based at least in part on acquired data indicative of one or more temperatures associated with the environment of the manual device, including at least encoding at least one acquired temperature and regulating the discharge of the second marking substance to include at least the encoded at least one acquired temperature as digitally-encoded data.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the manual device comprises:

a manual device including at least the sensor operable to acquire data indicative of one or more aspects of an environment associated with the manual device.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller operably coupled to at least the second marking element comprises:

a controller operably coupled to at least the second marking element, the controller capable of at least regulating discharge of at least three quantum dots, the discharge of the at least three quantum dots in at least two dimensions, the at least three quantum dots capable of being distinguished by a human from at least a portion of the second marking substance.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an electronic device operable to wirelessly communicate with the manual device and including at least the sensor operable to acquire data indicative of one or more aspects of an environment associated with the manual device.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the second marking element operable to discharge a second marking substance on a surface in response to a controller, the second marking element proximate to an opposing end of the longitudinal body spaced apart from the first end comprises:

a second marking element operable to discharge a substance on a surface in response to a controller and in response to another manual movement.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the manual device comprises:

a first marking element operable to discharge a first marking substance via the first marking element; and

a second marking element operable to discharge the first marking substance via the second marking element.

18. A method, comprising:

providing a manual device, including at least;

a longitudinal body;

a first marking element operable to discharge a first marking substance on a surface in response to a manual movement of the first marking element upon the surface, the first marking element proximate to a first end of the longitudinal body; and

a second marking element operable to discharge a second marking substance on a surface, the second marking element proximate to an opposing end of the longitudinal body spaced apart from the first end;

acquiring data indicative of one or more aspects of an environment associated with a manual device;

digitally encoding at least some acquired data indicative of at least one aspect of the environment of the manual device; and

regulating discharge of the second marking substance via the second marking element of the manual device, including at least discharging the second marking substance to include at least the digitally-encoded data in at least two dimensions.

19. A system, comprising:

means for acquiring data indicative of one or more aspects of an environment associated with the system;

means for digitally encoding at least some acquired data indicative of at least one aspect of the environment of the system;

means for marking, including at least;

means for discharging a mark in response to contact with a surface;

means for discharging a mark bearing digitally-encoded data in at least two dimensions,

wherein the means for discharging a mark in response to contact with a surface and the means for discharging a mark bearing digitally-encoded data in at least two dimensions are disposed at opposing ends of the means for marking; and

means for regulating discharge of the means for discharging a mark bearing digitally-encoded data in at least two dimensions, the means for regulating discharge including at least a means for including at least some acquired digitally-encoded data within a mark bearing digitally-encoded data in at least two dimensions.