Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display peripheral interface input device – Including keyboard
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-19
2002-05-28
Saras, Steven (Department: 2675)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display peripheral interface input device
Including keyboard
C345S182000, C345S158000, C345S173000, C178S018080, C178S019050
Reexamination Certificate
active
06396481
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to handwriting capture apparatus and methods, and more particularly to handwriting capture apparatus and methods using digital image capture devices such as, for example, portable smart appliances.
2. Description of Related Art
Handwriting, or forming script, drawings, marks, words, pictures, sketches, diagrams, and the like with the human hand using a marking tool on a receptive medium such as paper, is the oldest, most natural solution for capturing information quickly, and is is truly personal as well as portable. Even today, with so many “smart” appliances in the market ranging from personal digital assistants, or “PDAs,” calculators, notebook computers, desktop personal computers, set top boxes, smart televisions, and various other types of appliances that incorporate computing devices, most of us nonetheless reach for a pen and paper to jot down notes quickly. In fact the pen and paper notebook or notepad are the most commonly used instruments in meetings, even among computer savvy professionals.
Unfortunately, entry of written notes into smart appliances is cumbersome. For example, personal computers (“PCs”) including laptops use keyboards for primary data entry, and any notes that we may have written down on paper have to be entered using the keyboard or an attached bulky digital scanner. This includes meeting minutes, quick notes we may have written down, and random bits of information such as telephone numbers, directions, telephone conversation notes, and so forth. Even electronic mail, which is the most widely used application on the World Wide Web, or the Internet, is typically prepared at least in part by typing on a keyboard. Moreover, most keyboards are designed for the English language and so do not support the underlying philosophy of the Internet with which many smart appliances are networked; viz., to provide ubiquity and enable communications on a Global level. The problem is exacerbated in portable smart appliances, including PDAs such as the Palm™ family of connected organizers and the numerous Windows CE-based devices, since these devices use touch screen keyboards, cramped mechanical keyboards, and/or single character stylus entry screens which are cumbersome and limiting for all but the most rudimentary data entry tasks. Moreover, free form handwriting recognition has not been successfully implemented on portable smart appliances.
Numerous other types of data input devices are available, but each has its own disadvantages when used to capture handwritten notes. Digitizing tablets are commonly available, but tend to be bulky and hence unsuitable for portable operation with portable smart appliances. Moreover, digitizing tables use an inkless stylus to “write” on the tablet, requiring the user to look at the monitor of the attached computer while writing. This is akin to writing with a mouse, and does not afford the common person a familiar and comfortable feel.
PDAs commonly use a small digitizing region of their displays for receiving stylus input in the form of individual characters, and in some cases require special alphabets. Neither the special alphabet, nor forming of plural characters one at a time in the same space, or the feel of the inkless stylus is natural or comfortable to the common person.
The CrossPad™ portable digital notepad, which is available from A. T. Cross Company of Lincoln, R.I., empowers a user to capture his or her thoughts with ink on paper, and to store the writings digitally in the memory of the notepad. Many pages of notes can be stored in the memory of the digital notepad, and an existing page can be added to by opening the desired digital page using controls on the digital notepad, and then replacing the correct actual inked physical page over the pad. Since the digital page is not viewable in real time, the operator could open the wrong digital page and co-mingle writings, both obfuscate material on the original page and the new material. Rather than being viewable in real time, the digital notes are transferred from the memory of the notepad to the user's PC over a thin cable that connects to the RS232 port on the PC. Using Ink Manager software available from IBM Corporation of Armonk, N.Y., the user is able to use his or her personal computer to look at the digital notes, to organize the digital notes in one place in “notebook” files, to assign keyword, bookmark, and date to notes and search them, to convert selected words and phrases to text, to cut and paste notes or sketches into a variety of Microsoft Windows™ operation system applications, and to share notes by e-mail directly from the PC. As useful as the portable digital notepad is for capturing ink, the need to tether the digital notepad to a separate desktop or laptop PC to view, manipulate and communicate the digital notes limits the usefulness and appeal of the digital notepad.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A need, therefore, exists for apparatus and methods to digitally capture, manipulate, and communicate natural handwritten information without many of the disadvantages of known methods and apparatus.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention as realized in particular embodiments is to enable the digital capture, manipulation, and/or communication of natural handwritten information in real time.
Accordingly, another object of the present invention as realized in particular embodiments is to digitally capture natural handwritten information seamlessly in real time.
Accordingly, another object of the present invention as realized in particular embodiments is to digitally capture natural handwritten information in a portable manner.
Yet another object of the present invention as realized in particular embodiments is to provide the user with the natural and familiar feel of handwriting for inputting information in digital form.
These and other objects are achieved in the various embodiments of the present invention. For example, one embodiment of the present invention comprises a portable handwriting capture apparatus for use with a portable image capture device having an infrared port, comprising a structural supporting medium; an ink capture device mounted on the structural supporting medium; an infrared port module mounted on the structural supporting medium; an infrared communications circuit wired to the ink capture device and having an infrared transceiver mounted in the infrared port module; and an image capture device mounting mechanism, the infrared port of the infrared port module being directed toward the capture device mounting mechanism.
Another embodiment of the present invention, a portable handwriting capture apparatus for use with a portable image capture device having a keyboard and an infrared port, comprises a structural supporting medium; an ink capture device mounted on the structural supporting medium; a stand extendable from the structural supporting medium to provide clearance over the keyboard of the image capture device; an infrared port module; a cable coupled between the infrared port module and the structural supporting medium; and an infrared communications circuit wired to the ink capture device and having an infrared transceiver mounted in the infrared port module.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention, a portable handwriting capture apparatus for use with a portable image capture device having an infrared port, comprises a structural supporting medium having a front side and a back side, the back side having a cavity therein to receive the image capture device; an ink capture device mounted on the front side of the structural supporting medium; and an infrared communications circuit wired to the ink capture device and having an infrared transceiver directed into the cavity.
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Challa Nagesh
Gobburu Venkata T.
Ecrio Inc.
Nelson Alecia D.
Saras Steven
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