Registers – Coded record sensors – Particular sensor structure
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-26
2003-12-23
Frech, Karl D. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Coded record sensors
Particular sensor structure
C235S380000, C235S375000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06666376
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a physical calendar, comprising a plurality of pages, which have a plurality of calendar areas, each of which identifies a unique time period and is adapted to receive a handwritten entry for that time period. The invention also relates to an arrangement for recording calendar information, a method and a calendar page.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Today, many people use calendars as a memory aid to help them keep track of appointments and various types of tasks that must be carried out at set times, both at home and at work. There are many different types of calendars which can essentially be divided into two main groups: paper-based and electronic.
Paper-based calendars, where the user writes with an ordinary pen in predefined writing areas, are still the most common group. They are usually very reliable and easy to use, but have the drawback that all information written in them is lost if the user should happen to lose the calendar.
In addition to a paper-based calendar, many people use an electronic calendar in their computer at work. Electronic calendars have the advantage that they can usually carry out alarm functions to remind the user about meetings and other activities. However, most people sometimes forget to record the information in their computer as well as in their paper-based calendar.
Fairly recently, several types of portable electronic calendars, so-called PDAs, have come on the market. These are intended to replace the paper-based calendars and have the advantage that they can automatically exchange the calendar information with a computer so that the calendar information the user has in his computer and in his portable calendar is always identical. However, many people still prefer to use paper-based calendars.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is thus an object of the present invention to obviate the above-mentioned problems of paper-based calendars.
A further object of the invention is to increase the functionality of paper-based calendars.
This object is achieved completely or partly by a calendar according to claim
1
, an arrangement for recording calendar information according to claim
13
, a method for digital storage of calendar information according to claim
22
, and a calendar page according to claim
24
. Preferred embodiments are defined in the subclaims.
More specifically, the invention relates to a physical calendar, comprising a plurality of pages, which have a plurality of calendar areas, each of which identifies a unique time period and is adapted to receive a handwritten entry for that time period, each calendar area being provided with an electronically readable code, which is designed for creating an electronic back-up of the handwritten entry made in the calendar area.
In a calendar according to the invention, all entries in the physical calendar can also be recorded electronically without any additional action on the part of the user. This means that the user can have the advantages of both the electronic and the physical calendar.
In this connection, the term “physical calendar” thus refers to a calendar belonging to the paper-based group described in the introduction and having pages made of paper or a similar material which is suitable for receiving handwritten entries made with an ordinary pen.
The calendar areas can be of various shapes, such as boxes or rows of various sizes and can identify different time periods such as months, weeks, days or a specific time on a certain day. In these calendar areas, a user can fill in activities which relate to the respective time period. Each calendar page can have zero, one, or several calendar areas identifying a unique time period.
Each of the above-mentioned calendar areas is thus provided with an electronically readable code, i.e. a code which can be read by means of an electronic aid. The purpose of the code is to enable an electronic back-up of the handwritten entry that the user makes in the calendar area in question. For this purpose, the code may enable the determination of the time period to which the entry relates and/or the digitization of the entry.
It should be noted that a time period should be interpreted broadly. It can be defined by one point in time with respect to its beginning and one point in time with respect to its end, or only a single point in time with respect to both its beginning and its end, or in some other suitable way. As it is used here, the term time period also includes a single point in time.
Preferably the code extends across essentially the entire calendar areas. In this way, the code can be read regardless of where a handwritten entry is made in the areas. The code can advantageously be a position code which indicates a position in the calendar, for example with one or more coordinates. Preferably, the position code codes a plurality of positions in each calendar area. The reason for this is that continuous reading of the position of a pen when a handwritten entry is being made is one way of digitizing the handwritten entry. Furthermore, the position can be translated into a time period. Moreover, the position code is advantageously unique for each calendar area so that a simple reading of the position code will enable the determination of the time period identified by the calendar area. Suitably, the position code can be two-dimensional, so that it codes positions in two dimensions. In this case, it is preferably formed in such a way that one dimension of the position code is unique for each calendar area, making it possible to use this dimension for determining the time period. If the position code is not unique for each time period, some other means must be used for determining the time period. In that case, each of the calendar areas can advantageously also comprise a time code enabling the determination of the time period identified by the calendar area. Alternatively, each of the calendar areas can comprise such a time code only, making it necessary to record the handwritten entry in electronic form in some other way than by using the position code. In this case, one way is to image the handwritten entry electronically or to determine how the pen creating the handwritten entry is being moved, for example with the aid of images or accelerometers. However, it is, of course, advantageous if the same code can be used for both the time determination and the digitization of the entry, not least because this makes it possible for the reading device to use the same sensor for both tasks.
The code can be chemical, magnetic, or of some other type, but preferably it is optically readable, which means that it must be capable of reflecting/absorbing light in such manner that the code can be recorded with a light sensitive sensor. The calendar areas can identify time periods of different length. In this way, all the pages of the calendar need not look the same. For example, one page may correspond to one year, in which case each calendar area may correspond to a month. Another page may correspond to one day, in which case each calendar area corresponds to one hour.
In a preferred embodiment of the calendar, however, the code is a first absolute position-coding pattern which extends across the calendar areas and codes coordinates for absolute positions so that a handwritten entry which is made in a first of said calendar areas can be recorded digitally in the form of a coordinate sequence by detecting the first absolute position-coding pattern and the time period which is identified by the first calendar area can be determined on the basis of the coordinates in the coordinate sequence.
By the absolute position-coding pattern coding absolute positions, all positions which can be detected by means of the absolute position-coding pattern in the calendar areas will be unique. As a result, all the positions within a certain calendar area can be associated with the time period identified by that calendar area, and in this way entries that are made in this calendar area can be related to the associated time period. T
Anoto AB
Birch Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP.
Frech Karl D.
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