An information recording system includes a writing paper having a writing surface and a prerecorded invisible pattern of pixels associated with the writing surface. Each of the pixels contains encoded, optically readable position information which identifies a coordinate position on the writing surface. The system includes a pen, having an instrument for writing on the writing surface, and an imaging system for providing image signals representative of images of the pixels near the pen tip when the tip is in contact with the surface. The system further includes a recording/processing unit coupled to the pen. The recording/processing unit includes a processor responsive to the image signals for determining and electronically recording the positions of the pen tip on the writing surface as the markings are made on the writing surface, so that the recording/processing unit contains an electronic representation of the markings on the writing surface.

Pen and paper information recording system using an imaging pen

The present invention is a form of a digitizer and absolute position determination device for indicating the instantaneous position and movement of a stylus (8) on a surface. It proposes the use of a data surface (e.g., paper) formatted with a position-related coding (figure 1a) for indicating X-Y coordinates capable of reflecting a frequency of light. The stylus (8) comprising a writing element (9) has a light source (17) of a frequency for illuminating the position-related coding (figure 1a). The frequency of light is absorbed by the data surface but reflected by the position-related coding (figure 1a) onto a charge-coupled device (CCD) (13) located within the stylus (8). The coordinate information from the CCD (13) is sent to a computer (16) for processing and finally the desired information output to the user.

Absolute optical position determination

This invention relates to a coordinate sensor for detecting the position of a moveable detector relative to a data space coded with coordinate information by detecting and processing the coordinate information. It may be used for obtaining both two and three dimensional position related information, such as might be used for determining the position of a pen/pencil on paper for handwriting data input. It also may be used for detecting angular, rotational, and linear motion. The coordinate sensor provides an apparatus for precisely locating the position of a movable element within a space. More particularly, it provides an input/output apparatus for use with a computer that includes a movable element, whose exact position within a space can be determined without any physical connection between the movable element and the space. It comprises a data space formatted with a code for designating the coordinates of a point in the data space, a detector for detecting the code, a processor for processing data from the detector to determine the position of the point in the data space, and a data output method for human interface to the coordinate sensor.

Optical position determination

An information recording system includes a writing paper having a writing surface and a prerecorded invisible pattern of pixels associated with the writing surface. Each of the pixels contains encoded, optically readable position information which identifies a coordinate position on the writing surface. The system further includes a pen having a tip and including an instrument for writing on the writing surface and a detector for detecting the position of the tip on the writing surface by optically reading the pixels and obtaining position information when the tip is in contact with the surface. The system further includes a recording unit coupled to the pen and responsive to the position information for electronically recording the position of the pen tip on the writing surface as the markings are made on the writing surface so that the recording unit contains an electronic representation of the markings on the writing surface.

Pen and paper information recording system

A stylus and table X-Y data input system for a video display system. The pen includes an optical styling having a suitable pickup mechanism and the tablet is passive in nature and provides direct digitized data readout. Absolute positional information is encoded in binary form in the tablet in such a fashion that the pen position upon the tablet is automatically determinable by illuminating a particular area of the tablet and reading off the digitized X-Y coordinate data stored therein. The pen and supporting hardware/software are rotationally insensitive so that the pen may be held in any desired position comfortable to a user. The system provides greatly improved resolution, sampling rate accuracy and general robustness particularly for such applications as text recognition as well as a wide variety of other graphical input uses.

Anthony Robin Davies

Papers

Optical stylus and passive digitizing tablet data input system