Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd

Jacqueline Anne Lapstun

Kia Silverbrook

Paul Lapstun

Simon Robert Walmsley

Paul Quentin Scott

Lapstun Paul

Walmsley Simon Robert

A sensing device is provided for sensing data encoded on a surface. The device has a region identity sensor and a transmitter. The region identity sensor senses region identity data of the coded data when the sensing device is positioned or moved relative to a region of the surface. The region identity data is indicative of an identity of the region. The transmitter transmits the sensed region identity data to a computer system.

Sensing device for sensing surface regions

A method of sending a message using a business card with data encoded on a surface, and a mobile phone. The data includes an identifier which uniquely identifies the surface and the mobile telephone senses the coded data to determine the identifier. Using the identifier, the phone retrieves a representation of the business card, which has a plurality of fields, one of which being a messaging field. The business card is displayed on the phone such that the messaging field can be user selected, a message generated and transmitted to a communications address retrieved from a database.

Messaging via a coded business card and mobile telephone

A method for providing interactive digital content for printed content. The method includes the steps of: receiving an image of a coded data pattern of a writing surface; determining a plurality of available applications for a particular printed content associated with the received pattern; receiving a selection from a user of a particular available application from the plurality of available applications; and executing the particular available application, the executing comprising invoking a function related to the printed content.

Decoupled applications for printed materials

A system is provided for generating a form for delivery of a printed communication. The system associates coordinate information of a form with an interactive element of the form, assigns an identity to the interactive element, associates delivery information on delivery of a printed communication with the interactive element, and generates print data to include the coordinate information and the identity as coded data and the interactive element and delivery information as visual data. A printer is responsive to the print data to print the form by printing the coded and visual data such that a sensing device senses the printed coded data through interaction with the printed interactive element to generate indicating data indicative of the delivery information.

System for generating form for delivery of greeting cards

A method of allowing a user to participate in an auction. The method includes, in a computer system, determining, information relating to the auction, and generating coded data indicative of at least one parameter relating to the auction. The computer system then determines a layout defining an arrangement for at least one of the coded data and the information before causing printing of a form by causing printing of the coded data and the information using the layout. The coded data is adapted to be sensed by a sensing device which can generating indicating data indicative of the at least one parameter. The computer is responsive to the indicating data to determine the at least one parameter, thereby allowing the user to participate in the auction.

Method of allowing a user to participate in an auction

Methods and systems are disclosed which relate to online banking via interface surfaces printed with information and coded data. The coded data, encoded visibly or invisibly, may be queried by an appropriate sensing device. The sensing device communicates with a computer system. Together, the interface surfaces, sensing device and computer system are capable of effecting banking transactions over a network.

Method and system for banking using coded forms

A system for providing information is disclosed. The system has a server which stores page descriptors. A printer is also includes which prints a printed page with visible and invisible data. The invisible data is indicative of one or more of the page descriptors. A sensing device senses the invisible data when placed in an operative position relative to the printed page, and transmits information extracted from sensed invisible data to the server. The server is configured to interpret the positioning of the sensing device based upon the page descriptors indicated by sensed invisible data and to provide information associated with the page descriptors.

System for providing information through interaction with a printed page

A method of: enabling an entrant to enter a competition; and limiting subsequent communication between a competition administrator and the entrant; via a sensing device interacting with machine-readable coded data on a printed competition entry form, the method comprising the steps, performed in a computer system, of: receiving interaction data representing the interaction of the sensing device with the coded data, the interaction data enabling the competition entry to be electronically captured in the computer system; transmitting the competition entry to the competition administrator; and enabling transmission of up to a predetermined number of electronic messages from the competition administrator to the entrant.

Competition entry with limited return messaging

A system for controlling a communications device is disclosed. A printer prints on a surface visual information relating to at least one operation of the communications device and coded data portions. Each coded data portion encodes a region identifier which uniquely identifies a region on the surface, and a portion identifier which uniquely identifies the coded data portion. A sensing device placed in an operative position relative to the coded data portions, generate indicating data regarding the region identifier and the portion identifier. A computer system receives the indicating data and determines an operation associated with the region identifier and the portion identifier. Finally, the computer system sends one or more commands to the communications device, thereby effecting the at least one operation.

Control of a communications device

An optically imaging pen for interacting with a printed substrate. The pen includes: a nib for interacting with the printed substrate; an image sensor for imaging an area of the printed substrate to provide image data; a processor configured for: (i) identifying target elements in the image data and inferring a perspective transform due to a tilt of the pen; (ii) acquiring and decoding coded data contained in the image data; (iii) calculating a nib position using a tag location, the perspective transform and a known geometry of pen optics; and (iv) generating digital ink based on the nib position.

Optically imaging pen configured for calculating accurate nib positions

A method of interacting with a printed substrate. The comprises the steps of: interacting with the substrate using an optically imaging pen having a nib; optically imaging target elements and coded data; calculating a position of the nib; and generating digital ink in the pen, the digital ink being indicative of the identity of the substrate and the position of the nib relative to the substrate; and sending the digital ink to a computer system such that the computer system can identify the interaction with the substrate. The position of the nib is calculated using the coded data, a perspective transform and a known spatial relationship between an optical axis of the pen and the nib. The perspective transform is determined using the imaged target elements which are perspective-distorted due to a tilt of the pen.

Method of interacting with printed substrate

A method is disclosed of controlling a function of a device. The device is operative to perform the function in response to a command from a printer. The method starts by printing a control interface containing information relating to the function and coded data. The coded data is indicative of an identity of the control interface and of at least one reference point of the control interface. Next, indicating data is received by the printer from a sensing device. The indicating data contains the identity of the control interface and at least one position of the sensing device relative to the control interface. The sensing device forms the indicating data when placed in an operative position relative to the control interface using the coded data. Finally, the printer issues the command relating to the function to the device.

Method for a device to perform a function in response to a command from a printer

Provided is a method for managing competition entry by means of products having printed labels, the labels having human-readable information relating to a competition and machine-readable coded information relating to an identity of the label and being uniquely indicative of the product item. The label includes regions selected from the group consisting of information fields, buttons, and entry fields. The method includes the steps of receiving from a sensing device the machine-readable coded data, generating interaction data based on the received coded data, correlating the interaction data with a competition, and recording an entry in the competition based on the correlated interaction data. The method also includes the step of transmitting information relating to the competition entry for display on a display device.

Method for managing competition entry with printed labels

A processing system for digitizing a freehand graphic created by an optically imaging pen. The processing system is configured for: receiving digital ink representing interaction of the pen with a surface having a position-coding pattern printed thereon, the digital ink identifying one or more positions detected by the pen; determining if the detected position is in a first area or a second area of the surface; if the detected position is in the first area of the surface, then interpreting the position as a point in a freehand graphic; and if the detected position is in the second area of the surface, then interpreting the position as a selection of a property for the freehand graphic.

Processing system for digitizing freehand graphics

A method of sending a message using a print medium is disclosed. Coded data on a surface of the business card is sensed by a sensor module in a media feed path of a communications device. The coded data encodes an identifier which uniquely identifies the surface. The identifier is determined from sensed coded data, and a representation of the business card is retrieved using the identifier. The representation of the business card is displayed on display of the communications device, with the representation including fields, with one of the fields being a messaging field. Upon receiving a selection of the messaging field, a communications address is retrieved from a database where the communications address is indexed by the identifier. A message editor is opened in the communications device, with a current message being addressed to the communications address.

Growing community of inventors

Balmain, Australia

Jacqueline Anne Lapstun