Kensington Microware Limited

Acco Brands Corporation

Acco Brands USA LLC

Electronic Scripting Products, Inc.

Ecoharvester, Inc.

Kensington Microwave Limited

Other

Stewart R Carl

Arthur H Zarnowitz

William R Murray, Jr

Michael J Mandella

Hector H Gonzalez-Banos

Dale Buermann

Guanghua G Zhang

Gary L Myers

Jeffry Tola

Eri Takahashi

Shadrach Joseph Roundy

Alice M Kasahara

Brian L Bircumshaw

Marek Alboszta

Timothy J Hawks

Alice Kasahara

Hector H Gonzalez

Arthur N Zarnowitz

Various example embodiments provide a note capture device comprising a writing surface, a camera mounted to view the writing surface, and electronic circuitry to capture images of said surface, or various alternative surfaces, including for example, a business card surface. Notes are captured upon a determination of completion of the note writing, and either stored or forwarded to an external device, or both. Handwriting recognition software is provided to enhance searchability of captured notes. Application software embodied on various devices provides the ability to view, browse, share, search and edit captured notes and associated data.

Note capture device

A wireless switch comprises a mechanical oscillator, a mechanical impulse deliverer, a first array of magnets positioned on a planar surface, a first conductor, and a power management circuit. The mechanical impulse deliverer delivers a mechanical impulse to the mechanical oscillator when the wireless switch is switched. The first array comprises a one dimensional or two dimensional array of magnets. The first conductor comprises a first serpentine conductor. The power management circuit provides DC power as a result of relative motion due to the mechanical oscillator between the first array of magnets and the first conductor.

Wireless switch with multipolar electromagnetic generator

An apparatus and method for processing pose data derived from a pose of an elongate object such as, for example, a jotting implement, a pointer, a robotic arm or a cane. The elongate object has a tip contacting a plane surface with one or more invariant features. The pose of the elongate object is measured optically from on-board by an optical measuring system with the aid of the invariant feature. The pose is used for preparing a corresponding pose data and a subset of the pose data is identified and transmitted to an application such as a user application, where the subset can serve as command data or input data. Since the elongate object moves while its tip is contacting the surface the pose is measured periodically at sufficiently frequent measurement times tto describe the motion at a desired temporal resolution. The subset can include all or a portion of the orientation data that describe the orientation of the elongate object in space and/or position data of the tip on the surface. The position can be a relative position of the tip with respect to any feature or its previous position, or an absolute position in world coordinates. The subset can also contain a mix of orientation and position data.

Processing pose data derived from the pose of an elongate object

The present invention relates to a jotting implement that infers hand-jotted information from viewing a jotting surface and environmental landmarks. The hand-jotted information is any information marked on the jotting surface as a result of writing, jotting, drawing, sketching or otherwise operating on the jotting surface as well as hand-generated information produced by moving the implement in the air with respect to the jotting surface. The jotting implement has a nib for jotting and an arrangement for determining when the nib is jotting on the jotting surface. Further, the implement has an optical unit for viewing an environmental landmark and the jotting surface. The implement has a processing unit for receiving optical data of the environmental landmark and the jotting surface from the optical unit and determining from the optical data the physical coordinates of the nib with respect to the jotting surface. The environmental landmark is preferably made up several beacons that emit electromagnetic radiation and are affixed to a host structure.

Implement for optically inferring information from a jotting surface and environmental landmarks

An apparatus which inhibits the theft of equipment such as personal computers is disclosed. The equipment must have an external wall provided with a specially designed, approximately rectangular slot having preselected dimensions. An attachment mechanism includes a housing for a spindle having a first portion rotatable within the housing, a shaft extending outwardly from the housing, and a crossmember at the end of the shaft having peripheral dimensions closely conforming to the internal dimensions of the slot. An abutment mechanism also emanates from the housing, and is located on opposite sides of the shaft intermediate the housing and the crossmember. The peripheral cross-sectional dimensions of the abutment mechanism and the shaft in combination closely conform to the dimensions of the slot. The length of the shaft from the housing to the crossmember is approximately equal to the thickness of the external wall of equipment. The crossmember is aligned with the abutment mechanism so that the crossmember can be inserted through the slot with the shaft and the abutment mechanism occupying the slot. The spindle is then rotated 90&#xb0; to misalign the crossmember with the slot, thereby attaching the attachment mechanism rigidly to the external wall. A cable is secured to the housing and to an immovable object so that the equipment cannot be stolen.

Computer physical security device

The present invention relates to a jotting implement that infers hand-jotted information from a jotting surface. The hand-jotted information is any information marked on the jotting surface as a result of writing, jotting, drawing, sketching or in any other manner of marking or depositing marks on the jotting surface. Hand-jotted information is also information traced on the jotting surface without leaving any markings thereon or otherwise produced by the motions executed by the jotting implement with respect to the jotting surface while in contact with the jotting surface. The jotting implement has a nib for jotting and an arrangement for determining when the nib is jotting on the jotting surface. Further, the implement has an optical unit for viewing the jotting surface. The implement also has a processing unit for receiving optical data of said jotting surface from the optical unit and determining from it the physical coordinates of the nib with respect to at least one corner of the jotting surface and at least one edge of the jotting surface and/or other landmarks or optically recognizable features on the jotting surface.

Implement for optically inferring information from a planar jotting surface

An apparatus and method for determining an inclination angle &#x3b8; between an axis of an elongate object such as a cane, a pointer or a jotting implement such as a pen, pencil, stylus or the like and a normal to a plane surface at times when a tip of the elongate object is contacting that plane surface. The apparatus has an emitter mounted on the object for illuminating the plane surface with a probe radiation at an angle &#x3c3; with respect to the axis of the object. The apparatus also has a detector mounted on the elongate object for detecting a radiation characteristic of a scattered portion of the probe radiation returning from the plane surface and a computing unit for deriving the inclination angle &#x3b8; from the radiation characteristic. A scanning arrangement, such as a uniaxial or biaxial scanner, or a light guiding optic can be used for varying angle &#x3c3;, and the probe radiation can be emitted in the form of a scan beam. Preferably, the emitter and detector of the scattered portion of the probe radiation are integrated and the scattered portion of the probe radiation whose characteristic is being measured is the back-scattered portion. The radiation characteristic detected by the detector can be the intensity, polarization, time-of-flight or any combination thereof.

Apparatus and method for determining an inclination of an elongate object contacting a plane surface

A method and apparatus for determining a pose of an elongate object and an absolute position of its tip while the tip is in contact with a plane surface having invariant features. The surface and features are illuminated with a probe radiation and a scattered portion, e.g., the back-scattered portion, of the probe radiation returning from the plane surface and the feature to the elongate object at an angle &#x3c4; with respect to an axis of the object is detected. The pose is derived from a response of the scattered portion to the surface and the features and the absolute position of the tip on the surface is obtained from the pose and knowledge about the feature. The probe radiation can be directed from the object to the surface at an angle &#x3c3; to the axis of the object in the form of a scan beam. The scan beam can be made to follow a scan pattern with the aid of a scanning arrangement with one or more arms and one or more uniaxial or biaxial scanners. Angle &#x3c4; can also be varied, e.g., with the aid of a separate or the same scanning arrangement as used to direct probe radiation to the surface. The object can be a pointer, a robotic arm, a cane or a jotting implement such as a pen, and the features can be edges, micro-structure or macro-structure belonging to, deposited on or attached to the surface which the tip of the object is contacting.

Method and apparatus for determining absolute position of a tip of an elongate object on a plane surface with invariant features

An apparatus and method employing principles of stereo vision for determining one or more orientation parameters and especially the second and third Euler angles &#x3b8;, &#x3c8; of an elongate object whose tip is contacting a surface at a contact point. The apparatus has a projector mounted on the elongate object for illuminating the surface with a probe radiation in a known pattern from a first point of view and a detector mounted on the elongate object for detecting a scattered portion of the probe radiation returning from the surface to the elongate object from a second point of view. The orientation parameters are determined from a difference between the projected and detected probe radiation such as the difference between the shape of the feature produced by the projected probe radiation and the shape of the feature detected by the detector. The pattern of probe radiation is chosen to provide information for determination of the one or more orientation parameters and can include asymmetric patterns such as lines, ellipses, rectangles, polygons or the symmetric cases including circles, squares and regular polygons. To produce the patterns the projector can use a scanning arrangement or a structured light optic such as a holographic, diffractive, refractive or reflective element and any combinations thereof. The apparatus is suitable for determining the orientation of a jotting implement such as a pen, pencil or stylus.

Growing community of inventors

Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

Stewart R Carl