PEN-PAPER COMPUTER INPUT DEVICE

PERIPHERIQUE D'ENTREE A PAPIER ET PLUME

English Abstract

A special fountain pen and ordinary paper can be used to input human
handwriting into a computer. The fountain pens tip would have stamped
serration's in the horizontal and vertical directions which would indicate pen-
paper motion to a vibration sensor mounted in the tip (nib) of the pen. The
pens
serration's would cause the nibs two sides to vibrate as the tip traveled
across
the paper. There would be one serration for up movement, one for down and
one for right to left horizontal movement. The vibration sensor would detect
pen
paper movement in each half of the nib with both halves vibrating indicating
horizontal or diagonal movement depending on the relative strengths of the
signals.
The signals would be amplified and coded to be transmitted wirelessly to a
computer for further digital signal processing and handwriting analysis.

Claims

Claims:
1. A pen-paper handwriting input device measuring actual pen to paper
relative motion by means of measured vibrations from uni-directional
ridges engraved into the fountain pens nib tip and oriented to give varying
amplitude signals based on the pens direction of motion which can be
processed into decoding handwriting.
2. The low level vibrations would be amplified before modulating a radio-
frequency oscillator built into the pen for wireless operation.

Description

CA 02308020 2000-OS-15
Specification
This invention would be used to input handwriting and drawings into a
computer or a local docking station connected to a computer by means of
monitoring direct pen to paper contact via vibration sensors. The vibrations
would be generated by serrations in the tip of the fountain pen which would be
activated by motion in one desired direction but would remain at a low signal
level in the opposite or perpendicular directions of pen travel. This idea
only
uses force of the pen to paper contact to indicate that the pen is in
operation. As
per figure 1, the sensor in the nib would sense vertical up or down motion by
vibrations in either half of the nib due to the opposite direction of the
serration's in
the tips two halves (items 1 and 2). A third serration (item 3) across the top
of
the tip would be used to detect right to left horizontal movement across the
papers surface but would remain inactive during vertical movement of the tip.
Similarly the vertical serration would be inactive during horizontal movement.
Left to right horizontal movement would be indicated by no real activation of
any
of the serration's but a low level vibration would indicate pen movement and
the
force in the form of a direct current offset would indicate that writing is
still taking
place. The pen making diagonal lines would cause the serration's edges to
generate vibration in both halves of the nib with a differential amplitude
proportional to the slope of the line. Figures and diagrams could be drawn and
inputted into the computer with the lack of short strokes indicating that a
diagram
is being drawn.
The force sensors signals could be processed locally to a digital output or
a radio frequency carrier can be modulated by the force sensors two channels
in
a more inexpensive disposable version of the product. The product would be
battery operated, preferably rechargeable with the charger being in a docking
station and would be wirelessly connected to a docking station such as a cell
phone for Internet or email input or a computer for more general purpose uses.
In decoding the handwriting generated signals to characters, lookup tables in
the
software will take the up, down, left, right, left diagonal and right diagonal
states
of the handwriting strokes and determine a character or for script handwriting
a
more complicated algorithm could be used. The other characteristics of the
fountain pen such as ink supply would be similar to present fountain pens on
the
market ie cartridge type etc.

Representative Drawing