GB2353911A

GB2353911A - Device for capturing images and hand-writing

Info

Publication number: GB2353911A
Application number: GB9920594A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Abigail Jane Sellen; Anson Colin Stephen I; Andrew Dudley Morgan; Christopher Gwyn Romans
Original assignee: Hewlett Packard Co
Current assignee: HP Inc
Priority date: 1999-09-02
Filing date: 1999-09-02
Publication date: 2001-03-07
Anticipated expiration: 2019-09-02
Also published as: GB2353911B; GB9920594D0; JP2001148799A

Abstract

The device comprises a first display area 18 for displaying an image 76 captured by a camera, a scribble input pad 70 for capturing information hand-written on the pad and a second display area 12 for displaying the hand-written information. Preferably the two display areas are separate portions which are hinged together. An integral printer for printing the image and hand-written information onto stickers 80,82, which may then be affixed to postcards, may be included.

Description

2353911 Device for Capturing Images and Hand-writing The present invention

relates to a device for capturing images and handwriting, and to a method of using such a 5 device in conjunction with a printer to produce a postcard.

Electronic cameras are becoming increasingly common and inexpensive. When a person captures and image, for example when on holiday, he may wish to print this out to keep or to send it to someone else, either by post or electronically, f or example by fax or email. once the image is printed out, the person may write on the back of the image to keep a record of when or where the image was taken. If the image is to be sent, then a hand-written or typed letter may accompany the image by post or by fax, or the image may be downloaded into a personal computer so that a typed text message may be sent as an email message with the image being an attachment to the message. If an image is stored on a diskette or a removable memory card, then this may be downloaded into a personal computer and a separate text file may be typed in by the person, in order to record the information relating to the image.

All of these electronic approaches to capturing, storing and sending an image with associated text are inconvenient. A person may not wish to write a letter, use a f ax machine, or compose an email message with attachments. A fax machine or computer for sending emails or inputting text files may not be at hand. By the time an image is printed out, the person may have forgotten information that he may have wished to have written on the back of the image at the time it was taken.

One consequence of this inconvenience is that postcards are still very popular, and are bought by people either to keep or to send through the mail with a hand-written message.

However, it often is not possible to find postcards of desired images. In addition, mailing postcards is more expensive and time consuming than electronic communication, particularly if the postcards are to be sent to distant 5 destinations.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a more convenient device for capturing an image and associated information, and a more convenient method of producing a postcard.

Accordingly, the invention provides an image capture device, comprising a camera with an electronic detector for capturing an image, a first display area for displaying the captured image, a scribble input pad for capturing information hand- written on the pad, in which the device has a second display area for displaying separate from the captured image the information hand-written on the scribble input pad.

The terms "hand-written information" and "handwriting" as used herein include text, drawings, diagrams or any other pattern which may be made by hand.

The scribble input pad may include a touch sensitive surface or position sensitive surface over which a non-marking tip of a stylus may be moved. The surf ace then detects the presence of the stylus tip at a particular point, and then converts this to data or a signal which is used, f or example by a controlling microprocessor, to generate an image of the track of the stylus tip on the second display area.

Preferably, there are two separate display areas. These may be arranged side-by-side, so that a user of the device may view the image at the same time as hand-written information is entered via the scribble input pad. The user may then take an image, view this, and then write comments or a message, or make a drawing or diagram. Such hand-written information may often relate to the image.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the device includes two connected portions, the portions being movable with respect to each other and each portion having one of the display areas. The user may then angle or orient the portions for his convenience. Such an arrangement also provides the possibility that the portions may be moved together so that both displays are protectively concealed, for example when the device is not being used.

The invention also provides an image capture system including an image capture device according to the invention and at least one printer that may be loaded with at least one printing substrate, means by which the device may communicate with the printer(s) to print out separately the captured image and captured handwriting onto at least one printing substrate.

Also according to the invention, there is provided a method of producing a postcard using such an image capture system and a postcard substrate, comprising the steps of:

a) capturing an image and associated hand-written information; b) printing out the image and hand-written information on at least one sticker; and C) affixing the sticker(s) to the postcard substrate.

The invention will now be described in more detail and by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of an image capture device according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing an electronic camera with a detector array, two separate display areas sandwiched between a protective cover, and an integral printer; Figure 2 is a rear view of the image capture device, taken along lines II-II of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a top view of the image capture device, shown with the protective cover fully open; Figure 4 is a block circuit diagram of the image is capture device; and Figure 5 is rear view of the image capture device with the protective cover open, showing two separate side by-side displays, and two stickers printed out corresponding with the displays which may be used to make a postcard.

Referring f irst to Figures 1, 2 and 3, an image capture device 1 has a main housing 2 inside of which is an electronic camera 4 an inkjet printer 6, a telephone jack 8 and a port 10 for receiving a recording diskette or memory card (not shown). The housing 2 also contains a display 12 which when the camera is not in use is protectively concealed by a back cover 14 connected at a hinge 16 at one rear edge of the main housing 2. The back cover 14 also includes a display 18 which when the protective cover 14 is opened is visible side- by-side with the other display 12.

The electronic camera 4 comprises an objective lens 20 seated in a protective recess 22 of a front face 24 of the housing 2. The lens 20 images light 26 onto a detector array 28 within the housing 2. The detector array 28 is preferably a colour detector with a resolution of at least 480 by 640 pixels. An electronic image may be taken by the user by pressing a button 5 atop the housing 2. The construction and operation of such electronic cameras is well-known and will not be described in further detail.

The printer 6 includes an inkjet head 30 which can be scanned 32 transversely across an elongate printing substrate 34 which is dispensed from a roll 36 under the action of a small electric motor 38. A slot (not shown) is provided along a lower surface 40 of the housing 2 through which the printed substrate 34 is dispensed after having been cut by a motorised blade 42 which is moved transversely 44 across the substrate 34 after printing is finished.

The printing roll 36 is loaded into the housing 2 through a small door 46 on one side 48 of the housing 2. On the opposite side 50 of the housing 2 is another small door 52 for loading a battery 54 for powering the image capture device 1.

One alternative, not. illustrated in the drawings, is not to have a roll of paper loaded into the camera housing, but to have a sheet feeder opening into which individual printing substrates may be loaded immediately prior to printing. This would allow a reduction in the size of the device.

Figure 4 shows in schematic outline the electronic control of the image capture device 1. Electronic circuitry 60 receives electrical power from the battery 54. The circuitry 60 includes a microprocessor 62 which when the button 5 is pressed captures an electronic image from the detector array 28. Data representative of the image may be stored locally in random access memory 64 and displayed on display 18. If desired, such data may be output onto suitable media from port 10, or communicated via a modem (not shown) through telephone jack 8.

The circuitry 60 also controls operation of the inkjet 5 printer 6, in particular the movement of the printing substrate 34 and inkjet head 30 and blade 42.

Figure 5 shows that the display 12 in the main housing 2 includes a scribble input pad 70 which has a contact sensitive surface capable of measuring the (x, Y) co-ordinates of a point of contact of a stylus tip. As shown schematically in Figure 4, this permits signals 66, 68 to be supplied to the electronic circuitry 60 so that the microprocessor 62 can determine the position of a stylus 72 on the touch sensitive surface 70. A user may therefore write with the stylus 72 to input hand-written information into the image capture device 1. As soon as this information is input, electronic circuitry 60 produces on the display 12 an image 74 of the same hand- written information. The image 74 of the hand-written information is ideally presented in register and essentially simultaneously with the movement of the stylus 72.

The hand-written information may be text, drawings, 25 diagrams, or any other pattern, which may be produced by hand. Such information may be input either before or after a photograph is taken by the electronic camera 4 and displayed on the other display 18 as a photographic image 76. Once the user has captured both images 74, 76, then he may use function keys 78 to store data representative of each image on a removable storage medium in the port 10, or transmit such data via a modem through the telephone jack 8, or to print out images as drawn in Figure 5.

The images 74, 76 are printed out on two self adhesive stickers 80, 82 supported on a backing sheet 84. In the illustrated example, these printed images 80, 82 are for affixing to a plain postcard substrate 86 printed with alignment marks 88, 90 for the printed images 80, 82 and a postage stamp. A user of the image capture device 1 may therefore capture a photographic image 76, write a suitable message 74, and then print these out and conveniently affix these stickers 80, 82 to the postcard substrate 86 to generate a custom postcard 92.

Optionally, the display 12 may show a series of dots 94 indicating the space in which a user may write an address.

Data representative of the images 74, 76 may be stored in association with each other, or transmitted from the telephone jack 8, for example as an email message. Optionally, data may be received either via the port 10 or telephone jack 8 in a similar manner and then displayed on the separate displays 12, 18.

The displays are arranged so that the image 76 can be viewed while the hand written information is input via the scribble input pad 70. In the illustrated embodiment, a right-handed user would have the scribbled input pad 70 on the right-hand side of the device. It would, of course, be possible to reverse the order of the displays 12, 18, or to have both displays with scribble input pads, one of which may be selected by a user. This is not, however, necessary if one of the function keys 78 can invert the image of the electronic photograph 76. In this case, a left-handed user can simply invert the image capture device 1 so that the scribble input pad 70 is on his left hand side.

The two displays 12, 18 need not be side-by-side left/right, but may also be side-by-side in the sense that one is above the other. In this case, the hinge 16 would be provided along either an upper edge or a lower edge of the main housing 2.

The image capture device 1 preferably has a flat front face 24 with a recessed lens 20 so that a user may place this front face 24 on a suitable supporting surface while writing on the scribble input pad 70. For this reason, the scribble input pad 70 is preferably integral with the main housing 2 rather than on the hinged protective cover 14.

Optionally, the inkjet printer 6 need not be integral with the image capture device 1 if the device has a suitable jack for connection to an external printer.

It is, however, preferred if the printer is integral with the image capture device 1. If a roll of printing substrate is used this may necessitate a tight rolling of the printing substrate 34 into the roll 36, in order to make the device compact. The printing substrate 34 may therefore have some unavoidable curl once it is dispensed from the device. This however is not a problem in the case of self-adhesive stickers, which are comparatively insubstantial and will conform to a flat substrate such as a postcard 86.

Such self-adhesive stickers need not, of course, be used solely with postcards. A user may wish to af f ix these to a holiday scrapbook, a notebook, refrigerator, or any other suitable surface.

The invention therefore provides a convenient way of taking electronic photographs and capturing hand-written information, and also a convenient method of producing either an electronic postcard to be sent by email or a physical postcard that can be mailed.

9

Claims

1. An image capture device, comprising a camera with an electronic detector for capturing an image, a first display area for displaying the captured image, a scribble input pad for capturing information hand-written on the pad, in which the device has a second display area for displaying separate from the captured image the information hand-written on the scribble input pad.

2. An image capture device as claimed in Claim 1, in which there are two separate display areas arranged side-byside.

3. An image capture device as claimed in Claim 2, in which is the device includes two connected portions, the portions being movable with respect to each other and each portion having one of the display areas.

4. An image capture device as claimed in Claim 3, in which the portions may be moved together so that both displays are protectively concealed.

5. An image capture device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the scribble input pad is an exterior surface of the second display area so that captured handwritten information is displayed in register with the handwriting.

6. An image capture device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the device includes data storage means for storing first data representative of the captured image and second data representative of the captured handwriting, said first and second data being stored in association with each other.

7. An image capture device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the device includes data output for outputting from the device first data representative of the captured image and second data representative of the captured handwriting, said first and second data being output in association with each other.

B. An image capture device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the device has data input means for inputting first data representative of an image and second data representative of handwriting, said first and second data being input in association with other.

9. An image capture system, in which the system includes an image capture device as claimed in any preceding claim, at least one printer that may be loaded with at least one printing substrate, means by which the device may communicate with the printer(s) to print out separately the captured image and captured handwriting onto at least one printing substrate.

10. An image capture system as claimed in Claim 9, in which the printer(s) is/are integral with the image capture device.

11. An image capture system as claimed in Claim 9 or Claim 10, in which the printer is loaded with a printing substrate that is a self-adhesive sticker.

12. A method of producing a postcard using an image capture system as claimed in Claim 11 and a postcard substrate, comprising the steps of:

a) capturing an image and associated hand-written information; b) printing out the image and hand-written information on at least one sticker; and C) affixing the sticker(s) to the postcard substrate. 5

13. An image capture device substantially as herein described, with reference to or as shown in the accompanying drawings.

14. An image capture system substantially as herein described, with reference to or as shown in the accompanying drawings.

15. A method of producing a postcard using an image capture system substantially as herein described, with reference to or as shown in the accompanying drawings.