GB2391643A

GB2391643A - List item processing apparatus and method

Info

Publication number: GB2391643A
Application number: GB0214988A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Anthony Christopher John Lee
Original assignee: DRS Data and Research Services Ltd
Current assignee: DRS Data and Research Services Ltd
Priority date: 2002-06-27
Filing date: 2002-06-27
Publication date: 2004-02-11
Also published as: GB0214988D0

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of and a device for recording information about lists of items. Information is entered on a list table such as a register using a pen (1) having both a writing tip (2) for physically marking the list and means for electronically tracking the position of the tip (2) on the script. The tracking information is electronically interpreted so as electronically to record the information entered into the list.

Description

1 2391643

LIST ITEM PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD

This invention relates to apparatus and a method for recording information about lists of items, and in the preferred embodiment provides an apparatus and a method for electronically recording information while simultaneously maintaining a traditional paper copy of the data.

A common method of registering the status of groups of people or objects, is to use printed paper lists containing names or descriptions of the groups with space

provided next to each item to enable a written mark to be added to record data relating to each item. There are many advantages to this process. Printed lists are cheap and easy to produce and the information can be collected anywhere that there is a surface to write on, and a pen or pencil is available to mark the paper. Little or no training is generally necessary to enable a person to mark the list for the appropriate application.

Therefore this process is used in thousands of different data collection applications.

However, in some applications there is a problem caused by the time and effort required to process the paper lists and thereby allow the data contained on them to be used. Examples of such applications are: 1. Student registration in schools and in other institutions. If a manual register has to be physically transferred to a central office to be processed there is a significant delay before information about students is available to take appropriate action. Also, although it would be helpful to assist reducing truancy for a register to be taken at every lesson, the time required to process the information for a whole school would probably take longer than the duration of a lesson.

2. Registration of people during fire alarms and security alerts in buildings and organizations. The quickest and most appropriate way to identify whether people are in or out of a building during an emergency is for designated officers to collect clipboards with paper lists of names as they leave the building. As people arrive at safe areas they are identified by the designated officer and their names are "ticked" on the list. The problem with this system is that it takes time to compare lists of people known to be in the building, or known to be absent, with all of the lists of people actually present. Therefore

valuable time can be lost before any searches for missing people can be started. 3. Inventory/Stocktaking in warehouses and storage locations. The process of counting large storage areas of multiple items and products is generally a time consuming process. Commonly, the normal supply of goods from a storage area needs to be stopped while the items are counted so that it is known whether items were there before or after the count. If information is collected on lists of paper the storage area cannot be re-opened for use until the lists have been processed. This can cause an unacceptable delay to the normal business. Altemative methods have been proposed and used to improve and automate the collection of such information. One method is to use portable or handheld computing devices to collect the data. The lists of names or articles can be displayed on an electronic display and data entered via a keyboard or pointing device. The data can then be transmitted by radio signal or other means of electronic communication.

Another method is to print paper lists with barcodes for each item on the list. A handheld barcode reader can then be used to read each barcode and an additional barcode to represent a data value to be associated with the item such as "present", "absent", or a "number value".

Both of these solutions have limitations. The handheld computing devices are À expensive and the electronic display is small. In certain applications the list of items may be long and it may be necessary to 'scroll" the information on the screen to be able to enter the data. Alternatively, it may be necessary to enter details to enable the screen to display an appropriate item from a list. The barcode method can read information from a paper list but the process does not make a physical mark on the paper. A separate process is required to write a mark and consequently discrepancies can occur between the paper marks and the information read by the barcode scanner.

One object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus and method which retains all of the advantages of the traditional paper list marking process while adding the advantages of electronic data capture and subsequent electronic processing.

According to a first aspect of the present invention apparatus for recording and processing list data comprises a digital pen (as hereinafter defined) and means for

i. interpreting data captured by the digital pen to provide an electronic indication as to marks applied to a paper list of items pre-printed by the digital pen.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a method of recording and processing list data comprises providing a paper list of pre-printed items having a plurality of areas within which a mark may be made to indicate a status; marking the paper list with a digital pen as hereinafter defined, and analysing data captured by the digital pen to provide an electronic indication of the item status.

The apparatus and method of the preferred embodiment of the present invention enables the intention of a marker, making a mark or marks on a paper list, to be captured electronically to allow automated processing of list data. This is achieved by using a "digital pen".

The term "digital pen" as used herein means a device, which is typically of similar size and shape to an ordinary pen, that is capable of writing in the manner of a conventional pen or pencil, and also of providing an electronic indication of the position of its writing tip relative to some co-ordinate system. For example, the device may include or have associated therewith means for sensing its lateral movements and digitising them into x and y co-ordinates. When the referred digital pen is used to write, an ink-cartridge marks the surface as in the manner of a standard pen, but also the writing pressure on the cartridge is sensed so that the pen records which movements are causing marks and records their co-ordinates. The co-ordinates are transmitted by the pen to a suitable receiver for processing. A number of digital pen types are commercially available and can be used in this process. However those devices that automatically register their position relative to the writing paper are preferred. For devices not able to do this the user would need to place the paper in a known position before writing.

In use of the preferred embodiment of the invention, a paper list is preprinted with known items, in a known order, from a database of information. A user marks the paper list and the digital pen records the shape and position of marks made by the user on the paper list. When the user has finished marking the paper list the pen transmits an encrypted version of the mark information to a receiver. The mark information is then processed, either locally or by transmission to another location, to associate the position of the marks with the list data from the original database, and to interpret the status of the items on the list from the shape and position of the marks.

This process has several unique advantages over other forms of either paper list marking or electronic data capture.

The status information of list items is recorded in the traditional manner by making marks on a paper list and simultaneously the information is recorded electronically. The only difference perceived by the user is that a special pen is used rather than using a standard pen or pencil. Other electronic data capture methods require a different process (For example, selecting options on a computer screen).

The paper list can be retained by the user after the marks have been made. The advantage is that a paper copy of the list status is maintained and the marker can continue to use the paper list while the electronic data is processed. Also, if any problem occurs with the electronic data then the paper copy can be used to re-process the information.

All details of the marlcs made by the user are recorded so a number of different list types can be processed with the same equipment (ea. Single lines marked in columns to represent "present", "absent", "holiday" or numbers and letters written to represent a quantity or location). When the marks are processed if there is any uncertainty as to the intention of the user then the marks can be displayed on a computer screen, superimposed on an image of the list, so that an operator can manually interpret the intention.

The paper lists can be produced to be very similar or identical to existing lists which are used for manual processing or for automated processing using optical scanning equipment. This has the advantage of allowing several different forms of data capture to be employed using the same paper lists and also an easy transition from existing data entry to the method in the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Assuming a computer holds a database of information containing a list or lists of items to be processed.

I. The required list is printed, using an electronic printer, from the data in the database. The items on the list and their order is known within the database and a number is generated and printed on the paper to uniquely identify the particular list 2. For certain applications multiple copies of a list can be printed and distributed for use.

3. A digital pen is used to make a mark or marks on the paper list (For example, a teacher taking a class register marks a "tick" against each pupil name on a list of all pupils in a particular form) 4. The digital pen transmits the mark information to a receiver which is connected electronically to the computer which stores the database.

5. The marks and their position relative to the paper list are processed in conjunction with the database information so that the correct items can be identified and the database can be updated.

6. The automatic processing of the mark shape and co-ordinate information may not be able to define the intention of the mark (For example, a poorly written mark may be adjacent to more than one list item.). In these circumstances the mark is displayed on a computer screen so that an operator can make a visual decision as to the intention of the mark.

The invention will be better understood from the following description of a

preferred embodiment thereof, given by way of example only, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure I illustrates schematically a pen for use in connection with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 illustrates schematically how the pen is used in an embodiment of &e list item processing system according to the present invention; Figure 3 illustrates schematically the collection of data for processing purposes; Figure 4 illustrates schematically how a list with ambiguous or poorly written marks may be displayed to allow a decision to be taken; Figure 5 illustrates an alternative pen to be used in an embodiment of the invention; and Figure 6 illustrates a paper list which may be used in association with the pen of Figure S. Referring firstly to Figures 1-4 the invention may be put into effect by means of a pen 1 which has a writing tip 2. The writing tip enables the pen to mark a conventional paper list. However, the tip of the pen is pressure sensitive and the pen incorporates XY co-ordinate sensing electronics 3 together with appropriate battery.

Information from the co-ordinate sensing electronics can be transmitted via a

transmitter 4 to a remote receiver 5. Receiver 5 is capable of transferring the information to the computer containing the list database.

In use, XY co-ordinate sensing electronics will determine both the shape of the mark made and its position on the paper list. This information is suitably encrypted and then transmitted in real time or after a predetermined delay to the receiver S and subsequently on to computer 6 where the information is stored for subsequent analysis.

In the case of the embodiment of the invention described above it is necessary, prior to marking the paper list, to calibrate the position of the pen relative to the paper list. This may be done by any appropriate means. For example the user may be required to perform some preliminary calibration step such as pushing the point of the pen against two premarked spots which are spaced apart on the paper list.

Alternatively, the user may be provided with a holder within which the paper list must be placed before marks are made. The holder will define the position of the paper list and the pen may be adapted to provide an accurate co-ordinate position of the tip of the pen relative to the holder. Hence, when the pen is pressed to make a mark on the paper list the exact position and movement of the tip relative to the holder, and thus relative to the paper list, may be recorded.

The calibration step may be avoided if a pen 7 of the type illustrated in Figure S is used. This pen incorporates a writing tip 8 for marking the paper list and a camera 9 which can detect pre-printed patterns which are printed on the paper list.

Electronics 10 are provided for activating the camera when the point 8 is pressed onto the paper. A transmitter 11 is used to transmit information to a receiver as described above. In use, each valid area 12 on the paper list will be pre-printed with a pattern of dots or lines 13 distinctive of that area. Thus, in the paper list illustrated in Figure 6 on which seven items are listed, seven different distinctive patterns will be provided in the seven possible valid areas 12. When the pen 7 is used to mark a paper list the camera 9 detects the pre-printed pattern in the area which is marked and this information is transmitted to the computer holding the database so that the correct item is updated in the database. With this arrangement, the pattern which is provided in the area marked by the user will be identified by the camera and this information will indicate for which item the mark is intended. With such an arrangement no calibration step is necessary.

) If the pen 7 is of appropriate sensitivity, the pattern of dots or lines may be sufficiently fine as to be invisible to the human eye. So far as the user is concerned, therefore, he or she simply uses a special pen to mark the paper list and no special technique is required.

The above techniques may be combined, that is to say both XY co-ordinate sensing and pattern sensing may be used to enhance the accuracy and/or reliability of the data capture.

One particular advantage of the invention is that the system may be designed automatically to identify ambiguous or poor quality marks. The distinctive pre-

printed pattern may be extended to cover all areas of the paper list. Thus, if a user puts a mark outside the designated areas the system can automatically detect this (For example, putting a line through a name rather than a tick in a box next to the name).

Under these circumstances the central processing device 6 (Figure 3) will not update the database but will flag the list data for further analysis. When required, data from paper lists that have been flagged for attention can be viewed by means of an appropriate computer (Figure 4). The computer screen will provide a reproduction of the paper list and any marks that have been made on the list. An appropriate user can then judge what the intentions of the marks are and update the database.

An appropriate pen is supplied by Ericsson and is called Chatpen.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A method of recording and processing list data comprising the steps of providing a paper list of pre-printed items having a plurality of areas which may physically be marked to indicate a status for each item, marking said paper list in said areas with digital marking means operable simultaneously both to apply physical marking to the list and to record digitally movement of a tip portion of the marking means so as to provide an electronic record of the physical markings applied to said list, and analysing the data recorded by the digital marking means to provide an electronic indication of the status of each item.

2. A method according to claim 1, comprising the further step of tracking and logging the position on the list at which each physical mark is made, electronically analysing the position of each mark, and querying any mark which does not fall within one of said plurality of areas.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein a mark is queried if it does not lie wholly within one of said plurality of areas.

4. A method according to any of the preceding claims, comprising the further step of comparing each mark with a database of acceptable marks and queuing any mark which is not matched within the database.

5. A method according to any of claims 2 to 4, comprising the hurdler step displaying a graphical representation of any list containing a queried mark for adjudication.

6. A method according to any of the preceding claims, comprising the furler step of recording lateral movements of the tip portion of the digital marking means and digitalising said movements into x and y coordinates visited by the tip portion.

(

7. A method according to any of the preceding claims, comprising the further step of scanning the list with the marking means whilst physical marking takes place for information indicative of the location on the list at which the mark is being made.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the digital marking means scans for distinctive patterns pre-printed on the list.

9. A method according to any of the preceding claims, comprising the farther step of transmitting data recorded by the digital marking means to a receiver for processing.

10. A method according to any of the preceding claims, comprising the further step of calibrating the digital marking means by applying the tip portion thereof to a number of pre- printed marks on the answer script prior to commencing physical marking of the script.

I 1. A method according to any of the preceding claims, comprising the further step of including unique identification markings on each preprinted list.

12. An apparatus for reading and processing list data for use in a method of recording and processing list data according to any of the preceding claims.

13. An apparatus for recording and processing information substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

14. A method of recording and processing information substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.