JP2006268758A - Printing system, printer, and handwritten information reflecting method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a print system, a printer, and a handwritten information reflection method, capable of reflecting a written content written into a printed matter outputted by a printer, to an original file stored in a host computer. <P>SOLUTION: The print system 1 comprises a digital pen 2, capable of acquiring and wirelessly transmitting information handwritten on a paper by use of the pen to the outside; a computer 3 for receiving handwritten information X from the digital pen 2 and performing various working processings thereto; and the printer 4 inputting print data Dprnt from the computer 3 and printing out it. When the printing data Dprnt is printed on a paper in the printer 4, a dot pattern for the digital pen 2 is printed on the paper, in addition to characters and images. The handwritten information X, written on the printed paper 5, is transferred to the computer 3 and reflected to the original file. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing system, a printing apparatus, and a handwriting information reflecting method for reflecting handwritten information written with a digital pen in an original file.

In recent years, for example, a digital pen as disclosed in Patent Document 1 has been developed as a device that converts analog information handwritten on paper with a pen into digital information. The paper to be written with the digital pen is a special paper on which special arrangement dots using absolute coordinate addresses are printed. The digital pen incorporates a small camera at the tip of the pen, photographs a dot pattern with this camera, calculates the coordinates of handwritten characters and drawings, and accumulates memo information (writing information). The digital pen transmits the memo information to another device such as a personal computer or a mobile phone by wireless communication, and displays the contents written on the paper on the display screen of the other device.
JP 2004-094558 A

  However, for example, when a memo is written on a printed matter output by a printing device, the digital pen cannot be used unless a special arrangement dot for a digital pen is printed on the printed matter, so the memo is written using a normal pen. There was a problem that the memo could be confirmed only with the printed matter in which the memo was written, because the method was inevitably taken. Therefore, the technique of writing a memo on a sheet using a digital pen and reflecting the memo information on the original data cannot be applied to the printed matter, and some countermeasure has been desired.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a printing system, a printing apparatus, and a handwritten information reflecting method capable of reflecting the written contents written on the printed matter output by the printing apparatus in the original file stored in the host computer. is there.

  In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, the writing content written on the dedicated paper having a predetermined pattern is acquired as handwritten information in which the writing position is associated based on the pattern, and the handwritten information is obtained. Receiving the digital pen that can be transmitted to the outside, and the handwritten information transmitted by the digital pen, recognizing the writing content and the writing position based on the writing information in the handwritten information, A printing system comprising a computer for reflecting written contents, wherein print data based on the predetermined file and the pattern are printed on the paper to print out the paper as the dedicated paper. The main point is that

  According to this configuration, for example, when the print output means prints out the print data transmitted by the computer, the print output means prints characters and images based on the print data on the paper, and the digital pen sets the writing position. The pattern necessary for recognition is also printed on the paper. For this reason, the paper printed out by the print output means can be used as a dedicated paper for the digital pen. When writing is performed on the paper with the digital pen, the digital pen grasps the written content from the pattern on the paper and transmits this to the computer as handwritten information. The computer reflects this handwritten information in the original file of the print data, and creates a situation in which a note is written in the file. Therefore, it is possible to reflect the written contents written on the printed matter output by the printing apparatus in the original file data stored in the host computer.

  The gist of the present invention is that the digital pen can wirelessly transmit the handwritten information to the outside, and the computer wirelessly receives the handwritten information transmitted by the digital pen.

  According to this configuration, since the communication format between the digital pen and the computer is wireless, for example, a cable for connecting the digital pen and the computer is not necessary, and the usability of the printing system is improved as compared with the case where these are wired.

  In the present invention, the print output unit performs a printing process on the paper by changing the pattern for each page, and the digital pen includes information corresponding to the pattern in the handwritten information and transmits the information. In summary, the computer includes page correspondence means for associating a page number based on the information when the written content is reflected in the file.

  According to this configuration, even when there are a plurality of dedicated papers to be printed out by the print output means, when writing to each page with the digital pen, the writing position of the written content is determined for each page. It becomes possible.

  In the present invention, the print output means prints out a personal identification pattern for identifying a writer on the paper, and the computer identifies the personal identification when reflecting the written content in the file. The gist of the present invention is that it includes a writer correspondence means for associating a writer based on the contents written in the pattern.

  According to this configuration, for example, even when the print output means prints out a plurality of copies of the same printed matter, and different writers write on these sheets using the same digital pen, the computer can When handwritten information is acquired, the copy number and the writer can be associated with each other. Therefore, it is possible to determine which writer has written with the digital pen 2 on the printed matter of which copy number.

  In the present invention, the computer writes the written content by superimposing the converted handwritten information and the file into a data format capable of superimposing data of different files, and the converted data. And a reflecting means for reflecting the above in the file.

  According to this configuration, the conversion means converts the data of the original file and the data of the handwritten information into a format in which data can be superimposed, and then the reflection means superimposes these data and changes the written contents into the original file. reflect. Therefore, for example, even if the original file and the handwritten information are in a data format that cannot be superimposed, the written content can be reflected in the original file by the process of superimposing these data.

  In the present invention, in a printing apparatus that prints out printed characters or printed images on paper based on print data transmitted from a computer, the handwritten writing contents and the writing position are acquired as handwritten information and transmitted to the outside. When writing on the paper using a possible digital pen, the digital pen can be recognized when the print data is printed out on the paper so that the writing position of the written content can be determined. The gist of the invention is to print out a predetermined pattern on the paper to print out the paper as a dedicated paper for the digital pen.

  In the present invention, when a dedicated paper having a predetermined pattern is written with a digital pen, the digital pen acquires writing contents associated with a writing position based on the pattern as handwritten information, and the digital pen When the handwritten information is transmitted to the outside and the computer receives the handwritten information, the writing content and the writing position are recognized based on the writing information in the handwritten information, and the written content is written in a predetermined file. In the method for reflecting handwritten information, the printing apparatus prints the print data based on the predetermined file and the pattern on the paper, and prints out the paper as the dedicated paper.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a printing system, a printing apparatus, and a handwritten information reflecting method according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the printing system 1. The printing system 1 includes a digital pen 2 that can acquire information handwritten on paper with a pen and wirelessly transmit it to the outside, a computer 3 that receives the handwritten information X from the digital pen 2 and performs various processing processes, and a computer 3. And a printing device 4 that inputs print data Dprnt and prints it out. The printing system 1 prints a halftone dot pattern in addition to characters and images when the printing device 4 performs printing processing on the paper to make the printed paper 5 a dedicated paper, and the characters written on the paper 5 This is a system in which pictures, figures, etc. are acquired as handwritten information X with the digital pen 2 and reflected in the original file.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the digital pen 2. The digital pen 2 includes a pen function unit 6 for writing on paper with ink in the same way as a normal ballpoint pen, a camera 7 capable of photographing a predetermined area of the pen tip, and a pen pressure for detecting the pen pressure. A sensor 8 and a battery 9 for supplying electric power to various circuits and elements in the pen are provided. The digital pen 2 includes a processor 10 that controls various circuits and elements in the pen, a memory 11 that stores handwritten information X captured by the camera 7, and a wireless communication device 12 that performs wireless communication with an external device. It has.

  As the camera 7, an infrared camera is used in this example, and is housed inside the pen tip, for example. The camera 7 can photograph a predetermined range adjacent to the lower side of the pen tip, and can output the image signal to the processor 10.

  The processor 10 has an input side connected to the camera 7 and the pen pressure sensor 8, and an output side connected to the memory 11 and the wireless communication device 12. The processor 10 constantly monitors the writing pressure data Da output from the writing pressure sensor 8 and detects the start of writing from the value of the writing pressure data Da. During the period when the writing pressure is detected by the writing pressure sensor 8, the processor 7 The image signal output from is acquired. When acquiring the image signal, the processor 10 reads time data Db based on the clock function in the digital pen 2 in addition to the image signal.

  As shown in FIG. 1, printed paper (dedicated paper) 5 is a paper on which a special halftone dot pattern (halftone dot pattern) using an absolute coordinate address (absolute position) is printed with infrared ink. On the printed paper 5, halftone dots (dots) are arranged at intervals of about 0.3 mm. Each halftone dot is shifted to any one of four positions on the top, bottom, left, and right from the crossing point of the grid. The halftone dot pattern is set as a unit of 6 × 6 dots, and the number of patterns is the number of combinations of 36 halftone dots, that is, 4 to the 36th power. When there are 4 to 36 powers of halftone dot patterns, it is possible to set an absolute position of an area of about 60 million km 2 (about 97 trillion sheets for A4 paper) in terms of area.

  The processor 10 reads the halftone dot pattern on the printed paper 5 based on the image signal from the camera 7, and uses the X and Y coordinates (pen point writing position data Dc) assigned to the read halftone dot pattern. To detect. The processor 10 stores the writing position data Dc thus detected, the writing pressure data Da corresponding to each writing position data Dc, time data Db, and the like in the memory 11 as digital signals. It should be noted that the halftone dot pattern on the printed paper 5 is invisible to human eyes because it is printed with infrared ink. The writing position data Dc corresponds to writing information.

  The wireless communication device 12 is a communication device that performs, for example, Bluetooth (R) power saving and short-range wireless communication. The wireless communication device 12 transmits various data (writing pressure data Da, time data Db, writing position data Dc, etc.) temporarily stored in the memory 11 to the computer 3 as digital signals based on instructions from the processor 10. Send.

  The computer 3 includes an arithmetic and control unit 13 that performs overall control of the computer 3, an input unit 14 that is operated when inputting various data, a display unit 15 that displays various screens, and a receiving circuit capable of wireless communication with the digital pen 2. 16 and an interface 17 serving as a data gateway for the printing apparatus 4. The computer 3 includes a file database 19 capable of storing a plurality of files 18 (see FIG. 4) in a format such as normal text or rich text. Various files 18 created by performing an input operation with the input device 14 while viewing the display device 15 are accumulated in the file database 19 along with the storing operation. The arithmetic and control unit 13 constitutes a page correspondence unit and a writer correspondence unit.

  The receiving circuit 16 is a circuit conforming to the Bluetooth (R) standard, and can perform wireless communication with the wireless communication device 12 of the digital pen 2 by Bluetooth (R). When receiving the handwritten information X from the digital pen 2, the receiving circuit 16 outputs the handwritten information X to the arithmetic control device 13. The arithmetic and control unit 13 sequentially stores the handwritten information X received from the digital pen 2 via the receiving circuit 16 in the handwritten information database 20 in the computer 3.

  The arithmetic and control unit 13 has a function of reflecting the handwritten information X written on the printed paper 5 in the original file 18 of the printed characters (printed image) printed on the printed paper 5. That is, the arithmetic and control unit 13 includes a data analysis unit 21 that analyzes various data in the handwritten information X, a PDF conversion unit 22 that converts the file format of input data into a PDF format (Portable Document Format), and a post-PDF conversion. And a layer processing unit 24 that generates a composite file 23 by superimposing the plurality of data into one. The arithmetic control device 13 sequentially stores the composite file 23 generated by the layer processing unit 24 in the composite file database 25 in the computer 3. The data analysis unit 21 and the PDF conversion unit 22 constitute a conversion unit, and the layer processing unit 24 corresponds to a reflection unit.

  The arithmetic control device 13 includes a printer driver 26 as a program for controlling the printing device 4. When a file 18 is started up on the display device 15 and a print execution operation is performed on the file 18 by the input device 14, the printer driver 26 outputs the data in the file 18 to the printing device 4 via the interface 17 as print data Dprnt. . The printing device 4 and the printer driver 26 correspond to a print output unit.

  The printing apparatus 4 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 27, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 28, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 29, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 30, and an interface 31. These devices are interconnected through a system bus 32. The CPU 27 performs various processes such as a printing process and a maintenance process for the print head 33 using the RAM 30 as a work area in accordance with a control program stored in the ROM 29.

  The printing apparatus 4 includes a carriage 35 on which an ink cartridge 34 is placed, a carriage motor 36 that reciprocates the carriage 35 in the main scanning direction, and a paper feed mechanism that conveys paper in the sub-scanning direction during paper feeding or printing. 37 and a paper feed motor 38 as a drive source of the paper feed mechanism 37. The paper feed mechanism 37 includes, for example, a transmission mechanism that transmits the rotational force of the paper feed motor 38 to each roller in addition to a paper feed roller, a paper discharge roller, a transport roller, and a driven roller. The ASIC 28 drives and controls the carriage motor 36 via the carriage motor drive circuit 39 and the paper feed motor 38 via the paper feed motor drive circuit 40 based on commands from the CPU 27.

  The print head 33 is disposed on the lower surface of the carriage 35 and has a nozzle row for each color of the ink cartridge 34. For example, if the color type of the ink cartridge 34 is four colors of CMYK, four nozzle rows of CMYK are formed on the print head. Each nozzle row includes a nozzle group in which, for example, 64 or 128 nozzles are arranged in the sub-scanning direction. The ASIC 28 discharges ink from the print head 33 via the head drive circuit 41 based on a command from the CPU 27.

  In this example, the carriage 35 is provided with an ink cartridge 34a for infrared ink in addition to the CMYK ink cartridge. For this reason, on the lower surface of the print head 33, nozzle rows (not shown) for discharging infrared ink are formed so as to have the same number of nozzles as other (CMYK) nozzle rows. Therefore, in this example, there are a total of five nozzle rows in the print head 33, which are a CMYK nozzle row plus an infrared ink nozzle row.

  When the print data Dprnt is output from the computer 3 to the printing apparatus 4, the printer driver 26 adds halftone dot printing data to the print data Dprnt and outputs the print data Dprnt to the printing apparatus 4. This halftone dot printing data is data for printing a halftone dot pattern for a digital pen on paper. Therefore, when the ASIC 28 prints out the print data Dprnt transmitted from the computer 3 on a sheet, the infrared ink in the ink cartridge 34a is formed on the sheet at the timing when a halftone dot pattern is formed on the sheet in synchronization with the printing process. The halftone dot pattern for the digital pen 2 is printed on the paper. Accordingly, the printed paper 5 output from the printing apparatus 4 can be used as a dedicated paper for the digital pen 2.

  Further, when the printing device 4 prints out the print data Dprnt over a plurality of sheets, the printer driver 26 prints the print data Dprnt with different halftone dot pattern arrangements on each page. Output halftone dot printing data. Therefore, the printed paper 5 printed out by the printing apparatus 4 is not a paper on which the halftone dot pattern having the same arrangement is printed on all pages, but a paper having a different halftone dot arrangement on each page. .

  FIG. 3 is an image diagram of the data structure of the handwritten information X, and FIG. 4 is an image diagram of the data structure of the file 18. As shown in FIG. 2, the handwritten information X has halftone dot information Dm indicating information related to the halftone dot pattern of the printed paper 5 in addition to the writing pressure data Da, the time data Db, and the writing position data Dc. . The halftone dot information Dm is information relating to the arrangement of the halftone dot pattern printed on the printed paper 5, and in this example, the information that can know the page number when the printed paper 5 spans a plurality of pages. It is. The halftone dot information Dm corresponds to the information.

  The writing pressure data Da, the time data Db, the writing position data Dc, and the halftone dot information Dm are handled as a single data unit. That is, the processor 10 acquires an image signal output from the camera 7 and captures various data during a period when the pen pressure is detected by the pen pressure sensor 8. Treat as.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the file 18 has a data structure in which character data and image data are divided for each page (first page data, second page data,...). The page information Dp indicating the page number of the data is included in the data of each page. Therefore, for example, the page information Dp in the first page data is information indicating that the accompanying data is the first page, and the page information Dp in the second page data is that the accompanying data is the second page. It becomes the information which shows.

Next, the operation of the printing system 1 of this example will be described with reference to FIG.
First, it is assumed that a predetermined file 18 is opened on the display device 15 by operating the input device 14 of the computer 3, a printing user interface screen is opened on the display device 15, and a print execution operation is performed. At this time, the printer driver 26 outputs the print data Dprnt to the printing apparatus 4, and outputs print data Dprnt by adding data for halftone printing to the print data Dprnt. Here, it is assumed that print data Dprnt for a plurality of sheets is output to the printing apparatus 4.

  The printing apparatus 4 performs a printing process based on the print data Dprnt, and simultaneously performs a halftone dot pattern printing for the digital pen 2 by spraying infrared ink onto the paper in addition to the printing process of characters and images. Therefore, the printed paper 5 printed out by the printing device 4 becomes a dedicated paper for the digital pen 2. In this example, since print data Dprnt for a plurality of sheets is sent to the printing apparatus 4, printing processing is performed on a plurality of sheets, and the halftone dot pattern printed on each printed sheet 5 is for each page. Printed out with different array patterns.

  Subsequently, it is assumed that characters and figures are written on the printed paper 5 with the digital pen 2. At this time, the processor 10 in the digital pen 2 acquires the writing position data Dc based on the image signal of the camera 7, the writing pressure data Da from the writing pressure sensor 8, and the time data Db from its own clock function. These are temporarily stored in the memory 11 as handwritten information X of a digital signal. When entering the reception area of the reception circuit 16, the wireless communication device 12 transfers the handwritten information X stored in the memory 11 to the computer 3 at predetermined time intervals. The computer 3 receives the handwritten information X transferred from the digital pen 2 by the receiving circuit 16 and sequentially stores it in the handwritten information database 20 via the arithmetic and control unit 13.

  When reflecting the handwritten information X captured in the handwritten information database 20 in the original file 18, the user operates the input device 14 to start an application for the reflecting function on the computer 3. At this time, the data analysis unit 21 rearranges the data arrangement of the handwritten information X stored in the handwritten information database 20 as one file unit data, and the handwritten information X shown in FIG. (Image information) 42 is generated. After data generation, the data analysis unit 21 displays a file selection screen 43 as shown in FIG. While viewing the file selection screen 43, the user selects the original file 18 and the handwritten file 42 to be reflected in the file 18.

  After the file selection, when the user selects and operates the execution button 43a on the file selection screen 43, the PDF conversion unit 22 converts the selected original file 18 and the handwritten file 42 into PDF data. At this time, the halftone dot information Dm in the handwritten information X is converted into data (see FIG. 3) that can be read as page information Dp indicating the written page number.

  Subsequently, the layer processing unit 24 generates a composite file 23 shown in FIG. 5 by layering (superimposing) each data of the original file 18 and the handwritten file 42 that have been converted to PDF. At this time, the layer processing unit 24 superimposes the two data in association with the page numbers. Therefore, as shown in the figure, a composite file 23 is generated in which the handwritten file 42 of the original file 18 is superimposed. When the user performs a composite file storage operation on the computer 3, the layer processing unit 24 stores the composite file 23 in the composite file database 25 in the computer 3.

  Therefore, according to this example, when printing data Dprnt is printed out by the printing apparatus 4, in addition to printing characters and images on this paper, a halftone dot pattern is also printed. Accordingly, the printed paper 5 printed out by the printing apparatus 4 can be used as a dedicated paper for the digital pen 2, and the written content written on the printed paper 5 by handwriting is restored to the original in the computer 3. This can be reflected in the file 18.

According to the configuration of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) When the printing device 4 prints out the print data Dprnt transmitted by the computer 3, a halftone pattern for the digital pen 2 is printed on the paper in addition to characters and images. Accordingly, even when a memo or the like is written on the printed paper 5 printed out by the printing apparatus 4 with the digital pen 2, the original file 18 in the computer 3 can be obtained by acquiring the handwritten information X with the digital pen 2. Can be reflected.

  (2) Since the communication format between the digital pen 2 and the computer 3 is wireless, a cable for connecting the digital pen 2 and the computer 3 is not necessary as compared with the case where the two are connected by wire, for example, and the digital pen 2 As a result, the usability of the printing system 1 is improved.

  (3) When the printing apparatus 4 prints and outputs a plurality of sheets, the dot pattern arrangement is printed differently for each of these pages. Therefore, even if there are a plurality of sheets to be printed out by the printing apparatus 4, the written contents can be acquired with the digital pen 2 for each page.

  (4) Each data of the original file 18 of the print data Dprnt and the handwritten file 42 is converted into the PDF format, and the two data after the PDF conversion are superimposed, and written on the printed paper 5 with the digital pen 2. The handwritten information X is reflected in the original file 18. Therefore, for example, even if the original file 18 and the handwritten information X are each in a data format that cannot be superimposed, both data are dropped into the PDF format, so the handwritten information X is converted into the original file 18 by a method of superimposing these data. Can be reflected.

  (5) Since the infrared ink is used for printing the halftone dot pattern, the halftone dot pattern is not visible to human eyes on the printed paper 5. Therefore, even if the halftone dot pattern is printed on the printed paper 5 on which the character or image is printed, the printed character or print image does not become difficult to see due to the halftone dot pattern.

  (6) When a halftone pattern is provided on the printing paper, for example, if a special paper is used and printing processing is performed on it, characters and the like are printed on the special paper, and the halftone pattern is crushed by printing. . However, if the method of this example is used, it is possible to print a halftone dot pattern on a printed character or the like, and therefore, it is possible to perform a printing process without destroying the halftone dot pattern.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that this example is different from the first embodiment in that, when handwritten writing is performed with one digital pen 2 on each printed paper 5 that has been printed out in a plurality of copies, the user who writes to each paper 5 is recognized. Yes. Therefore, in this example, only parts different from the first embodiment will be described, and the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  When printing a plurality of copies, for example, the user starts up a user face screen on the display device 15 of the computer 3 and inputs a desired number of copies to perform a print start operation. After this operation, the printer driver 26 outputs print data Dprnt for printing a plurality of copies to the printing apparatus 4 and causes the printing apparatus 4 to execute a plurality of copies. Also in this case, since the halftone dot pattern is printed on the paper in a different arrangement pattern for each page, the halftone dot pattern arrangement on the paper is different between the respective parts.

  At this time, the printer driver 26 associates the information shown in FIG. 7 (hereinafter referred to as related information) with the number of copies for printing a plurality of copies and the absolute coordinate address (absolute position) of the halftone dot pattern printed at the time of printing the number of copies. 45) is stored in a memory (not shown) in the computer 3. This related information 45 corresponds to information indicating from what to where of the absolute coordinate address (absolute position) obtained from the halftone dot pattern on the paper, how many copies of the printing paper are printed.

  The printer driver 26 causes a plurality of check boxes 46 for writer designation to be printed on the first sheet of each unit as shown in FIG. In this example, five check boxes 46a to 46e of square ID1 to ID5 are printed side by side at the upper position of the sheet. Note that the shape, print position, and number of prints of the check box 46 can be freely changed. Also, the check boxes 46 (46a to 46e) correspond to personal identification patterns.

  Next, consider a case in which characters and figures are written on the printed paper 5 having the check boxes 46a to 46e by the digital pen 2. As shown in FIG. 8, for example, when a writer with ID1 performs handwriting on the printed paper 5, the writer adds a check 47 to the check box 46a with ID1. Thus, for example, when a check 47 is added to the check box 46 of ID1 written on the first printed sheet 5, the first printed sheet 5 is printed with characters and drawings by the writer of ID1. It will be added by handwriting.

  When writing is performed on the printed paper 5 with the digital pen 2, the processor 10 in the digital pen 2 temporarily stores the handwritten information X in the memory 11. At this time, the processor 10 obtains the write position data of the check 47 attached to the check box 46 as the ID data Did (see FIG. 3). That is, when the check 47 is added to the check box 46a of ID1 as in the example shown in FIG. 8, the writing position data Dc of the check 47 indicates that the paper subjected to the handwriting work is ID1. Data Did. When entering the reception area of the reception circuit 16, the wireless communication device 12 transfers the handwritten information X (including ID data Did) temporarily stored in the memory 11 to the computer 3 at a predetermined time interval. The computer 3 receives the handwritten information X transferred from the digital pen 2 by the receiving circuit 16 and sequentially stores it in the handwritten information database 20 via the arithmetic and control unit 13.

  When reflecting the handwritten information X captured in the handwritten information database 20 in the original file 18, the user operates the input device 14 to start an application for the reflecting function on the computer 3. At this time, the data analysis unit 21 rearranges the data sequence of the handwritten information X stored in the handwritten information database 20 so as to create a handwritten file 42 (see FIG. 5) for each ID, and the related data are exchanged. Perform a combination process.

  As this process, the data analysis unit 21 first compares the data of the handwritten information X in the handwritten information database 20 (that is, the ID data Did) with the data of the original file 18 to determine which check 47 is where. It is determined whether the check boxes 46a to 46e are attached. Thereby, the data analysis unit 21 can determine which check 47 corresponds to which absolute coordinate address. Here, if the absolute coordinate address of the check 47 is known, the number of copies of the printed paper 5 with the check 47 can be determined by referring to the related information 45 shown in FIG. is there. Therefore, the data analysis unit 21 determines the absolute coordinate address of the check position by this check determination, and can associate the ID (writer) with the copy number by referring to the related information 45 shown in FIG. It is.

  Then, the data analysis unit 21 determines which copy number each handwritten information X in the handwritten information database 20 has by referring to the related information 45. If the copy number of the handwritten information X is known, the data analyzing unit 21 adds the handwritten information X to the corresponding copy number file and generates it as one file. After the data generation, the data analysis unit 21 displays a file selection screen 48 as shown in FIG. In the file selection screen 48 shown in FIG. 9, the handwritten file 42 exists in accordance with each copy number. While viewing the file selection screen 48, the user selects the original file 18 and the handwritten file 42 to be reflected in the file 18.

  After the file selection, when the user selects and operates the execution button 48a on the file selection screen 48, the PDF conversion unit 22 converts the selected original file 18 and the handwritten file 42 into PDF data. The layer processing unit 24 generates a composite file 23 shown in FIG. 5 by layering (superposing) each data of the original file 18 and the handwritten file 42 that have been converted into PDF.

  The computer 3 also includes a user database 49 that stores display conditions for each user when the handwritten information X is displayed over the original file 18. In the user database 49, a display font, a display style, a display color, and the like are set for each user (ID1 to ID5). Various data in the user database 49 can be freely set and changed. As for display colors, a color picker may be launched and a display color may be selected from the color picker.

  Therefore, when the computer 3 displays the composite file 23 on the display device 15, the computer 3 refers to the user database 49 and displays the composite file 23 on the display device 15 under display conditions corresponding to each user. For example, when the composite file 23 of the user with ID 1 is displayed on the display device 15, the composite file 23 is displayed under the display conditions that the display font is “Gothic”, the display style is “standard”, and the display color is “black”. 15 is displayed.

Therefore, according to the second embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects (1) to (5) described in the first embodiment.
(7) Even when the printing device 4 prints out a plurality of copies of the same printed matter, and different writers write on the printed paper 5 of each portion using the same digital pen 2, the computer 3 can output the digital pen 2. When the handwritten information X is taken in, the copy number and the writer can be associated with each other. Accordingly, it is possible to determine which writer has written with the digital pen 2 on the printed matter of which copy number.

  (8) When the composite file 23 is displayed on the display device 15 of the computer 3, the display conditions stored in the user database 49 are referred to and handwritten with the display conditions (display font, display style, display color) corresponding to each user. Information X is displayed. Therefore, when the composite file 23 is displayed on the display device 15 of the computer 3, the display mode of the handwritten information X can be changed for each user.

The embodiment is not limited to the above configuration, and may be changed to the following modes.
(Modification 1) In the first and second embodiments, halftone dot print data for printing a halftone dot pattern is sent from the computer 3 to the printing apparatus 4 along with data such as print characters and print images. It is not limited to the configuration. In other words, the computer 3 outputs only data such as print characters and print images, and the printing apparatus 4 adds the halftone print data to these data to print the characters, images and halftone patterns on the paper. Good.

  (Modification 2) In the first and second embodiments, the halftone dot pattern is not limited to being printed with infrared ink, but may be printed with colored ink such as black ink. In this case, the camera 7 does not need to be an infrared camera.

  (Modification 3) In the first and second embodiments, a personal computer or the like is used as the computer 3, but other communication terminals such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistance) and a mobile phone are used. Also good.

  (Modification 4) In the first and second embodiments, the digital pen 2 transmits the writing position data Dc to the computer 3, and the computer 3 generates image data of the handwritten information X based on the writing position data Dc. It is not limited to the configuration. For example, the processor 10 of the digital pen 2 may generate image data of the handwritten information X based on the writing position data Dc and transmit it to the computer 3.

  (Modification 5) In the second embodiment, the user specification is limited to a format in which the check box 46 is printed on the printed paper 5 and the check 47 attached to the check box 46 is acquired by the digital pen 2. Not. For example, since the digital pen 2 has identification information unique to the pen (digital pen device number), the digital pen device number is read out and transmitted to the computer 3 so that the writer on the computer 3 side can read it. May be specified. In this case, the work of adding a check 47 to the check box 46 printed on the printed paper 5 is not necessary, and the usability is improved. Also, there is no need to print the check box 46 on paper, and it is not necessary to print on the paper anything unrelated to print characters or print images.

  (Modification 6) In the first and second embodiments, the printing apparatus 4 is not limited to a model capable of printing only the print data Dprnt transmitted from the computer 3, and includes, for example, a scanner function, a local copy function, and a print function. It may be a multi-function machine equipped on the stand. The printing apparatus 4 may be a stand-alone type that can acquire image data from a medium (such as a memory card) and print it out.

(Modification 7) The pattern is not necessarily limited to the halftone dot pattern, and the pattern pattern is not particularly limited as long as the position of the handwritten character can be grasped.
Next, the technical idea that can be grasped from the above embodiment and other examples will be described below.

  (1) The writing content written on the special paper having a halftone dot pattern is acquired as handwritten information associated with the writing position, and the handwritten information is transmitted using a digital pen that can transmit the handwritten information to the outside. In the program for reflecting handwritten information used when imported to a computer, the computer receives the handwritten information transmitted by the digital pen, and the computer writes the written content based on the handwritten information in the received handwritten information. Recognizing the writing position, based on the recognition result, the step of causing the computer to reflect the written contents in a print data file printed on the dedicated paper, and When the printing device prints out the print data on paper, the halftone dot pattern is also added and the paper is printed as the dedicated paper. Writing information reflecting program, characterized in that to execute the step of put et print output to the computer.

  (2) In any one of claims 1 to 5, when the digital pen transmits unique digital ID information included in the digital pen in the digital information, the computer reflects the handwriting in the file. The ID of the digital pen is also associated based on the ID information.

1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printing system according to a first embodiment. The perspective view which shows the structure of a digital pen. The image figure which shows the data structure of handwritten information. The image figure which shows the data structure of a file. Explanatory drawing which shows the procedure at the time of producing | generating a synthetic | combination file. The screen figure which shows a file selection screen. The image figure which shows the data structure of the relevant information in 2nd Embodiment. The top view of the printed paper on which the check box was printed. The screen figure which shows a file selection screen. The block diagram which shows the display conditions stored in the user database.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printing system, 2 ... Digital pen, 3 ... Computer, 4 ... Printing apparatus which comprises printing output means, 5 ... Printed paper as exclusive paper, 13 ... Computation control which comprises page correspondence means and writer correspondence means Device: 18 ... file, 21 ... data analysis part constituting conversion means, 22 ... PDF conversion part constituting conversion means, 24 ... layer processing part as reflection means, 26 ... printer driver constituting print output means, 46 A check box as a personal identification pattern, X: handwritten information, Dc: writing position data as writing information, Dprnt: print data, Dm: halftone information as information.

Claims (7)

A writing content written on dedicated paper having a predetermined pattern is acquired as handwritten information in which the writing position is associated based on the pattern, and a digital pen capable of transmitting the handwritten information to the outside;
A computer that receives the handwritten information transmitted by the digital pen, recognizes the written content and the writing position based on the written information in the handwritten information, and reflects the written content in a predetermined file; A printing system comprising:
A printing system comprising print output means for printing out print data based on the predetermined file and the pattern on the paper to print out the paper as the dedicated paper.   The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the digital pen can wirelessly transmit the handwritten information to the outside, and the computer wirelessly receives the handwritten information transmitted by the digital pen. The print output means performs a printing process on the paper by changing the pattern for each page, and the digital pen includes information corresponding to the pattern in the handwritten information and transmits the information.
3. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the computer includes a page correspondence unit that associates a page number based on the information when the written content is reflected in the file.   The print output means prints out a personal identification pattern for identifying a writer on the paper, and the computer writes the personal identification pattern in the file when reflecting the written content in the file. The printing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a writer correspondence means for associating a writer based on the read contents.   The computer converts the handwritten information and the file into a data format that allows data in different files to be superposed, and superimposes the written data on the file by superimposing the converted data. The printing system according to claim 1, further comprising reflecting means for reflecting. In a printing apparatus that prints out print characters or print images on paper based on print data transmitted from a computer,
The writing position of the written content can be determined when the handwritten writing content and the writing position are written as handwritten information and written on the paper using a digital pen that can be transmitted to the outside. As described above, when printing the print data on a sheet, the predetermined pattern recognizable by the digital pen is printed on the sheet, and the sheet is printed out as a dedicated sheet for the digital pen. Printing device to do. When writing on dedicated paper having a predetermined pattern with a digital pen, the digital pen acquires writing contents associated with a writing position based on the pattern as handwritten information, and the digital pen stores the handwritten information. Handwriting that recognizes the written content and the writing position based on the writing information in the handwritten information and reflects the written content in a predetermined file when the computer receives the handwritten information transmitted to the outside In the information reflection method,
The printing apparatus reflects the handwritten information by printing the print data based on the predetermined file and the pattern on the paper and printing the paper as the dedicated paper.

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