Patent ID: 6795593
Filing Date: 2004-09-21
Classification: B41J,B42C,B65H,G06F,G06K,H04N

Abstract:
A sensing device for sensing region identity data and generating at least one of movement data and position data when the sensing device is moved relative to a region of a surface, the region identity data being indicative of an identity of the region, the movement data being indicative of the movement of the sensing device relative to the region, the position data being indicative of the position of the sensing device relative to the region, and the surface having disposed upon it coded data indicative of at least one region associated with the surface, the sensing device including:a region identity sensor configured to sense the region identity data using at least some of the coded data; a motion sensor configured to generate at least one of the movement data and the position data using at least some of the coded data; and a communicator configured to communicate the region identity data and at least one of the movement data and the position data to a computer system, wherein at least one of the region identity sensor and the motion sensor comprises: (a) an image sensor adapted to capture images of at least some of the coded data when the sensing device is placed in an operative position relative to the surface; and (b) a processor adapted to: (i) identify at least some of the coded data from one or more of the captured images; (ii) determine an orientation, within the captured images, of at least some of the coded data; (iii) decode at least some of the coded data; (iv) generate at least one of the region identity data, the movement data and the position data using at least some of the decoded coded data; and (v) operate at processing speeds ranging from 1 instruction per second to 1Ã—1012 instructions per second.