Abstract:
A digital palm PC is provided which has a housing, a digital storage device to store digitally text and/or image data, and a pagewide inkjet printer located within the housing to receive digital information from the digital storage device. The printer is configured to print an image on media external thereto as the palm PC traverses the media in a printing orientation.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This Application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/505,858 filed on Aug. 18, 2006, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/503,899, filed on 9 Aug. 2004, now issued U.S. Pat. No. 7,140,792, which is a 371 of PCT/AU03/00162, filed on Feb. 12, 2003, all of which is herein incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION  
       [0002]     The following invention relates to a hand-held personal computer known as a “palm PC”, having a built-in printer.  
       BACKGROUND TO INVENTION  
       [0003]     Known palm PCs have no means of providing an “instant” print-out of text and/or images therefrom. Instead, if a print-out is needed, the palm PC must communicate data stored therein to another PC to which there is attached a printer.  
         [0004]     The mere incorporation into a palm PC of a known conventional printer device would not result in a compact, easily portable palm PC. This is because prior printers incorporate a supply of print media and employ a print media feed mechanism to transport the print media past the printheads to effect printing onto the print media. Moreover, known printers, having a supply of print media, are large and heavier than would be desirable in a portable palm PC that is sized and shaped to fit conveniently with a user&#39;s pocket or purse for example.  
       CO-PENDING APPLICATIONS  
       [0005]     Various methods, systems and apparatus relating to the present invention are disclosed in the following co-pending applications filed by the applicant or assignee of the present invention simultaneously with the present application:  
                                                           PCT/AU03/00154   PCT/AU03/00151   PCT/AU03/00150           PCT/AU03/00145   PCT/AU03/00153   PCT/AU03/00152           PCT/AU03/00168   PCT/AU03/00169   PCT/AU03/00170           PCT/AU03/00162   PCT/AU03/00146   PCT/AU03/00159           PCT/AU03/00171   PCT/AU03/00149   PCT/AU03/00167           PCT/AU03/00158   PCT/AU03/00147   PCT/AU03/00166           PCT/AU03/00164   PCT/AU03/00163   PCT/AU03/00165           PCT/AU03/00160   PCT/AU03/00157   PCT/AU03/00148           PCT/AU03/00156   PCT/AU03/00155                      
 
         [0006]     The disclosures of these co-pending applications are incorporated herein by cross-reference.  
       RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS AND PATENTS  
       [0007]    
       
         
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
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       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     In accordance with the invention, there is provided a digital palm PC comprising: 
        a housing;     a digital storage device to store digitally text and/or image data; and     a printer located within the housing and receiving digital information from the digital storage device, the printer being configured to print an image on media external thereto as the palm PC traverses the media in a printing orientation.        
 
         [0012]     Preferably, the palm PC further includes a movement sensor configured to measure the relative movement of the palm PC as it traverses the media in the printing orientation. More preferably, the movement sensor includes a wheel configured to engage the media as the palm PC traverses the media in the printing orientation,  
         [0013]     In one embodiment, the wheel is an optical encoder wheel including a series of circumferential markings, the movement sensor further including an optical sensor for detecting relative movement of the markings as the wheel rotates in engagement with the media.  
         [0014]     Alternatively, the movement sensor forms part of an optical tracking system for tracking relative movement of the palm PC as it traverses the media in the printing orientation. In one form, the optical tracking system includes pattern recognition means for recognizing relative movement of the palm PC with respect to the media. The optical tracking system can be configured to recognize a predetermined pattern on the media, and to recognize the relative movement of the palm PC with respect to the media by determining relative movement of the palm PC with respect to the predetermined pattern.  
         [0015]     Preferably, the housing also includes a print controller including a processor into which image data can be input and converted into a sequence of drop ejection control signals. The print controller operates said ink ejection nozzles in accordance with said drop ejection control signals to cause printing on said print media at a rate determined by the measured relative movement of palm PC with respect to the media.  
         [0016]     Preferably, the printer includes a drop-on-demand color inkjet printhead.  
         [0017]     In a preferred form, the palm PC further includes an ink reservoir in fluid communication with the printhead for providing ink thereto. Preferably, the ink reservoir includes at least one ink inlet via which the ink reservoir can be recharged with ink. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]     A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0019]      FIG. 1  is a schematic perspective illustration of a palm PC having a built-in printer in use, printing an image on a page;  
         [0020]      FIG. 2  is perspective illustration of a palm PC shown from above;  
         [0021]      FIG. 3  is a schematic perspective illustration of a palm PC shown from below;  
         [0022]      FIG. 4  is a schematic parts-exploded perspective view of the palm PC;  
         [0023]      FIG. 5  is a schematic perspective illustration of the major internal components of the palm PC;  
         [0024]      FIG. 6  is a front elevational view of the palm PC;  
         [0025]      FIG. 7  is a side elevational view of the palm PC;  
         [0026]      FIG. 8  is an end elevational view of the palm PC; and  
         [0027]      FIG. 9  is a schematic cross-sectional elevational view of the palm PC taken at IX-IX in  FIG. 8 . 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0028]     In  FIG. 1  of the accompanying drawings there is schematically depicted a palm PC  10  having an integral printer. The palm PC is sized and shaped to fit within a typical purse or pocket user and is shown in the figure traversing a page of print media  11  to print an image  12  thereon.  
         [0029]     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the palm PC includes a housing having a top molding  13  and a base molding  14 . These moldings house the internal components of the device. The palm PC includes a color liquid crystal display (LCD) and touch screen  20 . A stylus  21  fits within a receptacle in the palm PC and is used to touch the LCD and touch screen  20  to operate the device. Function buttons  19  also serve to control the functioning of the palm PC.  
         [0030]     At the bottom edge of the palm PC  10  there is provided a printhead  15  flanked at either end by wheels  16  and  22 . Wheel  16  is an optical encoder wheel, whereas wheel  22  is an idler wheel. These wheels may be connected so as to rotate in unison upon a common shaft. The operation of optical encoder wheel  16 , idler wheel  22  and printhead  15  is described in detail our co-pending application (AP46) entitled “Portable Printer and Copier”, the content of which is specifically incorporated herein by cross-reference.  
         [0031]     The printhead  15  can be capped and uncapped selectively by a capping device (not shown), which is described in our co-pending application (AP44) entitled “Capping Device for a Portable Printer”, the content of which is specifically incorporated herein by cross-reference. As an alternative to a capping device, an ink seal  36  may be provided. This might be in the form of a removable strip of elastomeric material.  
         [0032]     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the palm PC  10  includes ink inlets  17  via which an internal ink reservoir having separate compartments can be refilled with ink. A battery charger and communications port module  18  are located, in this embodiment, on the same side of the palm PC as the ink inlets  17 .  
         [0033]     As shown in the exploded perspective illustration of  FIG. 4 , the LCD and touch screen  20  sits upon a printed circuit board  26 . A number of function switches  37  are mounted on the PCB  26  and aligned with function buttons  19  so a to be depressed when the buttons  19  are used. A battery  23  which is preferably a lithium-ion rechargeable battery resides alongside the PCB and is connected electrically to the charger port module  18  and the PCB  26 . A speaker  24  is also provided. The ink inlets communicate with respective compartments within reservoir  29 . These compartments are best illustrated in  FIG. 9 . The individual ink compartments relay ink to the printhead unit  15 .  
         [0034]     As depicted in  FIG. 5 , the PCB  26  has attached thereto a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chip  31 , a print engine controller (PEC) chip  30 , a QA chip  27  and a flash memory chip  28 . The battery  23  connects to the PCB at connector block  38  and a ribbon cable for flexible PCB  39  connects the power and communications port module  18  to the PCB  26  via a connector block  40 .  
         [0035]     As shown in  FIG. 9 , the ink reservoir  29  is divided into a number of longitudinal compartments. In the depicted embodiment, there are separate compartments for cyan ink  32 , magenta ink  33 , black ink  34  and yellow ink  35 . Ink from these compartments is transferred to printhead  15 .  
         [0036]     Power and data transfer from the PCB  26  to the printhead  15  can be by direct connection between those two units. That is, the printhead  15  may have electrical contacts soldered directly onto the PCB  26 . However, in alternate configurations, an intermediate flexible PCB extending between the printhead  15  and PCB  26  can be used.  
         [0037]     In use, the palm PC  10  can be operated by use of the stylus  21  upon the color LCD and touch screen  20 . Function buttons  19  can also be manipulated as required. When a printed image of text and/or graphics is desired, a print command can be initiated either by use of a stylus  21  or function buttons  19 . A user then draws the printhead  15  over a sheet of print media (in this case paper) as shown in  FIG. 1 . The ejection of ink by printhead  15  upon print media  11  is controlled by the PEC chip  30  in response to signals received from the optical encoder wheel  16  which contacts the surface of the print media  11  and rotates in use. Details of this interaction can be found in our co-pending application AP46 as cross-referenced above.  
         [0038]     The internal configuration of components within the housing of the palm PC can vary depending upon requirements. For example, the printhead and ink cartridge can be an integral unit or formed separately. The printhead can extend generally normal to the extent of the ink cartridge or parallel thereto. In a further embodiment, instead of providing only two wheels  16  and  22  (one optical encoder wheel and one idler wheel) on a narrow edge of the palm PC, three, four, or more wheels might be provided say in the broad back face of base molding  14 . In the case of four wheels being provided, they can be disposed in a rectangular layout in plan. One of the wheels would be an optical encoder wheel and the other wheels idler wheels. The printhead can be located generally within a space defined by a rectangle with a wheel at each corner.  
         [0039]     Although the invention has been described with reference to a number of specific embodiments, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention can be embodied in many other forms.