Abstract:
A compact business card scanner incorporating a processing unit and digital storage media for efficient scanning, processing and storage of object image data in image file format, providing display of stored image data as a graphic image of the scanned business card upon an integrated, preferably LCD, display. Stored images may be serially displayed in forward or reverse sequence order, the image displayed may be scrolled, and the portion of the image displayed may be enlarged or reduced in size. Optionally, object image data may be processed and stored in text file format, sorted alphabetically by last name and displayed as text.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    A. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention is directed to a business card scanner that scans, processes stores, and displays business card object image data as digital image data, with optionally a capability to use optical character recognition software to capture, process and store selected data as character data.  
           [0003]    B. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0004]    Business card scanners are known. However, known business card scanners are limited to optical character recognition type data processing, with character data storage in data files.  
         OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a compact business card scanner that employs a contact image sensor (CIS) module or charge couple device (CCD) module to capture, process, store and display image data representative of the business card data scanned as an object image.  
           [0006]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a sensor module that employs a rod or Selfor lens to focus a business card image onto the image sensors.  
           [0007]    It is a further object of the present invention to employ a monorail track upon which the sensor module is movably mounted and moved to accomplish business card scanning.  
           [0008]    It is also an object of the present invention to employ a drive system to move the sensor module upon the monorail track in a business card scanner.  
           [0009]    It is a further object of the present invention to incorporate a central processor unit (CPU) in a business card scanner to process digital image data received from the image sensors.  
           [0010]    It is a further object of the present invention to incorporate in a business card scanner digital storage media to store digital image data representative of the business card object image.  
           [0011]    It is a further object of the present invention to incorporate into a business card scanner a liquid crystal display (LCD) to display the additional image data as graphic images upon a screen.  
           [0012]    It is a further object of the present invention to incorporate into a business card scanner a manual control that is operationally coupled with the hardware and with installed software elements to permit a serial display of the scanned business card graphical images as well as user manipulation of the graphic image display.  
           [0013]    With reference to the above-described objects, the present invention provides a compact business card scanner system which allows convenient scanning, processing, storage, recall and display of graphical image data upon an incorporated display screen, which preferably utilizes a rod or “Selfor” lens to focus the object image onto a CIS or CCD image sensor, and includes, optionally optical character recognition software to recognize, process, store and display characters representative of textual information on a scanned business card. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the compact business card scanner of the present invention.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the FIG. 1 embodiment taken through line  2 - 2 .  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the FIG. 1 embodiment taken through line  3 - 3  of FIG. 2 showing the sensor module at the start scan position.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the FIG. 1 embodiment taken through line  3 - 3  of FIG. 2 showing the sensor module at the end scan position.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating the functional steps describing use of the function control keys and associated installed software of the present invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0019]    Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4 a preferred embodiment of the present invention is disclosed wherein a compact business card scanner utilizing a rod lens in conjunction with either a CIS or CCD sensor scans a business card and then processes, stores and/or displays corresponding digital data in an image format.  
         [0020]    Referring to FIG. 1 a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present compact business card scanner  20  is shown. The scanner  20  includes an upper housing  21  having a front surface  22 , a display screen  24  and a plurality of function keys including an off/on key  26 , an image display key  28 , a list key  30 , a scan key  32 , a zoom down key  34 , zoom up key  36 , search forward key  38 , and search backward key  40 . Scanner  20  additionally includes a lower housing  50  having a top surface  52 , platen  54 , a recess in the top surface  56 . Lower housing  50  also includes a monorail  58 , stepper motor and gears  42 , a timing belt drive  46 , rechargeable battery  48 , module carriage  60 , and sensor module casing  62 . As also shown, upper housing  21  and lower housing  50  are mechanically joined by hinge  63 .  
         [0021]    The preferred overall exterior dimensions of the scanner  20  with the upper housing  21  closed upon the lower housing  50  is 6.5 inches by 3.5 inches by 0.75 inches, although alternative embodiments of the scanner may be fabricated having different exterior dimensions or shape. Further, the preferred dimensions of the platen  54  is 2.0 inches by 3.5 inches by 0.08 inches.  
         [0022]    Referring to FIG. 2 the scanner of the present invention employs, preferably, a contact image sensor (CIS) module of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,907,413, which is incorporated by reference herein. Platen  54 , preferably made of glass, is set into a top surface  52  such that a recess at  56  is created between top surface  52  and the top surface of the platen  54 . Recess  56  facilitates positioning a business card to be scanned face down on the top surface  84  of the platen  54  by functioning as an abutment surface. The lower housing  50  includes a sensor module casing  62  with a rod lens array  64  positioned adjacent the second, or lower surface  86  of the platen  54 . Positioned underneath the rod lens array  64  in the sensor module casing  62  is a sensor array  66 , which together with sensor module casing  62  is affixed to the top surface of a ceramic substrate  68 . As shown in FIG. 3, the ceramic substrate  68  is in turn affixed to the top surface of module carriage  60 .  
         [0023]    As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the module carriage  60  is mounted on a monorail  58  adapted and positioned to be transported from one end of the scanner to its opposite end through use of timing belt drive  46  and stepper motor  42 . The module carriage  60  includes a portion or region  70  shown in FIG. 2 which extends under the module and the carriage and provides a bore, or channel, through which the monorail  58  may pass.  
         [0024]    Referring to FIG. 2 a central processor unit (CPU)  72  is shown in a preferred location within lower housing  50 , together with a digital data storage media  74  at a preferred location within the lower housing  50 . CPU  72  is operably connected to the battery power source  48  and is in electrical communication with the digital data storage media  74 , the sensor array  66 , the display screen  24 , the plurality of function keys  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32 ,  34 ,  36 ,  38 , and  40 , as well as stepper motor  42  and light source  76 . Scanner  20  is energized by a battery power source  48  or, alternatively by an optional external electric power source.  
         [0025]    With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the configuration of the sensor module casing  62  will be described. FIG. 3 depicts the module carriage  60  in the start scan position, adjacent a first end of the housing  50 , while FIG. 4 depicts the module carriage  60  in the end scan position, adjacent a second, opposite end of the housing  50 . As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, sensor array casing  62  contains a recess  80  adapted to receive the light source with an included cylindrical lens  76 . At recess  80 , the light source with included cylindrical lens  76  are adapted and focused so that light is directed to a line just above the individual focusing elements on each of the rod lenses of the lens array  64  across the width of the array. The sensor module casing  62  contains a bore or channel  78  to receive each of the lenses of the rod lens array  64 . The sensor module casing  62  further contains a recess  82 , in communication with recess  78 , and adapted to receive sensor array  66 .  
         [0026]    With reference to FIG. 5, a flow chart  90  illustrating the functional steps associated with the operation of the invention, use of the function keys and associated installed software is described. With off/on key  26  in the “on” position and the carriage module  60  in the position as shown in FIG. 3, depression of scan key  32  initiates scanning function start  92  which begins scan  94  and movement of the module carriage  60  through operation of stepper motor and gears  42  through operation of a central processing unit  72  to cause movement of the timing belt drive  46 . Once the module carriage  60  reaches the position on monorail  58  shown in FIG. 4, the module carriage is returned automatically to the start scan position shown in FIG. 3. Image data is acquired at step  96  during the scan  94  by illumination of a light source  76  through the operation of CPU  72 , and an object image is focused on the sensor array  66  by the rod lens  64 . The sensor array  66  detects the object image and converts the object image to digital data representative of the object image.  
         [0027]    Utilizing conventional software, ScanWizard version 5.5 or higher being preferred, the digital data is processed as described with reference to FIG. 5. The representative image digital data is conveyed to an optical character recognition software routine at step  98  for generation of a text file. The representative image digital data generated at step  96  is conveyed to a data compression software routine  100  to generate an image file which is combined with the text file at step  102 . The combined text and image file  102  is provided to an algorithm  104  designed to identify the last name of the person inscribed on the business card to sort the last name alphabetically and to store the file and digital data storage media at step  106 . Operation of list key  30  selects display of stored text files only, listed alphabetically by last name, which may be scrolled forward or backward by operation of the forward key  38  or backward key  40 , respectively.  
         [0028]    In an alternative preferred embodiment, the step  98  optical character recognition and step  104  last name alphabetical sorting may be omitted, thus providing for image files storage only at step  106 . In either embodiment, the scanning, representative digital data processing and storage steps are complete at step  108 .  
         [0029]    Upon completion of file storage at step  106  the stored representative, image digital data file is processed to be displayed on display screen  24  at step  110  when the image display key  28  is depressed. Installed software routines then query whether a scanner function key from the keypad is depressed at step  112 . If, for example, the zoom up key  36  is depressed at step  114 , then software routine  116  applies a predetermined, conventional algorithm to set up a scale up factor that functions to increase the scale of the displayed image. If the zoom down key  34  is depressed at step  118 , then software routine  120  applies a predetermined, conventional algorithm to set up a scale down factor that functions to decrease the scale of the displayed image. If the forward key  38  is depressed at step  122 , then software routine  124  applies a predetermined, conventional algorithm to display the file assigned the next higher file number than the image currently displayed. If the backward key  40  is depressed at step  126 , then software routine  128  applies a predetermined, conventional algorithm to display the file assigned the next lower file number than that of the image currently displayed.  
         [0030]    As should now be appreciated, a novel compact business card scanning system has been described. The business card scanning system permits the efficient scanning and storage of graphic information, as well as, optionally, text contained on a business card for display of a graphic image of the business card. When used, the text scanning and processing functions provide for alphabetical sorting of the last name inscribed on the business card for user convenience. The images are stored and may be reviewed by a serial display in forward or backward sequence order.  
         [0031]    It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations as they are outlined within the description above and within the claims appended hereto. While the preferred embodiments and application of the invention have been described, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that the objects and features of the present invention are only limited as set forth in the claims appended hereto.