Abstract: A region having coded data thereon, a method of applying the coded data to the region and a system having a computer system and sensing device for interacting with the region are provided. At least some of the coded data has data indicative of a functional attribute of a part of the region and the coded data has a plurality of substantially undifferentiated marks positioned relative to a set of predetermined nominal mark positions. Each mark has a minimum radius and a maximum radius, where the length of a mark's minimum radius is greater than 40% of the length of that mark's maximum radius.

Abstract: A handheld display device for interacting with printed content and playing associated video. The device includes: an optical sensor for imaging an area of a printed substrate containing the printed content and generating image data; an opaque touch-sensitive display screen for displaying display output to a user; a processor configured for: monitoring the identity of the substrate and the position of the device relative to the substrate using the image data; retrieving display data; rendering the display output to the display screen; interpreting user interaction with a video playback icon via the touch-sensitive display screen; retrieving video data; and initiating video playback. The opaque touch-sensitive display screen has real-time virtual transparency through the screen to the printed content from a user's perspective to provide a virtual window to the printed content.

Abstract: A character classification system is disclosed. The character classification system has an input device for receiving a handwritten input character, and a processor. The processor is configured to, for each character model, each character model being associated with an output character and defining a model specific segmentation scheme for that output character and an associated segment model, the model specific segmentation scheme defining a minimum length corresponding to a number of points in a stroke of the output character: (i) decompose the handwritten input character into one or more segments in accordance with the model specific segmentation scheme of the respective character model; and (ii) evaluate the one or more segments against the segment model of the respective character model to produce a score indicative of the conformity of the one or more segments with the segment model.

Abstract: A substrate having a coding pattern disposed therein or thereon. The coding pattern comprises: a tiling of contiguous grid cells, each grid cell being demarcated by t target elements and having t-fold rotational symmetry, each grid cell containing nt control symbols, each control symbol being encoded by a set of macrodots; and a tiling of contiguous tags, each tag consisting of an array of c grid cells, each tag containing a plurality of data symbols, each data symbol being encoded by a set of macrodots. Any contiguous tag-shaped array of c grid cells contains cnt control symbols, which encode r1 registration symbols and r2 second symbols. The r1 registration symbols, taken in a defined sequence relative to a physical layout of the tag-shaped array, form a registration codeword of length r1. The r2 second symbols form one or more second codewords.

Abstract: A handheld display device for interacting with printed content. The device includes: an optical sensor for imaging an area of a printed substrate containing the printed content and generating image data; an opaque touch-sensitive display screen for displaying display output to a user; a processor configured for: monitoring the identity of the substrate and the position of the device relative to the substrate using the image data; retrieving display data; rendering the display output to the display screen; and interpreting user input captured via the display screen. The opaque touch-sensitive display screen has real-time virtual transparency through the screen to the printed content from a user's perspective to provide a virtual window to the printed content.

Abstract: An application for execution on a computer system which generates print data for an interactive document. The application is configured to operatively control the computer system so as to perform the steps of: receive a print request from a user; format user information in an electronic document so as to include a first user interactive element; determine advertising material for printing with the user information; format the advertising material so as to include a second user interactive element; and generate print data for printing the formatted user information and the formatted advertising material together with coincident coded data on a substrate.

Abstract: A mobile telephone includes an optical sensing arrangement enabling the telephone to decode tags of coded data printed on media fed through the telephone via internal and external media pathway defined by a body of the telephone; a beam splitter deflecting incoming light onto an image sensor of the telephone; a first infrared LED directing light onto media present in the external pathway; a filter and lens arrangement receiving and directing light reflected from the external media onto the beam splitter; a second infrared LED directing light onto media present in the internal pathway; and a mirror arrangement directing light reflected from the internal media into the beam splitter. The coded data contains printing instructions for the printhead, and the filter and lens arrangement includes an infrared filter for removing non-infrared ambient light, whereby a signal to noise ratio of the reflected light is improved.

Abstract: A method of decoding a coding pattern disposed on or in a substrate.

Abstract: A handheld display device for interacting with printed content and filling in a form. The device includes: an optical sensor for imaging an area of a printed substrate containing the printed content and generating image data; an opaque touch-sensitive display screen for displaying display output to a user; a processor configured for: monitoring the identity of the substrate and the position of the device relative to the substrate using the image data; retrieving display data; rendering the display output to the display screen; and interpreting user input to a displayed form via the touch-sensitive display screen. The opaque touch-sensitive display screen has real-time virtual transparency through the screen to the printed content from a user's perspective to provide a virtual window to the printed content.

Abstract: A print assembly is disclosed. The print assembly includes a printhead for printing on a printing medium having encoded positional data thereon, a media feed assembly for feeding the medium past the printhead, a capper assembly movable between a capped position covering the printhead and an uncapped position exposing the printhead, and a print controller having a reader configured to operatively read the positional data to provide the print controller with a signal indicative of a position of the medium relative to the printhead. The controller is configured to derive a feed speed of the medium from the signal, and to correlate printing of the printhead with such feed speed.

Abstract: A method for accessing content from a computer network, the method comprising the steps of: (a) capturing an image of a substrate with a mobile phone having an optical image sensor; (b) forming on the mobile phone, a request based on the captured image; (c) transmitting, from the mobile phone via an associated mobile phone network, the request to a server on the computer network, the computer network being interoperable with the mobile phone network; (d) identifying content associated with the first identifier; and (e) receiving the content in the mobile phone.

Abstract: A digital camera device includes a housing defining a slot for receiving a printed instruction card having printed thereon an array of dots representing a programming script, the housing stores therein a roll of print media; an area image sensor for sensing an image and generating pixel data representing the image; a linear image sensor for scanning the array of dots and converting the array of dots into a data signal; a microcontroller provided in the housing, the microcontroller for decoding the data signal into the programming script and applying the programming script on the pixel data; a printing mechanism for printing the pixel data, having applied thereto the programming script, on the roll of print media; a guillotine for cutting the roll of print media; and a print manager for activating the guillotine upon receiving a signal indicating a manual attempt to pull the print media from the housing.

Abstract: A printer system for printing pages belonging to an interactive page system includes a cartridge comprising a data storage area in which is pre-stored a range of identifiers, each identifier being unique throughout the interactive page system; and a printer comprising an interface for receiving the cartridge, a reader for reading an identifier from the range of pre-stored identifiers, a coded data generator for generating a page identifier from the identifier, and a printing mechanism for printing the page identifier onto a page. The reader reads a previously unread identifier from the range of identifiers each time the coded data generator is to generate a page identifier.

Abstract: A method for providing interactive digital content for printed content. The method includes the steps of: receiving an image of a coded data pattern of a writing surface; determining a plurality of available applications for a particular printed content associated with the received pattern; receiving a selection from a user of a particular available application from the plurality of available applications; and executing the particular available application, the executing comprising invoking a function related to the printed content.

Abstract: A method of performing an action in mobile telecommunications device is disclosed. A sensor module of the mobile telecommunications device senses coded data on a document. The document has disposed thereon an image and the coded data. The coded data encodes at least an identifier. The identifier is then extracted from the coded data, and an electronic copy of the image is retrieved from a storage device, the electronic copy of the image being associated with the identifier. The electronic copy of the image is displayed on a display device of the mobile telecommunications device, together with a plurality of hyperlinks. A selection of one of the hyperlinks is received from a user, and an action associated with the selected hyperlink is performed.

Abstract: A system for delivering an electronic document is disclosed. The system has a printer for printing on a substrate user information indicative of a send instruction which is visible to a user and coded tags invisible to the user. A sensing device senses the coded tags when the sensing device is moved relative to the substrate by the user interacting with the user information. A computer system electronically captures a message composed with the sensing device via movement of the sensing device relative to a predetermined area on the substrate. The computer system determines the predetermined area on the substrate and electronically captures the message. When the sensing device senses coded tags coincident with the send instruction, the computer system transmits the message to a recipient address.

Abstract: A cartridge including identifier data that is indicative of a plurality of globally unique identifiers. The cartridge is configured for use in a printer capable of printing machine-readable coded data onto a surface. The printer has an interface for receiving the cartridge, a reader for reading the identifier data, a coded data generator and a printhead. The coded data generator is configured for allocating a globally unique identifier from the identifier data and generating coded data on the basis of the allocated identifier. The coded data includes a machine-readable pattern of coded data identifying a unique region identity for association with a substrate to be printed.

Abstract: A system includes a substrate having a coded data pattern disposed on a surface thereof. The coded data pattern encodes a plurality of Reed-Solomon symbols defining tag data and an orientation of a layout of the tag data. An optically imaging sensing device configured for imaging part of the coded data pattern; determining the orientation of the layout of the tag data; and decoding the tag data contained in the imaged part of the coded data pattern.

Abstract: A system and method for ink database searching using handwriting feature synthesis is disclosed which allows a digital ink database to be searched using a text-based query. Using a writer-specific handwriting model derived from a handwriting recognition system or suitable training procedure, a text query is converted into feature vectors that are similar to the feature vectors that would have been extracted had the author of the digital ink database written the text query by hand. The feature vectors are then used to search the database.

Abstract: A method of imaging a coding pattern disposed on a surface of a substrate. The method comprises the steps of: (a) positioning a nib of an optical reader on the surface and capturing an image of a portion of the coding pattern; (b) locating at least nine target elements in the imaged portion; (c) observing a perspective distortion of the target elements due to a 3D orientation of the reader relative to said surface; (d) calculating a 2D perspective transform using the target elements; and (e) determining a position of the nib on the surface using the 2D perspective transform and local tag data contained in the imaged portion. The imaged portion of the coding pattern has a diameter of at least one tag diameter and less than two tag diameters. The coding pattern is specially adapted for the method.