Abstract: A handheld dictionary and/or translation device includes an optical scanning element activated by one of an optical switch activated by proximity to text to be scanned, a one-way mechanical switch within the scanning element activated by contact with a printed page, and a mechanical switch separate from the optical element. When activated, the device may be used to scan one or more printed word(s) by wanding the optical element over the word(s). In one aspect, the device includes a display that is activated simultaneously with the optical element. Once the unknown word is scanned, optical character recognition software converts the word to an electronic format, and a controller retrieves the word's definition (or translation) from a corpus within the device for output to the display and/or an audio speaker. The device may be incorporated within a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a pager, or a handheld computer.

Abstract: Provided herein is a dictionary and/or translation device that is handheld and, thus, portable. The device may be incorporated in or with a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a pager, a handheld computer, or the like. A page of text (or a portion thereof may be photographed as a digital image, and the digitally photographed page may be converted to electronic text using an optical character recognition system. The converted text may be viewed on a display that includes a system for highlighting a word or words from the output of the optical character recognition system for definition or translation. The definition or translation of the highlighted word or words may be provided and output to either one of the display or an audio output (such as a speaker) or both.

Abstract: A handheld scanning dictionary is provided. It includes a relatively small housing adapted in size to be held in one hand by a user during use. A scanning input is carried by the housing preferably at a tapered distal end of the housing, which allows text to be scanned as input during a wanding movement of a scanning input mode of operation, with a scanning input in contact with the text, and with the elongated housing held in one hand by the user and oriented generally transverse to a surface which carries such text. The elongated housing is maintained out of contact with the surface which carries the text. A display is carried by the housing in general alignment with the longitudinal axis of the housing. The controller is disposed within the housing and operatively coupled to the scanning input and the display. A program is provided which is composed of instructions which are executable by the controller.