Abstract: A camera pen is made from a pen-like housing contains a camera and has a button for sending a signal to a computer which directs the camera to capture an image. The pen-like housing includes landing gear on one end. The landing gear has an opening which forms a flat surface that is angled such that when a user places the camera pen on a surface, the angle at which the pen rests on the surface is ergonomically comfortable for the user. Furthermore, the camera is oriented toward the opening so that when the user presses the button indicating a desire to capture an image, the camera captures the image in the opening. By combining a camera with a pen-like device, the user can comfortably capture image information from a surface.

Abstract: An apparatus for imaging books or other bound documents with minimal stress being applied to the book structure, and for successively imaging and turning pages of a book without the need for manual intervention. The book imager includes a support, for placement of a book in an open position, an imager having opposed imaging surfaces capable of simultaneously imaging the entire exposed, facing adjacent pages of the book in a distortion preventing manner, and a page turner. The support and the imager are relatively movable toward and away from one another, from a first position in which imaging is effected, to a second position in which page turning is effected.