Abstract: A touchscreen writing system includes a shaft having on-screen circuitry configured to communicate with an electronic display in an on-screen condition, and off-screen circuitry configured to communicate with the electronic display in an off-screen condition. A stylus controller sends signals to a touch-sensitive interface of the electronic display for determining a coarse approximate position for the writing nib. The stylus controller also determines relative fine approximate position coordinates for the writing nib, which are sent to the computing device. A touch-sensitive interface controller provides a starting reference point for fine positioning of the writing nib based on a last coarse approximate position as determined by the on-screen circuitry for the off-screen condition. The stylus controller sends fine positioning information to the touch-sensitive interface and a detector determines whether the writing nib has been engaged on an off-screen writing surface.

Abstract: A short-range communication system, such as a Bluetooth communication system, is provided that provides for a source communication device to multiplex data packets that are intended for different sink communication devices of multiple sink communication devices into a single stream that is broadcast to all of the multiple sink communication devices, and for each of the multiple sink communication devices to decode only the data packets intended for that sink communication device. Further, the communication system provides for a first sink communication device of the multiple sink communication devices to negotiate connection parameters associated the broadcast and to convey the negotiated connection parameters to a second sink communication device of the multiple sink communication devices, as opposed to each sink communication device setting up its own connection with the source communication device.