The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for electronically capturing handwritten information and for providing a visual feedback to the user of the apparatus for showing what has been written.
A device for electronically capturing handwritten information has wide-ranging applications. For example, in a point of sale environment, such a device can capture signatures for credit or debit payment authorization. Similarly, a banking institution can use such a device to capture signatures authorizing money withdrawals or similar transactions. In hotels, guests can enter registry information using such a device. In general, any application currently using paper forms can make use of a device for electronically capturing handwritten information.
In the past, there have been devices which have combined an electrographic digitizer with some form of user feedback mechanism. The user feedback mechanism allows a user to see what has been written. This serves three purposes. First, it enhances the analogy to writing on paper, thus making the digitizer more natural to use. Second, the user feedback mechanism allows the user to compose his or her writing so that he or she does not overwrite previous information or write the same information twice. Third, the user feedback mechanism allows the user to go back and make modifications to previous information. These modifications might include completing multiple stroke letters like i's and t's, as well as correcting mistakes.
In the past, there have been three approaches to providing user feedback: coincident electronic display, remote electronic display and paper. Coincident electronic display involves placing a transparent digitizer on top of an electronic display such as a cathode ray tube or liquid crystal display. The system includes a control means in communication with both the digitizer and the display such that wherever the user writes on the digitizer, a corresponding trail appears at the same corresponding location on the display. United States patent applications Ser. Nos. 575,096, filed Aug. 30, 1990, and 640,199, filed Jan. 11, 1991, both assigned to the assignee of the present application, and incorporated herein by reference, describe devices using this approach. Coincident display offers a good analogy to paper, but is very expensive due to the display and the associated controller required.
Remote electronic display is the same as coincident electronic display except that the digitizer is not on top of the display. The only advantage that remote display has over coincident electronic display is that the digitizer can be opaque, and opaque digitizers are generally less expensive than transparent digitizers. However, while remote electronic display is better than no feedback at all, it is generally counter-intuitive to use because it is not analogous to writing directly on paper.
Paper feedback involves placing a piece of paper on top of a digitizer and writing on the paper using a combination digitizer stylus/pen. Such a device is described in United States patent application Ser. No. 703,430, filed May 17, 1991, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,906, issued Jun. 9, 1992, assigned to the assignee of the present application, and incorporated herein by reference. Paper feedback has many advantages, among them very low cost and an intuitive interface. However there are drawbacks. Loading a new piece of paper before every use is inconvenient. In signature capture applications, such as point of sale debit or credit operations, discarded paper signatures invite forgery.
It will thus be seen that a handwriting capture device which provides a low-cost, reusable, paper-like feedback mechanism would be very desirable.
Other United States patent applications which are of interest with respect to the present invention are Ser. No. 744,062, filed Aug. 12, 1991 and Ser. No. 693,822, filed Apr. 30, 1991, both assigned to the assignee of the present application, and incorporated by reference herein. In addition, United States Pat. Nos. of interest include the following: 1,631,192; 2,818,662; 2,853,830; 3,011,854; 3,152,406; 3,435,543; 3,585,735; 3,943,643; 3,982,334; 4,051,609; 4,143,472; 3,761,343; 3,894,183 and 4,011,665. Prior art devices include the Mini Glo-Doodler (trademark) paper savers Colorforms of Ramsey, N.J.; the Magic Slate (registered trademark) and Brite Writer (trademark) Magic Slate (registered trademark) paper savers from the Western Publishing Company of Racine, Wis., and the Magna Doodle (registered trademark) Magnetic Drawing Toy from Tyco Toys Inc. of Moorestown, N.J.