Interactive device using capacitive sensor array for joint page identification and page location determination
AssigneeLeapFrog Enterprises, Inc.
InventorsPeter Milford, Mark Flowers
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An interactive media device. The device has an area for receiving a document and a sensor network adjacent to the area. The sensor network has a first region adjacent to the document and responsive to user proximity to the first region. The sensor network has a second region that is responsive to markers disposed on or embedded in the document. The device has a processor coupled to the sensor network and able to receive signals from the sensor network indicating capacitance change in the first and second regions based on the received signals. The processor is thus able to identify a location in the document based on the first and second received signals.
Claims30
An apparatus for detecting information related to a document, said apparatus comprising:
- a sensor array for generating signals used to identify a facing page of said document and also used to detect user proximity to a location of said facing page, wherein each sensor of said sensor array is responsive to changes in capacitance thereof;
- and
- a processor coupled to receive said signals and, in response thereto, for automatically identifying said facing page and said location.
An interactive media device, comprising:
- an area for receiving a document;
- a sensor network comprising a first region adjacent to the document and responsive to user proximity to the first region and a second region responsive to markers disposed on or embedded in said document;
- and
- a processor coupled to the sensor network and operable to receive first signals from the sensor network that are a function of capacitance in the first region and second signals from the sensor network that are a function of capacitance in the second region, wherein said processor is operable to identify a location in the document based on said first and second signals.
In an interactive media device, a method of detecting a user-indicated location in a multi-page document having page markers, said method comprising:
- receiving first signals that are a function of capacitance of a first region of a sensor network;
- determining a pattern of page markers embedded on or disposed on the document based on the first received signals;
- identifying a page of the document based on the pattern;
- receiving second signals that are a function of capacitance of a second region of the sensor network, wherein said second signals are indicative of user proximity to a particular sensor in said second region;
- and
- determining said user-indicated location in the multi-page document based on the second received signals.
An apparatus for joint detection of a facing page of a document and a user-indicated location on said facing page, said apparatus comprising:
- a surface for receiving said document;
- a plurality of sensors for detecting user proximity to at least one of the sensors and for detecting markers disposed on or embedded in said document, wherein said markers are conductive;
- and
- a processor coupled to said sensors for reading signals output from said sensors and for identifying said facing page based on a pattern of said markers and for identifying said user-indicated location on said facing page based on said at least one sensor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.