Methods and systems for object identification and interaction

P-0001[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/575,195 filed on 23 May 2000

FIELD OF INVENTION

P-0002[0002] This invention relates to unique object identification and, in particular, to methods and systems for identifying and interacting with objects.

CO-PENDING APPLICATIONS

P-0003[0003] Various methods, systems and apparatus relating to the present invention are disclosed in the following U.S. applications co-filed by the applicant or assignee of the present invention:

P-0004[0004] U.S. Ser. No. ______ entitled “Orientation-Indicating Cyclic Position Codes” (docket number NPT019US);

P-0005[0005] U.S. Ser. No. ______ entitled “Symmetric Tags” (docket number NPT023US);

P-0006[0006] U.S. Ser. No. ______ entitled “Methods and Systems for Object Identification and Interaction” (docket number NIR001US);

P-0007[0007] U.S. Ser. No. ______ entitled “Methods and Systems for Object Identification and Interaction” (docket number NIR003US); and

P-0008[0008] U.S. Ser. No. ______ entitled “Methods and Systems for Object Identification and Interaction” (docket number NIR004US).

P-0009[0009] The disclosures of these co-filed applications are incorporated herein by cross-reference.

P-0010[0010] Various methods, systems and apparatus relating to the present invention are disclosed in the following application filed by the applicant or assignee of the present invention on 7 Apr. 2003: Australian Provisional Application No ______ entitled “Methods and Systems for Object Identification and Interaction” (docket number NIR002AU). The disclosures of this co-pending application are incorporated herein by cross-reference.

P-0011[0011] Various methods, systems and apparatus relating to the present invention are disclosed in the following co-pending PCT applications filed by the applicant or assignee of the present invention on 4 Dec. 2002: U.S. Ser. No. ______ entitled “Rotationally Symmetric Tags” (docket number NPT020US). The disclosures of these co-pending applications are incorporated herein by cross-reference.

P-0012[0012] Various methods, systems and apparatus relating to the present invention are disclosed in the following co-pending PCT applications filed by the applicant or assignee of the present invention on 22 Nov. 2002:

P-0013[0013] PCT/AU02/01572 and PCT/AU/02/01573.

P-0014[0014] The disclosures of these co-pending applications are incorporated herein by cross-reference.

P-0015[0015] Various methods, systems and apparatus relating to the present invention are disclosed in the following co-pending PCT applications filed by the applicant or assignee of the present invention on 15 Oct. 2002:

P-0016[0016] PCT/AU02/01391, PCT/AU02/01392, PCT/AU02/01393, PCT/AU02/01394 and PCT/AU02/01395.

P-0017[0017] The disclosures of these co-pending applications are incorporated herein by cross-reference.

P-0018[0018] Various methods, systems and apparatus relating to the present invention are disclosed in the following co-pending PCT applications filed by the applicant or assignee of the present invention on 26 Nov. 2001:

P-0019[0019] PCT/AU01/01527, PCT/AU01/01528, PCT/AU01/01529, PCT/AU01/01530 and PCT/AU01/01531.

P-0020[0020] The disclosures of these co-pending applications are incorporated herein by cross-reference.

P-0021[0021] Various methods, systems and apparatus relating to the present invention are disclosed in the following co-pending PCT applications filed by the applicant or assignee of the present invention on 11 Oct. 2001: PCT/AU01/01274. The disclosures of these co-pending applications are incorporated herein by cross-reference.

P-0022[0022] Various methods, systems and apparatus relating to the present invention are disclosed in the following co-pending PCT applications filed by the applicant or assignee of the present invention on 14 Aug. 2001: PCT/AU01/00996. The disclosures of these co-pending applications are incorporated herein by cross-reference.

P-0023[0023] Various methods, systems and apparatus relating to the present invention are disclosed in the following co-pending U.S. applications filed by the applicant or assignee of the present invention on 27 Nov. 2000:

P-0024[0024] 09/721895, 09/721894, 09/722174, 09/721896, 09/722148, 09/722146, 09/721861, 09/721892, 09/722171, 09/721858, 09/722142, 09/722087, 09/722141, 09/722175, 09/722147, 09/722172, 09/721893, 09/722088, 09/721862, 09/721856, 09/721857, 09/721859, 09/721860

P-0025[0025] The disclosures of these co-pending applications are incorporated herein by cross-reference.

P-0026[0026] Various methods, systems and apparatus relating to the present invention are disclosed in the following co-pending U.S. applications filed by the applicant or assignee of the present invention on 20 Oct. 2000:

P-0027[0027] 09/693415, 09/693219, 09/693280, 09/693515, 09/693705, 09/693647, 09/693690, 09/693593, 09/693216, 09/693341, 09/696473, 09/696514, 09/693301, 09/693388, 09/693704 09/693510, 09/693336, 09/693335

P-0028[0028] The disclosures of these co-pending U.S. applications are incorporated herein by cross-reference.

P-0029[0029] Various methods, systems and apparatus relating to the present invention are disclosed in the following co-pending U.S. applications filed by the applicant or assignee of the present invention on 15 Sep. 2000:

P-0030[0030] 09/663579, 09/669599, 09/663701, 09/663640

P-0031[0031] The disclosures of these co-pending applications are incorporated herein by cross-reference.

P-0032[0032] Various methods, systems and apparatus relating to the present invention are disclosed in the following co-pending U.S. applications filed by the applicant or assignee of the present invention on 30 Jun. 2000:

P-0033[0033] 09/609139, 09/608970, 09/609039, 09/607852, 09/607656, 09/609132, 09/609303, 09/610095, 09/609596, 09/607843, 09/607605, 09/608178, 09/609553, 09/609233, 09/609149, 09/608022, 09/609232, 09/607844, 09/607657, 09/608920, 09/607985, 09/607990 09/607196, 09/606999

P-0034[0034] The disclosures of these co-pending applications are incorporated herein by cross-reference.

P-0035[0035] Various methods, systems and apparatus relating to the present invention are disclosed in the following co-pending U.S. applications filed by the applicant or assignee of the present invention on 23 May 2000:

P-0036[0036] 09/575197, 09/575195, 09/575159, 09/575132, 09/575123, 09/575148, 09/575130, 09/575165, 09/575153, 09/575118, 09/575131, 09/575116, 09/575144, 09/575139, 09/575186, 09/575185, 09/575191, 09/575145, 09/575192, 09/575181, 09/575193, 09/575156, 09/575183, 09/575160, 09/575150, 09/575169, 09/575184, 09/575128, 09/575180, 09/575149, 09/575179, 09/575187, 09/575155, 09/575133, 09/575143, 09/575196, 09/575198, 09/57578 09/575164, 09/575146, 09/575174, 09/575163, 09/575168, 09/575154, 09/575129, 09/575124, 09/575188, 09/575189, 09/575162, 09/575172, 09/575170, 09/575171, 09/575161, 09/575141, 09/575125, 09/575142, 09/575140, 09/575190, 09/575138, 09/575126, 09/575127, 09/575158, 09/575117, 09/575147, 09/575152, 09/575176, 09/575115, 09/575114, 09/575113, 09/575112, 09/575111, 09/575108, 09/575109, 09/575110

P-0037[0037] The disclosures of these co-pending applications are incorporated herein by cross-reference.

BACKGROUND

P-0038[0038] For the purposes of automatic identification, a product item is commonly identified by a 12-digit Universal Product Code (UPC), encoded machine-readably in the form of a printed bar code.

P-0039[0039] Within supply chain management, there is considerable interest in expanding or replacing the UPC scheme to allow individual product items to be uniquely identified and thereby tracked. Individual item tagging can reduce “shrinkage” due to lost, stolen or spoiled goods, improve the efficiency of demand-driven manufacturing and supply, facilitate the profiling of product usage, and improve the customer experience.

P-0040[0040] There are two main contenders for individual item tagging: optical tags in the form of two-dimensional bar codes, and radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. Optical tags have the advantage of being inexpensive, but require optical line-of-sight for reading. RFID tags have the advantage of supporting omnidirectional reading, but are comparatively expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

P-0041[0041] According to a first aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a method of facilitating an interaction between a user and a product item, the product item having an identity and the method including the steps of:

P-0042[0042] providing the user with an interface surface associated with the product item and containing information relating to the product item, the interface surface having disposed thereon coded data indicative of the identity of the product item and of a plurality of reference points of the interface surface;

P-0043[0043] receiving, in a computer system, indicating data from a sensing device regarding the identity of the product item and a position of the sensing device relative to the interface surface, the sensing device, when placed in an operative position relative to the interface surface, sensing at least some of the coded data in the vicinity of the sensing device and generating the indicating data using at least some of the sensed coded data; and

P-0044[0044] facilitating, in the computer system and with reference to the indicating data, the interaction between the user and the product item.

P-0045[0045] Preferably, the interaction is associated with at least one zone of the interface surface and in which the method includes identifying, in the computer system and from the zone relative to which the sensing device is located, the interaction.

P-0046[0046] Preferably, the method includes:

P-0047[0047] receiving, in the computer system, data regarding movement of the sensing device relative to the interface surface, the sensing device sensing its movement relative to the interface surface using at least some of the coded data; and

P-0048[0048] identifying, in the computer system and from the movement being at least partially within the at least one zone, the interaction.

P-0049[0049] According to a second aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a method of facilitating an interaction between a user and a product item, the product item having an identity and the method including the steps of:

P-0050[0050] providing the user with an interface surface associated with the product item, the interface surface containing information relating to the product item and having disposed thereon coded data indicative of the identity of the product item and a parameter of the interaction;

P-0051[0051] receiving, in a computer system and from a sensing device, indicating data regarding the identity of both the product item and the parameter of the interaction, and movement data regarding movement of the sensing device relative to the interface surface, the sensing device, when moved relative to the interface surface, sensing at least some of the coded data and generating the indicating data and the movement data using at least some of the sensed coded data; and

P-0052[0052] interpreting, in the computer system, the indicating data and the movement data as it relates to the interaction.

P-0053[0053] According to a third aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a method of facilitating an interaction between a user and a product item, the product item having an identity and the method including the steps of:

P-0054[0054] providing the user with an interface surface associated with the product item, the interface surface containing information relating to the product item and having disposed thereon coded data indicative of the identity of the product item;

P-0055[0055] receiving, in a computer system, user data from a sensing device regarding an identity of the user and indicating data regarding the identity of the product item, the sensing device containing the user data and, when placed in an operative position relative to the interface surface, sensing at least some of the coded data in the vicinity of the sensing device and generating the indicating data using at least some of the sensed coded data; and

P-0056[0056] facilitating, in the computer system and with reference to the user data and the indicating data, the interaction between the user and the product item.

P-0057[0057] Preferably, the coded data is also indicative of a parameter of the interaction, and the method includes receiving, in the computer system, indicating data from the sensing device regarding the parameter of the interaction, the sensing device generating the indicating data using at least some of the sensed coded data.

P-0058[0058] Preferably, the method includes receiving, in the computer system, data from the sensing device regarding movement of the sensing device relative to the interface surface, the sensing device generating data regarding its own movement relative to the interface surface.

P-0059[0059] Preferably, the interaction is selected from the group comprising:

P-0060[0060] (a) providing product information about the product item to the user;

P-0061[0061] (b) recording a purchase transaction relating to the product item;

P-0062[0062] (c) recording a potential purchase transaction relating to the product item;

P-0063[0063] (d) providing comparison information to the user, the comparison information comparing the product information about the product item with product information about another product item;

P-0064[0064] (e) playing a game associated with the product item; and

P-0065[0065] (f) conducting a competition in relation to the product item.

P-0066[0066] Preferably, the product information comprises information relating to any one of the product item's:

P-0067[0067] (a) cost;

P-0068[0068] (b) contents;

P-0069[0069] (c) weight;

P-0070[0070] (d) place of origin;

P-0071[0071] (e) manufacturer;

P-0072[0072] (f) date of manufacture;

P-0073[0073] (g) date of packaging;

P-0074[0074] (h) use-by date;

P-0075[0075] (i) current owner; and

P-0076[0076] (j) dimensions.

P-0077[0077] Preferably, the interface surface is selected from the group comprising:

P-0078[0078] (a) a label;

P-0079[0079] (b) a package; and

P-0080[0080] (c) a surface of the product item itself.

P-0081[0081] Preferably, the coded data is substantially invisible to the average unaided human.

P-0082[0082] Preferably, the coded data is disposed over a substantial portion of the interface surface. More preferably, the coded data is disposed over more than 20% of the interface surface. Even more preferably, the coded data is disposed over more than 90% of the interface surface.

P-0083[0083] Preferably, the method further comprises identifying, in the computer system, that the user has entered handwritten text data by means of the sensing device and effecting, in the computer system, an operation associated with the handwritten text data.

P-0084[0084] Preferably, the method includes converting, in the computer system, the handwritten text data to computer text.

P-0085[0085] Preferably, the method further comprises identifying, in the computer system, that the user has entered a handwritten signature by means of the sensing device and effecting, in the computer system, an operation associated with the handwritten signature.

P-0086[0086] Preferably, the method includes verifying, in the computer system, that the signature is that of the user.

P-0087[0087] Preferably, the operation associated with the handwritten signature is associated with payment authorization.

P-0088[0088] Preferably, the method further comprises identifying, in the computer system, that the user has entered a hand-drawn picture by means of the sensing device and effecting, in the computer system, an operation associated with the hand-drawn picture.

P-0089[0089] Preferably, a portion of the coded data is superimposed with a visual graphic, the visual graphic being at least partially indicative, to the user, of the interaction.

P-0090[0090] Preferably, the sensing device contains an identifier which imparts a unique identity to the sensing device and identifies it as belonging to the user and in which the method includes monitoring, in the computer system, the identifier.

P-0091[0091] Preferably, the method includes providing all required information relating to the interaction in the interface surface to eliminate the need for a separate display device.

P-0092[0092] In one form, the coded data is disposed on the interface surface in accordance with a layout, the layout having at least order n rotational symmetry, where n is at least two, the layout encoding an orientation codeword comprising a sequence of an integer multiple m of n symbols, where m is one or more, each encoded symbol being distributed at n locations about a center of rotational symmetry of the layout such that decoding the symbols at each of the n orientations of the layout produces n representations of the orientation codeword, each representation comprising a different cyclic shift of the orientation codeword and being indicative of the degree of rotation of the layout, and wherein the orientation codeword is fault tolerant.

P-0093[0093] In another form, the coded data is disposed on the interface surface in accordance with a layout, the layout having at least order n rotational symmetry, where n is at least two, the layout including n identical sub-layouts rotated 1/n revolutions apart about a center of rotational symmetry of the layout, the coded data disposed in accordance with each sub-lay-out including rotation-indicating data that distinguishes the rotation of that sub-layout from the rotation of at least one other sub-layout within the layout.

P-0094[0094] In a further form, the coded data is disposed on the interface surface in accordance with a layout having n-fold rotational symmetry, where n is at least two, the layout including n identical first sub-layouts rotated 1/n revolutions apart about a center of rotational symmetry of the layout, the coded data disposed in accordance with each first sub-layout including rotation-indicating data that distinguishes the rotation of that first sub-layout from the rotation of at least one other first sub-layout within the layout.

P-0095[0095] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a system for facilitating an interaction between a user and a product item, the product item having an identity and the system including:

P-0096[0096] a interface surface associated with the product item and containing information relating to the product item, the interface surface having disposed thereon coded data indicative of the identity of the product item and of a plurality of reference points of the interface surface; and

P-0097[0097] a computer system adapted to facilite the interaction in response to receiving indicating data from a sensing device, the indicating data being indicative of the identity of the product item and of a position of the sensing device relative to the interface surface, the sensing device, when placed in an operative position relative to the interface surface, sensing at least some of the coded data in the vicinity of the sensing device and generating the indicating data using at least some of the sensed coded data.

P-0098[0098] Preferably, the interaction is associated with at least one zone of the interface surface.

P-0099[0099] Preferably, the system includes the sensing device, the sensing device sensing its movement relative to the interface surface using at least some of the coded data.

P-0100[0100] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a system for facilitating an interaction between a user and a product item, the product item having an identity and the system including

P-0101[0101] an interface surface associated with the product item, the interface surface containing information relating to the product item and having disposed thereon coded data indicative of the identity of the product item and of a parameter of the interaction; and

P-0102[0102] a computer system for receiving, from a sensing device, indicating data regarding the identity of both the product item and the parameter of the interaction, and movement data regarding movement of the sensing device relative to the interface surface, and for interpreting the movement of the sensing device as it relates to the interaction, the sensing device, when moved relative to the interface surface, sensing at least some of the coded data and generating the indicating data and the movement data using at least some of the sensed coded data.

P-0103[0103] According to a sixth aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a system for facilitating an interaction between a user and a product item, the product item having an identity and the system including:

P-0104[0104] a interface surface associated with the product item, the interface surface containing information relating to the product item and having disposed thereon coded data indicative of the identity of the product item; and

P-0105[0105] a computer system adapted to receive from a sensing device user data regarding an identity of the user and indicating data regarding the identity of the product item, and for facilitating, with reference to the user data and the indicating data, the interaction between the user and the product item, the sensing device containing the user data and, when placed in an operative position relative to the interface surface, sensing at least some of the coded data in the vicinity of the sensing device and generating the indicating data using at least some of the sensed coded data.

P-0106[0106] Preferably, the coded data is also indicative of a parameter of the interaction, the computer system receiving indicating data from the sensing device regarding the parameter of the interaction, and the sensing device generating the indicating data using at least some of the coded data.

P-0107[0107] Preferably, the system includes the sensing device, the sensing device sensing its movement relative to the interface surface.

P-0108[0108] Preferably, the interaction is selected from the group comprising:

P-0109[0109] (a) providing product information about the product item to the user;

P-0110[0110] (b) recording a purchase transaction relating to the product item;

P-0111[0111] (c) recording a potential purchase transaction relating to the product item;

P-0112[0112] (d) providing comparison information to the user, the comparison information comparing the product information about the product item with product information about another product item;

P-0113[0113] (e) playing a game associated with the product item; and

P-0114[0114] (f) conducting a competition in relation to the product item.

P-0115[0115] Preferably, the product information comprises information relating to any one of the product item's:

P-0116[0116] (a) cost;

P-0117[0117] (b) contents;

P-0118[0118] (c) weight;

P-0119[0119] (d) place of origin;

P-0120[0120] (e) manufacturer;

P-0121[0121] (f) date of manufacture;

P-0122[0122] (g) date of packaging;

P-0123[0123] (h) use-by date;

P-0124[0124] (i) current owner; and

P-0125[0125] (j) dimensions.

P-0126[0126] Preferably, the interface surface is selected from the group comprising:

P-0127[0127] (a) a label;

P-0128[0128] (b) a package; and

P-0129[0129] (c) a surface of the product item itself.

P-0130[0130] Preferably, the coded data is substantially invisible to the average unaided human.

P-0131[0131] Preferably, the coded data is disposed over a substantial portion of the interface surface. More preferably, the coded data is disposed over more than 20% of the interface surface. Even more preferably, the coded data is disposed over more than 90% of the interface surface.

P-0132[0132] Preferably, the sensing device includes a marking nib.

P-0133[0133] Preferably, the sensing device contains an identifier which imparts a unique identity to the sensing device and identifies it as belonging to the user.

P-0134[0134] In one form, the coded data is disposed on the interface surface in accordance with a layout, the layout having at least order n rotational symmetry, where n is at least two, the layout encoding an orientation codeword comprising a sequence of an integer multiple m of n symbols, where m is one or more, each encoded symbol being distributed at n locations about a center of rotational symmetry of the layout such that decoding the symbols at each of the n orientations of the layout produces n representations of the orientation codeword, each representation comprising a different cyclic shift of the orientation codeword and being indicative of the degree of rotation of the layout, and wherein the orientation codeword is fault tolerant.

P-0135[0135] In another form, the coded data is disposed on the interface surface in accordance with a layout, the layout having at least order n rotational symmetry, where n is at least two, the layout including n identical sub-layouts rotated 1/n revolutions apart about a center of rotational symmetry of the layout, the coded data disposed in accordance with each sub-layout including rotation-indicating data that distinguishes the rotation of that sub-layout from the rotation of at least one other sub-layout within the layout.

P-0136[0136] In a further form, the coded data is disposed on the interface surface in accordance with a layout having n-fold rotational symmetry, where n is at least two, the layout including n identical first sub-layouts rotated 1/n revolutions apart about a center of rotational symmetry of the layout, the coded data disposed in accordance with each first sub-layout including rotation-indicating data that distinguishes the rotation of that first sub-layout from the rotation of at least one other first sub-layout within the layout.

P-0137[0137] According to a seventh aspect of the present invention there is disclosed an interactive product item adapted for interaction with a user via a sensing device and a computer system, and comprising:

P-0138[0138] a product item having an identity;

P-0139[0139] an interface surface associated with the product item and having disposed thereon information relating to the product item and coded data indicative of the identity of the product item.

P-0140[0140] Preferably, the coded data is further indicative of a plurality of reference points of the interface surface.

P-0141[0141] Preferably, the coded data is further indicative of a parameter of an interaction.

P-0142[0142] Preferably, the interface surface is selected from the group comprising:

P-0143[0143] (a) a label;

P-0144[0144] (b) a package; and

P-0145[0145] (c) a surface of the product item itself.

P-0146[0146] Preferably, the coded data is disposed on the interface surface in accordance with a layout, the layout having at least order n rotational symmetry, where n is at least two, the layout encoding an orientation codeword comprising a sequence of an integer multiple m of n symbols, where m is one or more, each encoded symbol being distributed at n locations about a center of rotational symmetry of the layout such that decoding the symbols at each of the n orientations of the layout produces n representations of the orientation codeword, each representation comprising a different cyclic shift of the orientation codeword and being indicative of the degree of rotation of the layout, and wherein the orientation codeword is fault tolerant.

P-0147[0147] Alternatively, the coded data is disposed on the interface surface in accordance with a layout, the layout having at least order n rotational symmetry, where n is at least two, the layout including n identical sub-layouts rotated 1/n revolutions apart about a center of rotational symmetry of the layout, the coded data disposed in accordance with each sub-layout including rotation-indicating data that distinguishes the rotation of that sub-layout from the rotation of at least one other sub-layout within the layout.

P-0148[0148] In another form, the coded data is disposed on the interface surface in accordance with a layout having n-fold rotational symmetry, where n is at least two, the layout including n identical first sub-layouts rotated 1/n revolutions apart about a center of rotational symmetry of the layout, the coded data disposed in accordance with each first sub-layout including rotation-indicating data that distinguishes the rotation of that first sub-layout from the rotation of at least one other first sub-layout within the layout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

P-0149[0149] Preferred and other embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

P-0150[0150]FIG. 1 is a schematic of a the relationship between a sample printed netpage and its online page description;

P-0151[0151]FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a interaction between a netpage pen, a Web terminal, a netpage printer, a netpage relay, a netpage page server, and a netpage application server, and a Web server;

P-0152[0152]FIG. 3 illustrates a collection of netpage servers, Web terminals, printers and relays interconnected via a network;

P-0153[0153]FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a high-level structure of a printed netpage and its online page description;

P-0154[0154]FIG. 5<i>a </i>is a plan view showing the interleaving and rotation of the symbols of four codewords of the tag;

P-0155[0155]FIG. 5<i>b </i>is a plan view showing a macrodot layout for the tag shown in FIG. 5<i>a; </i>

P-0156[0156]FIG. 5<i>c </i>is a plan view showing an arrangement of nine of the tags shown in FIGS. 5<i>a </i>and <b>5</b><i>b</i>, in which targets are shared between adjacent tags;

P-0157[0157]FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a relationship between a set of the tags shown in FIG. 6<i>a </i>and a field of view of a netpage sensing device in the form of a netpage pen;

P-0158[0158]FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a tag image processing and decoding algorithm;

P-0159[0159]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a netpage pen and its associated tag-sensing field-of-view cone;

P-0160[0160]FIG. 9 is a perspective exploded view of the netpage pen shown in FIG. 8;

P-0161[0161]FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of a pen controller for the netpage pen shown in FIGS. 8 and 9;

P-0162[0162]FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a wall-mounted netpage printer;

P-0163[0163]FIG. 12 is a section through the length of the netpage printer of FIG. 11;

P-0164[0164]FIG. 12<i>a </i>is an enlarged portion of FIG. 12 showing a section of the duplexed print engines and glue wheel assembly;

P-0165[0165]FIG. 13 is a detailed view of the ink cartridge, ink, air and glue paths, and print engines of the netpage printer of FIGS. 11 and 12;

P-0166[0166]FIG. 14 is a schematic block diagram of a printer controller for the netpage printer shown in FIGS. 11 and 12;

P-0167[0167]FIG. 15 is a schematic block diagram of duplexed print engine controllers and Memjet™ printheads associated with the printer controller shown in FIG. 14;

P-0168[0168]FIG. 16 is a schematic block diagram of the print engine controller shown in FIGS. 14 and 15;

P-0169[0169]FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a single Memjet™ printing element, as used in, for example, the netpage printer of FIGS. <b>10</b> to <b>12</b>;

P-0170[0170]FIG. 18 is a schematic view of the structure of an item ID;

P-0171[0171]FIG. 19 is a schematic view of the structure of an omnitag;

P-0172[0172]FIG. 20 is a schematic view of a product item and object ownership and packaging hierarchy class diagram;

P-0173[0173]FIG. 21 is a schematic view of a user class diagram;

P-0174[0174]FIG. 22 is a schematic view of a printer class diagram;

P-0175[0175]FIG. 23 is a schematic view of a pen class diagram;

P-0176[0176]FIG. 24 is a schematic view of an application class diagram;

P-0177[0177]FIG. 25 is a schematic view of a document and page description class diagram;

P-0178[0178]FIG. 26 is a schematic view of a document and page ownership class diagram;

P-0179[0179]FIG. 27 is a schematic view of a terminal element specialization class diagram;

P-0180[0180]FIG. 28 is a schematic view of a static element specialization class diagram;

P-0181[0181]FIG. 29 is a schematic view of a hyperlink element class diagram;

P-0182[0182]FIG. 30 is a schematic view of a hyperlink element specialization class diagram;

P-0183[0183]FIG. 31 is a schematic view of a hyperlinked group class diagram;

P-0184[0184]FIG. 32 is a schematic view of a form class diagram;

P-0185[0185]FIG. 33 is a schematic view of a digital ink class diagram;

P-0186[0186]FIG. 34 is a schematic view of a field element specialization class diagram;

P-0187[0187]FIG. 35 is a schematic view of a checkbox field class diagram;

P-0188[0188]FIG. 36 is a schematic view of a text field class diagram;

P-0189[0189]FIG. 37 is a schematic view of a signature field class diagram;

P-0190[0190]FIG. 38 is a flowchart of an input processing algorithm;

P-0191[0191]FIG. 38<i>a </i>is a detailed flowchart of one step of the flowchart of FIG. 38;

P-0192[0192]FIG. 39 is a schematic view of a page server command element class diagram;

P-0193[0193]FIG. 40 is a schematic view of a subscription delivery protocol;

P-0194[0194]FIG. 41 is a schematic view of a hyperlink request class diagram;

P-0195[0195]FIG. 42 is a schematic view of a hyperlink activation protocol;

P-0196[0196]FIG. 43 is a schematic view of a form submission protocol;

P-0197[0197]FIG. 44 shows a triangular macrodot packing with a four-bit symbol unit outlined, for use with an embodiment of the invention;

P-0198[0198]FIG. 45 shows a square macrodot packing with a four-bit symbol unit outlined, for use with an embodiment of the invention such as that described in relation to FIGS. 5<i>a </i>to <b>5</b><i>c; </i>

P-0199[0199]FIG. 46 shows a one-sixth segment of an hexagonal tag, with the segment containing a maximum of 11 four-bit symbols with the triangular macrodot packing shown in FIG. 44;

P-0200[0200]FIG. 47 shows a one-quarter segment of a square tag, with the segment containing a maximum of 15 four-bit symbols with the square macrodot packing shown in FIG. 45;

P-0201[0201]FIG. 48 shows a logical layout of a hexagonal tag using the tag segment of FIG. 47, with six interleaved 2⁴-ary (11, k) codewords;

P-0202[0202]FIG. 49 shows the macrodot layout of the hexagonal tag of FIG. 48;

P-0203[0203]FIG. 50 shows an arrangement of seven abutting tags of the design of FIGS. 48 and 49, with shared targets;

P-0204[0204]FIG. 51 shows a logical layout of an alternative hexagonal tag using the tag segment of FIG. 47, with three interleaved 2⁴-ary (9, k) codewords and three interleaved three-symbol fragments of three distributed 2⁴-ary (9, k) codewords;

P-0205[0205]FIG. 52 shows the logical layout of an orientation-indicating cyclic position codeword of the hexagonal tag of FIG. 51;

P-0206[0206]FIG. 53 shows three adjacent tags of type P, Q and R, each with the layout of the tag of FIG. 51, containing a complete set of distributed codewords;

P-0207[0207]FIG. 54 shows the logical layout of yet another alternative hexagonal tag using the tag segment of FIG. 47, with one local 2⁴-ary (12, k) codeword, interleaved with eighteen 3-symbol fragments of eighteen distributed 2⁴-ary (9, k) codewords;

P-0208[0208]FIG. 55 shows the logical layout of the hexagonal tag of FIG. 54, re-arranged to show the distributed 3-symbol fragments which contribute to the same codewords;

P-0209[0209]FIG. 56 is a schematic view of a physical product item and its online description; and

P-0210[0210]FIG. 57 is a schematic view of the interaction between a product item, a fixed product scanner, a hand-held product scanner, a scanner relay, a product server, and a product application server.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED AND OTHER EMBODIMENTS

P-0211[0211] Note: Memjet™ is a trade mark of Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd, Australia.

P-0212[0212] In the preferred embodiment, the invention is configured to work with the netpage networked computer system, a detailed overview of which follows. It will be appreciated that not every implementation will necessarily embody all or even most of the specific details and extensions discussed below in relation to the basic system. However, the system is described in its most complete form to reduce the need for external reference when attempting to understand the context in which the preferred embodiments and aspects of the present invention operate.

P-0213[0213] In brief summary, the preferred form of the netpage system employs a computer interface in the form of a mapped surface, that is, a physical surface which contains references to a map of the surface maintained in a computer system. The map references can be queried by an appropriate sensing device. Depending upon the specific implementation, the map references may be encoded visibly or invisibly, and defined in such a way that a local query on the mapped surface yields an unambiguous map reference both within the map and among different maps. The computer system can contain information about features on the mapped surface, and such information can be retrieved based on map references supplied by a sensing device used with the mapped surface. The information thus retrieved can take the form of actions which are initiated by the computer system on behalf of the operator in response to the operator's interaction with the surface features.

P-0214[0214] In its preferred form, the netpage system relies on the production of, and human interaction with, netpages. These are pages of text, graphics and images printed on ordinary paper, but which work like interactive web pages. Information is encoded on each page using ink which is substantially invisible to the unaided human eye. The ink, however, and thereby the coded data, can be sensed by an optically imaging pen and transmitted to the netpage system.

P-0215[0215] In the preferred form, active buttons and hyperlinks on each page can be clicked with the pen to request information from the network or to signal preferences to a network server. In one embodiment, text written by hand on a netpage is automatically recognized and converted to computer text in the netpage system, allowing forms to be filled in. In other embodiments, signatures recorded on a netpage are automatically verified, allowing e-commerce transactions to be securely authorized.

P-0216[0216] As illustrated in FIG. 1, a printed netpage <b>1</b> can represent a interactive form which can be filled in by the user both physically, on the printed page, and “electronically”, via communication between the pen and the netpage system. The example shows a “Request” form containing name and address fields and a submit button. The netpage consists of graphic data <b>2</b> printed using visible ink, and coded data <b>3</b> printed as a collection of tags <b>4</b> using invisible ink. The corresponding page description <b>5</b>, stored on the netpage network, describes the individual elements of the netpage. In particular it describes the type and spatial extent (zone) of each interactive element (i.e. text field or button in the example), to allow the netpage system to correctly interpret input via the netpage. The submit button <b>6</b>, for example, has a zone <b>7</b> which corresponds to the spatial extent of the corresponding graphic <b>8</b>.

P-0217[0217] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the netpage pen <b>101</b>, a preferred form of which is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 and described in more detail below, works in conjunction with a personal computer (PC), Web terminal <b>75</b>, or a netpage printer <b>601</b>. The netpage printer is an Internet-connected printing appliance for home, office or mobile use. The pen is wireless and communicates securely with the netpage network via a short-range radio link <b>9</b>. Short-range communication is relayed to the netpage network by a local relay function which is either embedded in the PC, Web terminal or netpage printer, or is provided by a separate relay device <b>44</b>. The relay function can also be provided by a mobile phone or other device which incorporates both short-range and longer-range communications functions.

P-0218[0218] In an alternative embodiment, the netpage pen utilises a wired connection, such as a USB or other serial connection, to the PC, Web terminal, netpage printer or relay device.

P-0219[0219] The netpage printer <b>601</b>, a preferred form of which is shown in FIGS. <b>11</b> to <b>13</b> and described in more detail below, is able to deliver, periodically or on demand, personalized newspapers, magazines, catalogs, brochures and other publications, all printed at high quality as interactive netpages. Unlike a personal computer, the netpage printer is an appliance which can be, for example, wall-mounted adjacent to an area where the morning news is first consumed, such as in a user's kitchen, near a breakfast table, or near the household's point of departure for the day. It also comes in tabletop, desktop, portable and miniature versions.

P-0220[0220] Netpages printed at their point of consumption combine the ease-of-use of paper with the timeliness and interactivity of an interactive medium.

P-0221[0221] As shown in FIG. 2, the netpage pen <b>101</b> interacts with the coded data on a printed netpage <b>1</b> (or product item <b>201</b>) and communicates the interaction via a short-range radio link <b>9</b> to a relay. The relay sends the interaction to the relevant netpage page server <b>10</b> for interpretation. In appropriate circumstances, the page server sends a corresponding message to application computer software running on a netpage application server <b>13</b>. The application server may in turn send a response which is printed on the originating printer.

P-0222[0222] In an alternative embodiment, the PC, Web terminal, netpage printer or relay device may communicate directly with local or remote application software, including a local or remote Web server. Relatedly, output is not limited to being printed by the netpage printer. It can also be displayed on the PC or Web terminal, and further interaction can be screen-based rather than paper-based, or a mixture of the two.

P-0223[0223] The netpage system is made considerably more convenient in the preferred embodiment by being used in conjunction with high-speed microelectromechanical system (MEMS) based inkjet (Memjet™) printers. In the preferred form of this technology, relatively high-speed and high-quality printing is made more affordable to consumers. In its preferred form, a netpage publication has the physical characteristics of a traditional newsmagazine, such as a set of letter-size glossy pages printed in full color on both sides, bound together for easy navigation and comfortable handling.

P-0224[0224] The netpage printer exploits the growing availability of broadband Internet access. Cable service is available to 95% of households in the United States, and cable modem service offering broadband Internet access is already available to 20% of these. The netpage printer can also operate with slower connections, but with longer delivery times and lower image quality. Indeed, the netpage system can be enabled using existing consumer inkjet and laser printers, although the system will operate more slowly and will therefore be less acceptable from a consumer's point of view. In other embodiments, the netpage system is hosted on a private intranet. In still other embodiments, the netpage system is hosted on a single computer or computer-enabled device, such as a printer.

P-0225[0225] Netpage publication servers <b>14</b> on the netpage network are configured to deliver print-quality publications to netpage printers. Periodical publications are delivered automatically to subscribing netpage printers via pointcasting and multicasting Internet protocols. Personalized publications are filtered and formatted according to individual user profiles.

P-0226[0226] A netpage printer can be configured to support any number of pens, and a pen can work with any number of netpage printers. In the preferred implementation, each netpage pen has a unique identifier. A household may have a collection of colored netpage pens, one assigned to each member of the family. This allows each user to maintain a distinct profile with respect to a netpage publication server or application server.

P-0227[0227] A netpage pen can also be registered with a netpage registration server <b>11</b> and linked to one or more payment card accounts. This allows e-commerce payments to be securely authorized using the netpage pen. The netpage registration server compares the signature captured by the netpage pen with a previously registered signature, allowing it to authenticate the user's identity to an e-commerce server. Other biometrics can also be used to verify identity. A version of the netpage pen includes fingerprint scanning, verified in a similar way by the netpage registration server.

P-0228[0228] Although a netpage printer may deliver periodicals such as the morning newspaper without user intervention, it can be configured never to deliver unsolicited junk mail. In its preferred form, it only delivers periodicals from subscribed or otherwise authorized sources. In this respect, the netpage printer is unlike a fax machine or e-mail account which is visible to any junk mailer who knows the telephone number or email address.

1 Netpage System Architecture

P-0229[0229] Each object model in the system is described using a Unified Modeling Language (UML) class diagram. A class diagram consists of a set of object classes connected by relationships, and two kinds of relationships are of interest here: associations and generalizations. An association represents some kind of relationship between objects, i.e. between instances of classes. A generalization relates actual classes, and can be understood in the following way: if a class is thought of as the set of all objects of that class, and class A is a generalization of class B, then B is simply a subset of A. The UML does not directly support second-order modelling—i.e. classes of classes.

P-0230[0230] Each class is drawn as a rectangle labelled with the name of the class. It contains a list of the attributes of the class, separated from the name by a horizontal line, and a list of the operations of the class, separated from the attribute list by a horizontal line. In the class diagrams which follow, however, operations are never modelled.

P-0231[0231] An association is drawn as a line joining two classes, optionally labelled at either end with the multiplicity of the association. The default multiplicity is one. An asterisk (*) indicates a multiplicity of “many”, i.e. zero or more. Each association is optionally labelled with its name, and is also optionally labelled at either end with the role of the corresponding class. An open diamond indicates an aggregation association (“is-part-of”), and is drawn at the aggregator end of the association line.

P-0232[0232] A generalization relationship (“is-a”) is drawn as a solid line joining two classes, with an arrow (in the form of an open triangle) at the generalization end.

P-0233[0233] When a class diagram is broken up into multiple diagrams, any class which is duplicated is shown with a dashed outline in all but the main diagram which defines it. It is shown with attributes only where it is defined.

P-0234[0234] 1.1 Netpages

P-0235[0235] Netpages are the foundation on which a netpage network is built. They provide a paper-based user interface to published information and interactive services.

P-0236[0236] A netpage consists of a printed page (or other surface region) invisibly tagged with references to an online description of the page. The online page description is maintained persistently by a netpage page server. The page description describes the visible layout and content of the page, including text, graphics and images. It also describes the input elements on the page, including buttons, hyperlinks, and input fields. A netpage allows markings made with a netpage pen on its surface to be simultaneously captured and processed by the netpage system.

P-0237[0237] Multiple netpages can share the same page description. However, to allow input through otherwise identical pages to be distinguished, each netpage is assigned a unique page identifier. This page ID has sufficient precision to distinguish between a very large number of netpages.

P-0238[0238] Each reference to the page description is encoded in a printed tag. The tag identifies the unique page on which it appears, and thereby indirectly identifies the page description. The tag also identifies its own position on the page. Characteristics of the tags are described in more detail below.

P-0239[0239] Tags are printed in infrared-absorptive ink on any substrate which is infrared-reflective, such as ordinary paper. Near-infrared wavelengths are invisible to the human eye but are easily sensed by a solid-state image sensor with an appropriate filter.

P-0240[0240] A tag is sensed by an area image sensor in the netpage pen, and the tag data is transmitted to the netpage system via the nearest netpage printer. The pen is wireless and communicates with the netpage printer via a short-range radio link. Tags are sufficiently small and densely arranged that the pen can reliably image at least one tag even on a single click on the page. It is important that the pen recognize the page ID and position on every interaction with the page, since the interaction is stateless. Tags are error-correctably encoded to make them partially tolerant to surface damage.

P-0241[0241] The netpage page server maintains a unique page instance for each printed netpage, allowing it to maintain a distinct set of user-supplied values for input fields in the page description for each printed netpage.

P-0242[0242] The relationship between the page description, the page instance, and the printed netpage is shown in FIG. 4. The printed netpage may be part of a printed netpage document <b>45</b>. The page instance is associated with both the netpage printer which printed it and, if known, the netpage user who requested it.

P-0243[0243] As shown in FIG. 4, one or more netpages may also be associated with a physical object such as a product item, for example when printed onto the product item's label, packaging, or actual surface.

P-0244[0244] 1.2 Netpage Tags

P-0245[0245] 1.2.1 Tag Data Content

P-0246[0246] In a preferred form, each tag identifies the region in which it appears, and the location of that tag within the region. A tag may also contain flags which relate to the region as a whole or to the tag. One or more flag bits may, for example, signal a tag sensing device to provide feedback indicative of a function associated with the immediate area of the tag, without the sensing device having to refer to a description of the region. A netpage pen may, for example, illuminate an “active area” LED when in the zone of a hyperlink.

P-0247[0247] As will be more clearly explained below, in a preferred embodiment, each tag contains an easily recognized invariant structure which aids initial detection, and which assists in minimizing the effect of any warp induced by the surface or by the sensing process. The tags preferably tile the entire page, and are sufficiently small and densely arranged that the pen can reliably image at least one tag even on a single click on the page. It is important that the pen recognize the page ID and position on every interaction with the page, since the interaction is stateless.

P-0248[0248] In a preferred embodiment, the region to which a tag refers coincides with an entire page, and the region ID encoded in the tag is therefore synonymous with the page ID of the page on which the tag appears. In other embodiments, the region to which a tag refers can be an arbitrary subregion of a page or other surface. For example, it can coincide with the zone of an interactive element, in which case the region ID can directly identify the interactive element.

P-0249[0249] In the preferred form, each tag contains 120 bits of information. The region ID is typically allocated up to 100 bits, the tag ID at least 16 bits, and the remaining bits are allocated to flags etc. Assuming a tag density of 64 per square inch, a 16-bit tag ID supports a region size of up to 1024 square inches. Larger regions can be mapped continuously without increasing the tag ID precision simply by using abutting regions and maps. The 100-bit region ID allows 2¹⁰⁰(˜10³⁰or a million trillion trillion) different regions to be uniquely identified.

P-0250[0250] 1.2.2 Tag Data Encoding

P-0251[0251] In one embodiment, the 120 bits of tag data are redundantly encoded using a (15, 5) Reed-Solomon code. This yields 360 encoded bits consisting of 6 codewords of 15 4-bit symbols each. The (15, 5) code allows up to 5 symbol errors to be corrected per codeword, i.e. it is tolerant of a symbol error rate of up to 33% per codeword.

P-0252[0252] Each 4-bit symbol is represented in a spatially coherent way in the tag, and the symbols of the six codewords are interleaved spatially within the tag. This ensures that a burst error (an error affecting multiple spatially adjacent bits) damages a minimum number of symbols overall and a minimum number of symbols in any one codeword, thus maximising the likelihood that the burst error can be fully corrected.

P-0253[0253] Any suitable error-correcting code code can be used in place of a (15, 5) Reed-Solomon code, for example: a Reed-Solomon code with more or less redundancy, with the same or different symbol and codeword sizes; another block code; or a different kind of code, such as a convolutional code (see, for example, Stephen B. Wicker, Error Control Systems for Digital Communication and Storage, Prentice-Hall 1995, the contents of which a herein incorporated by reference thereto).

P-0254[0254] In order to support “single-click” interaction with a tagged region via a sensing device, the sensing device must be able to see at least one entire tag in its field of view no matter where in the region or at what orientation it is positioned. The required diameter of the field of view of the sensing device is therefore a function of the size and spacing of the tags.

P-0255[0255] 1.2.3 Tag Structure

P-0256[0256]FIG. 5<i>a </i>shows a tag <b>4</b>, in the form of tag <b>726</b> with four perspective targets <b>17</b>. The tag <b>726</b> represents sixty 4-bit Reed-Solomon symbols <b>747</b> (see description of FIGS. <b>44</b> to <b>46</b> below for discussion of symbols), for a total of 240 bits. The tag represents each “one” bit by the presence of a mark <b>748</b>, referred to as a macrodot, and each “zero” bit by the absence of the corresponding macrodot. FIG. 5<i>c </i>shows a square tiling <b>728</b> of nine tags, containing all “one” bits for illustrative purposes. It will be noted that the perspective targets are designed to be shared between adjacent tags. FIG. 6 shows a square tiling of 16 tags and a corresponding minimum field of view <b>193</b>, which spans the diagonals of two tags.

P-0257[0257] Using a (15, 7) Reed-Solomon code, 112 bits of tag data are redundantly encoded to produce 240 encoded bits. The four codewords are interleaved spatially within the tag to maximize resilience to burst errors. Assuming a 16-bit tag ID as before, this allows a region ID of up to 92 bits.

P-0258[0258] The data-bearing macrodots <b>748</b> of the tag are designed to not overlap their neighbors, so that groups of tags cannot produce structures that resemble targets. This also saves ink. The perspective targets allow detection of the tag, so further targets are not required.

P-0259[0259] Although the tag may contain an orientation feature to allow disambiguation of the four possible orientations of the tag relative to the sensor, the present invention is concerned with embedding orientation data in the tag data. For example, the four codewords can be arranged so that each tag orientation (in a rotational sense) contains one codeword placed at that orientation, as shown in FIG. 5<i>a</i>, where each symbol is labelled with the number of its codeword (<b>1</b>-<b>4</b>) and the position of the symbol within the codeword (A-O). Tag decoding then consists of decoding one codeword at each rotational orientation. Each codeword can either contain a single bit indicating whether it is the first codeword, or two bits indicating which codeword it is. The latter approach has the advantage that if, say, the data content of only one codeword is required, then at most two codewords need to be decoded to obtain the desired data. This may be the case if the region ID is not expected to change within a stroke and is thus only decoded at the start of a stroke. Within a stroke only the codeword containing the tag ID is then desired. Furthermore, since the rotation of the sensing device changes slowly and predictably within a stroke, only one codeword typically needs to be decoded per frame.

P-0260[0260] It is possible to dispense with perspective targets altogether and instead rely on the data representation being self-registering. In this case each bit value (or multi-bit value) is typically represented by an explicit glyph, i.e. no bit value is represented by the absence of a glyph. This ensures that the data grid is well-populated, and thus allows the grid to be reliably identified and its perspective distortion detected and subsequently corrected during data sampling. To allow tag boundaries to be detected, each tag data must contain a marker pattern, and these must be redundantly encoded to allow reliable detection. The overhead of such marker patterns is similar to the overhead of explicit perspective targets. Various such schemes are described in the present applicants' co-pending PCT application PCT/AU01/01274 filed 11 Oct. 2001.

P-0261[0261] The arrangement <b>728</b> of FIG. 5<i>c </i>shows that the square tag <b>726</b> can be used to fully tile or tesselate, i.e. without gaps or overlap, a plane of arbitrary size.

P-0262[0262] Although in preferred embodiments the tagging schemes described herein encode a single data bit using the presence or absence of a single undifferentiated macrodot, they can also use sets of differentiated glyphs to represent single-bit or multi-bit values, such as the sets of glyphs illustrated in the present applicants' co-pending PCT application PCT/AU01/01274 filed 11 Oct. 2001.

P-0263[0263]<b>1</b>.<b>2</b>.<b>4</b>.<b>1</b> Macrodot Packing Schemes

P-0264[0264]FIG. 44 shows a triangular macrodot packing <b>700</b> with a four-bit symbol unit <b>702</b> outlined. The area of the symbol unit is given by A_UNIT=2{square root}{square root over (3)}s²≅3.5s², where s the spacing of adjacent macrodots. FIG. 45 shows a square macrodot packing <b>704</b> with a four-bit symbol unit <b>706</b> outlined. The area of the symbol unit is given by A_UNIT=4s². FIG. 46 shows a hexagonal macrodot packing <b>708</b> with a four-bit symbol unit <b>710</b> outlined. The area of the symbol unit is given by A_UNIT=3{square root}{square root over (3)}s²≅5.2s². Of these packing schemes, the triangular packing scheme gives the greatest macrodot density for a particular macrodot spacing s.

P-0265[0265] In preferred embodiments, s has a value between 100 μm and 200 μm.

P-0266[0266] 1.2.4.2 Tag Designs

P-0267[0267]FIG. 46 shows a one-sixth segment <b>712</b> of a hexagonal tag, with the segment containing a maximum of 11 four-bit symbols with the triangular macrodot packing shown in FIG. 44. The target <b>17</b> is shared with adjacent segments. Each tag segment can, by way of example, support a codeword of an (11, k) Reed-Solomon code, i.e. a punctured (15, k) code, with the ability to detect u=11−k symbol errors, or correct t=└(11−k)/2┘ symbol errors. For example, if k=7 then u=4 and t=2.

P-0268[0268]FIG. 47 shows a one-quarter segment 718 of a square tag, with the segment containing a maximum of 15 four-bit symbols with the square macrodot packing shown in FIG. 45. Each tag segment can, by way of example, support a codeword of a (15, k) Reed-Solomon code, with the ability to detect u=15−k symbol errors, or correct t=└(15−k)/2┘ symbol errors. For example, if k=7 then u=8 and t=4.

P-0269[0269]<b>1</b>.<b>2</b>.<b>4</b>.<b>3</b> Hexagonal Tag Design

P-0270[0270]FIG. 48 shows a logical layout of a hexagonal tag <b>722</b> using the tag segment <b>712</b> of FIG. 46, with six interleaved 2⁴-ary (11, k) codewords. FIG. 49 shows the macrodot layout of the hexagonal tag <b>722</b> of FIG. 51. FIG. 53 shows an arrangement <b>724</b> of seven abutting tags <b>722</b> of the design of FIG. 48, with shared targets <b>17</b>. The arrangement <b>724</b> shows that the hexagonal tag <b>722</b> can be used to tesselate a plane of arbitrary size.

P-0271[0271] 1.2.4.4 Alternative Hexagonal Tag Design 1

P-0272[0272]FIG. 51 shows the logical layout of an alternative hexagonal tag. This tag design is described in detail in the present applicants' co-filed U.S. application Ser. No. ______ entitled “Orientation-Indicating Cyclic Position Codes” (docket number NPT019US).

P-0273[0273] The tag contains a 2⁴-ary (6, 1) cyclic position codeword (0, 5, 6, 9, A₁₆, F₁₆) which can be decoded at any of the six possible orientations of the tag to determine the actual orientation of the tag. Symbols which are part of the cyclic position codeword have a prefix of “R” and are numbered 0 to 5 in order of increasing significance, and are shown shaded in FIG. 52.

P-0274[0274] The tag locally contains three complete codewords which are used to encode information unique to the tag. Each codeword is of a punctured 2⁴-ary (9, 5) Reed-Solomon code. The tag therefore encodes up to 60 bits of information unique to the tag. The tag also contains fragments of three codewords which are distributed across three adjacent tags and which are used to encode information common to a set of contiguous tags. Each codeword is of a punctured 2⁴-ary (9, 5) Reed-Solomon code. Any three adjacent tags therefore together encode up to 60 bits of information common to a set of contiguous tags.

P-0275[0275] The layout of the three complete codewords, distributed across three adjacent tags, is shown in FIG. 53. In relation to these distributed codewords there are three types of tag. These are referred to as P, Q and R in order of increasing significance.

P-0276[0276] The P. Q and R tags are repeated in a continuous tiling of tags which guarantees the any set of three adjacent tags contains one tag of each type, and therefore contains a complete set of distributed codewords. The tag type, used to determine the registration of the distributed codewords with respect to a particular set of adjacent tags, is encoded in one of the local codewords of each tag.

P-0277[0277] 1.2.4.4 Alternative Hexagonal Tag Design 2

P-0278[0278]FIG. 54 shows the logical layout of another alternative hexagonal tag. This tag design is described in detail in the present applicants' co-filed U.S. application U.S. Ser. No. ______ entitled “Symmetric Tags” (docket number NPT023US).

P-0279[0279]FIG. 54 shows a logical layout of a hexagonal tag <b>750</b> using the tag segment of FIG. 46, with one local 2⁴-ary (12, k) codeword interleaved with eighteen 3-symbol fragments of eighteen distributed 2⁴-ary (9, k) codewords.

P-0280[0280] In the layout of FIG. 54, the twelve 4-bit symbols of the local codeword are labelled G<b>1</b> through G<b>12</b>, and are shown with a dashed outline. Each symbol of the eighteen fragments of the eighteen distributed codewords is labelled with an initial prefix of A through F, indicating which of six nominal codewords the symbol belongs to, a subsequent prefix of S through U, indicating which 3-symbol part of the codeword the symbol belongs to, and a suffix of <b>1</b> through <b>3</b>, indicating which of the three possible symbols the symbol is.

P-0281[0281] Tag <b>750</b> is structured so that the minimal field of view allows the recovery of the local codeword G of at least one tag, and the entire set of distributed codewords AP through FR via fragments of tags of type P, Q and R included in the field of view. Furthermore, the continuous tiling of tag <b>750</b> ensures that there is a codeword available with a known layout for each possible rotational and translational combination (of which there are eighteen). Each distributed codeword includes data which identifies the rotation of the codeword in relation to the tiling, thus allowing the rotation of the tiling with respect to the field of view to be determined from decoded data rather than from other structures, and the local codeword to be decoded at the correct orientation.

P-0282[0282]FIG. 55 shows the logical layout of the hexagonal tag <b>750</b> of FIG. 54, re-arranged to show the distributed 3-symbol fragments which contribute to the same codewords. For example, if the central tag shown in FIG. 54 were a P-type tag, then the six distributed codewords shown in the figure would be the AP, BP, CP, DP, EP and FP codewords. FIG. 55 also shows the local G codeword of the tag. Clearly, given the distributed and repeating nature of the distributed codewords, different fragments from the ones shown in the figure can be used to build the corresponding codewords.

P-0283[0283] 1.2.4 Tag Image Processing and Decoding

P-0284[0284]FIG. 7 shows a tag image processing and decoding process flow. A raw image <b>202</b> of the tag pattern is acquired (at <b>200</b>), for example via an image sensor such as a CCD image sensor, CMOS image sensor, or a scanning laser and photodiode image sensor. The raw image is then typically enhanced (at <b>204</b>) to produce an enhanced image <b>206</b> with improved contrast and more uniform pixel intensities. Image enhancement may include global or local range expansion, equalisation, and the like. The enhanced image <b>206</b> is then typically filtered (at <b>208</b>) to produce a filtered image <b>210</b>. Image filtering may consist of low-pass filtering, with the low-pass filter kernel size tuned to obscure macrodots but to preserve targets. The filtering step <b>208</b> may include additional filtering (such as edge detection) to enhance target features. The filtered image <b>210</b> is then processed to locate target features (at <b>212</b>), yielding a set of target points. This may consist of a search for target features whose spatial inter-relationship is consistent with the known geometry of a tag. Candidate targets may be identified directly from maxima in the filtered image <b>210</b>, or may the subject of further characterisation and matching, such as via their (binary or grayscale) shape moments (typically computed from pixels in the enhanced image <b>206</b> based on local maxima in the filtered image <b>210</b>), as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/575,154. The search typically starts from the center of the field of view. The target points <b>214</b> found by the search step <b>212</b> indirectly identify the location of the tag in the three-dimensional space occupied by the image sensor and its associated optics. Since the target points <b>214</b> are derived from the (binary or grayscale) centroids of the targets, they are typically defined to sub-pixel precision.

P-0285[0285] It may be useful to determine the actual 3D transform of the tag (at <b>216</b>), and, by extension, the 3D transform (or pose) <b>218</b> of the sensing device relative to the tag. This may be done analytically, as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/575,154, or using a maximum likelihood estimator (such as least squares adjustment) to fit parameter values to the 3D transform given the observed perspective-distorted target points (as described in P. R. Wolf and B. A. Dewitt, Elements of Photogrammetry with Applications in GIS, 3rd Edition, McGraw Hill, February 2000, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference thereto). The 3D transform includes the 3D translation of the tag, the 3D orientation (rotation) of the tag, and the focal length and viewport scale of the sensing device, thus giving eight parameters to be fitted, or six parameters if the focal length and viewport scale are known (e.g. by design or from a calibration step). Each target point yields a pair of observation equations, relating an observed coordinate to a known coordinate. If eight parameters are being fitted, then five or more target points are needed to provide sufficient redundancy to allow maximum likelihood estimation. If six parameters are being fitted, then four or more target points are needed. If the tag design contains more targets than are minimally required to allow maximum likelihood estimation, then the tag can be recognised and decoded even if up to that many of its targets are damaged beyond recognition.

P-0286[0286] To allow macrodot values to be sampled accurately, the perspective transform of the tag must be inferred. Four of the target points are taken to be the perspective-distorted corners of a rectangle of known size in tag space, and the eight-degree-of-freedom perspective transform <b>222</b> is inferred (at <b>220</b>), based on solving the well-understood equations relating the four tag-space and image-space point pairs (see Heckbert, P., Fundamentals of Texture Mapping and Image Warping, Masters Thesis, Dept. of EECS, U. of California at Berkeley, Technical Report No. UCB/CSD 89/516, June 1989, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference thereto). The perspective transform may alternatively be derived from the 3D transform <b>218</b>, if available.

P-0287[0287] The inferred tag-space to image-space perspective transform <b>222</b> is used to project (at <b>224</b>) each known data bit position in tag space into image space where the real-valued position is used to bi-linearly (or higher-order) interpolate (at <b>224</b>) the four (or more) relevant adjacent pixels in the enhanced input image <b>206</b>. The resultant macrodot value is compared with a suitable threshold to determine whether it represents a zero bit or a one bit.

P-0288[0288] One the bits of one or more complete codeword have been sampled, the codewords are decoded (at <b>228</b>) to obtain the desired data <b>230</b> encoded in the tag. Redundancy in the codeword may be used to detect errors in the sampled data, or to correct errors in the sampled data.

P-0289[0289] As discussed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/575,154, the obtained tag data <b>230</b> may directly or indirectly identify the surface region containing the tag and the position of the tag within the region. An accurate position of the sensing device relative to the surface region can therefore be derived from the tag data <b>230</b> and the 3D transform <b>218</b> of the sensing device relative to the tag.

P-0290[0290] 1.2.6 Tag Map

P-0291[0291] Decoding a tag results in a region ID, a tag ID, and a tag-relative pen transform. Before the tag ID and the tag-relative pen location can be translated into an absolute location within the tagged region, the location of the tag within the region must be known. This is given by a tag map, a function which maps each tag ID in a tagged region to a corresponding location. The tag map class diagram is shown in FIG. 22, as part of the netpage printer class diagram.

P-0292[0292] A tag map reflects the scheme used to tile the surface region with tags, and this can vary according to surface type. When multiple tagged regions share the same tiling scheme and the same tag numbering scheme, they can also share the same tag map.

P-0293[0293] The tag map for a region must be retrievable via the region ID. Thus, given a region ID, a tag ID and a pen transform, the tag map can be retrieved, the tag ID can be translated into an absolute tag location within the region, and the tag-relative pen location can be added to the tag location to yield an absolute pen location within the region.

P-0294[0294] The tag ID may have a structure which assists translation through the tag map. It may, for example, encode Cartesian coordinates or polar coordinates, depending on the surface type on which it appears. The tag ID structure is dictated by and known to the tag map, and tag IDs associated with different tag maps may therefore have different structures. For example, the tag ID may simply encode a pair of x and y coordinates of the tag, in which case the tag map may simply consist of record of the coordinate precision. If the coordinate precision is fixed, then the tag map can be implicit.

P-0295[0295] 1.2.7 Tagging Schemes

P-0296[0296] Two distinct surface coding schemes are of interest, both of which use the tag structure described earlier in this section. The preferred coding scheme uses “location-indicating” tags as already discussed. An alternative coding scheme uses object-indicating tags.

P-0297[0297] A location-indicating tag contains a tag ID which, when translated through the tag map associated with the tagged region, yields a unique tag location within the region. The tag-relative location of the pen is added to this tag location to yield the location of the pen within the region. This in turn is used to determine the location of the pen relative to a user interface element in the page description associated with the region. Not only is the user interface element itself identified, but a location relative to the user interface element is identified. Location-indicating tags therefore trivially support the capture of an absolute pen path in the zone of a particular user interface element.

P-0298[0298] An object-indicating tag contains a tag ID which directly identifies a user interface element in the page description associated with the region. All the tags in the zone of the user interface element identify the user interface element, making them all identical and therefore indistinguishable. Object-indicating tags do not, therefore, support the capture of an absolute pen path. They do, however, support the capture of a relative pen path. So long as the position sampling frequency exceeds twice the encountered tag frequency, the displacement from one sampled pen position to the next within a stroke can be unambiguously determined.

P-0299[0299] With either tagging scheme, the tags function in cooperation with associated visual elements on the netpage as user interactive elements in that a user can interact with the printed page using an appropriate sensing device in order for tag data to be read by the sensing device and for an appropriate response to be generated in the netpage system.

P-0300[0300] 1.3 Document and Page Descriptions

P-0301[0301] A preferred embodiment of a document and page description class diagram is shown in FIGS. 25 and 26.

P-0302[0302] In the netpage system a document is described at three levels. At the most abstract level the document <b>836</b> has a hierarchical structure whose terminal elements <b>839</b> are associated with content objects <b>840</b> such as text objects, text style objects, image objects, etc. Once the document is printed on a printer with a particular page size and according to a particular user's scale factor preference, the document is paginated and otherwise formatted. Formatted terminal elements <b>835</b> will in some cases be associated with content objects which are different from those associated with their corresponding terminal elements, particularly where the content objects are style-related. Each printed instance of a document and page is also described separately, to allow input captured through a particular page instance <b>830</b> to be recorded separately from input captured through other instances of the same page description.

P-0303[0303] The presence of the most abstract document description on the page server allows a user to request a copy of a document without being forced to accept the source document's specific format. The user may be requesting a copy through a printer with a different page size, for example. Conversely, the presence of the formatted document description on the page server allows the page server to efficiently interpret user actions on a particular printed page.

P-0304[0304] A formatted document <b>834</b> consists of a set of formatted page descriptions <b>5</b>, each of which consists of a set of formatted terminal elements <b>835</b>. Each formatted element has a spatial extent or zone <b>58</b> on the page. This defines the active area of input elements such as hyperlinks and input fields.

P-0305[0305] A document instance <b>831</b> corresponds to a formatted document <b>834</b>. It consists of a set of page instances <b>830</b>, each of which corresponds to a page description <b>5</b> of the formatted document. Each page instance <b>830</b> describes a single unique printed netpage <b>1</b>, and records the page ID <b>50</b> of the netpage. A page instance is not part of a document instance if it represents a copy of a page requested in isolation.

P-0306[0306] A page instance consists of a set of terminal element instances <b>832</b>. An element instance only exists if it records instance-specific information. Thus, a hyperlink instance exists for a hyperlink element because it records a transaction ID <b>55</b> which is specific to the page instance, and a field instance exists for a field element because it records input specific to the page instance. An element instance does not exist, however, for static elements such as textflows.

P-0307[0307] A terminal element can be a static element <b>843</b>, a hyperlink element <b>844</b>, a field element <b>845</b> or a page server command element <b>846</b>, as shown in FIG. 27. A static element <b>843</b> can be a style element <b>847</b> with an associated style object <b>854</b>, a textflow element <b>848</b> with an associated styled text object <b>855</b>, an image element <b>849</b> with an associated image element <b>856</b>, a graphic element <b>850</b> with an associated graphic object <b>857</b>, a video clip element <b>851</b> with an associated video clip object <b>858</b>, an audio clip element <b>852</b> with an associated audio clip object <b>859</b>, or a script element <b>853</b> with an associated script object <b>860</b>, as shown in FIG. 28.

P-0308[0308] A page instance has a background field <b>833</b> which is used to record any digital ink captured on the page which does not apply to a specific input element.

P-0309[0309] In the preferred form of the invention, a tag map <b>811</b> is associated with each page instance to allow tags on the page to be translated into locations on the page.

P-0310[0310] 1.4 The Netpage Network

P-0311[0311] In a preferred embodiment, a netpage network consists of a distributed set of netpage page servers <b>10</b>, netpage registration servers <b>11</b>, netpage ID servers <b>12</b>, netpage application servers <b>13</b>, netpage publication servers <b>14</b>, Web terminals <b>75</b>, netpage printers <b>601</b>, and relay devices <b>44</b> connected via a network <b>19</b> such as the Internet, as shown in FIG. 3.

P-0312[0312] The netpage registration server <b>11</b> is a server which records relationships between users, pens, printers, applications and publications, and thereby authorizes various network activities. It authenticates users and acts as a signing proxy on behalf of authenticated users in application transactions. It also provides handwriting recognition services. As described above, a netpage page server <b>10</b> maintains persistent information about page descriptions and page instances. The netpage network includes any number of page servers, each handling a subset of page instances. Since a page server also maintains user input values for each page instance, clients such as netpage printers send netpage input directly to the appropriate page server. The page server interprets any such input relative to the description of the corresponding page.

P-0313[0313] A netpage ID server <b>12</b> allocates document IDs <b>51</b> on demand, and provides load-balancing of page servers via its ID allocation scheme.

P-0314[0314] A netpage printer uses the Internet Distributed Name System (DNS), or similar, to resolve a netpage page ID <b>50</b> into the network address of the netpage page server handling the corresponding page instance.

P-0315[0315] A netpage application server <b>13</b> is a server which hosts interactive netpage applications. A netpage publication server <b>14</b> is an application server which publishes netpage documents to netpage printers. They are described in detail in Section 2.

P-0316[0316] Netpage servers can be hosted on a variety of network server platforms from manufacturers such as IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Sun. Multiple netpage servers can run concurrently on a single host, and a single server can be distributed over a number of hosts. Some or all of the functionality provided by netpage servers, and in particular the functionality provided by the ID server and the page server, can also be provided directly in a netpage appliance such as a netpage printer, in a computer workstation, or on a local network.

P-0317[0317] 1.5 The Netpage Printer

P-0318[0318] The netpage printer <b>601</b> is an appliance which is registered with the netpage system and prints netpage documents on demand and via subscription. Each printer has a unique printer ID <b>62</b>, and is connected to the netpage network via a network such as the Internet, ideally via a broadband connection.

P-0319[0319] Apart from identity and security settings in non-volatile memory, the netpage printer contains no persistent storage. As far as a user is concerned, “the network is the computer”. Netpages function interactively across space and time with the help of the distributed netpage page servers <b>10</b>, independently of particular netpage printers.

P-0320[0320] The netpage printer receives subscribed netpage documents from netpage publication servers <b>14</b>. Each document is distributed in two parts: the page layouts, and the actual text and image objects which populate the pages. Because of personalization, page layouts are typically specific to a particular subscriber and so are pointcast to the subscriber's printer via the appropriate page server. Text and image objects, on the other hand, are typically shared with other subscribers, and so are multicast to all subscribers' printers and the appropriate page servers.

P-0321[0321] The netpage publication server optimizes the segmentation of document content into pointcasts and multicasts. After receiving the pointcast of a document's page layouts, the printer knows which multicasts, if any, to listen to.

P-0322[0322] Once the printer has received the complete page layouts and objects that define the document to be printed, it can print the document.

P-0323[0323] The printer rasterizes and prints odd and even pages simultaneously on both sides of the sheet. It contains duplexed print engine controllers <b>760</b> and print engines utilizing Memjet™ printheads <b>350</b> for this purpose.

P-0324[0324] The printing process consists of two decoupled stages: rasterization of page descriptions, and expansion and printing of page images. The raster image processor (RIP) consists of one or more standard DSPs <b>757</b> running in parallel. The duplexed print engine controllers consist of custom processors which expand, dither and print page images in real time, synchronized with the operation of the printheads in the print engines.

P-0325[0325] Printers not enabled for IR printing have the option to print tags using IR-absorptive black ink, although this restricts tags to otherwise empty areas of the page. Although such pages have more limited functionality than IR-printed pages, they are still classed as netpages.

P-0326[0326] A normal netpage printer prints netpages on sheets of paper. More specialised netpage printers may print onto more specialised surfaces, such as globes. Each printer supports at least one surface type, and supports at least one tag tiling scheme, and hence tag map, for each surface type. The tag map <b>811</b> which describes the tag tiling scheme actually used to print a document becomes associated with that document so that the document's tags can be correctly interpreted.

P-0327[0327]FIG. 2 shows the netpage printer class diagram, reflecting-printer-related information maintained by a registration server <b>11</b> on the netpage network.

P-0328[0328] A preferred embodiment of the netpage printer is described in greater detail in Section 6 below, with reference to FIGS. <b>11</b> to <b>16</b>.

P-0329[0329] 1.5.1 Memjet™ Printheads

P-0330[0330] The netpage system can operate using printers made with a wide range of digital printing technologies, including thermal inkjet, piezoelectric inkjet, laser electrophotographic, and others. However, for wide consumer acceptance, it is desirable that a netpage printer have the following characteristics:

P-0331[0331] photographic quality color printing

P-0332[0332] high quality text printing

P-0333[0333] high reliability

P-0334[0334] low printer cost

P-0335[0335] low ink cost

P-0336[0336] low paper cost

P-0337[0337] simple operation

P-0338[0338] nearly silent printing

P-0339[0339] high printing speed

P-0340[0340] simultaneous double sided printing

P-0341[0341] compact form factor

P-0342[0342] low power consumption

P-0343[0343] No commercially available printing technology has all of these characteristics.

P-0344[0344] To enable to production of printers with these characteristics, the present applicant has invented a new print technology, referred to as Memjet™ technology. Memjet™ is a drop-on-demand inkjet technology that incorporates pagewidth printheads fabricated using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. FIG. 17 shows a single printing element <b>300</b> of a Memjet™ printhead. The netpage wallprinter incorporates 168960 printing elements <b>300</b> to form a 1600 dpi pagewidth duplex printer. This printer simultaneously prints cyan, magenta, yellow, black, and infrared inks as well as paper conditioner and ink fixative.

P-0345[0345] The printing element <b>300</b> is approximately <b>110</b> microns long by <b>32</b> microns wide. Arrays of these printing elements are formed on a silicon substrate <b>301</b> that incorporates CMOS logic, data transfer, timing, and drive circuits (not shown).

P-0346[0346] Major elements of the printing element <b>300</b> are the nozzle <b>302</b>, the nozzle rim <b>303</b>, the nozzle chamber <b>304</b>, the fluidic seal <b>305</b>, the ink channel rim <b>306</b>, the lever arm <b>307</b>, the active actuator beam pair <b>308</b>, the passive actuator beam pair <b>309</b>, the active actuator anchor <b>310</b>, the passive actuator anchor <b>311</b>, and the ink inlet <b>312</b>.

P-0347[0347] The active actuator beam pair <b>308</b> is mechanically joined to the passive actuator beam pair <b>309</b> at the join <b>319</b>. Both beams pairs are anchored at their respective anchor points <b>310</b> and <b>311</b>. The combination of elements <b>308</b>, <b>309</b>, <b>310</b>, <b>311</b>, and <b>319</b> form a cantilevered electrothermal bend actuator <b>320</b>.

P-0348[0348] While printing, the printhead CMOS circuitry distributes data from the print engine controller to the correct printing element, latches the data, and buffers the data to drive the electrodes <b>318</b> of the active actuator beam pair <b>308</b>. This causes an electrical current to pass through the beam pair <b>308</b> for about one microsecond, resulting in Joule heating. The temperature increase resulting from Joule heating causes the beam pair <b>308</b> to expand. As the passive actuator beam pair <b>309</b> is not heated, it does not expand, resulting in a stress difference between the two beam pairs. This stress difference is partially resolved by the cantilevered end of the electrothermal bend actuator <b>320</b> bending towards the substrate <b>301</b>. The lever arm <b>307</b> transmits this movement to the nozzle chamber <b>304</b>. The nozzle chamber <b>304</b> moves about two microns to the position shown in FIG. 19(<i>b</i>). This increases the ink pressure, forcing ink <b>321</b> out of the nozzle <b>302</b>, and causing the ink meniscus <b>316</b> to bulge. The nozzle rim <b>303</b> prevents the ink meniscus <b>316</b> from spreading across the surface of the nozzle chamber <b>304</b>.

P-0349[0349] As the temperature of the beam pairs <b>308</b> and <b>309</b> equalizes, the actuator <b>320</b> returns to its original position. This aids in the break-off of the ink droplet <b>317</b> from the ink <b>321</b> in the nozzle chamber. The nozzle chamber is refilled by the action of the surface tension at the meniscus <b>316</b>.

P-0350[0350] In a netpage printer, the length of the printhead is the full width of the paper (typically 210 mm). When printing, the paper is moved past the fixed printhead. The printhead has 6 rows of interdigitated printing elements <b>300</b>, printing the six colors or types of ink supplied by the ink inlets.

P-0351[0351] To protect the fragile surface of the printhead during operation, a nozzle guard wafer is attached to the printhead substrate. For each nozzle there is a corresponding nozzle guard hole through which the ink droplets are fired. To prevent the nozzle guard holes from becoming blocked by paper fibers or other debris, filtered air is pumped through the air inlets and out of the nozzle guard holes during printing. To prevent ink from drying, the nozzle guard is sealed while the printer is idle.

P-0352[0352] 1.6 The Netpage Pen

P-0353[0353] The active sensing device of the netpage system is typically a pen <b>101</b>, which, using its embedded controller <b>134</b>, is able to capture and decode IR position tags from a page via an image sensor. The image sensor is a solid-state device provided with an appropriate filter to permit sensing at only near-infrared wavelengths. As described in more detail below, the system is able to sense when the nib is in contact with the surface, and the pen is able to sense tags at a sufficient rate to capture human handwriting (i.e. at 200 dpi or greater and 100 Hz or faster). Information captured by the pen is encrypted and wirelessly transmitted to the printer (or base station), the printer or base station interpreting the data with respect to the (known) page structure.

P-0354[0354] The preferred embodiment of the netpage pen operates both as a normal marking ink pen and as a non-marking stylus. The marking aspect, however, is not necessary for using the netpage system as a browsing system, such as when it is used as an Internet interface. Each netpage pen is registered with the netpage system and has a unique pen ID <b>61</b>. FIG. 23 shows the netpage pen class diagram, reflecting pen-related information maintained by a registration server <b>11</b> on the netpage network.

P-0355[0355] When either nib is in contact with a netpage, the pen determines its position and orientation relative to the page. The nib is attached to a force sensor, and the force on the nib is interpreted relative to a threshold to indicate whether the pen is “up” or “down”. This allows a interactive element on the page to be ‘clicked’ by pressing with the pen nib, in order to request, say, information from a network. Furthermore, the force is captured as a continuous value to allow, say, the full dynamics of a signature to be verified.

P-0356[0356] The pen determines the position and orientation of its nib on the netpage by imaging, in the infrared spectrum, an area <b>193</b> of the page in the vicinity of the nib. It decodes the nearest tag and computes the position of the nib relative to the tag from the observed perspective distortion on the imaged tag and the known geometry of the pen optics. Although the position resolution of the tag may be low, because the tag density on the page is inversely proportional to the tag size, the adjusted position resolution is quite high, exceeding the minimum resolution required for accurate handwriting recognition.

P-0357[0357] Pen actions relative to a netpage are captured as a series of strokes. A stroke consists of a sequence of time-stamped pen positions on the page, initiated by a pen-down event and completed by the subsequent pen-up event. A stroke is also tagged with the page ID <b>50</b> of the netpage whenever the page ID changes, which, under normal circumstances, is at the commencement of the stroke.

P-0358[0358] Each netpage pen has a current selection <b>826</b> associated with it, allowing the user to perform copy and paste operations etc. The selection is timestamped to allow the system to discard it after a defined time period. The current selection describes a region of a page instance. It consists of the most recent digital ink stroke captured through the pen relative to the background area of the page. It is interpreted in an application-specific manner once it is submitted to an application via a selection hyperlink activation.

P-0359[0359] Each pen has a current nib <b>824</b>. This is the nib last notified by the pen to the system. In the case of the default netpage pen described above, either the marking black ink nib or the non-marking stylus nib is current. Each pen also has a current nib style <b>825</b>. This is the nib style last associated with the pen by an application, e.g. in response to the user selecting a color from a palette. The default nib style is the nib style associated with the current nib. Strokes captured through a pen are tagged with the current nib style. When the strokes are subsequently reproduced, they are reproduced in the nib style with which they are tagged.

P-0360[0360] Whenever the pen is within range of a printer with which it can communicate, the pen slowly flashes its “online” LED. When the pen fails to decode a stroke relative to the page, it momentarily activates its “error” LED. When the pen succeeds in decoding a stroke relative to the page, it momentarily activates its “ok” LED.

P-0361[0361] A sequence of captured strokes is referred to as digital ink. Digital ink forms the basis for the digital exchange of drawings and handwriting, for online recognition of handwriting, and for online verification of signatures.

P-0362[0362] The pen is wireless and transmits digital ink to the netpage printer via a short-range radio link. The transmitted digital ink is encrypted for privacy and security and packetized for efficient transmission, but is always flushed on a pen-up event to ensure timely handling in the printer.

P-0363[0363] When the pen is out-of-range of a printer it buffers digital ink in internal memory, which has a capacity of over ten minutes of continuous handwriting. When the pen is once again within range of a printer, it transfers any buffered digital ink.

P-0364[0364] A pen can be registered with any number of printers, but because all state data resides in netpages both on paper and on the network, it is largely immaterial which printer a pen is communicating with at any particular time.

P-0365[0365] A preferred embodiment of the pen is described in greater detail in Section 6 below, with reference to FIGS. <b>8</b> to <b>10</b>.

P-0366[0366] 1.7 Netpage Interaction

P-0367[0367] The netpage printer <b>601</b> receives data relating to a stroke from the pen <b>101</b> when the pen is used to interact with a netpage <b>1</b>. The coded data <b>3</b> of the tags <b>4</b> is read by the pen when it is used to execute a movement, such as a stroke. The data allows the identity of the particular page and associated interactive element to be determined and an indication of the relative positioning of the pen relative to the page to be obtained. The indicating data is transmitted to the printer, where it resolves, via the DNS, the page ID <b>50</b> of the stroke into the network address of the netpage page server <b>10</b> which maintains the corresponding page instance <b>830</b>. It then transmits the stroke to the page server. If the page was recently identified in an earlier stroke, then the printer may already have the address of the relevant page server in its cache. Each netpage consists of a compact page layout maintained persistently by a netpage page server (see below). The page layout refers to objects such as images, fonts and pieces of text, typically stored elsewhere on the netpage network.

P-0368[0368] When the page server receives the stroke from the pen, it retrieves the page description to which the stroke applies, and determines which element of the page description the stroke intersects. It is then able to interpret the stroke in the context of the type of the relevant element.

P-0369[0369] A “click” is a stroke where the distance and time between the pen down position and the subsequent pen up position are both less than some small maximum. An object which is activated by a click typically requires a click to be activated, and accordingly, a longer stroke is ignored. The failure of a pen action, such as a “sloppy” click, to register is indicated by the lack of response from the pen's “ok” LED.

P-0370[0370] There are two kinds of input elements in a netpage page description: hyperlinks and form fields. Input through a form field can also trigger the activation of an associated hyperlink.

P-0371[0371] 1.7.1 Hyperlinks

P-0372[0372] A hyperlink is a means of sending a message to a remote application, and typically elicits a printed response in the netpage system.

P-0373[0373] A hyperlink element <b>844</b> identifies the application <b>71</b> which handles activation of the hyperlink, a link ID <b>54</b> which identifies the hyperlink to the application, an “alias required” flag which asks the system to include the user's application alias ID <b>65</b> in the hyperlink activation, and a description which is used when the hyperlink is recorded as a favorite or appears in the user's history. The hyperlink element class diagram is shown in FIG. 29.

P-0374[0374] When a hyperlink is activated, the page server sends a request to an application somewhere on the network. The application is identified by an application ID <b>64</b>, and the application ID is resolved in the normal way via the DNS. There are three types of hyperlinks: general hyperlinks <b>863</b>, form hyperlinks <b>865</b>, and selection hyperlinks <b>864</b>, as shown in FIG. 30. A general hyperlink can implement a request for a linked document, or may simply signal a preference to a server. A form hyperlink submits the corresponding form to the application. A selection hyperlink submits the current selection to the application. If the current selection contains a single-word piece of text, for example, the application may return a single-page document giving the word's meaning within the context in which it appears, or a translation into a different language. Each hyperlink type is characterized by what information is submitted to the application.

P-0375[0375] The corresponding hyperlink instance <b>862</b> records a transaction ID <b>55</b> which can be specific to the page instance on which the hyperlink instance appears. The transaction ID can identify user-specific data to the application, for example a “shopping cart” of pending purchases maintained by a purchasing application on behalf of the user.

P-0376[0376] The system includes the pen's current selection <b>826</b> in a selection hyperlink activation. The system includes the content of the associated form instance <b>868</b> in a form hyperlink activation, although if the hyperlink has its “submit delta” attribute set, only input since the last form submission is included. The system includes an effective return path in all hyperlink activations.

P-0377[0377] A hyperlinked group <b>866</b> is a group element <b>838</b> which has an associated hyperlink, as shown in FIG. 31. When input occurs through any field element in the group, the hyperlink <b>844</b> associated with the group is activated. A hyperlinked group can be used to associate hyperlink behavior with a field such as a checkbox. It can also be used, in conjunction with the “submit delta” attribute of a form hyperlink, to provide continuous input to an application. It can therefore be used to support a “blackboard” interaction model, i.e. where input is captured and therefore shared as soon as it occurs.

P-0378[0378] 1.7.2 Forms

P-0379[0379] A form defines a collection of related input fields used to capture a related set of inputs through a printed netpage. A form allows a user to submit one or more parameters to an application software program running on a server.

P-0380[0380] A form <b>867</b> is a group element <b>838</b> in the document hierarchy. It ultimately contains a set of terminal field elements <b>839</b>. A form instance <b>868</b> represents a printed instance of a form. It consists of a set of field instances <b>870</b> which correspond to the field elements <b>845</b> of the form. Each field instance has an associated value <b>871</b>, whose type depends on the type of the corresponding field element. Each field value records input through a particular printed form instance, i.e. through one or more printed netpages. The form class diagram is shown in FIG. 32.

P-0381[0381] Each form instance has a status <b>872</b> which indicates whether the form is active, frozen, submitted, void or expired. A form is active when first printed. A form becomes frozen once it is signed or once its freeze time is reached. A form becomes submitted once one of its submission hyperlinks has been activated, unless the hyperlink has its “submit delta” attribute set. A form becomes void when the user invokes a void form, reset form or duplicate form page command. A form expires when its specified expiry time is reached, i.e. when the time the form has been active exceeds the form's specified lifetime. While the form is active, form input is allowed. Input through a form which is not active is instead captured in the background field <b>833</b> of the relevant page instance. When the form is active or frozen, form submission is allowed. Any attempt to submit a form when the form is not active or frozen is rejected, and instead elicits an form status report.

P-0382[0382] Each form instance is associated (at <b>59</b>) with any form instances derived from it, thus providing a version history. This allows all but the latest version of a form in a particular time period to be excluded from a search.

P-0383[0383] All input is captured as digital ink. Digital ink <b>873</b> consists of a set of timestamped stroke groups <b>874</b>, each of which consists of a set of styled strokes <b>875</b>. Each stroke consists of a set of timestamped pen positions <b>876</b>, each of which also includes pen orientation and nib force. The digital ink class diagram is shown in FIG. 33.

P-0384[0384] A field element <b>845</b> can be a checkbox field <b>877</b>, a text field <b>878</b>, a drawing field <b>879</b>, or a signature field <b>880</b>. The field element class diagram is shown in FIG. 34. Any digital ink captured in a field's zone <b>58</b> is assigned to the field.

P-0385[0385] A checkbox field has an associated boolean value <b>881</b>, as shown in FIG. 35. Any mark (a tick, a cross, a stroke, a fill zigzag, etc.) captured in a checkbox field's zone causes a true value to be assigned to the field's value.

P-0386[0386] A text field has an associated text value <b>882</b>, as shown in FIG. 36. Any digital ink captured in a text field's zone is automatically converted to text via online handwriting recognition, and the text is assigned to the field's value. Online handwriting recognition is well-understood (see, for example, Tappert, C., C. Y. Suen and T. Wakahara, “The State of the Art in On-Line Handwriting Recognition”, IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, Vol.12, No.8, August 1990, the contents of which are herein incorporated by cross-reference).

P-0387[0387] A signature field has an associated digital signature value <b>883</b>, as shown in FIG. 37. Any digital ink captured in a signature field's zone is automatically verified with respect to the identity of the owner of the pen, and a digital signature of the content of the form of which the field is part is generated and assigned to the field's value. The digital signature is generated using the pen user's private signature key specific to the application which owns the form. Online signature verification is well-understood (see, for example, Plamondon, R. and G. Lorette, “Automatic Signature Verification and Writer Identification—The State of the Art”, Pattern Recognition, Vol.22, No.2, 1989, the contents of which are herein incorporated by cross-reference).

P-0388[0388] A field element is hidden if its “hidden” attribute is set. A hidden field element does not have an input zone on a page and does not accept input. It can have an associated field value which is included in the form data when the form containing the field is submitted.

P-0389[0389] “Editing” commands, such as strike-throughs indicating deletion, can also be recognized in form fields.

P-0390[0390] Because the handwriting recognition algorithm works “online” (i.e. with access to the dynamics of the pen movement), rather than “offline” (i.e. with access only to a bitmap of pen markings), it can recognize run-on discretely-written characters with relatively high accuracy, without a writer-dependent training phase. A writer-dependent model of handwriting is automatically generated over time, however, and can be generated up-front if necessary,

P-0391[0391] Digital ink, as already stated, consists of a sequence of strokes. Any stroke which starts in a particular element's zone is appended to that element's digital ink stream, ready for interpretation. Any stroke not appended to an object's digital ink stream is appended to the background field's digital ink stream.

P-0392[0392] Digital ink captured in the background field is interpreted as a selection gesture. Circumscription of one or more objects is generally interpreted as a selection of the circumscribed objects, although the actual interpretation is application-specific.

P-0393[0393] Table 2 summarises these various pen interactions with a netpage. <tables id="TABLE-US-00001" num="1"><table frame="none" colsep="0" rowsep="0"><tgroup align="left" colsep="0" rowsep="0" cols="1"><colspec colname="1" colwidth="217PT" align="center" /><thead><row><entry namest="1" nameend="1" align="center">TABLE 2</entry></row></thead><tbody valign="top"><row><entry /></row><row><entry namest="1" nameend="1" align="center" rowsep="1" /></row><row><entry>Summary of pen interactions with a netpage</entry></row></tbody></tgroup><tgroup align="left" colsep="0" rowsep="0" cols="4"><colspec colname="1" colwidth="35PT" align="left" /><colspec colname="2" colwidth="35PT" align="left" /><colspec colname="3" colwidth="56PT" align="left" /><colspec colname="4" colwidth="91PT" align="left" /><tbody valign="top"><row><entry>Object</entry><entry>Type</entry><entry>Pen input</entry><entry>Action</entry></row><row><entry namest="1" nameend="4" align="center" rowsep="1" /></row><row><entry>Hyperlink</entry><entry>General</entry><entry>Click</entry><entry>Submit action to application</entry></row><row><entry /><entry>Form</entry><entry>Click</entry><entry>Submit form to application</entry></row><row><entry /><entry>Selection</entry><entry>Click</entry><entry>Submit selection to</entry></row><row><entry /><entry /><entry /><entry>application</entry></row><row><entry>Form field</entry><entry>Checkbox</entry><entry>Any mark</entry><entry>Assign true to field</entry></row><row><entry /><entry>Text</entry><entry>Handwriting</entry><entry>Convert digital ink to text;</entry></row><row><entry /><entry /><entry /><entry>assign text to field</entry></row><row><entry /><entry>Drawing</entry><entry>Digital ink</entry><entry>Assign digital ink to field</entry></row><row><entry /><entry>Signature</entry><entry>Signature</entry><entry>Verify digital ink signature;</entry></row><row><entry /><entry /><entry /><entry>generate digital signature of</entry></row><row><entry /><entry /><entry /><entry>form; assign digital signature</entry></row><row><entry /><entry /><entry /><entry>to field</entry></row><row><entry>None</entry><entry>—</entry><entry>Circumscription</entry><entry>Assign digital ink to current</entry></row><row><entry /><entry /><entry /><entry>selection</entry></row><row><entry namest="1" nameend="4" align="center" rowsep="1" /></row></tbody></tgroup></table></tables>

P-0394[0394] The system maintains a current selection for each pen. The selection consists simply of the most recent stroke captured in the background field. The selection is cleared after an inactivity timeout to ensure predictable behavior.

P-0395[0395] The raw digital ink captured in every field is retained on the netpage page server and is optionally transmitted with the form data when the form is submitted to the application. This allows the application to interrogate the raw digital ink should it suspect the original conversion, such as the conversion of handwritten text. This can, for example, involve human intervention at the application level for forms which fail certain application-specific consistency checks. As an extension to this, the entire background area of a form can be designated as a drawing field. The application can then decide, on the basis of the presence of digital ink outside the explicit fields of the form, to route the form to a human operator, on the assumption that the user may have indicated amendments to the filled-in fields outside of those fields.

P-0396[0396]FIG. 38 shows a flowchart of the process of handling pen input relative to a netpage. The process consists of receiving (at <b>884</b>) a stroke from the pen; identifying (at <b>885</b>) the page instance <b>830</b> to which the page ID <b>50</b> in the stroke refers; retrieving (at <b>886</b>) the page description <b>5</b>; identifying (at <b>887</b>) a formatted element <b>839</b> whose zone <b>58</b> the stroke intersects; determining (at <b>888</b>) whether the formatted element corresponds to a field element, and if so appending (at <b>892</b>) the received stroke to the digital ink of the field value <b>871</b>, interpreting (at <b>893</b>) the accumulated digital ink of the field, and determining (at <b>894</b>) whether the field is part of a hyperlinked group <b>866</b> and if so activating (at <b>895</b>) the associated hyperlink; alternatively determining (at <b>889</b>) whether the formatted element corresponds to a hyperlink element and if so activating (at <b>895</b>) the corresponding hyperlink; alternatively, in the absence of an input field or hyperlink, appending (at <b>890</b>) the received stroke to the digital ink of the background field <b>833</b>; and copying (at <b>891</b>) the received stroke to the current selection <b>826</b> of the current pen, as maintained by the registration server.

P-0397[0397]FIG. 38<i>a </i>shows a detailed flowchart of step <b>893</b> in the process shown in FIG. 38, where the accumulated digital ink of a field is interpreted according to the type of the field. The process consists of determining (at <b>896</b>) whether the field is a checkbox and (at <b>897</b>) whether the digital ink represents a checkmark, and if so assigning (at <b>898</b>) a true value to the field value; alternatively determining (at <b>899</b>) whether the field is a text field and if so converting (at <b>900</b>) the digital ink to computer text, with the help of the appropriate registration server, and assigning (at <b>901</b>) the converted computer text to the field value; alternatively determining (at <b>902</b>) whether the field is a signature field and if so verifying (at <b>903</b>) the digital ink as the signature of the pen's owner, with the help of the appropriate registration server, creating (at <b>904</b>) a digital signature of the contents of the corresponding form, also with the help of the registration server and using the pen owner's private signature key relating to the corresponding application, and assigning (at <b>905</b>) the digital signature to the field value.

P-0398[0398] 1.7.3 Page Server Commands

P-0399[0399] A page server command is a command which is handled locally by the page server. It operates directly on form, page and document instances.

P-0400[0400] A page server command <b>907</b> can be a void form command <b>908</b>, a duplicate form command <b>909</b>, a reset form command <b>910</b>, a get form status command <b>911</b>, a duplicate page command <b>912</b>, a reset page command <b>913</b>, a get page status command <b>914</b>, a duplicate document command <b>915</b>, a reset document command <b>916</b>, or a get document status command <b>917</b>, as shown in FIG. 39.

P-0401[0401] A void form command voids the corresponding form instance. A duplicate form command voids the corresponding form instance and then produces an active printed copy of the current form instance with field values preserved. The copy contains the same hyperlink transaction IDs as the original, and so is indistinguishable from the original to an application. A reset form command voids the corresponding form instance and then produces an active printed copy of the form instance with field values discarded. A get form status command produces a printed report on the status of the corresponding form instance, including who published it, when it was printed, for whom it was printed, and the form status of the form instance.

P-0402[0402] Since a form hyperlink instance contains a transaction ID, the application has to be involved in producing a new form instance. A button requesting a new form instance is therefore typically implemented as a hyperlink.

P-0403[0403] A duplicate page command produces a printed copy of the corresponding page instance with the background field value preserved. If the page contains a form or is part of a form, then the duplicate page command is interpreted as a duplicate form command. A reset page command produces a printed copy of the corresponding page instance with the background field value discarded. If the page contains a form or is part of a form, then the reset page command is interpreted as a reset form command. A get page status command produces a printed report on the status of the corresponding page instance, including who published it, when it was printed, for whom it was printed, and the status of any forms it contains or is part of.

P-0404[0404] The netpage logo which appears on every netpage is usually associated with a duplicate page element.

P-0405[0405] When a page instance is duplicated with field values preserved, field values are printed in their native form, i.e. a checkmark appears as a standard checkmark graphic, and text appears as typeset text. Only drawings and signatures appear in their original form, with a signature accompanied by a standard graphic indicating successful signature verification.

P-0406[0406] A duplicate document command produces a printed copy of the corresponding document instance with background field values preserved. If the document contains any forms, then the duplicate document command duplicates the forms in the same way a duplicate form command does. A reset document-command produces a printed copy of the corresponding document instance with background field values discarded. If the document contains any forms, then the reset document command resets the forms in the same way a reset form command does. A get document status command produces a printed report on the status of the corresponding document instance, including who published it, when it was printed, for whom it was printed, and the status of any forms it contains.

P-0407[0407] If the page server command's “on selected” attribute is set, then the command operates on the page identified by the pen's current selection rather than on the page containing the command. This allows a menu of page server commands to be printed. If the target page doesn't contain a page server command element for the designated page server command, then the command is ignored.

P-0408[0408] An application can provide application-specific handling by embedding the relevant page server command element in a hyperlinked group. The page server activates the hyperlink associated with the hyperlinked group rather than executing the page server command.

P-0409[0409] A page server command element is hidden if its “hidden” attribute is set. A hidden command element does not have an input zone on a page and so cannot be activated directly by a user. It can, however, be activated via a page server command embedded in a different page, if that page server command has its “on selected” attribute set.

P-0410[0410] 1.8 Standard Features of Netpages

P-0411[0411] In the preferred form, each netpage is printed with the netpage logo at the bottom to indicate that it is a netpage and therefore has interactive properties. The logo also acts as a copy button. In most cases pressing the logo produces a copy of the page. In the case of a form, the button produces a copy of the entire form. And in the case of a secure document, such as a ticket or coupon, the button elicits an explanatory note or advertising page.

P-0412[0412] The default single-page copy function is handled directly by the relevant netpage page server. Special copy functions are handled by linking the logo button to an application.

P-0413[0413] 1.9 User Help System

P-0414[0414] In a preferred embodiment, the netpage printer has a single button labelled “Help”. When pressed it elicits a single help page 46 of information, including:

P-0415[0415] status of printer connection

P-0416[0416] status of printer consumables

P-0417[0417] top-level help menu

P-0418[0418] document function menu

P-0419[0419] top-level netpage network directory

P-0420[0420] The help menu provides a hierarchical manual on how to use the netpage system.

P-0421[0421] The document function menu includes the following functions:

P-0422[0422] print a copy of a document

P-0423[0423] print a clean copy of a form

P-0424[0424] print the status of a document

P-0425[0425] A document function is initiated by selecting the document and then pressing the button. The status of a document indicates who published it and when, to whom it was delivered, and to whom and when it was subsequently submitted as a form.

P-0426[0426] The help page is obviously unavailable if the printer is unable to print. In this case the “error” light is lit and the user can request remote diagnosis over the network.

2 Personalized Publication Model

P-0427[0427] In the following description, news is used as a canonical publication example to illustrate personalization mechanisms in the netpage system. Although news is often used in the limited sense of newspaper and newsmagazine news, the intended scope in the present context is wider.

P-0428[0428] In the netpage system, the editorial content and the advertising content of a news publication are personalized using different mechanisms. The editorial content is personalized according to the reader's explicitly stated and implicitly captured interest profile. The advertising content is personalized according to the reader's locality and demographic.

P-0429[0429] 2.1 Editorial Personalization

P-0430[0430] A subscriber can draw on two kinds of news sources: those that deliver news publications, and those that deliver news streams. While news publications are aggregated and edited by the publisher, news streams are aggregated either by a news publisher or by a specialized news aggregator. News publications typically correspond to traditional newspapers and newsmagazines, while news streams can be many and varied: a “raw” news feed from a news service, a cartoon strip, a freelance writer's column, a friend's bulletin board, or the reader's own e-mail.

P-0431[0431] The netpage publication server supports the publication of edited news publications as well as the aggregation of multiple news streams. By handling the aggregation and hence the formatting of news streams selected directly by the reader, the server is able to place advertising on pages over which it otherwise has no editorial control.

P-0432[0432] The subscriber builds a daily newspaper by selecting one or more contributing news publications, and creating a personalized version of each. The resulting daily editions are printed and bound together into a single newspaper. The various members of a household typically express their different interests and tastes by selecting different daily publications and then customizing them.

P-0433[0433] For each publication, the reader optionally selects specific sections. Some sections appear daily, while others appear weekly. The daily sections available from The New York Times online, for example, include “Page One Plus”, “National”, “International”, “Opinion”, “Business”, “Arts/Living”, “Technology”, and “Sports”. The set of available sections is specific to a publication, as is the default subset.

P-0434[0434] The reader can extend the daily newspaper by creating custom sections, each one drawing on any number of news streams. Custom sections might be created for e-mail and friends' announcements (“Personal”), or for monitoring news feeds for specific topics (“Alerts” or “Clippings”).

P-0435[0435] For each section, the reader optionally specifies its size, either qualitatively (e.g. short, medium, or long), or numerically (i.e. as a limit on its number of pages), and the desired proportion of advertising, either qualitatively (e.g. high, normal, low, none), or numerically (i.e. as a percentage).

P-0436[0436] The reader also optionally expresses a preference for a large number of shorter articles or a small number of longer articles. Each article is ideally written (or edited) in both short and long forms to support this preference.

P-0437[0437] An article may also be written (or edited) in different versions to match the expected sophistication of the reader, for example to provide children's and adults' versions. The appropriate version is selected according to the reader's age. The reader can specify a “reading age” which takes precedence over their biological age.

P-0438[0438] The articles which make up each section are selected and prioritized by the editors, and each is assigned a useful lifetime. By default they are delivered to all relevant subscribers, in priority order, subject to space constraints in the subscribers' editions.

P-0439[0439] In sections where it is appropriate, the reader may optionally enable collaborative filtering. This is then applied to articles which have a sufficiently long lifetime. Each article which qualifies for collaborative filtering is printed with rating buttons at the end of the article. The buttons can provide an easy choice (e.g. “liked” and “disliked”), making it more likely that readers will bother to rate the article.

P-0440[0440] Articles with high priorities and short lifetimes are therefore effectively considered essential reading by the editors and are delivered to most relevant subscribers.

P-0441[0441] The reader optionally specifies a serendipity factor, either qualitatively (e.g. do or don't surprise me), or numerically. A high serendipity factor lowers the threshold used for matching during collaborative filtering. A high factor makes it more likely that the corresponding section will be filled to the reader's specified capacity. A different serendipity factor can be specified for different days of the week.

P-0442[0442] The reader also optionally specifies topics of particular interest within a section, and this modifies the priorities assigned by the editors.

P-0443[0443] The speed of the reader's Internet connection affects the quality at which images can be delivered. The reader optionally specifies a preference for fewer images or smaller images or both. If the number or size of images is not reduced, then images may be delivered at lower quality (i.e. at lower resolution or with greater compression).

P-0444[0444] At a global level, the reader specifies how quantities, dates, times and monetary values are localized. This involves specifying whether units are imperial or metric, a local timezone and time format, and a local currency, and whether the localization consist of in situ translation or annotation. These preferences are derived from the reader's locality by default.

P-0445[0445] To reduce reading difficulties caused by poor eyesight, the reader optionally specifies a global preference for a larger presentation. Both text and images are scaled accordingly, and less information is accommodated on each page.

P-0446[0446] The language in which a news publication is published, and its corresponding text encoding, is a property of the publication and not a preference expressed by the user. However, the netpage system can be configured to provide automatic translation services in various guises.

P-0447[0447] 2.2 Advertising Localization and Targeting

P-0448[0448] The personalization of the editorial content directly affects the advertising content, because advertising is typically placed to exploit the editorial context. Travel ads, for example, are more likely to appear in a travel section than elsewhere. The value of the editorial content to an advertiser (and therefore to the publisher) lies in its ability to attract large numbers of readers with the right demographics.

P-0449[0449] Effective advertising is placed on the basis of locality and demographics. Locality determines proximity to particular services, retailers etc., and particular interests and concerns associated with the local community and environment. Demographics determine general interests and preoccupations as well as likely spending patterns.

P-0450[0450] A news publisher's most profitable product is advertising “space”, a multi-dimensional entity determined by the publication's geographic coverage, the size of its readership, its readership demographics, and the page area available for advertising.

P-0451[0451] In the netpage system, the netpage publication server computes the approximate multi-dimensional size of a publication's saleable advertising space on a per-section basis, taking into account the publication's geographic coverage, the section's readership, the size of each reader's section edition, each reader's advertising proportion, and each reader's demographic.

P-0452[0452] In comparison with other media, the netpage system allows the advertising space to be defined in greater detail, and allows smaller pieces of it to be sold separately. It therefore allows it to be sold at closer to its true value.

P-0453[0453] For example, the same advertising “slot” can be sold in varying proportions to several advertisers, with individual readers' pages randomly receiving the advertisement of one advertiser or another, overall preserving the proportion of space sold to each advertiser.

P-0454[0454] The netpage system allows advertising to be linked directly to detailed product information and online purchasing. It therefore raises the intrinsic value of the advertising space.

P-0455[0455] Because personalization and localization are handled automatically by netpage publication servers, an advertising aggregator can provide arbitrarily broad coverage of both geography and demographics. The subsequent disaggregation is efficient because it is automatic. This makes it more cost-effective for publishers to deal with advertising aggregators than to directly capture advertising. Even though the advertising aggregator is taking a proportion of advertising revenue, publishers may find the change profit-neutral because of the greater efficiency of aggregation. The advertising aggregator acts as an intermediary between advertisers and publishers, and may place the same advertisement in multiple publications.

P-0456[0456] It is worth noting that ad placement in a netpage publication can be more complex than ad placement in the publication's traditional counterpart, because the publication's advertising space is more complex. While ignoring the full complexities of negotiations between advertisers, advertising aggregators and publishers, the preferred form of the netpage system provides some automated support for these negotiations, including support for automated auctions of advertising space. Automation is particularly desirable for the placement of advertisements which generate small amounts of income, such as small or highly localized advertisements.

P-0457[0457] Once placement has been negotiated, the aggregator captures and edits the advertisement and records it on a netpage ad server. Correspondingly, the publisher records the ad placement on the relevant netpage publication server. When the netpage publication server lays out each user's personalized publication, it picks the relevant advertisements from the netpage ad server.

P-0458[0458] 2.3 User Profiles

P-0459[0459] 2.3.1 Information Filtering

P-0460[0460] The personalization of news and other publications relies on an assortment of user-specific profile information, including:

P-0461[0461] publication customizations

P-0462[0462] collaborative filtering vectors

P-0463[0463] contact details

P-0464[0464] presentation preferences

P-0465[0465] The customization of a publication is typically publication-specific, and so the customization information is maintained by the relevant netpage publication server.

P-0466[0466] A collaborative filtering vector consists of the user's ratings of a number of news items. It is used to correlate different users' interests for the purposes of making recommendations. Although there are benefits to maintaining a single collaborative filtering vector independently of any particular publication, there are two reasons why it is more practical to maintain a separate vector for each publication: there is likely to be more overlap between the vectors of subscribers to the same publication than between those of subscribers to different publications; and a publication is likely to want to present its users' collaborative filtering vectors as part of the value of its brand, not to be found elsewhere. Collaborative filtering vectors are therefore also maintained by the relevant netpage publication server.

P-0467[0467] Contact details, including name, street address, ZIP Code, state, country, telephone numbers, are global by nature, and are maintained by a netpage registration server.

P-0468[0468] Presentation preferences, including those for quantities, dates and times, are likewise global and maintained in the same way.

P-0469[0469] The localization of advertising relies on the locality indicated in the user's contact details, while the targeting of advertising relies on personal information such as date of birth, gender, marital status, income, profession, education, or qualitative derivatives such as age range and income range.

P-0470[0470] For those users who choose to reveal personal information for advertising purposes, the information is maintained by the relevant netpage registration server. In the absence of such information, advertising can be targeted on the basis of the demographic associated with the user's ZIP or ZIP+4 Code.

P-0471[0471] Each user, pen, printer, application provider and application is assigned its own unique identifier, and the netpage registration server maintains the relationships between them, as shown in FIGS. 21, 22, <b>23</b> and <b>24</b>. For registration purposes, a publisher is a special kind of application provider, and a publication is a special kind of application.

P-0472[0472] Each user <b>800</b> may be authorized to use any number of printers <b>802</b>, and each printer may allow any number of users to use it. Each user has a single default printer (at <b>66</b>), to which periodical publications are delivered by default, whilst pages printed on demand are delivered to the printer through which the user is interacting. The server keeps track of which publishers a user has authorized to print to the user's default printer. A publisher does not record the ID of any particular printer, but instead resolves the ID when it is required. The user may also be designated as having administrative privileges <b>69</b> on the printer, allowing the user to authorize other users to use the printer. This only has meaning if the printer requires administrative privileges <b>84</b> for such operations.

P-0473[0473] When a user subscribes <b>808</b> to a publication <b>807</b>, the publisher <b>806</b> (i.e. application provider <b>803</b>) is authorized to print to a specified printer or the user's default printer. This authorization can be revoked at any time by the user. Each user may have several pens <b>801</b>, but a pen is specific to a single user. If a user is authorized to use a particular printer, then that printer recognizes any of the user's pens.

P-0474[0474] The pen ID is used to locate the corresponding user profile maintained by a particular netpage registration server, via the DNS in the usual way.

P-0475[0475] A Web terminal <b>809</b> can be authorized to print on a particular netpage printer, allowing Web pages and netpage documents encountered during Web browsing to be conveniently printed on the nearest netpage printer.

P-0476[0476] The netpage system can collect, on behalf of a printer provider, fees and commissions on income earned through publications printed on the provider's printers. Such income can include advertising fees, click-through fees, e-commerce commissions, and transaction fees. If the printer is owned by the user, then the user is the printer provider.

P-0477[0477] Each user also has a netpage account <b>820</b> which is used to accumulate micro-debits and credits (such as those described in the preceding paragraph); contact details <b>815</b>, including name, address and telephone numbers; global preferences <b>816</b>, including privacy, delivery and localization settings; any number of biometric records <b>817</b>, containing the user's encoded signature <b>818</b>, fingerprint <b>819</b> etc; a handwriting model <b>819</b> automatically maintained by the system; and SET payment card accounts <b>821</b>, with which e-commerce payments can be made.

P-0478[0478] In addition to the user-specific netpage account, each user also has a netpage account <b>936</b> specific to each printer the user is authorized to use. Each printer-specific account is used to accumulate micro-debits and credits related to the user's activities on that printer. The user is billed on a regular basis for any outstanding debit balances.

P-0479[0479] A user optionally appears in the netpage user directory <b>823</b>, allowing other users to locate and direct e-mail (etc.) to the user.

P-0480[0480] 2.4 Intelligent Page Layout

P-0481[0481] The netpage publication server automatically lays out the pages of each user's personalized publication on a section-by-section basis. Since most advertisements are in the form of pre-formatted rectangles, they are placed on the page before the editorial content.

P-0482[0482] The advertising ratio for a section can be achieved with wildly varying advertising ratios on individual pages within the section, and the ad layout algorithm exploits this. The algorithm is configured to attempt to co-locate closely tied editorial and advertising content, such as placing ads for roofing material specifically within the publication because of a special feature on do-it-yourself roofing repairs.

P-0483[0483] The editorial content selected for the user, including text and associated images and graphics, is then laid out according to various aesthetic rules.

P-0484[0484] The entire process, including the selection of ads and the selection of editorial content, must be iterated once the layout has converged, to attempt to more closely achieve the user's stated section size preference. The section size preference can, however, be matched on average over time, allowing significant day-to-day variations.

P-0485[0485] 2.5 Document Format

P-0486[0486] Once the document is laid out, it is encoded for efficient distribution and persistent storage on the netpage network.

P-0487[0487] The primary efficiency mechanism is the separation of information specific to a single user's edition and information shared between multiple users' editions. The specific information consists of the page layout. The shared information consists of the objects to which the page layout refers, including images, graphics, and pieces of text.

P-0488[0488] A text object contains fully-formatted text represented in the Extensible Markup Language (XML) using the Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL). XSL provides precise control over text formatting independently of the region into which the text is being set, which in this case is being provided by the layout. The text object contains embedded language codes to enable automatic translation, and embedded hyphenation hints to aid with paragraph formatting.

P-0489[0489] An image object encodes an image in the JPEG 2000 wavelet-based compressed image format. A graphic object encodes a 2D graphic in Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) format.

P-0490[0490] The layout itself consists of a series of placed image and graphic objects, linked textflow objects through which text objects flow, hyperlinks and input fields as described above, and watermark regions. These layout objects are summarized in Table 3. The layout uses a compact format suitable for efficient distribution and storage. <tables id="TABLE-US-00002" num="2"><table frame="none" colsep="0" rowsep="0"><tgroup align="left" colsep="0" rowsep="0" cols="1"><colspec colname="1" colwidth="217PT" align="center" /><thead><row><entry namest="1" nameend="1" align="center">TABLE 3</entry></row></thead><tbody valign="top"><row><entry /></row><row><entry namest="1" nameend="1" align="center" rowsep="1" /></row><row><entry>netpage layout objects</entry></row></tbody></tgroup><tgroup align="left" colsep="0" rowsep="0" cols="4"><colspec colname="OFFSET" colwidth="14PT" align="left" /><colspec colname="1" colwidth="56PT" align="left" /><colspec colname="2" colwidth="84PT" align="left" /><colspec colname="3" colwidth="63PT" align="left" /><tbody valign="top"><row><entry /><entry>Layout</entry><entry /><entry>Format of</entry></row><row><entry /><entry>object</entry><entry>Attribute</entry><entry>linked object</entry></row><row><entry /><entry namest="OFFSET" nameend="3" align="center" rowsep="1" /></row><row><entry /><entry>Image</entry><entry>Position</entry><entry>—</entry></row><row><entry /><entry /><entry>Image object ID</entry><entry>JPEG 2000</entry></row><row><entry /><entry>Graphic</entry><entry>Position</entry><entry>—</entry></row><row><entry /><entry /><entry>Graphic object ID</entry><entry>SVG</entry></row><row><entry /><entry>Textflow</entry><entry>Textflow ID</entry><entry>—</entry></row><row><entry /><entry /><entry>Zone</entry><entry>—</entry></row><row><entry /><entry /><entry>Optional text object ID</entry><entry>XML/XSL</entry></row><row><entry /><entry>Hyperlink</entry><entry>Type</entry><entry>—</entry></row><row><entry /><entry /><entry>Zone</entry><entry>—</entry></row><row><entry /><entry /><entry>Application ID, etc.</entry><entry>—</entry></row><row><entry /><entry>Field</entry><entry>Type</entry><entry>—</entry></row><row><entry /><entry /><entry>Meaning</entry><entry>—</entry></row><row><entry /><entry /><entry>Zone</entry><entry>—</entry></row><row><entry /><entry>Watermark</entry><entry>Zone</entry><entry>—</entry></row><row><entry /><entry namest="OFFSET" nameend="3" align="center" rowsep="1" /></row></tbody></tgroup></table></tables>

P-0491[0491] 2.6 Document Distribution

P-0492[0492] As described above, for purposes of efficient distribution and persistent storage on the netpage network, a user-specific page layout is separated from the shared objects to which it refers.

P-0493[0493] When a subscribed publication is ready to be distributed, the netpage publication server allocates, with the help of the netpage ID server <b>12</b>, a unique ID for each page, page instance, document, and document instance.

P-0494[0494] The server computes a set of optimized subsets of the shared content and creates a multicast channel for each subset, and then tags each user-specific layout with the names of the multicast channels which will carry the shared content used by that layout. The server then pointcasts each user's layouts to that user's printer via the appropriate page server, and when the pointcasting is complete, multicasts the shared content on the specified channels. After receiving its pointcast, each page server and printer subscribes to the multicast channels specified in the page layouts. During the multicasts, each page server and printer extracts from the multicast streams those objects referred to by its page layouts. The page servers persistently archive the received page layouts and shared content.

P-0495[0495] Once a printer has received all the objects to which its page layouts refer, the printer re-creates the fully-populated layout and then rasterizes and prints it.

P-0496[0496] Under normal circumstances, the printer prints pages faster than they can be delivered. Assuming a quarter of each page is covered with images, the average page has a size of less than 400 KB. The printer can therefore hold in excess of 100 such pages in its internal 64 MB memory, allowing for temporary buffers etc. The printer prints at a rate of one page per second. This is equivalent to 400 KB or about 3 Mbit of page data per second, which is similar to the highest expected rate of page data delivery over a broadband network.

P-0497[0497] Even under abnormal circumstances, such as when the printer runs out of paper, it is likely that the user will be able to replenish the paper supply before the printer's 100-page internal storage capacity is exhausted.

P-0498[0498] However, if the printer's internal memory does fill up, then the printer will be unable to make use of a multicast when it first occurs. The netpage publication server therefore allows printers to submit requests for re-multicasts. When a critical number of requests is received or a timeout occurs, the server re-multicasts the corresponding shared objects.

P-0499[0499] Once a document is printed, a printer can produce an exact duplicate at any time by retrieving its page layouts and contents from the relevant page server.

P-0500[0500] 2.7 On-Demand Documents

P-0501[0501] When a netpage document is requested on demand, it can be personalized and delivered in much the same way as a periodical. However, since there is no shared content, delivery is made directly to the requesting printer without the use of multicast.

P-0502[0502] When a non-netpage document is requested on demand, it is not personalized, and it is delivered via a designated netpage formatting server which reformats it as a netpage document. A netpage formatting server is a special instance of a netpage publication server. The netpage formatting server has knowledge of various Internet document formats, including Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF), and Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). In the case of HTML, it can make use of the higher resolution of the printed page to present Web pages in a multi-column format, with a table of contents. It can automatically include all Web pages directly linked to the requested page. The user can tune this behavior via a preference.

P-0503[0503] The netpage formatting server makes standard netpage behavior, including interactivity and persistence, available on any Internet document, no matter what its origin and format. It hides knowledge of different document formats from both the netpage printer and the netpage page server, and hides knowledge of the netpage system from Web servers.

3 Security

P-0504[0504] 3.1 Cryptography

P-0505[0505] Cryptography is used to protect sensitive information, both in storage and in transit, and to authenticate parties to a transaction. There are two classes of cryptography in widespread use: secret-key cryptography and public-key cryptography. The netpage network uses both classes of cryptography.

P-0506[0506] Secret-key cryptography, also referred to as symmetric cryptography, uses the same key to encrypt and decrypt a message. Two parties wishing to exchange messages must first arrange to securely exchange the secret key.

P-0507[0507] Public-key cryptography, also referred to as asymmetric cryptography, uses two encryption keys. The two keys are mathematically related in such a way that any message encrypted using one key can only be decrypted using the other key. One of these keys is then published, while the other is kept private. The public key is used to encrypt any message intended for the holder of the private key. Once encrypted using the public key, a message can only be decrypted using the private key. Thus two parties can securely exchange messages without first having to exchange a secret key. To ensure that the private key is secure, it is normal for the holder of the private key to generate the key pair.

P-0508[0508] Public-key cryptography can be used to create a digital signature. The holder of the private key can create a known hash of a message and then encrypt the hash using the private key. Anyone can then verify that the encrypted hash constitutes the “signature” of the holder of the private key with respect to that particular message by decrypting the encrypted hash using the public key and verifying the hash against the message. If the signature is appended to the message, then the recipient of the message can verify both that the message is genuine and that it has not been altered in transit.

P-0509[0509] To make public-key cryptography work, there has to be a way to distribute public keys which prevents impersonation. This is normally done using certificates and certificate authorities. A certificate authority is a trusted third party which authenticates the connection between a public key and someone's identity. The certificate authority verifies the person's identity by examining identity documents, and then creates and signs a digital certificate containing the person's identity details and public key. Anyone who trusts the certificate authority can use the public key in the certificate with a high degree of certainty that it is genuine. They just have to verify that the certificate has indeed been signed by the certificate authority, whose public key is well-known.

P-0510[0510] In most transaction environments, public-key cryptography is only used to create digital signatures and to securely exchange secret session keys. Secret-key cryptography is used for all other purposes.

P-0511[0511] In the following discussion, when reference is made to the secure transmission of information between a netpage printer and a server, what actually happens is that the printer obtains the server's certificate, authenticates it with reference to the certificate authority, uses the public key-exchange key in the certificate to exchange a secret session key with the server, and then uses the secret session key to encrypt the message data. A session key, by definition, can have an arbitrarily short lifetime.

P-0512[0512] 3.2 Netpage Printer Security

P-0513[0513] Each netpage printer is assigned a pair of unique identifiers at time of manufacture which are stored in read-only memory in the printer and in the netpage registration server database. The first ID <b>62</b> is public and uniquely identifies the printer on the netpage network. The second ID is secret and is used when the printer is first registered on the network.

P-0514[0514] When the printer connects to the netpage network for the first time after installation, it creates a signature public/private key pair. It transmits the secret ID and the public key securely to the netpage registration server. The server compares the secret ID against the printer's secret ID recorded in its database, and accepts the registration if the IDs match. It then creates and signs a certificate containing the printer's public ID and public signature key, and stores the certificate in the registration database.

P-0515[0515] The netpage registration server acts as a certificate authority for netpage printers, since it has access to secret information allowing it to verify printer identity.

P-0516[0516] When a user subscribes to a publication, a record is created in the netpage registration server database authorizing the publisher to print the publication to the user's default printer or a specified printer. Every document sent to a printer via a page server is addressed to a particular user and is signed by the publisher using the publisher's private signature key. The page server verifies, via the registration database, that the publisher is authorized to deliver the publication to the specified user. The page server verifies the signature using the publisher's public key, obtained from the publisher's certificate stored in the registration database.

P-0517[0517] The netpage registration server accepts requests to add printing authorizations to the database, so long as those requests are initiated via a pen registered to the printer.

P-0518[0518] 3.3 Netpage Pen Security

P-0519[0519] Each netpage pen is assigned a unique identifier at time of manufacture which is stored in read-only memory in the pen and in the netpage registration server database. The pen ID <b>61</b> uniquely identifies the pen on the netpage network.

P-0520[0520] A netpage pen can “know” a number of netpage printers, and a printer can “know” a number of pens. A pen communicates with a printer via a radio frequency signal whenever it is within range of the printer. Once a pen and printer are registered, they regularly exchange session keys. Whenever the pen transmits digital ink to the printer, the digital ink is always encrypted using the appropriate session key. Digital ink is never transmitted in the clear.

P-0521[0521] A pen stores a session key for every printer it knows, indexed by printer ID, and a printer stores a session key for every pen it knows, indexed by pen ID. Both have a large but finite storage capacity for session keys, and will forget a session key on a least-recently-used basis if necessary.

P-0522[0522] When a pen comes within range of a printer, the pen and printer discover whether they know each other. If they don't know each other, then the printer determines whether it is supposed to know the pen. This might be, for example, because the pen belongs to a user who is registered to use the printer. If the printer is meant to know the pen but doesn't, then it initiates the automatic pen registration procedure. If the printer isn't meant to know the pen, then it agrees with the pen to ignore it until the pen is placed in a charging cup, at which time it initiates the registration procedure.

P-0523[0523] In addition to its public ID, the pen contains a secret key-exchange key. The key-exchange key is also recorded in the netpage registration server database at time of manufacture. During registration, the pen transmits its pen ID to the printer, and the printer transmits the pen ID to the netpage registration server. The server generates a session key for the printer and pen to use, and securely transmits the session key to the printer. It also transmits a copy of the session key encrypted with the pen's key-exchange key. The printer stores the session key internally, indexed by the pen ID, and transmits the encrypted session key to the pen. The pen stores the session key internally, indexed by the printer ID.

P-0524[0524] Although a fake pen can impersonate a pen in the pen registration protocol, only a real pen can decrypt the session key transmitted by the printer.

P-0525[0525] When a previously unregistered pen is first registered, it is of limited use until it is linked to a user. A registered but “un-owned” pen is only allowed to be used to request and fill in netpage user and pen registration forms, to register a new user to which the new pen is automatically linked, or to add a new pen to an existing user.

P-0526[0526] The pen uses secret-key rather than public-key encryption because of hardware performance constraints in the pen.

P-0527[0527] 3.4 Secure Documents

P-0528[0528] The netpage system supports the delivery of secure documents such as tickets and coupons. The netpage printer includes a facility to print watermarks, but will only do so on request from publishers who are suitably authorized. The publisher indicates its authority to print watermarks in its certificate, which the printer is able to authenticate.

P-0529[0529] The “watermark” printing process uses an alternative dither matrix in specified “watermark” regions of the page. Back-to-back pages contain mirror-image watermark regions which coincide when printed. The dither matrices used in odd and even pages' watermark regions are designed to produce an interference effect when the regions are viewed together, achieved by looking through the printed sheet.

P-0530[0530] The effect is similar to a watermark in that it is not visible when looking at only one side of the page, and is lost when the page is copied by normal means.

P-0531[0531] Pages of secure documents cannot be copied using the built-in netpage copy mechanism described in Section 1.9 above. This extends to copying netpages on netpage-aware photocopiers.

P-0532[0532] Secure documents are typically generated as part of e-commerce transactions. They can therefore include the user's photograph which was captured when the user registered biometric information with the netpage registration server, as described in Section 2.

P-0533[0533] When presented with a secure netpage document, the recipient can verify its authenticity by requesting its status in the usual way. The unique ID of a secure document is only valid for the lifetime of the document, and secure document IDs are allocated non-contiguously to prevent their prediction by opportunistic forgers. A secure document verification pen can be developed with built-in feedback on verification failure, to support easy point-of-presentation document verification.

P-0534[0534] Clearly neither the watermark nor the user's photograph are secure in a cryptographic sense. They simply provide a significant obstacle to casual forgery. Online document verification, particularly using a verification pen, provides an added level of security where it is needed, but is still not entirely immune to forgeries.

P-0535[0535] 3.5 Non-Repudiation

P-0536[0536] In the netpage system, forms submitted by users are delivered reliably to forms handlers and are persistently archived on netpage page servers. It is therefore impossible for recipients to repudiate delivery.

P-0537[0537] E-commerce payments made through the system, as described in Section 4, are also impossible for the payee to repudiate.

4 Electronic Commerce Model

P-0538[0538] 4.1 Secure Electronic Transaction (SET)

P-0539[0539] The netpage system uses the Secure Electronic Transaction (SET) system as one of its payment systems. SET, having been developed by MasterCard and Visa, is organized around payment cards, and this is reflected in the terminology. However, much of the system is independent of the type of accounts being used.

P-0540[0540] In SET, cardholders and merchants register with a certificate authority and are issued with certificates containing their public signature keys. The certificate authority verifies a cardholder's registration details with the card issuer as appropriate, and verifies a merchant's registration details with the acquirer as appropriate. Cardholders and merchants store their respective private signature keys securely on their computers. During the payment process, these certificates are used to mutually authenticate a merchant and cardholder, and to authenticate them both to the payment gateway.

P-0541[0541] SET has not yet been adopted widely, partly because cardholder maintenance of keys and certificates is considered burdensome. Interim solutions which maintain cardholder keys and certificates on a server and give the cardholder access via a password have met with some success.

P-0542[0542] 4.2 Set Payments

P-0543[0543] In the netpage system the netpage registration server acts as a proxy for the netpage user (i.e. the cardholder) in SET payment transactions.

P-0544[0544] The netpage system uses biometrics to authenticate the user and authorize SET payments. Because the system is pen-based, the biometric used is the user's on-line signature, consisting of time-varying pen position and pressure. A fingerprint biometric can also be used by designing a fingerprint sensor into the pen, although at a higher cost. The type of biometric used only affects the capture of the biometric, not the authorization aspects of the system.

P-0545[0545] The first step to being able to make SET payments is to register the user's biometric with the netpage registration server. This is done in a controlled environment, for example a bank, where the biometric can be captured at the same time as the user's identity is verified. The biometric is captured and stored in the registration database, linked to the user's record. The user's photograph is also optionally captured and linked to the record. The SET cardholder registration process is completed, and the resulting private signature key and certificate are stored in the database. The user's payment card information is also stored, giving the netpage registration server enough information to act as the user's proxy in any SET payment transaction.

P-0546[0546] When the user eventually supplies the biometric to complete a payment, for example by signing a netpage order form, the printer securely transmits the order information, the pen ID and the biometric data to the netpage registration server. The server verifies the biometric with respect to the user identified by the pen ID, and from then on acts as the user's proxy in completing the SET payment transaction.

P-0547[0547] 4.3 Micro-Payments

P-0548[0548] The netpage system includes a mechanism for micro-payments, to allow the user to be conveniently charged for printing low-cost documents on demand and for copying copyright documents, and possibly also to allow the user to be reimbursed for expenses incurred in printing advertising material. The latter depends on the level of subsidy already provided to the user.

P-0549[0549] When the user registers for e-commerce, a network account is established which aggregates micro-payments. The user receives a statement on a regular basis, and can settle any outstanding debit balance using the standard payment mechanism.

P-0550[0550] The network account can be extended to aggregate subscription fees for periodicals, which would also otherwise be presented to the user in the form of individual statements.

P-0551[0551] 4.4 Transactions

P-0552[0552] When a user requests a netpage in a particular application context, the application is able to embed a user-specific transaction ID <b>55</b> in the page. Subsequent input through the page is tagged with the transaction ID, and the application is thereby able to establish an appropriate context for the user's input.

P-0553[0553] When input occurs through a page which is not user-specific, however, the application must use the user's unique identity to establish a context. A typical example involves adding items from a pre-printed catalog page to the user's virtual “shopping cart”. To protect the user's privacy, however, the unique user ID <b>60</b> known to the netpage system is not divulged to applications. This is to prevent different application providers from easily correlating independently accumulated behavioral data.

P-0554[0554] The netpage registration server instead maintains an anonymous relationship between a user and an application via a unique alias ID <b>65</b>, as shown in FIG. 24. Whenever the user activates a hyperlink tagged with the “registered” attribute, the netpage page server asks the netpage registration server to translate the associated application ID <b>64</b>, together with the pen ID <b>61</b>, into an alias ID <b>65</b>. The alias ID is then submitted to the hyperlink's application.

P-0555[0555] The application maintains state information indexed by alias ID, and is able to retrieve user-specific state information without knowledge of the global identity of the user.

P-0556[0556] The system also maintains an independent certificate and private signature key for each of a user's applications, to allow it to sign application transactions on behalf of the user using only application-specific information.

P-0557[0557] To assist the system in routing product bar code (e.g. UPC) and similar product-item-related “hyperlink” activations, the system records a favorite application on behalf of the user for any number of product types. For example, a user may nominate Amazon as their favorite bookseller, while a different user may nominate Barnes and Noble. When the first user requests book-related information, e.g. via a printed book review or via an actual book, they are provided with the information by Amazon.

P-0558[0558] Each application is associated with an application provider, and the system maintains an account on behalf of each application provider, to allow it to credit and debit the provider for click-through fees etc.

P-0559[0559] An application provider can be a publisher of periodical subscribed content. The system records the user's willingness to receive the subscribed publication, as well as the expected frequency of publication.

5 Communications Protocols

P-0560[0560] A communications protocol defines an ordered exchange of messages between entities. In the netpage system, entities such as pens, printers and servers utilise a set of defined protocols to cooperatively handle user interaction with the netpage system.

P-0561[0561] Each protocol is illustrated by way of a sequence diagram in which the horizontal dimension is used to represent message flow and the vertical dimension is used to represent time. Each entity is represented by a rectangle containing the name of the entity and a vertical column representing the lifeline of the entity. During the time an entity exists, the lifeline is shown as a dashed line. During the time an entity is active, the lifeline is shown as a double line. Because the protocols considered here do not create or destroy entities, lifelines are generally cut short as soon as an entity ceases to participate in a protocol.

P-0562[0562] 5.1 Subscription Delivery Protocol

P-0563[0563] A preferred embodiment of a subscription delivery protocol is shown in FIG. 40.

P-0564[0564] A large number of users may subscribe to a periodical publication. Each user's edition may be laid out differently, but many users' editions will share common content such as text objects and image objects. The subscription delivery protocol therefore delivers document structures to individual printers via pointcast, but delivers shared content objects via multicast.

P-0565[0565] The application (i.e. publisher) first obtains a document ID <b>51</b> for each document from an ID server <b>12</b>. It then sends each document structure, including its document ID and page descriptions, to the page server <b>10</b> responsible for the document's newly allocated ID. It includes its own application ID <b>64</b>, the subscriber's alias ID <b>65</b>, and the relevant set of multicast channel names. It signs the message using its private signature key.

P-0566[0566] The page server uses the application ID and alias ID to obtain from the registration server the corresponding user ID <b>60</b>, the user's selected printer ID <b>62</b> (which may be explicitly selected for the application, or may be the user's default printer), and the application's certificate.

P-0567[0567] The application's certificate allows the page server to verify the message signature. The page server's request to the registration server fails if the application ID and alias ID don't together identify a subscription <b>808</b>.

P-0568[0568] The page server then allocates document and page instance IDs and forwards the page descriptions, including page IDs <b>50</b>, to the printer. It includes the relevant set of multicast channel names for the printer to listen to.

P-0569[0569] It then returns the newly allocated page IDs to the application for future reference.

P-0570[0570] Once the application has distributed all of the document structures to the subscribers' selected printers via the relevant page servers, it multicasts the various subsets of the shared objects on the previously selected multicast channels. Both page servers and printers monitor the appropriate multicast channels and receive their required content objects. They are then able to populate the previously pointcast document structures. This allows the page servers to add complete documents to their databases, and it allows the printers to print the documents.

P-0571[0571] 5.2 Hyperlink Activation Protocol

P-0572[0572] A preferred embodiment of a hyperlink activation protocol is shown in FIG. 42.

P-0573[0573] When a user clicks on a netpage with a netpage pen, the pen communicates the click to the nearest netpage printer <b>601</b>. The click identifies the page and a location on the page. The printer already knows the ID <b>61</b> of the pen from the pen connection protocol.

P-0574[0574] The printer determines, via the DNS, the network address of the page server <b>10</b><i>a </i>handling the particular page ID <b>50</b>. The address may already be in its cache if the user has recently interacted with the same page. The printer then forwards the pen ID, its own printer ID <b>62</b>, the page ID and click location to the page server.

P-0575[0575] The page server loads the page description <b>5</b> identified by the page ID and determines which input element's zone <b>58</b>, if any, the click lies in. Assuming the relevant input element is a hyperlink element <b>844</b>, the page server then obtains the associated application ID <b>64</b> and link ID <b>54</b>, and determines, via the DNS, the network address of the application server hosting the application <b>71</b>.

P-0576[0576] The page server uses the pen ID <b>61</b> to obtain the corresponding user ID <b>60</b> from the registration server II, and then allocates a globally unique hyperlink request ID <b>52</b> and builds a hyperlink request <b>934</b>. The hyperlink request class diagram is shown in FIG. 41. The hyperlink request records the IDs of the requesting user and printer, and identifies the clicked hyperlink instance <b>862</b>. The page server then sends its own server ID <b>53</b>, the hyperlink request ID, and the link ID to the application.

P-0577[0577] The application produces a response document according to application-specific logic, and obtains a document ID <b>51</b> from an ID server <b>12</b>. It then sends the document to the page server <b>10</b><i>b </i>responsible for the document's newly allocated ID, together with the requesting page server's ID and the hyperlink request ID.

P-0578[0578] The second page server sends the hyperlink request ID and application ID to the first page server to obtain the corresponding user ID and printer ID <b>62</b>. The first page server rejects the request if the hyperlink request has expired or is for a different application.

P-0579[0579] The second page server allocates document instance and page IDs <b>50</b>, returns the newly allocated page IDs to the application, adds the complete document to its own database, and finally sends the page descriptions to the requesting printer.

P-0580[0580] The hyperlink instance may include a meaningful transaction ID <b>55</b>, in which case the first page server includes the transaction ID in the message sent to the application. This allows the application to establish a transaction-specific context for the hyperlink activation.

P-0581[0581] If the hyperlink requires a user alias, i.e. its “alias required” attribute is set, then the first page server sends both the pen ID <b>61</b> and the hyperlink's application ID <b>64</b> to the registration server <b>11</b> to obtain not just the user ID corresponding to the pen ID but also the alias ID <b>65</b> corresponding to the application ID and the user ID. It includes the alias ID in the message sent to the application, allowing the application to establish a user-specific context for the hyperlink activation.

P-0582[0582] 5.3 Handwriting Recognition Protocol

P-0583[0583] When a user draws a stroke on a netpage with a netpage pen, the pen communicates the stroke to the nearest netpage printer. The stroke identifies the page and a path on the page.

P-0584[0584] The printer forwards the pen ID <b>61</b>, its own printer ID <b>62</b>, the page ID <b>50</b> and stroke path to the page server <b>10</b> in the usual way.

P-0585[0585] The page server loads the page description <b>5</b> identified by the page ID and determines which input element's zone <b>58</b>, if any, the stroke intersects. Assuming the relevant input element is a text field <b>878</b>, the page server appends the stroke to the text field's digital ink.

P-0586[0586] After a period of inactivity in the zone of the text field, the page server sends the pen ID and the pending strokes to the registration server <b>11</b> for interpretation. The registration server identifies the user corresponding to the pen, and uses the user's accumulated handwriting model <b>822</b> to interpret the strokes as handwritten text. Once it has converted the strokes to text, the registration server returns the text to the requesting page server. The page server appends the text to the text value of the text field.

P-0587[0587] 5.4 Signature Verification Protocol

P-0588[0588] Assuming the input element whose zone the stroke intersects is a signature field <b>880</b>, the page server <b>10</b> appends the stroke to the signature field's digital ink.

P-0589[0589] After a period of inactivity in the zone of the signature field, the page server sends the pen ID <b>61</b> and the pending strokes to the registration server <b>11</b> for verification. It also sends the application ID <b>64</b> associated with the form of which the signature field is part, as well as the form ID <b>56</b> and the current data content of the form. The registration server identifies the user corresponding to the pen, and uses the user's dynamic signature biometric <b>818</b> to verify the strokes as the user's signature. Once it has verified the signature, the registration server uses the application ID <b>64</b> and user ID <b>60</b> to identify the user's application-specific private signature key. It then uses the key to generate a digital signature of the form data, and returns the digital signature to the requesting page server. The page server assigns the digital signature to the signature field and sets the associated form's status to frozen.

P-0590[0590] The digital signature includes the alias ID <b>65</b> of the corresponding user. This allows a single form to capture multiple users' signatures.

P-0591[0591] 5.5 Form Submission Protocol

P-0592[0592] A preferred embodiment of a form submission protocol is shown in FIG. 43.

P-0593[0593] Form submission occurs via a form hyperlink activation. It thus follows the protocol defined in Section 5.2, with some form-specific additions.

P-0594[0594] In the case of a form hyperlink, the hyperlink activation message sent by the page server <b>10</b> to the application <b>71</b> also contains the form ID <b>56</b> and the current data content of the form. If the form contains any signature fields, then the application verifies each one by extracting the alias ID <b>65</b> associated with the corresponding digital signature and obtaining the corresponding certificate from the registration server <b>11</b>.

6 Netpage Pen Description

P-0595[0595] 6.1 Pen Mechanics

P-0596[0596] Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, the pen, generally designated by reference numeral <b>101</b>, includes a housing <b>102</b> in the form of a plastics moulding having walls <b>103</b> defining an interior space <b>104</b> for mounting the pen components. The pen top <b>105</b> is in operation rotatably mounted at one end <b>106</b> of the housing <b>102</b>. A semi-transparent cover <b>107</b> is secured to the opposite end <b>108</b> of the housing <b>102</b>. The cover <b>107</b> is also of moulded plastics, and is formed from semi-transparent material in order to enable the user to view the status of the LED mounted within the housing <b>102</b>. The cover <b>107</b> includes a main part <b>109</b> which substantially surrounds the end <b>108</b> of the housing <b>102</b> and a projecting portion <b>110</b> which projects back from the main part <b>109</b> and fits within a corresponding slot <b>111</b> formed in the walls <b>103</b> of the housing <b>102</b>. A radio antenna <b>112</b> is mounted behind the projecting portion <b>110</b>, within the housing <b>102</b>. Screw threads <b>113</b> surrounding an aperture <b>113</b>A on the cover <b>107</b> are arranged to receive a metal end piece <b>114</b>, including corresponding screw threads <b>115</b>. The metal end piece <b>114</b> is removable to enable ink cartridge replacement.

P-0597[0597] Also mounted within the cover <b>107</b> is a tri-color status LED <b>116</b> on a flex PCB <b>117</b>. The antenna <b>112</b> is also mounted on the flex PCB <b>117</b>. The status LED <b>116</b> is mounted at the top of the pen <b>101</b> for good all-around visibility.

P-0598[0598] The pen can operate both as a normal marking ink pen and as a non-marking stylus. An ink pen cartridge <b>118</b> with nib <b>119</b> and a stylus <b>120</b> with stylus nib <b>121</b> are mounted side by side within the housing <b>102</b>. Either the ink cartridge nib <b>119</b> or the stylus nib <b>121</b> can be brought forward through open end <b>122</b> of the metal end piece <b>114</b>, by rotation of the pen top <b>105</b>. Respective slider blocks <b>123</b> and <b>124</b> are mounted to the ink cartridge <b>118</b> and stylus <b>120</b>, respectively. A rotatable cam barrel <b>125</b> is secured to the pen top <b>105</b> in operation and arranged to rotate therewith. The cam barrel <b>125</b> includes a cam <b>126</b> in the form of a slot within the walls <b>181</b> of the cam barrel. Cam followers <b>127</b> and <b>128</b> projecting from slider blocks <b>123</b> and <b>124</b> fit within the cam slot <b>126</b>. On rotation of the cam barrel <b>125</b>, the slider blocks <b>123</b> or <b>124</b> move relative to each other to project either the pen nib <b>119</b> or stylus nib <b>121</b> out through the hole <b>122</b> in the metal end piece <b>114</b>. The pen <b>101</b> has three states of operation. By turning the top <b>105</b> through 90° steps, the three states are:

P-0599[0599] stylus <b>120</b> nib <b>121</b> out

P-0600[0600] ink cartridge <b>118</b> nib <b>119</b> out, and

P-0601[0601] neither ink cartridge <b>118</b> nib <b>119</b> out nor stylus <b>120</b> nib <b>121</b> out

P-0602[0602] A second flex PCB <b>129</b>, is mounted on an electronics chassis <b>130</b> which sits within the housing <b>102</b>. The second flex PCB <b>129</b> mounts an infrared LED <b>131</b> for providing infrared radiation for projection onto the surface. An image sensor <b>132</b> is provided mounted on the second flex PCB <b>129</b> for receiving reflected radiation from the surface. The second flex PCB <b>129</b> also mounts a radio frequency chip <b>133</b>, which includes an RF transmitter and RF receiver, and a controller chip <b>134</b> for controlling operation of the pen <b>101</b>. An optics block <b>135</b> (formed from moulded clear plastics) sits within the cover <b>107</b> and projects an infrared beam onto the surface and receives images onto the image sensor <b>132</b>. Power supply wires <b>136</b> connect the components on the second flex PCB <b>129</b> to battery contacts <b>137</b> which are mounted within the cam barrel <b>125</b>. A terminal <b>138</b> connects to the battery contacts <b>137</b> and the cam barrel <b>125</b>. A three volt rechargeable battery <b>139</b> sits within the cam barrel <b>125</b> in contact with the battery contacts. An induction charging coil <b>140</b> is mounted about the second flex PCB <b>129</b> to enable recharging of the battery <b>139</b> via induction. The second flex PCB <b>129</b> also mounts an infrared LED <b>143</b> and infrared photodiode <b>144</b> for detecting displacement in the cam barrel <b>125</b> when either the stylus <b>120</b> or the ink cartridge <b>118</b> is used for writing, in order to enable a determination of the force being applied to the surface by the pen nib <b>119</b> or stylus nib <b>121</b>. The IR photodiode <b>144</b> detects light from the IR LED <b>143</b> via reflectors (not shown) mounted on the slider blocks <b>123</b> and <b>124</b>.

P-0603[0603] Rubber grip pads <b>141</b> and <b>142</b> are provided towards the end <b>108</b> of the housing <b>102</b> to assist gripping the pen <b>101</b>, and top <b>105</b> also includes a clip <b>142</b> for clipping the pen <b>101</b> to a pocket.

P-0604[0604] 6.2 Pen Controller

P-0605[0605] The pen <b>101</b> is arranged to determine the position of its nib (stylus nib <b>121</b> or ink cartridge nib <b>119</b>) by imaging, in the infrared spectrum, an area of the surface in the vicinity of the nib. It records the location data from the nearest location tag, and is arranged to calculate the distance of the nib <b>121</b> or <b>119</b> from the location tab utilising optics <b>135</b> and controller chip <b>134</b>. The controller chip <b>134</b> calculates the orientation of the pen and the nib-to-tag distance from the perspective distortion observed on the imaged tag.

P-0606[0606] Utilising the RF chip <b>133</b> and antenna <b>112</b> the pen <b>101</b> can transmit the digital ink data (which is encrypted for security and packaged for efficient transmission) to the computing system.

P-0607[0607] When the pen is in range of a receiver, the digital ink data is transmitted as it is formed. When the pen <b>101</b> moves out of range, digital ink data is buffered within the pen <b>101</b> (the pen <b>101</b> circuitry includes a buffer arranged to store digital ink data for approximately 12 minutes of the pen motion on the surface) and can be transmitted later.

P-0608[0608] The controller chip <b>134</b> is mounted on the second flex PCB <b>129</b> in the pen <b>101</b>. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating in more detail the architecture of the controller chip <b>134</b>. FIG. 10 also shows representations of the RF chip <b>133</b>, the image sensor <b>132</b>, the tri-color status LED <b>116</b>, the IR illumination LED <b>131</b>, the IR force sensor LED <b>143</b>, and the force sensor photodiode <b>144</b>.

P-0609[0609] The pen controller chip <b>134</b> includes a controlling processor <b>145</b>. Bus <b>146</b> enables the exchange of data between components of the controller chip <b>134</b>. Flash memory <b>147</b> and a 512 KB DRAM <b>148</b> are also included. An analog-to-digital converter <b>149</b> is arranged to convert the analog signal from the force sensor photodiode <b>144</b> to a digital signal.

P-0610[0610] An image sensor interface <b>152</b> interfaces with the image sensor <b>132</b>. A transceiver controller <b>153</b> and base band circuit <b>154</b> are also included to interface with the RF chip <b>133</b> which includes an RF circuit <b>155</b> and RF resonators and inductors <b>156</b> connected to the antenna <b>112</b>.

P-0611[0611] The controlling processor <b>145</b> captures and decodes location data from tags from the surface via the image sensor <b>132</b>, monitors the force sensor photodiode <b>144</b>, controls the LEDs <b>116</b>, <b>131</b> and <b>143</b>, and handles short-range radio communication via the radio transceiver <b>153</b>. It is a medium-performance (˜40 MHz) general-purpose RISC processor.

P-0612[0612] The processor <b>145</b>, digital transceiver components (transceiver controller <b>153</b> and baseband circuit <b>154</b>), image sensor interface <b>152</b>, flash memory <b>147</b> and 512 KB DRAM <b>148</b> are integrated in a single controller ASIC. Analog RF components (RF circuit <b>155</b> and RF resonators and inductors <b>156</b>) are provided in the separate RF chip.

P-0613[0613] The image sensor is a CCD or CMOS image sensor. Depending on tagging scheme, it has a size ranging from about 100×100 pixels to 200×200 pixels. Many miniature CMOS image sensors are commercially available, including the National Semiconductor LM9630.

P-0614[0614] The controller ASIC <b>134</b> enters a quiescent state after a period of inactivity when the pen <b>101</b> is not in contact with a surface. It incorporates a dedicated circuit <b>150</b> which monitors the force sensor photodiode <b>144</b> and wakes up the controller <b>134</b> via the power manager <b>151</b> on a pen-down event.

P-0615[0615] The radio transceiver communicates in the unlicensed 900 MHz band normally used by cordless telephones, or alternatively in the unlicensed 2.4 GHz industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band, and uses frequency hopping and collision detection to provide interference-free communication.

P-0616[0616] In an alternative embodiment, the pen incorporates an Infrared Data Association (IrDA) interface for short-range communication with a base station or netpage printer.

P-0617[0617] In a further embodiment, the pen <b>101</b> includes a pair of orthogonal accelerometers mounted in the normal plane of the pen <b>101</b> axis. The accelerometers <b>190</b> are shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 in ghost outline.

P-0618[0618] The provision of the accelerometers enables this embodiment of the pen <b>101</b> to sense motion without reference to surface location tags, allowing the location tags to be sampled at a lower rate. Each location tag ID can then identify an object of interest rather than a position on the surface. For example, if the object is a user interface input element (e.g. a command button), then the tag ID of each location tag within the area of the input element can directly identify the input element.

P-0619[0619] The acceleration measured by the accelerometers in each of the x and y directions is integrated with respect to time to produce an instantaneous velocity and position.

P-0620[0620] Since the starting position of the stroke is not known, only relative positions within a stroke are calculated. Although position integration accumulates errors in the sensed acceleration, accelerometers typically have high resolution, and the time duration of a stroke, over which errors accumulate, is short.

7 Netpage Printer Description

P-0621[0621] 7.1 Printer Mechanics

P-0622[0622] The vertically-mounted netpage wallprinter <b>601</b> is shown fully assembled in FIG. 11. It prints netpages on Letter/A4 sized media using duplexed 8½″ Memjet™ print engines <b>602</b> and <b>603</b>, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 12<i>a</i>. It uses a straight paper path with the paper <b>604</b> passing through the duplexed print engines <b>602</b> and <b>603</b> which print both sides of a sheet simultaneously, in full color and with full bleed.

P-0623[0623] An integral binding assembly <b>605</b> applies a strip of glue along one edge of each printed sheet, allowing it to adhere to the previous sheet when pressed against it. This creates a final bound document <b>618</b> which can range in thickness from one sheet to several hundred sheets.

P-0624[0624] The replaceable ink cartridge <b>627</b>, shown in FIG. 13 coupled with the duplexed print engines, has bladders or chambers for storing fixative, adhesive, and cyan, magenta, yellow, black and infrared inks. The cartridge also contains a micro air filter in a base molding. The micro air filter interfaces with an air pump <b>638</b> inside the printer via a hose <b>639</b>. This provides filtered air to the printheads to prevent ingress of micro particles into the Memjet™ printheads <b>350</b> which might otherwise clog the printhead nozzles. By incorporating the air filter within the cartridge, the operational life of the filter is effectively linked to the life of the cartridge. The ink cartridge is a fully recyclable product with a capacity for printing and gluing 3000 pages (1500 sheets).

P-0625[0625] Referring to FIG. 12, the motorized media pick-up roller assembly <b>626</b> pushes the top sheet directly from the media tray past a paper sensor on the first print engine <b>602</b> into the duplexed Memjet™ printhead assembly. The two Memjet™ print engines <b>602</b> and <b>603</b> are mounted in an opposing in-line sequential configuration along the straight paper path. The paper <b>604</b> is drawn into the first print engine <b>602</b> by integral, powered pick-up rollers <b>626</b>. The position and size of the paper <b>604</b> is sensed and full bleed printing commences. Fixative is printed simultaneously to aid drying in the shortest possible time.

P-0626[0626] The paper exits the first Memjet™ print engine <b>602</b> through a set of powered exit spike wheels (aligned along the straight paper path), which act against a rubberized roller. These spike wheels contact the ‘wet’ printed surface and continue to feed the sheet <b>604</b> into the second Memjet™ print engine <b>603</b>.

P-0627[0627] Referring to FIGS. 12 and 12<i>a</i>, the paper <b>604</b> passes from the duplexed print engines <b>602</b> and <b>603</b> into the binder assembly <b>605</b>. The printed page passes between a powered spike wheel axle <b>670</b> with a fibrous support roller and another movable axle with spike wheels and a momentary action glue wheel. The movable axle/glue assembly <b>673</b> is mounted to a metal support bracket and it is transported forward to interface with the powered axle <b>670</b> via gears by action of a camshaft. A separate motor powers this camshaft.

P-0628[0628] The glue wheel assembly <b>673</b> consists of a partially hollow axle <b>679</b> with a rotating coupling for the glue supply hose <b>641</b> from the ink cartridge <b>627</b>. This axle <b>679</b> connects to a glue wheel, which absorbs adhesive by capillary action through radial holes. A molded housing <b>682</b> surrounds the glue wheel, with an opening at the front. Pivoting side moldings and sprung outer doors are attached to the metal bracket and hinge out sideways when the rest of the assembly <b>673</b> is thrust forward. This action exposes the glue wheel through the front of the molded housing <b>682</b>. Tension springs close the assembly and effectively cap the glue wheel during periods of inactivity.

P-0629[0629] As the sheet <b>604</b> passes into the glue wheel assembly <b>673</b>, adhesive is applied to one vertical edge on the front side (apart from the first sheet of a document) as it is transported down into the binding assembly <b>605</b>.

P-0630[0630] 7.2 Printer Controller Architecture

P-0631[0631] The netpage printer controller consists of a controlling processor <b>750</b>, a factory-installed or field-installed network interface module <b>625</b>, a radio transceiver (transceiver controller <b>753</b>, baseband circuit <b>754</b>, RF circuit <b>755</b>, and RF resonators and inductors <b>756</b>), dual raster image processor (RIP) DSPs <b>757</b>, duplexed print engine controllers <b>760</b><i>a </i>and <b>760</b><i>b</i>, flash memory <b>658</b>, and 64 MB of DRAM <b>657</b>, as illustrated in FIG. 14.

P-0632[0632] The controlling processor handles communication with the network <b>19</b> and with local wireless netpage pens <b>101</b>, senses the help button <b>617</b>, controls the user interface LEDs <b>613</b>-<b>616</b>, and feeds and synchronizes the RIP DSPs <b>757</b> and print engine controllers <b>760</b>. It consists of a medium-performance general-purpose microprocessor. The controlling processor <b>750</b> communicates with the print engine controllers <b>760</b> via a high-speed serial bus <b>659</b>.

P-0633[0633] The RIP DSPs rasterize and compress page descriptions to the netpage printer's compressed page format. Each print engine controller expands, dithers and prints page images to its associated Memjet™ printhead <b>350</b> in real time (i.e. at over 30 pages per minute). The duplexed print engine controllers print both sides of a sheet simultaneously.

P-0634[0634] The master print engine controller <b>760</b><i>a </i>controls the paper transport and monitors ink usage in conjunction with the master QA chip <b>665</b> and the ink cartridge QA chip <b>761</b>.

P-0635[0635] The printer controller's flash memory <b>658</b> holds the software for both the processor <b>750</b> and the DSPs <b>757</b>, as well as configuration data. This is copied to main memory <b>657</b> at boot time.

P-0636[0636] The processor <b>750</b>, DSPs <b>757</b>, and digital transceiver components (transceiver controller <b>753</b> and baseband circuit <b>754</b>) are integrated in a single controller ASIC <b>656</b>. Analog RF components (RF circuit <b>755</b> and RF resonators and inductors <b>756</b>) are provided in a separate RF chip <b>762</b>. The network interface module <b>625</b> is separate, since netpage printers allow the network connection to be factory-selected or field-selected. Flash memory <b>658</b> and the 2×256 Mbit (64 MB) DRAM <b>657</b> is also off-chip. The print engine controllers <b>760</b> are provided in separate ASICs.

P-0637[0637] A variety of network interface modules <b>625</b> are provided, each providing a netpage network interface <b>751</b> and optionally a local computer or network interface <b>752</b>. Netpage network Internet interfaces include POTS modems, Hybrid Fiber-Coax (HFC) cable modems, ISDN modems, DSL modems, satellite transceivers, current and next-generation cellular telephone transceivers, and wireless local loop (WLL) transceivers. Local interfaces include IEEE 1284 (parallel port), 10Base-T and 100Base-T Ethernet, USB and USB 2.0, IEEE 1394 (Firewire), and various emerging home networking interfaces. If an Internet connection is available on the local network, then the local network interface can be used as the netpage network interface.

P-0638[0638] The radio transceiver <b>753</b> communicates in the unlicensed 900 MHz band normally used by cordless telephones, or alternatively in the unlicensed 2.4 GHz industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band, and uses frequency hopping and collision detection to provide interference-free communication.

P-0639[0639] The printer controller optionally incorporates an Infrared Data Association (IrDA) interface for receiving data “squirted” from devices such as netpage cameras. In an alternative embodiment, the printer uses the IrDA interface for short-range communication with suitably configured netpage pens.

P-0640[0640] 7.2.1 Rasterization and Printing

P-0641[0641] Once the main processor <b>750</b> has received and verified the document's page layouts and page objects, it runs the appropriate RIP software on the DSPs <b>757</b>.

P-0642[0642] The DSPs <b>757</b> rasterize each page description and compress the rasterized page image. The main processor stores each compressed page image in memory. The simplest way to load-balance multiple DSPs is to let each DSP rasterize a separate page. The DSPs can always be kept busy since an arbitrary number of rasterized pages can, in general, be stored in memory. This strategy only leads to potentially poor DSP utilization when rasterizing short documents.

P-0643[0643] Watermark regions in the page description are rasterized to a contone-resolution bi-level bitmap which is losslessly compressed to negligible size and which forms part of the compressed page image.

P-0644[0644] The infrared (IR) layer of the printed page contains coded netpage tags at a density of about six per inch. Each tag encodes the page ID, tag ID, and control bits, and the data content of each tag is generated during rasterization and stored in the compressed page image.

P-0645[0645] The main processor <b>750</b> passes back-to-back page images to the duplexed print engine controllers <b>760</b>. Each print engine controller <b>760</b> stores the compressed page image in its local memory, and starts the page expansion and printing pipeline. Page expansion and printing is pipelined because it is impractical to store an entire 114 MB bi-level CMYK+IR page image in memory.

P-0646[0646] 7.2.2 Print Engine Controller

P-0647[0647] The page expansion and printing pipeline of the print engine controller <b>760</b> consists of a high speed IEEE 1394 serial interface <b>659</b>, a standard JPEG decoder <b>763</b>, a standard Group <b>4</b> Fax decoder <b>764</b>, a custom halftoner/compositor unit <b>765</b>, a custom tag encoder <b>766</b>, a line loader/formatter unit <b>767</b>, and a custom interface <b>768</b> to the Memjet™ printhead <b>350</b>.

P-0648[0648] The print engine controller <b>360</b> operates in a double buffered manner. While one page is loaded into DRAM <b>769</b> via the high speed serial interface <b>659</b>, the previously loaded page is read from DRAM <b>769</b> and passed through the print engine controller pipeline. Once the page has finished printing, the page just loaded is printed while another page is loaded.

P-0649[0649] The first stage of the pipeline expands (at <b>763</b>) the JPEG-compressed contone CMYK layer, expands (at <b>764</b>) the Group <b>4</b> Fax-compressed bi-level black layer, and renders (at <b>766</b>) the bi-level netpage tag layer according to the tag format defined in section 1.2, all in parallel. The second stage dithers (at <b>765</b>) the contone CMYK layer and composites (at <b>765</b>) the bi-level black layer over the resulting bi-level CMYK layer. The resultant bi-level CMYK+IR dot data is buffered and formatted (at <b>767</b>) for printing on the Memjet™ printhead <b>350</b> via a set of line buffers. Most of these line buffers are stored in the off-chip DRAM. The final stage prints the six channels of bi-level dot data (including fixative) to the Memjet™ printhead <b>350</b> via the printhead interface <b>768</b>.

P-0650[0650] When several print engine controllers <b>760</b> are used in unison, such as in a duplexed configuration, they are synchronized via a shared line sync signal <b>770</b>. Only one print engine <b>760</b>, selected via the external master/slave pin <b>771</b>, generates the line sync signal <b>770</b> onto the shared line.

P-0651[0651] The print engine controller <b>760</b> contains a low-speed processor <b>772</b> for synchronizing the page expansion and rendering pipeline, configuring the printhead <b>350</b> via a low-speed serial bus <b>773</b>, and controlling the stepper motors <b>675</b>, <b>676</b>.

P-0652[0652] In the 8½″ versions of the netpage printer, the two print engines each prints 30 Letter pages per minute along the long dimension of the page (11″), giving a line rate of 8.8 kHz at 1600 dpi. In the 12″ versions of the netpage printer, the two print engines each prints 45 Letter pages per minute along the short dimension of the page (8½″), giving a line rate of 10.2 kHz. These line rates are well within the operating frequency of the Memjet™ printhead, which in the current design exceeds 30 kHz.

8 Product Tagging

P-0653[0653] Automatic identification refers to the use of technologies such as bar codes, magnetic stripe cards, smartcards, and RF transponders, to (semi-)automatically identify objects to data processing systems without manual keying.

P-0654[0654] For the purposes of automatic identification, a product item is commonly identified by a 12-digit Universal Product Code (UPC), encoded machine-readably in the form of a printed bar code. The most common UPC numbering system incorporates a 5-digit manufacturer ID and a 5-digit item number. Because of its limited precision, a UPC is used to identify a class of product rather than an individual product item. The Uniform Code Council and EAN International define and administer the UPC and related codes as subsets of the 14-digit Global Trade Item Number (GTIN).

P-0655[0655] Within supply chain management, there is considerable interest in expanding or replacing the UPC scheme to allow individual product items to be uniquely identified and thereby tracked. Individual item tagging can reduce “shrinkage” due to lost, stolen or spoiled goods, improve the efficiency of demand-driven manufacturing and supply, facilitate the profiling of product usage, and improve the customer experience.

P-0656[0656] There are two main contenders for individual item tagging: optical tags in the form of so-called two-dimensional bar codes, and radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. For a detailed description of RFID tags, refer to Klaus Finkenzeller, <i>RFID Handbook</i>, John Wiley &amp; Son (1999), the contents of which are herein incorporated by cross-reference. Optical tags have the advantage of being inexpensive, but require optical line-of-sight for reading. RFID tags have the advantage of supporting omnidirectional reading, but are comparatively expensive. The presence of metal or liquid can seriously interfere with RFID tag performance, undermining the omnidirectional reading advantage. Passive (reader-powered) RFID tags are projected to be priced at 10 cents each in multi-million quantities by the end of 2003, and at 5 cents each soon thereafter, but this still falls short of the sub-one-cent industry target for low-price items such as grocery. The read-only nature of most optical tags has also been cited as a disadvantage, since status changes cannot be written to a tag as an item progresses through the supply chain. However, this disadvantage is mitigated by the fact that a read-only tag can refer to information maintained dynamically on a network.

P-0657[0657] The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Auto-ID Center has developed a standard for a 96-bit Electronic Product Code (EPC), coupled with an Internet-based Object Naming Service (ONS) and a Product Markup Language (PML). Once an EPC is scanned or otherwise obtained, it is used to look up, possibly via the ONS, matching product information portably encoded in PML. The EPC consists of an 8-bit header, a 28-bit EPC manager, a 24-bit object class, and a 36-bit serial number. For a detailed description of the EPC, refer to Brock, D. L., <i>The Electronic Product Code </i>(<i>EPC</i>), MIT Auto-ID Center (January 2001), the contents of which are herein incorporated by cross-reference. The Auto-ID Center has defined a mapping of the GTIN onto the EPC to demonstrate compatibility between the EPC and current practices Brock, D. L., <i>Integrating the Electronic Product Code </i>(<i>EPC</i>) <i>and the Global Trade Item Number </i>(<i>GTIN</i>), MIT Auto-ID Center (November 2001), the contents of which are herein incorporated by cross-reference.

P-0658[0658] Although EPCs can be encoded and carried in many forms, the Auto-ID Center strongly advocates the use of low-cost passive RFID tags to carry EPCs, and has defined a 64-bit version of the EPC to allow the cost of RFID tags to be minimized in the short term. For detailed description of low-cost RFID tag characteristics, refer to Sarma, S., <i>Towards the </i>5<i>c Tag</i>, MIT Auto-ID Center (November 2001), the contents of which are herein incorporated by cross-reference. For a description of a commercially-available low-cost passive RFID tag, refer to 915 MHz RFID Tag, Alien Technology (2002), the contents of which are herein incorporated by cross-reference. For detailed description of the 64-bit EPC, refer to Brock, D. L., <i>The Compact Electronic Product Code</i>, MIT Auto-ID Center (November 2001), the contents of which are herein incorporated by cross-reference.

P-0659[0659] EPCs are intended not just for unique item-level tagging and tracking, but also for case-level and pallet-level tagging, and for tagging of other logistic units of shipping and transportation such as containers and trucks. The distributed PML database records dynamic relationships between items and higher-level containers in the packaging, shipping and transportation hierarchy.

P-0660[0660] 8.1 Omnitagging in the Supply Chain

P-0661[0661] Using an invisible (e.g. infrared) tagging scheme to uniquely identify a product item has the significant advantage that it allows the entire surface of a product to be tagged, or a significant portion thereof, without impinging on the graphic design of the product's packaging or labelling. If the entire product surface is tagged, then the orientation of the product doesn't affect its ability to be scanned, i.e. a significant part of the line-of-sight disadvantage of a visible bar code is eliminated. Furthermore, since the tags are small and massively replicated, label damage no longer prevents scanning.

P-0662[0662] Omnitagging, then, consists of covering a large proportion of the surface of a product item with optically-readable invisible tags. Each omnitag uniquely identifies the product item on which it appears. The omnitag may directly encode the product code (e.g. EPC) of the item, or may encode a surrogate ID which in turn identifies the product code via a database lookup. Each omnitag also optionally identifies its own position on the surface of the product item, to provide the downstream consumer benefits of netpage interactivity described earlier.

P-0663[0663] Omnitags are applied during product manufacture and/or packaging using digital printers. These may be add-on infrared printers which print the omnitags after the text and graphics have been printed by other means, or integrated color and infrared printers which print the omnitags, text and graphics simultaneously. Digitally-printed text and graphics may include everything on the label or packaging, or may consist only of the variable portions, with other portions still printed by other means.

P-0664[0664] 8.2 Omnitagging

P-0665[0665] As shown in FIG. 18, a product's unique item ID <b>215</b> may be seen as a special kind of unique object ID <b>210</b>. The Electronic Product Code (EPC) <b>220</b> is one emerging standard for an item ID. An item ID typically consists of a product ID <b>214</b> and a serial number <b>213</b>. The product ID identifies a class of product, while the serial number identifies a particular instance of that class, i.e. an individual product item. The product ID in turn typically consists of a manufacturer ID <b>211</b> and a product class number <b>212</b>. The best-known product ID is the EAN.UCC Universal Product Code (UPC) <b>221</b> and its variants.

P-0666[0666] As shown in FIG. 19, an omnitag <b>202</b> encodes a page ID (or region ID) <b>50</b> and a two-dimensional (<b>2</b>D) position <b>86</b>. The region ID identifies the surface region containing the tag, and the position identifies the tag's position within the two-dimensional region. Since the surface in question is the surface of a physical product item <b>201</b>, it is useful to define a one-to-one mapping between the region ID and the unique object ID <b>210</b>, and more specifically the item ID <b>215</b>, of the product item. Note, however, that the mapping can be many-to-one without compromising the utility of the omnitag. For example, each panel of a product item's packaging could have a different region ID <b>50</b>. Conversely, the omnitag may directly encode the item ID, in which case the region ID contains the item ID, suitably prefixed to decouple item ID allocation from general netpage region ID allocation. Note that the region ID uniquely distinguishes the corresponding surface region from all other surface regions identified within the global netpage system.

P-0667[0667] The item ID <b>215</b> is preferably the EPC <b>220</b> proposed by the Auto-ID Center, since this provides direct compatibility between omnitags and EPC-carrying RFID tags.

P-0668[0668] In FIG. 19 the position <b>86</b> is shown as optional. This is to indicate that much of the utility of the omnitag in the supply chain derives from the region ID <b>50</b>, and the position may be omitted if not desired for a particular product.

P-0669[0669] For interoperability with the netpage system, an omnitag <b>202</b> is a netpage tag <b>4</b>, i.e. it has the logical structure, physical layout and semantics of a netpage tag.

P-0670[0670] When a netpage sensing device such as the netpage pen <b>101</b> images and decodes an omnitag, it uses the position encoded in the tag, and the position and orientation of the tag in its field of view, to compute its own position relative to the tag and hence relative to the region containing the tag. As the sensing device is moved relative to an omnitagged surface region, it is thereby able to track its own motion relative to the region and generate a set of timestamped position samples representative of its time-varying path. When the sensing device is a pen, then the path consists of a sequence of strokes, with each stroke starting when the pen makes contact with the surface, and ending when the pen breaks contact with the surface.

P-0671[0671] When a stroke is forwarded to the page server <b>10</b> responsible for the region ID, the server retrieves a description of the region keyed by region ID, and interprets the stroke in relation to the description. For example, if the description includes a hyperlink and the stroke intersects the zone of the hyperlink, then the server may interpret the stroke as a designation of the hyperlink and activate the hyperlink.

P-0672[0672] 8.2.1 Item Id Management

P-0673[0673] As previously described, a structured item ID typically has a three-level encoding, consisting of a manufacturer ID, a product class number, and a serial number. In the EPC the manufacturer ID corresponds to the manager ID. Manufacturer ids are assigned to particular manufacturers <b>235</b> by a governing body such the Uniform Code Council (UCC). Within the scope of each manufacturer ID the manufacturer <b>235</b> assigns product class numbers to particular product classes <b>236</b>, and within the scope of each product class number the manufacturer assigns serial numbers to individual product items <b>237</b>. Each assignor in the assignment hierarchy ensures that each component of the item ID is assigned uniquely, with the end result that an item ID uniquely identifies a single product item. Each assigned item ID component is robustly recorded to ensure unique assignment, and subsequently becomes a database key to details about the corresponding manufacturer, product or item. At the product level this information may include the product's description, dimensions, weight and price, while at the item level it may include the item's expiry date and place of manufacture.

P-0674[0674] As shown in FIG. 20, a collection of related product classes may be recorded as a single product type <b>238</b>, identified by a unique product type ID <b>217</b>. This provides the basis for mapping a scanned or otherwise obtained product ID <b>214</b> (or the product ID portion of a scanned or otherwise obtained item ID <b>215</b>) to a product type <b>238</b>. This in turn allows a favorite application <b>828</b> for that product type to be identified for a particular netpage user <b>800</b>, as shown in FIG. 24.

P-0675[0675] As a product item moves through the supply chain, status information is ideally maintained in a globally accessible database, keyed by the item ID. This information may include the item's dynamic position in the packaging, shipping and transportation hierarchy, its location on a store shelf, and ultimately the date and time of its sale and the recipient of that sale. In a packaging, shipping and transportation hierarchy, higher level units such as cases, pallets, shipping containers and trucks all have their own item ids, and this provides the basis for recording the dynamic hierarchy in which the end product item participates. Note that the concept of an item also extends to a sub-component of an assembly or a component or element of a saleable product.

P-0676[0676]FIG. 20 shows the product description hierarchy corresponding to the structure of the item id; the product item's dynamic participation in a dynamic packaging, shipping and transportation hierarchy; and the product item's dynamic ownership. As the figure shows, a container <b>231</b> (e.g. case, pallet, shipping container, or truck) is a special case of an uniquely identified object <b>230</b>. The fact that the container is holding, or has held, a particular object for the duration of some time interval is represented by the time-stamped object location, wherein the end time remains unspecified until the container ceases to hold the item. The object-container relationship is recursive, allowing it to represent an arbitrary dynamic hierarchy. Clearly this representation can be expanded to record the time-varying relative or absolute geographic location of an object.

P-0677[0677] The fact that an entity <b>232</b> owns, or has owned, a particular object for the duration of some time interval is represented by the time-stamped object ownership <b>233</b>, wherein the end time remains unspecified until the entity ceases to own the item. The owning entity <b>232</b> may represent a netpage user <b>800</b>, e.g. when a netpage user purchases a product item and the sale is recorded.

P-0678[0678] As shown in FIG. 56, a physical product item <b>201</b> is recorded as a product item <b>237</b> by a product server <b>251</b>. A product item may be recorded in multiple product servers, managed by different participants in the supply chain such as manufacturers, distributors and retailers. However, benefits accrue from providing a unified view of a product item, even if the unified view is provided virtually.

P-0679[0679] To foster interoperability between different supply chain participants and between disparate systems which may want to query and update both static and dynamic item information, such information interchanges are ideally performed using a standard representation. The MIT Auto-ID Center's Physical Markup Language (PML) is an example of a standard representation designed for this purpose. For a detailed description of PML, refer to Brock, D. L. et al., <i>The Physical Markup Language</i>, MIT Auto-ID Center (June 2001), the contents of which are herein incorporated by cross-reference.

P-0680[0680] 8.2.2 Region Id Management

P-0681[0681] An unstructured ID such as the region ID <b>50</b> may be assigned on demand through a multi-level assignment hierarchy with a single root node. Lower-level assignors obtain blocks of ids from higher-level assignors on demand. Unlike with structured ID assignment, these blocks correspond to arbitrary ranges (or even sets) of ids, rather than to ids with fixed prefixes. Again, each assignor in the assignment hierarchy ensures that blocks of ids and individual ids are assigned uniquely. The region ID subsequently becomes a database key to information about the region. In the netpage system, this information includes a full description of the graphical and interactive elements which appear in the region. Graphical elements may include such things as text flows, text and images. Interactive elements may include such things as buttons, hyperlinks, checkboxes, drawing fields, text fields and signature fields.

P-0682[0682] 8.3 Omnitag Printing

P-0683[0683] An omnitag printer is a digital printer which prints omnitags onto the label, packaging or actual surface of a product before, during or after product manufacture and/or assembly. It is a special case of a netpage printer <b>601</b>. It is capable of printing a continuous pattern of omnitags onto a surface, typically using a near-infrared-absorptive ink. In high-speed environments, the printer includes hardware which accelerates tag rendering. This typically includes real-time Reed-Solomon encoding of variable tag data such as tag position, and real-time template-based rendering of the actual tag pattern at the dot resolution of the printhead.

P-0684[0684] The printer may be an add-on infrared printer which prints the omnitags after text and graphics have been printed by other means, or an integrated color and infrared printer which prints the omnitags, text and graphics simultaneously. Digitally-printed text and graphics may include everything on the label or packaging, or may consist only of the variable portions, with other portions still printed by other means. Thus an omnitag printer with an infrared and black printing capability can displace an existing digital printer used for variable data printing, such as a conventional thermal transfer or inkjet printer.

P-0685[0685] For the purposes of the following discussion, any reference to printing onto an item label is intended to include printing onto the item packaging in general, or directly onto the item surface. Furthermore, any reference to an item ID <b>215</b> is intended to include a region ID <b>50</b> (or collection of per-panel region ids), or a component thereof.

P-0686[0686] The printer is typically controlled by a host computer, which supplies the printer with fixed and/or variable text and graphics as well as item ids for inclusion in the omnitags. The host may provide real-time control over the printer, whereby it provides the printer with data in real time as printing proceeds. As an optimisation, the host may provide the printer with fixed data before printing begins, and only provide variable data in real time. The printer may also be capable of generating per-item variable data based on parameters provided by the host. For example, the host may provide the printer with a base item ID prior to printing, and the printer may simply increment the base item ID to generate successive item ids. Alternatively, memory in the ink cartridge or other storage medium inserted into the printer may provide a source of unique item ids, in which case the printer reports the assignment of items ids to the host computer for recording by the host.

P-0687[0687] Alternatively still, the printer may be capable of reading a pre-existing item ID from the label onto which the omnitags are being printed, assuming the unique ID has been applied in some form to the label during a previous manufacturing step. For example, the item ID may already be present in the form of a visible 2D bar code, or encoded in an RFID tag. In the former case the printer can include an optical bar code scanner. In the latter case it can include an RFID reader.

P-0688[0688] The printer may also be capable of rendering the item ID in other forms. For example, it may be capable of printing the item ID in the form of a 2D bar code, or of printing the product ID component of the item ID in the form of a 1D bar code, or of writing the item ID to a writable or write-once RFID tag.

P-0689[0689] 8.4 Omnitag Scanning

P-0690[0690] Item information typically flows to the product server in response to situated scan events, e.g. when an item is scanned into inventory on delivery; when the item is placed on a retail shelf; and when the item is scanned at point of sale. Both fixed and hand-held scanners may be used to scan omnitagged product items, using both laser-based 2D scanning and 2D image-sensor-based scanning, using similar or the same techniques as employed in the netpage pen.

P-0691[0691] As shown in FIG. 57, both a fixed scanner <b>254</b> and a hand-held scanner <b>252</b> communicate scan data to the product server <b>251</b>. The product server may in turn communicate product item event data to a peer product server (not shown), or to a product application server <b>250</b>, which may implement sharing of data with related product servers. For example, stock movements within a retail store may be recorded locally on the retail store's product server, but the manufacturer's product server may be notified once a product item is sold.

P-0692[0692] 8.5 Omnitag-Based Netpage Interactions

P-0693[0693] A product item whose labelling, packaging or actual surface has been omnitagged provides the same level of interactivity as any other netpage.

P-0694[0694] There is a strong case to be made for netpage-compatible product tagging. Netpage turns any printed surface into a finely differentiated graphical user interface akin to a Web page, and there are many applications which map nicely onto the surface of a product. These applications include obtaining product information of various kinds (nutritional information; cooking instructions; recipes; related products; use-by dates; servicing instructions; recall notices); playing games; entering competitions; managing ownership (registration; query, such as in the case of stolen goods; transfer); providing product feedback; messaging; and indirect device control. If, on the other hand, the product tagging is undifferentiated, such as in the case of an undifferentiated 2D barcode or RFID-carried item ID, then the burden of information navigation is transferred to the information delivery device, which may significantly increase the complexity of the user experience or the required sophistication of the delivery device user interface.

P-0695[0695] 8.5.1 Product Registration

P-0696[0696] An omnitagged product can contain a <register> button which, when activated with a netpage pen, registers the netpage user as the owner of the product. The user's contact information, which is already recorded on the netpage system, can be automatically transmitted to the product manufacturer who can record it in their customer database. The registration process can automatically add the manufacturer to the user's e-mail contact list, thus allowing the manufacturer to send the user e-mail relevant to the product, such as related special offers, recall notices, etc. If the manufacturer abuses their e-mail priveleges, the user can bar them in the usual way.

P-0697[0697] 8.5.2 Product Information Via Product ID

P-0698[0698] Some of the benefits of omnitagging products can be gained by enhancing the netpage pen to decode UPC bar codes. Alternatively a UPC bar code scanner can netpage-enabled. When the netpage system receives a scanned UPC, it forwards a request to a default or favorite application for that product type (as described earlier), and this in turn elicits product information from the application, such as in the form of a printed netpage. The product page can also include the facility to enter the serial number of the product item and register the user's ownership of it via a <register>button. Product manufacturers can thus gain the benefits of netpage linking for their entire installed base of products without making alterations to the products themselves.

P-0699[0699] 8.5.3 Context-Specific Product Help

P-0700[0700] If the entire surface of a product is omnitagged, then pressing on any part of the surface with a netpage pen can then elicit product-specific help. The help is either specific to the area pressed, or relates to the product as a whole. Thus the user of the product has instant access to helpful information about specific features of a product as well as the product as a whole. Each feature-specific help page can be linked to the entire product manual.

P-0701[0701] 8.5.4 Product Ownership Tracking

P-0702[0702] If the entire surface of a product is omnitagged, then pressing on any part of the surface with a netpage pen can elicit a description of the product and its current ownership. After the product is purchased, pressing on any part of the surface can automatically register the product in the name of the owner of the netpage pen. Anyone can determine the ownership of a product offered for sale simply by pressing on any part of its surface with a Netpage Pen. Ownership may only be registered by a new owner if the current owner has relinquished ownership by signing the “sell” portion of the product's status page. This places the product in an “un-owned” state.

P-0703[0703] Product information and ownership is maintained either by the product manufacturer, as a service to its customers, or by a profit-oriented third party.

P-0704[0704] The shipping computer system of a product manufacturer can automatically transfer ownership of products from the manufacturer to the distributor or retailer, and so on down through the supply chain. The retail computer system of the retailer can automatically mark each sold item as free, or transfer ownership directly to the holder of the payment card used to pay for the product. The customer can also use a netpage pen at the point of sale to register immediate ownership of the product.

P-0705[0705] Traditional clearing-houses for stolen goods, such as pawn shops, can be required by law to check the ownership of all products presented to them. Since an omnitagged product has an invisible encoding on most or all of its surface, it is difficult for a thief to remove it or even tell if it has been successfully removed. Conversely, it is incumbent on a potential buyer of a product to ensure that a clean reading can be obtained from its surface so that its ownership can be indisputably established.

P-0706[0706] Where a product is leased or otherwise subject to complex or multiple ownership, the product registration database can reflect this and thus alert a potential buyer.

CONCLUSION

P-0707[0707] Although the invention has been described with reference to a number of specific examples, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention can be embodied in many other forms.