WO2001042974A1

WO2001042974A1 - Text processing system with barcode input

Info

Publication number: WO2001042974A1
Application number: PCT/EP1999/009796
Authority: WO
Inventors: Steven Low
Original assignee: Steven Low
Priority date: 1999-12-06
Filing date: 1999-12-10
Publication date: 2001-06-14
Also published as: AU1976900A

Abstract

A text processing system comprises a text processing apparatus (10), for instance a desktop PC, laptop, hand-held device such as a PDA, or the like, and a bar code reader (13) associated therewith as an input device. Preferably, the bar code reader (13) is a hand held type, linked to the text processing apparatus by means of a wireless communication path. The text processing apparatus (10) comprises a text processing program or a spread sheet program or a data base program or the like. Text is introduced into a text document by defining an input location in the text document; scanning a bar code with the bar code reader (13); transfer information from the bar code reader (13) to the text processing apparatus (10); and instructing the text processing apparatus (10) to introduce the received information or a specific text fragment associated therewith into said text document at said specified input location.

Description

Title : TE^χτ PROCESSING SYSTEM WITH BARCODE INPUT

The present invention relates in general to a text processing system.

Text-processing systems are commonly known. Such system comprises a text processing apparatus which may be in the form of a desktop PC (Personal Computer) , laptop, a hand-held device such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), etc., suitably programmed by means of a text processing program. Well-known text processing programs are, for instance, available under the trade names Microsoft Word, Word Perfect, etc. With such apparatus, a user is capable of manipulating a text document, such as drafting a text, storing it for later use in a memory or on a floppy disc or other type of recording means, retrieving it from such recording means such that it can be edited or amended, setting the lay-out as desired, and finally send the document to, for instance, a printer.

Other types of text processing programs suitable for use with the present invention are, for instance, spread sheet programs, database programs, presentation programs, etc such as for instance the programs which are available under the trade names Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, Microsoft PowerPoint, respectively.

All of these programs have a facility of introducing text at any desired target location in the document, such location being indicated by the user by means of a cursor or the like. If the text to be introduced into the document at the target location is already present in the computer system, for instance at another location of the same document, or in another document available in the memory of the computer, the desired text can be obtained from the source location by means of a copy-instruction, and can be introduced at the target location by means of a paste-instruction. In this way, relatively large text fragments can be introduced relatively easily. However, as long as the text to be introduced is not yet available inside the computer system, the user has to use input means for inputting the desired text into the computer system. One conventional input device is a keyboard, which needs no further explanation. One disadvantage of using a keyboard is that the user has to press keys successively m order to indicate successive characters, which makes this means of input rather time-consuming.

Another known means for inputting text into a computer system is text recognition. In such a system, the user needs only to pronounce the text. Disadvantages of this type of input are, on the one hand, that the system must "learn" m order to "understand" the pronunciation of the user, and such systems are far from being error-free. Another disadvantage is that the user still has to pronounce each word, so this system of input is still rather time-consuming.

In a third type of input system, a scanner is used to scan a printed text and to transfer the scanned image into the text document. In principle, such system has the disadvantage that the scanned text will be processed as an image only; m order to be available as user-editable text, the system has to use a character recognition program, which is capable of recognizing the images of the scanned characters. Such programs exist, but they are not sufficiently error-free. A further disadvantage is that the printed text to be scanned nas to be produced beforehand, which normally means that someone has to type the text m a conventional manner.

The present invention provides a new way of inputting text into a text processing apparatus, and more particularly a new way of introducing text into a text document.

According to the invention, a text processing apparatus has a bar code reader associated therewith as an input apparatus . The present invention will be further clarified m the following by way of reference to the single figure, which schematically shows a text processing system 1, comprising a text processing apparatus 10 and a bar code reader 13 associated therewith as an input apparatus. The text processing apparatus 10 may be any type of apparatus, such as for instance a desktop PC, a laptop, a handheld device such as a PDA, etc, suitably programmed for text processing by any type of text processing program, spread sheet program, data base program, etc. Also, the text processing apparatus 10 may comprise a mobile telephone, having access to web pages on, for instance, the Internet or an Intranet.

The bar code reader 13 may be of stationary type, but preferably the bar code reader 13 is of hand-held type. The bar code reader 13 has a signal output coupled to a signal input of the text processing apparatus 10 for transferring a data signal S from the bar code reader 13 to the text processing apparatus 10. The data communication from bar code reader 13 to text processing apparatus 10 may be by way of electrical communication through a direct wire, but preferably this communication is by way of wireless link, for instance optical communication, preferably infrared.

The bar code scanner 13 is adapted for scanning, by means of laser light, a bar shaped pattern or bar code 14, and produces a data signal S which is transferred to the CPU 11 of the text processing apparatus 10.

The text processing apparatus 10 is adapted to have a document m a working memory available for manipulation by a user. The text processing apparatus 10 is adapted to, m response to an instruction received from the user, receive a data signal S from the bar code reader 13, and to introduce a text fragment into a said document at a target location defined by the user, for instance by positioning a cursor.

As is known to persons skilled m the art, the bar pattern contains an information word that is coded according to a predetermined coding scheme. In one embodiment of the present invention, the data signal S transferred to the text processing apparatus 10 may comprise this information word, and the text fragment introduced into the text document may be the decoded bar code word itself. However, the text introduced into the text document may also be a predefined text fragment associated with the bar code word, which predetermined text fragment is present m a memory associated with the text processing system. In one embodiment, a memory 15 is associated with the bar code reader 13, comprising at least one but typically a plurality of text fragments. The bar code reader 13 is, in this case, adapted to look into its memory 15 in response to the decoded bar code as read, to select at least one text fragment from its memory 15, and to transfer the selected text fragment from its memory 15 to the text processing apparatus 10. In another embodiment, a memory 12 is associated with the text processing apparatus 10, comprising at least one but typically a plurality of text fragments. The bar code reader 13 is, in this case, adapted to transfer the decoded bar code word to the text processing apparatus 10, and the CPU 11 of the text processing apparatus 10 is, in this case, adapted to look into its memory 12 and to select at least one text fragment from its memory 15 in response to the decoded bar code word as received. The bar code reader 13 may be adapted to transfer the data signal S to the text processing apparatus 10 virtually simultaneously with reading the bar code 14. However, it is also possible that the bar code reader 13 is adapted to send a transfer signal to the text processing apparatus 10 at a later moment. Thereto, the bar code reader 13 may comprise a memory 16 for storing the bar code word as read for later use in a data transfer sequence. By such an arrangement it is possible that the bar code reader 13 is used for reading a bar code 14 at a location remote from the text processing apparatus 10. It is even possible that the bar code reader 13 is adapted to read and store a plurality of bar codes into its memory 16, and that the information corresponding to a plurality of bar codes is transferred to the text processing apparatus at a later moment.

In another example, the text processing apparatus may be coupled to a computer network, such as the Internet or an Intranet, programmed for generating one or more webpages, such as for instance the well-known "www." webpages on the Internet. Such a webpage can be considered as constituting a further example of a text document. In such an embodiment, the bar code reader may be conveniently linked to the text processing apparatus through said computer network. <_ o t t ι_n o o o s

P-

P n l-¹

£

Φ

P-

0

CD

£

Φ tr

TJ

CD ιQ

Φ

P^

O n g

3

Φ

0 r+

*•

CΛ n tr rt-

^ J rT rt t

Φ

TJ

Γ+

O a

0⁾ r+

Φ

statistical information of this experiment is accessible to any interested party, possibly after going through an authorization check.

It is noted that systems for processing bar code information are known per se. In such a system, the bar code reader is not linked to a text processor, as in the case of the present invention, but to a control device. Generally, the bar- coded information is used as a means of identification of objects. Depending on the context, the control device decides on an action to be executed based on the identity of the object as established by the bar code information on the one hand, and on additional information, for instance present in a memory associated with the control device. For instance, in one typical application, such system is used in a checkout apparatus in for instance a supermarket. Each object of the purchases will be scanned, and the control device recognizes its identity and its price. The price and a short description of the item will be sent to a cash register, and will also be transferred to a stock control system for keeping the supply of the stock up to date. If necessary, new supplies are automatically ordered.

Another typical application is distribution of objects in an automatic distribution system, for instance a mail system, an automatic stock system, an automatic system for transportation of luggage, etc. In each of these examples, an object to be transported is identified by a bar code label, and along the route, the identity of the object will be checked so that the object will be transported along the correct route to the correct destination.

In a third typical application, the bar-coded information is used to give more or less complicated instructions to an apparatus such as for instance a video recorder. In a TV-guide, the programs are associated with a bar code. If a user wishes to record a certain TV-program, he scans the associated bar code of that specific TV-program by means of a bar code reader, which transfers the information to the control device of a video recorder, and from the received signal, the control device derives essential information such as start time, stop time, channel number, etc.

However, in none of these known per se bar code reading and processing systems is the bar code or a text fragment associated therewith introduced into a document that is available for editing in a working memory of a text processor.

It should be clear to a person skilled in the art that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the examples discussed in the above, but that several amendments and modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appending claims.

For instance, the invention also relates to a text processing system involving the use of a mobile telephone adapted for access to web pages on the Internet or an Intranet. Such mobile telephone may be considered as constituting part of the text processing apparatus, or as part of the means for linking the bar code reader with the text processing apparatus.

Claims

1. Text processing system, comprising a text processing apparatus (10) and a bar code reader (13) associated therewith as an input device.

2. Text processing system according to claim 1, wherein the text processing apparatus (10) is a desktop PC, a laptop, a hand-held device such as a PDA, or the like.

3. Text processing system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bar code reader (13) is a hand-held type, linked to the text processing apparatus by means of a wireless communication path.

4. Text processing system according to any of the previous claims, wherein the text processing apparatus comprises a text processing program or a spread sheet program or a data base program or the like.

5. Text processing system according to any of the previous claims, wherein the bar code reader (13) comprises a memory

(16) for storing bar code information, and wherein the bar code reader is adapted to scan a bar code (14) , store the read information in said memory (16) , and transfer the information from said memory (16) to the text processing apparatus (10) at a later moment.

6. Text processing system according to any of the previous claims, wherein the bar code reader (13) comprises a memory (15) containing a plurality of predefined text fragments, and wherein the bar code reader (13) is adapted to scan a bar code (14), select at least one specific of said predefined text fragments from said memory (15) in response to the read bar code information (14) , and to transfer said at least one specific text fragment to the text processing apparatus (10) .

7. Text processing system according to any of the previous claims, wherein the text processing apparatus (10) is adapted to receive text fragments from said bar code reader (13), and to introduce the received text fragments into a text document.

8. Text processing system according to any of the previous claims, wherein the text processing apparatus (10) comprises a memory (12) with a plurality of predefined text fragments, and wherein the text processing apparatus (10) is adapted to receive information from said bar code reader (13), select at least one specific text fragment from said memory (12) in response to the information received from the bar code reader (13) , and to introduce said at least one specific text fragment into a text document.

9. Text processing system according to any of the previous claims, wherein the text processing apparatus (10) and the bar code reader (13) are linked through a computer network such as Internet or an Intranet.

10. Text processing system according to claim 9, wherein the text processing apparatus (10) is adapted to amend a webpage in response to receiving information from the bar code reader.

11. Text processing system according to claim 9, wherein the text processing system comprises a plurality of bar code readers, and wherein the text processing apparatus (10) is adapted to amend a webpage in response to receiving information from any of the bar code readers.

12. Text processing system according to any of the previous claims, further comprising a mobile telephone, preferably adapted for access to web pages or similar pages on the Internet or an Intranet.

13. Method for introducing text into a text document, for instance a webpage, using a text processing system (1) according to any of the previous claims, comprising the steps of: defining a target location in the text document, for instance by way of positioning a cursor; selecting the bar code reader (13) as input device; scanning a bar code with the bar code reader (13); instructing the bar code reader (13) to transfer an information signal (S) , for instance the bar code word or a specific text fragment associated therewith, to the text processing apparatus (10) ; instructing the text processing apparatus (10) to receive information from the bar code reader (13) and to introduce the received information or a specific text fragment associated therewith into said text document at said specified target location, or to amend said text document in response to receiving said information.

AMENDED CLAIMS

[received by the International Bureau on 18 December 2000 (18.12.00) original claims 1-13 replaced by new claims 1-11 (3 pages)]

1. Text processing system, comprising a text processing apparatus (10) and a Dar code reader (13) associated therewith as an input device, wherein the text processing apparatus (10) and the bar code reader (13) are linked through a computer network such as Internet.

2. Text processing system according to claim 1, wherein the text processing apparatus (10) is adapted to amend a webpage m response to receiving information from the bar code reader.

3. Text processing system according to claim 1, wherein the text processing system comprises a plurality of bar code readers, and wherein the text processing apparatus (10) is adapted to amend a webpage m response to receiving information from any of the bar code readers.

4. Text processing system according to any of claims 1-3, wherem the text processing apparatus (10) is a desktop PC, a laptop, a hand-held device such as a PDA, or the like.

5. Text processing system according to any of the previous claims, wherein the text processing apparatus comprises a text processing program or a spread sheet program or a data base program or the like.

6. Text processing system according to any of the previous claims, wherein the bar code reader (13) comprises a memory (16) for storing bar code information, and wherein the bar code reader is adapted to scan a bar code (14), store the read information in said memory (16) , and transfer the information from said memory (16) to the text processing apparatus (10) at a later moment.

7. Text processing system according to any of the previous claims, wherein the bar code reader (13) comprises a memory (15) containing a plurality of predefined text fragments, and wherein the bar code reader (13) is adapted to scan a bar code (14), select at least one specific of said predefined text fragments from said memory (15) m response to the read bar code information (14), and to transfer said at least one specific text fragment to the text processing apparatus (10).

8. Text processing system according to any of the previous claims, wherein the text processing apparatus (10) is adapted to receive text fragments from said bar code reader (13), and to introduce the received text fragments into a text document.

9. Text processing system according to any of the previous claims, wherein the text processing apparatus (10) comprises a memory (12) with a plurality of predefined text fragments, and wherein the text processing apparatus (10) is adapted to receive information from said bar code reader (13), select at least one specific text fragment from said memory (12) m response to the information received from the bar code reader (13), and to introduce said at least one specific text fragment into a text document.

10. Text processing system according to any of the previous claims, further comprising a mobile telephone, preferably adapted for access to web pages or similar pages on the Internet .

11. Method for introducing text into a text document, for instance a webpage, using a text processing system (1) according to any of the previous claims, comprising the steps of: defining a target location m the text document, for instance by way of positioning a cursor; selecting the bar code reader (13) as input device; scanning a bar code with the bar code reader (13); instructing the bar code reader (13) to transfer an information signal (S), for instance the bar code word or a specific text fragment associated therewith, to the text processing apparatus (10) ; instructing the text processing apparatus (10) to receive information from the bar code reader (13) and to introduce the received information or a specific text fragment associated therewith into said text document at said specified target location, or to amend said text document m response to receiving said information.

STATEMENT UNDER ARTICLE 19

New claim 1 is based on a combination of original claims 1 and 9

Original claims 10-11 are renumbered as new claims 2-3.

Original claim 2 is renumbered as new claim 4.

Original claim 3 is deleted.

Original claims 4-8 are renumbered as new claims 5-9.

Original claims 12-13 are renumbered as new claims 10-11.