Method and apparatus for capturing handwritten information and providing visual feedback

Claim 1

An apparatus for capturing handwritten information electronically and for providing a visible trace of what has been written, comprising: a housing; a sensing device within the housing for electronically sensing movement of a marking implement with respect to a surface of said device; and a reusable medium having self-contained marking material therein and located in operative relation to said sensing device on which a trace of handwritten information appears when said marking implement is moved with respect to said sensing device; said medium comprising at least two sheets of material placed on top of one another so that localized pressure causes selective adhesion between the two sheets at the points of pressure application, causing a visible trail; said medium also including a separator for separating the two sheets after a visible trail has been produced on the sheets, to erase the trail, said separator having an extension for actuating a switch when operated to indicate that an erasing operation has taken place; a first of said sheets comprising a flexible translucent sheet having a fluorescent dye dispersed throughout and a second sheet comprising an opaque sheet; said apparatus also including an ultraviolet light source located within said housing.

Claim 2

An apparatus for capturing handwritten information electronically and for providing a visible trace of what has been written, comprising: a housing; a sensing device within the housing for electronically sensing movement of a marking implement with respect to a surface of said device; and a reusable medium having self-contained marking material therein and located in operative relation to said sensing device on which a trace of handwritten information appears when said marking implement is moved with respect to said sensing device; said medium comprising at least two sheets of material placed on top of one another so that localized pressure causes selective adhesion between the two sheets at the points of pressure application, causing a visible trail; said medium also including a separator for separating the two sheets after a visible trail has been produced on the sheets, to erase the trail, said separator having an extension for actuating a switch when operated to indicate that an erasing operation has taken place; a first of said sheets comprising a flexible translucent sheet having a fluorescent dye dispersed throughout and a second sheet comprising an opaque sheet; said apparatus also including an ultraviolet light source located within said housing.

Claim 4

An apparatus for capturing handwritten information electronically and for providing a visible trace of what has been written, comprising: a sensing device for electronically sensing movement of a marking implement with respect to a surface of said device; and a reusable medium having self-contained marking material therein and located in operative relation to said sensing device on which a trace of handwritten information appears when said marking implement is moved with respect to said sensing device; in which the medium comprises a first sheet of flexible translucent material, a second sheet of flexible translucent material having a fluorescent dye dispersed throughout, a third sheet of opaque material, and a two-element separator having a first paddle located between the first and second sheets for separating the first and second sheets and having a second paddle located between the second and third sheets for separating the second and third sheets, after a trail has been produced on the sheets, in order to erase the trail.

Claim 5

An apparatus for capturing handwritten information electronically and for providing a visible trace of what has been written, comprising: a sensing device for electronically sensing movement of a marking implement with respect to a surface of said device; and a reusable medium having self-contained marking material therein and located in operative relation to said sensing device on which a trace of handwritten information appears when said marking implement is moved with respect to said sensing device; in which the medium comprises a first sheet of flexible translucent material, a second sheet of flexible translucent material having a fluorescent dye dispersed throughout, a third sheet of opaque material, and a two-element separator having a first paddle located between the first and second sheets for separating the first and second sheets and having a second paddle located between the second and third sheets for separating the second and third sheets, after a trail has been produced on the sheets, in order to erase the trail.

Claim 12

A method for capturing handwritten information and providing visual feedback utilizing a host system having a keyboard, a display and a handwriting capture apparatus comprising a sensing device, a marking implement and a temporary marking device comprising at least two sheets of material placed on top of one another so that localized pressure causes selective adhesion between the two sheets at points of pressure application, causing a visible trail, comprising the following steps: (a) determining by the host system whether or not the temporary marking device has been erased from any previous use; (b) if the temporary marking device has not been erased, displaying a message on the display to prompt the operator to perform an erasure; (c) performing an erasure by moving a separator between said at least two sheets of material to cause the sheets to separate, erasing the visible trail, if this has not been done; (d) displaying a message on the display to prompt an operator to begin entering handwritten data on the handwriting capture apparatus; (e) entering handwritten data on the handwriting capture apparatus using the marking implement; (f) operating a key on the keyboard of the host system to signal completion of handwritten data; and (g) erasing the temporary marking device by moving said separator between said at least two sheets of material.

Claim 13

A method for capturing handwritten information and providing visual feedback utilizing a host system having a keyboard, a display and a handwriting capture apparatus comprising a sensing device, a marking implement and a temporary marking device comprising at least two sheets of material placed on top of one another so that localized pressure causes selective adhesion between the two sheets at points of pressure application, causing a visible trail, comprising the following steps: (a) determining by the host system whether or not the temporary marking device has been erased from any previous use; (b) if the temporary marking device has not been erased, displaying a message on the display to prompt the operator to perform an erasure; (c) performing an erasure by moving a separator between said at least two sheets of material to cause the sheets to separate, erasing the visible trail, if this has not been done; (d) displaying a message on the display to prompt an operator to begin entering handwritten data on the handwriting capture apparatus; (e) entering handwritten data on the handwriting capture apparatus using the marking implement; (f) operating a key on the keyboard of the host system to signal completion of handwritten data; and (g) erasing the temporary marking device by moving said separator between said at least two sheets of material.