ITMI20091184A1 - PROCEDURE AND SYSTEM FOR THE COLLECTION AND SENDING OF INFORMATION - Google Patents

Description

Description of a patent for industrial invention for the invention entitled:

"PROCEDURE AND SYSTEM FOR COLLECTING AND SENDING INFORMATION"

The present invention refers in general to a system and related procedure for collecting and sending information. More specifically, it is a system and a procedure for writing information on a sheet and automatically sending it in digital format to selected recipients.

As is known, the sending of information in digital format must take place after it has been collected in digital format. For example, to send an e-mail message, it must be written in digital format on a suitable electronic device, such as a personal computer, i.e. an electronic computer, a cellular telephone or other mobile communication device, or other similar devices.

Consequently, if a person needs to send in digital format a communication or a series of information, be it an e-mail message, a minutes of a meeting, the date and time of an appointment, the references of a contact (address of e-mail, telephone number, etc.) must necessarily have a computer or similar device with you to write and enter information and then send it.

Consequently, if you do not have a computer or similar device with you, for example when you are out of the office or during meetings, you have to collect notes by writing them by hand and then making them digital, rewriting them on a computer, and being able to send them. trough Internet.

In an attempt to overcome these problems, digital pens are known on the market that are suitable for writing on special sheets and at the same time digitizing written signs. These marks are stored in the form of an image on the pen itself. The image can subsequently be transferred to another device to be read, sent via the internet to one or more recipients or to undergo other operations. In essence, these pens act as devices that perform an instant scan of the written signs, memorizing the image obtained for subsequent operations.

These devices therefore make it necessary to use computers or other tools for the re-elaboration of what is written and the sending of the same information collected.

The purpose of the present invention is to create a system and a related procedure for collecting and sending information that is simple to use, practical and fast.

A further purpose of the invention is to create a system for collecting and sending information that can be used in any place, without the need to have a computer or similar device with you.

These and other purposes are achieved, according to the invention, by a system for collecting and sending information that includes a digital sheet, an electronic device, means of communication and a computer. The electronic device comprises writing means suitable for making signs on the digital sheet corresponding to information to be sent, means for detecting the position of the writing means with respect to the digital sheet while said signs are made on the digital sheet, storage means suitable for memorizing the positions of the writing means with respect to the digital sheet while the marks are made on the digital sheet. The communication means are able to send to the computer the positions of the writing means stored by the storage means, being said positions corresponding to the signs made on the digital sheet. The processor is able to send the signs sent by the means of communication to at least one recipient. This system is characterized by the fact that the digital sheet includes portions differentiated between them for the writing of different types of information.

According to the invention, a user can write and send information to a chosen recipient by simply writing by hand on a sheet of paper with an electronic device, i.e. a digital pen. The system, in fact, allows the user to write information on a particularly shaped digital sheet, through the digital pen, which detects its position in the sheet, while it is used to write. In this way, the signs written on the sheet are made to correspond to a series of successive positions of the pen which thus become the digital reproduction of what is written. These signs, corresponding to the information that the user wants to send, are sent in the form of an image to one or more recipients who can thus read the same signs.

Advantageously, the computer can comprise encryption means suitable for encrypting the signs corresponding to the positions of the writing means so as to recognize and interpret these signs as elements of alphanumeric text. Advantageously, this system can be used for writing and sending an e-mail message; in this case the digital sheet may include different portions suitable for the insertion of specific information necessary for writing and sending the message.

In particular, a portion for writing the subject of the e-mail message, a portion for writing the text of the e-mail message, a portion for entering at least one recipient of the e-mail message, a portion for indicating sending the e-mail message.

Advantageously, in order to avoid writing the entire address of the recipient, the portion for entering at least one recipient can include at least one box corresponding to a recipient, so that this box can be simply selected so as to send the message to that recipient. recipient.

With extreme ease of use, correspondence between a mailbox and its recipient can be managed using an application accessible for example via the internet.

To facilitate the encryption of the signs written in the portion reserved for the subject of the e-mail message, the same portion can be divided into sub-portions in each of which a single letter can be written with a digital pen.

Advantageously, the system, object of the invention, can be used for writing and sending minutes of meetings or data relating to appointments or e-mail addresses or validation sheets, for example for maintenance activities. These writing and sending operations are possible thanks to the subdivision of the digital sheet into various portions, each of which is associated with a different type of information.

Furthermore, to improve the encryption means, ie the databases used for handwriting recognition, the system may include means for reviewing the alphanumeric elements recognized by the computer. For example, the message can also be sent to the sender who can compare what has been sent, that is, what has been recognized, with what has been written. The same user can make corrections that are stored by the computer that carries out the encryption.

Advantageously, for tracing the information sent, or messages sent, the system can include means for assigning a unique alphanumeric code for each sending to at least one recipient.

Furthermore, to prevent an electronic device from sending information using communication means which do not correspond to it, the system comprises means of recognition between the electronic writing device and the communication means.

Further characteristics and details of the invention will be better understood from the following description, given as a non-limiting example, as well as from the attached drawing tables in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of the various devices included in the system according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic view of a digital sheet used in the system of Figure 1.

With reference to the attached figures, 22 indicates a digital pen that can be used by a user to write an e-mail message on a digital sheet 10. The digital pen 22, while writing, detects the different positions it follows on the sheet; in this way the written signs are stored as a digital image that contains signs.

This digital image is sent from the pen 22 to a cellular phone 24 or other mobile communication device by means of sending and receiving data over wireless networks, for example via Bluetooth®. Subsequently, the mobile phone sends this image via the GSM or UMTS network to a processing center 26, for example a computer or personal computer, which can in turn send the image to the recipients chosen by the user.

The computer can also decipher what is contained in the image; in other words, the signs included in the image, corresponding to what is written by the user, are deciphered and recognized as alphanumeric text. In this way, the system makes it possible to obtain a digital text from handwritten words, which is subsequently sent as an e-mail message.

The digital pen is capable of recognizing the portions of sheet 10 in which the user information is written. In this way, the system is able to differentiate the information written by the user according to the portions of the sheet in which they are written.

In particular, the sheet 10 comprises a first portion 12 reserved for inserting the subject of the mail message, a second portion 14 to write the text of the message, a third portion 16 to select one or more mail addresses of the recipients to whom wants to send the message, a fourth portion 18 for possibly selecting one or more internet addresses to which the message is to be sent, and a fifth portion 20 for sending the message.

The first portion 12, reserved for the subject of the message, is divided into boxes within which it is possible to write only one letter. In this way, recognition and encryption by the computer is facilitated.

The second portion 14, reserved for the message text, is simply defined by lines on which to write the body of the message.

The encryption of the words written in these two different portions follows two different procedures, so as to make the recognition as accurate as possible.

The third portion 16, reserved for selecting one or more recipients to send the message to, includes two hundred small numbered boxes. Each of these is associated with the e-mail address of a recipient.

The fourth portion 18 comprises ten numbered boxes, each of which is associated with a web address to which the information written on sheet 10 can be sent.

The fifth portion 20 identifies a small box which, once marked with the digital pen 22, commands the sending of the mail message.

The system according to the invention is therefore used in the following way: a user can carry with him the digital pen 22, at least one digital sheet 10 and a mobile phone 24. When he needs to write an e-mail message, he writes the various information on one or more sheets 10. That is, he first inserts the subject of the message in portion 12, writing a letter in each box of the same portion 12. He then writes the text of the message in portion 14. Then he marks one or more numbered boxes in the portions 16 and 18, so as to select the e-mail addresses of the recipients and possibly the internet addresses to which the message is to be sent. Finally, once these portions are completed, send the message by marking the box corresponding to portion 20 with the pen.

The digital pen, while it is used to write, records its positions on the digital sheet, storing them on a memory present inside it in the form of an image in which there are signs (points and lines) corresponding to what has been written.

Once the pen marks the fifth portion 20, the image is sent to the mobile phone 24 and from this to the computer 26.

The digital pen, in addition to being able to memorize what has been written according to a technology known in the sector, for example according to the technology of the company Anoto®, is also capable of recognizing and memorizing the position of the same signs with respect to the digital sheet. Only thanks to this possibility, the written signs, corresponding to different types of information, are managed in different ways according to their position on the sheet.

Consequently, the signs shown in the image are handled differently depending on their position. In particular, the signs identified in the first portion 12 are recognized through the encryption program of the computer 26. Since these signs are arranged separately from each other (one word for each box of the portion 12), the encryption takes place with high accuracy and speed. The encrypted text corresponds to the subject of the mail message.

Similarly, the signs written in the second portion 14 are encrypted with a different encryption algorithm, as they can be arranged in a more disordered way than those in the first portion 12.

The signs identified in the third portion 16 must not be encrypted in text, but must instead correspond to a specific address of a recipient. According to the present embodiment of the invention, the digital sheet has two hundred mail addresses. The computer identifies which boxes have been marked and consequently determines which addresses to send the message to.

The operations relating to the fourth portion 18 are carried out in a manner similar to those of the third portion 16; in this case, however, the shipping addresses are web addresses (URLs).

The selection operation of the fifth portion 20 is instead directly recognized by the digital pen to command the sending of the stored data to the mobile phone.

With regard to the third portion 16 and the fourth portion 18, the addresses of the recipients can be managed by means of an application managed via the internet, an application that allows each numbered box of the portions 16, 18 to be coupled with an e-mail address or an internet address (URL ). Basically, with the application it is possible to enter a new address and match it to a numerical box of the portions 16, 18, delete or replace an already matched address.

Naturally, the digital sheet illustrated in Figure 2 is described by way of example; in fact, the number of boxes relating to shipping addresses may vary. In addition, other areas may be present in the sheet to manage different information.

According to a variant of the invention, instead of having to select a box of a portion 16 or 18, the sheet can include different portions in which to write the email address to which the message is to be sent. The system can provide for the automatic storage of the address in the address book, assigning them, for example, to the first free box of portion 16. The system itself can manage the address book differently, according to the settings desired by the user; for example, if the address book is full (i.e. the two hundred mailboxes are all already associated with an address), the message will still be sent to the recipient in writing, and the exhaustion of the positions in the address book will be signaled, for example with a message sent to mobile phone 28.

In addition, a portion can be included in the sheet in which to select the sending of the message in unencrypted mode; as a result, the recipient will get an e-mail message with an attached image including the signs written by the sender, that is, what he wrote by hand on the sheet.

Similarly, the system can provide for the simultaneous sending of the image including the signs written by the sender and the image depicted on the written sheet, ie what the sender sees before writing on the sheet. The two images are superimposed by the computer and sent to the selected recipients. In this way, one or more recipients can receive an image that corresponds exactly to what the user / sender can see when he has finished writing the message.

Of course it is possible to write a message consisting of several sheets; in this case each sheet has an identification mark and in sending each sheet from the pen to the mobile phone and from the latter to the computer, the same computer manages the union of the different sheets that form a single message.

The system according to the invention can provide for the management of two databases resident in the computer. A first database manages the basic information of the system, ie the arrangement of the various portions, the functions of each portion, the operations that the information entered in each portion must undergo. A second database manages the information relating to the user who uses the system and sender of the e-mail message; for example the sender's references, the address data entered in the address book relating to that particular user, and others.

The system can provide that, at the specific request of the user, the e-mail message, once encrypted and transformed into digital text, can be reviewed by the sender himself who can thus correct the encrypted text. The processor compares the text recognized by the encryption algorithm with the correct text by the user and stores new associations between the sign written by the user and the digital alphanumeric element (word or letter). In this way the recognition procedures can be improved.

In addition, the system can provide for the sending of the mail message also to a sender's address, so that the same user / sender can verify the actual sending of the message.

In addition, the computer, in addition to sending the message to the chosen recipients, can also provide for the automatic archiving of the same, so that the user can retrieve the various messages sent.

Also for this reason each message can be associated with a unique alphanumeric code, so as to facilitate the recovery in the archiving system, but also the tracing of the same message.

The system object of the invention has been described if it is organized and used to write by hand and send an e-mail message. It is understood that the system can be set up to write by hand and also to send different types of information.

According to a further variant of the invention, in fact, the digital sheet can include portions to insert the various information necessary to define the minutes of a meeting (with date, place, people present, topics covered, ...), or the references of a customer (name, headquarters, e-mail address, telephone numbers, ...), or an appointment (date, time, place, people to meet, signaling alarms, ...), or the management of maintenance of a plant or similar (date of the intervention, operation carried out, operator, ...) or other types of information.

If the information to be managed is data relating to an appointment, the system according to the invention can provide that the computer encodes the information so that it is compatible with management programs such as Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Notes, and others.

The system according to the invention allows the user to be uniquely identified. In fact, the user is uniquely associated with a digital pen (serial code of the pen), the mobile phone (IMEI serial code), and the serial number of the SIM card of the mobile phone (ICCID code).

Thanks to this multiple recognition key, a pen can be used for various applications, but only the combination of the three codes allows the procedure to be activated.

This unique association renders the pen unusable in the event of theft. Furthermore, in the case of industrial uses, where multiple pens can be associated with a single communication device (for example a gprs / bluetooth router), and therefore with a single sim, it is still possible to uniquely identify the actual user.

As you can understand, the data collected by the digital pen are therefore sent from the pen to the mobile phone, from the mobile phone to the computer, and from the computer to the recipients. To avoid data loss during these communications, the system can provide means and associated procedures for saving data.

The pen has, in fact, an internal memory that allows the storage of multiple pages for a single message. In this way it is possible to write several pages consecutively and send them in a single cumulative mailing.

In addition, the mobile phone receives the data from the pen and stores it on its internal memory. In this way, if the connection to the communication network fails, the mobile phone stores all the transactions and then sends them as soon as the network becomes available. It is possible to realize an automatic system which provides for communication attempts in succession at predetermined time intervals.

Further variants may also be provided to be considered included within the scope of the invention defined by the following claims.

Claims (10)

CLAIMS 1) System for collecting and sending information including: - a digital sheet (10), - an electronic device (22) comprising writing means suitable for making signs on the digital sheet corresponding to information to be sent, means for detecting the position of the writing means with respect to the digital sheet while said signs are made on the digital sheet, storage means adapted to memorize the positions of the writing means with respect to the digital sheet while the signs are made on the digital sheet; - communication means (24) suitable for sending to a computer (26) the positions of the writing means memorized by the memorization means, said positions being corresponding to the marks made on the digital sheet; said processor (26) being able to send to at least one recipient the signs sent by the means of communication; the system being characterized in that said digital sheet (10) comprises portions (12, 14, 16, 18, 20) differentiated from each other for the writing of different types of information. 2) System for collecting and sending information according to claim 1, wherein the processor (26) comprises encryption means suitable for encrypting the signs corresponding to the positions of the writing means with respect to the digital sheet (10) while the signs are made on the digital sheet, as this encryption is suitable for recognizing such signs as alphanumeric elements. 3) System for collecting and sending information according to one of the preceding claims, in which the digital sheet (10) comprises portions (12, 14, 16, 18, 20) suitable for writing and sending a message email. 4) System for collecting and sending information according to claim 3, wherein the digital sheet (10) comprises a first portion (12) for writing the subject of the e-mail message, a second portion (14) for write the text of the e-mail message, a third portion (16, 18) for the insertion of at least one recipient of the e-mail message, a portion (20) to indicate the sending of the e-mail message. 5) System for collecting and sending information according to claim 4, wherein the portion for entering at least one recipient comprises at least one box corresponding to a recipient and selectable so as to send the message to that recipient, said correspondence being managed through an application accessible via the internet. 6) System for collecting and sending information according to claim 4, wherein the first portion (12) for writing the subject of the e-mail message is divided into sub-portions to write with the electronic device a letter in each sub-portion . 7) System for collecting and sending information according to one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the digital sheet comprises portions suitable for writing and sending minutes of meetings and / or data relating to appointments and / or e-mail addresses and / or validation sheets for maintenance activities. 8) System for collecting and sending information according to one of the preceding claims, which includes means for reviewing the alphanumeric elements recognized by the computer, so as to perfect said encryption means. 9) System for collecting and sending information according to one of the preceding claims, which includes means for assigning a unique alphanumeric code for each sending to at least one recipient. 10) System for collecting and sending information according to one of the preceding claims, which includes means of recognition between the electronic writing device and the means of communication.