Smart Quill

Smart Quill - 1997

Invented by Lyndsay Williams April 1997 - Financed by BT Labs Martlesham June

1997-98

Definition

Lyndsay Williams of Microsoft Research's Cambridge UK lab is the

inventor of the Smartquill, a pen that can remember the words that it is used to
write, and then transform them into computer text. The idea that "it would be neat to
put all of a handheld-PDA type computer in a pen," came to the inventor in her sleep.
"It's the pen for the new millennium," she says. Encouraged by Nigel Ballard, a
leading consultant to the mobile computer industry, Williams took her prototype to
the British Telecommunications Research Lab, where she was promptly hired and
given money and institutional support for her project. The prototype, called
SmartQuil, has been developed by world-leading research laboratories run by BT
(formerly British Telecom) at Martlesham, eastern England. It is claimed to be the
biggest revolution in handwriting since the invention of the pen.

The sleek and stylish prototype pen is different from other electronic
pens on the market today in that users don't have to write on a special pad in order
to record what they write. User could use any surface for writing such as paper,
tablet, screen or even air. The Smart Quill isn't all space-age, though -- it contains an
ink cartridge so that users can see what they write down on paper. Smart Quill
contains sensors that record movement by using the earth's gravity system,
irrespective of the platform used. The pen records the information inserted by the
user. Your words of wisdom can also be uploaded to your PC through the "digital
inkwell", while the files that you might want to view on the pen are downloaded to
Smart Quill as well.

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Smart Quill

It is an interesting idea, and it even comes with one attribute that makes
entire history of pens pale by comparison-if someone else picks you’re Smart Quill
and tries to write with it- it won't. Because user can train the pen to recognize a
Particular handwriting. Hence Smart Quill recognizes only the owner's handwriting.
Smart Quill is a computer housed within a pen which allows you to do what a normal
personal organizer does .It really mobile because of its smaller size and one handed
use. People could use the pen in the office to replace a keyboard, but the main
attraction will be for users who usually take notes by hand on the road and type them
up when returning to the office. Smart Quill will let them skip the step of typing up
their notes.

WORKING

Smart Quill is slightly larger than an ordinary fountain pen. Users can
enter information into these applications by pushing a button on the pen and writing
down what they would like to enter .The Smart Quill does not need a screen to work.
The really clever bit of the technology is its ability to read handwriting not only on
paper but on any flat surface - horizontal or vertical. There is also a small three-line
screen to read the information stored in the pen; users can scroll down the screen by
tilting the pen slightly. The user trains the pen to recognize a particular handwriting
style - no matter how messy it is, as long as it is consistent, the pen can recognize it.
The handwritten notes are stored on hard disk of the pen. The pen is then plugged
into an electronic "inkwell”, text data is transmitted to a desktop computer, printer, or
modem or to a mobile telephone to send files electronically. Up to 10 pages of notes
can be stored locally on the pen. A tiny light at the tip allows writing in the dark.
When the pen is kept idle for some time, power gets automatically off

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Smart Quill

Last Update 6th March 2008

Original Patent plus images US6956564B1smartquill.pdf

3rd March 2008 - Apple buys Smart Quill Patent as here

The Smart Quill was a working prototype pen computer. My goals were
to encapsulate an entire handheld computer in a pen. It allowed capture of
handwriting and a special gravity controlled screen allowed the user to view
documents by moving the computer in the hand. I also wanted to replace the
mouse with motion sensing. I invented it in April 1997 in Leighton Buzzard,
Bedfordshire I exchanged emails with BT re my invention and in June 1997- Oct 98
worked for BT Labs, Martlesham, UK, Sensior Research Fellow, to build a working
prototype.

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Smart Quill

The Smart Quill had an accelerometer or tilt sensor, an Analog Devices

ADXL202 , the function was to allow the user to tilt the pen and scroll through the
pages. The images could be inverted and changed from portrait to landscape.

The pen could achieve up to 96% handwriting recognition accuracy as here

(Software by B Milner)

I then left BT and was asked to work for Microsoft in 1998.

Improving on the Cocktail Napkin - Microsoft

Smart Quill with VGA display 1998

Wired on the Smart Quill 1998

From the Palm to the Pen

Smart Quill Patent - -1997 US 6,956,564

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Smart Quill

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Smart Quill

Models designed by lyn, manufactured by BT

HARDWARE BASED

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Smart Quill
Smart Quill with Kop in VGA display

The above shows the tilting screen. As pen is swapped from left to right hand,
the image is inverted. This technology can be used to scroll through pages etc. Note
the LCD font on the left hand side image is created entirely by inverted LCD dot
matrix characters, just for demonstration purposes. About half of the 26 letters of the
alphabet work inverted.

Technical Specification

• Display Technology

• Handwriting Recognition and Signature verification

• Display scrolls using tilt screen

• Communication with other devices

• Memory

• Power

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Smart Quill

Handwriting Recognition & Signature Verification

Accelerometer technology

Memory

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Smart Quill
• 4MB EEPROM
• Capacity

Power

AAA Battery : Antiaircraft Arbitrary Battery

Size: 44.5mm Long and 10.5mm in diameter

Weight: 11.5 gm

Handwriting transcription

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Smart Quill

DISPLAY SCROLLS USING TILT SENSORS

Application & features

• Replace keyboard with Smart Quill

• Input to other device
• Handheld comp application
• the wireless messaging system which allows two way communications
• voice record and supports speech recognition.

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Smart Quill
• third party to add on applications
• Display technology used in Smart Quill
• Handwriting recognition and signature verification
• Display scrolls using tilt sensors
• Communication with other devices
• Memory and power
• Write notes on paper - record in pen - download to PC
• Database - names and addresses
• To Do list
• Clock and Alarms
• Calculator
• Pager

Assets

• Spatial Sensing" system

• Intuitive user interface
• Security
Handwriting recognition

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Smart Quill
Signature verification
• 3D-mouse
• Power saving
• Smart Quill is all mobile

Conclusion:

The sleek and stylish prototype pen is different from other electronic pens on
the market today in that users don't have to write on a special pad in order to record
what they write. User could use any surface for writing such as paper, tablet, screen

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Smart Quill
or even air. Smart Quill recognizes only the owner's handwriting. People could use the
pen in the office to replace a keyboard, but the main attraction will be for users who
usually take notes by hand on the road and type them up when returning to the
office. Smart Quill will let them skip the step of typing up their notes.

Source :

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Smart Quill
1. http://www.seminarsonly.com/electronics/Smart%20Quill.php
2. http://sensecam.googlepages.com/smartquill

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