How Does the Digital Pen Work?

The Use of a Digital Pen

A digital pen is a peripheral device for the computer that is designed to capture handwriting so that the user can send this image through the Internet or store it in the computer's hard drive. It works with a patterned paper that can be printed by laser printer. The dot patterns on the paper are set so that the pen "knows" where in the paper's surface the tip is located. The digital pen is used in agencies that need to capture signatures, such as offices where digitized IDs are used. It is also used to process forms that were filled out by a large number of people, such as election returns or survey sheets.

Parts of a Digital Pen

The digital pen has three main parts: the digital camera, a Bluetooth radio transceiver and an image-processing unit. The pen also comes with an ink cartridge that allows the user to see what he has written on the patterned paper. From the outside, it looks like a typical ballpoint; it doesn't have buttons or an LED display.

Using the Pen

The pen is activated when the cap is removed and turned off when the cap is placed back on. When the user moves the tip of the pen around the paper, the camera works to capture the image that was written in ink. The paper used for this type of pen has dots printed all over it. The pattern that the dots follow on each sheet usually differs, especially when there is a need for the user to go through several pages of a particular form. The distinct pattern allows the tip of the pen to find out which page it is working on and on what part of that specific page the tip is located.

Uploading Information

Once the user is done writing on the papers, the information is uploaded through a docking station that is connected to the computer. Alternatively, a compatible mobile phone can send the same information via Bluetooth. The mobile phone acts as a modem to send the digital handwritten information to a storage device on the Internet or on the user's computer. In both cases, a secure 128-bit encryption is used to ensure that the information being transmitted and stored can be accessed only by the original user.

Resources

• How the Digital Pen Works
• The Digital Pen and Its Parts