Patent Application
20220141343
The present invention relates generally to the field of electronic devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to a multipurpose digital drawing tablet device capable of enabling children to draw on the surface and print out their creations using an integrated printer system. The digital drawing pad features a flat surface to enable a user to draw, a storage slot for storing paper/sheets and a thin slot for dispensing the paper printed with the drawing drawn by the user. Also, the digital drawing tablet device enables the user to pair the tablet with a compatible software application to upload the drawing/art to a website or social media application to share the work with friends and family. The invention offers a convenient way of identifying the art and enables it to be easily shared on different platforms. Accordingly, the present disclosure makes specific reference thereto. Nonetheless, it is to be appreciated that aspects of the present invention are also equally applicable to other like applications, devices and methods of manufacture.
By way of background, children are encouraged to draw and illustrate in order to enhance their creative skills, develop fine motor skills, encourage visual analysis, improve hand-eye coordination and more. Children of any age, especially young children, can be creative and may enjoy drawing. Generally, at home and in schools, children are encouraged to draw on paper. However, the drawings can be easily lost throughout the years, if the pictures/drawings drawn by the children are not kept and organized properly. Also, in case children forget to write their name, date, title, description and other details on their drawing sheet, and if parents or teachers pack them away, then there is no way to determine the identity of the drawing sheet later on. With no information on the drawing sheets, individuals can have a difficult time in identification of the drawing sheets.
A lot of devices have been developed to provide enhanced resources to encourage drawing among children. For example, various kinds of tablet devices are available in the state of the art, that enable the users to draw on their surfaces. However, these drawings are difficult to print out and can be erased easily. To print the drawings on tablet devices, individuals have to separately buy a printer and then send the drawings on the tablet devices to the printer to make the required printout. However, buying a separate printer can be an expensive option. Additionally, sending the drawing files to the printer requires both a tablet and a printer to be connected to a communication network such as Wi-Fi, and in case one of the devices is not connected to the communication network, a person will be unable to make the printout. The complete process of making a printout of a drawing on tablet devices is time-consuming and wastes a lot of the users' time.
Therefore, there exists a long felt need in the art for a device that enables the users to easily draw pictures on its surface. There is also a long felt need in the art for a device that eliminates the need to buy and set up a printer separately in order to make printouts of drawings on a tablet device. Additionally, there is a long felt need in the art for a drawing pad that enables the users to save the drawings drawn on its surface, along with details such as name, date, title and more. Moreover, there is a long felt need in the art for a tablet device that does not require children to write details such as name, date, title, description and other information on their drawing sheets, and prints such information on the drawing sheet as per the desires of the users. Further, there is a long felt need in the art for a drawing pad device that enables the parents/teachers to easily determine the identity of any drawing sheet. Furthermore, there is a long felt need in the art for a tablet device that does not require the tablet and a printer to be connected to a communication network to make a printout of any drawing drawn on the surface of the tablet device. Also, there is a long felt need in the art for a tablet device that provides a hassle-free printout-making solution that saves the time of the users. Finally, there is a long felt need in the art for a tablet device that enables the users to draw and make a printout of the drawn picture using a single device.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a multipurpose drawing tablet. The multipurpose drawing tablet enables children to draw on a touch surface with a stylus or a finger. More specifically, the tablet includes a touch surface having touch sensors for sensing pressure and movement of the stylus or finger, a built-in printer for printing the drawn picture or artwork on the touch surface, a paper feeding slot for feeding physical papers for printing and a wireless communication module for establishing a wireless channel with at least one handheld electronic device for transmitting the drawn picture or artwork. The electronic device includes an installed computer-implemented application for uploading said picture or artwork to a cloud storage, a website and one or more social media applications.
In this manner, the novel multipurpose drawing tablet device of the present invention accomplishes all of the forgoing objectives, and provides a relatively easy, convenient and quick solution to draw pictures and make their printouts without having a separate printer setup. The multipurpose digital drawing tablet device of the present invention is also user-friendly, as it eliminates the need to buy a separate printer and saves the time and money of the users. The multipurpose digital drawing tablet device enables the users to print the drawing with identification information that helps the users in organizing the drawings properly. Additionally, using a software application of the multipurpose digital drawing tablet device, the users can easily share their drawings with others over a wireless communication network.
The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some general concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a multipurpose drawing tablet. The multipurpose drawing tablet is designed for enabling children to draw on a touch surface with a stylus or a finger. The tablet further comprises a touch surface for sensing pressure and movement of the stylus or finger, a built-in printer for printing drawn pictures or artwork on the touch surface, a paper feeding slot for feeding physical papers for printing, and a wireless communication module for establishing a wireless channel with at least one handheld electronic device for transmitting the drawn picture or artwork. Further, the touch surface provides color options for selection to fill a selected portion of the picture or artwork and an electronic eraser for erasing a portion of the picture or artwork or completely blanking the touch surface.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a clear-all option is provided for clearing the touch surface by erasing all the drawn pictures or artwork. A plurality of pre-defined shapes is also provided for selection. In yet another embodiment, a push button is used for activating the tablet and a micro-USB charging port is used for charging an internal battery of the tablet. Further, any touch-sensitive technologies including resistive, capacitive, surface capacitance, optical (e.g., infrared), strain gauge, dispersive signal, acoustic pulse recognition or other similar technologies. Preferably, the touch-sensitive technology used is inkless and paperless.
In yet a further embodiment of the present invention, a system for uploading an artwork created by a child on a drawing tablet is disclosed. The system includes a touch surface-based drawing tablet and a computer implemented software application configured to be installed in an electronic device wherein the electronic device is connected to the drawing tablet using a wireless connection. The software application provides one or more user interfaces for receiving an artwork or picture from the drawing tablet and uploading the received artwork or picture to one or more of a cloud storage, a website and a social media application. Further, the software application enables a user to add voiceover to the artwork or picture before the uploading, wherein the voiceover is performed using the microphone of the electronic device.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a method for printing inkless and paperless artwork drawn on a touch surface of a portable drawing pad is described. The method includes initially drawing an artwork or picture on the touch surface using a stylus, then selecting a print touch button displayed on the touch surface, and printing the artwork or picture using a built-in printer of the drawing tablet or pad. The method further includes feeding paper into a paper slot for printing the artwork or picture, and selecting one or more colors and shapes for creating the artwork or picture.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a printed paper contains printed artwork or pictures on the front surface and the name of the owner, title, and date of printing/creating the artwork or picture on the back surface. The printed paper is a colored printed paper printed using the integrated color printer.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and are intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.
The description refers to provided drawings in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the different views, and in which:
The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovation can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate a description thereof. Various embodiments are discussed hereinafter. It should be noted that the figures are described only to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are not intended as an exhaustive description of the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention. Additionally, an illustrated embodiment need not have all the aspects or advantages shown. Thus, in other embodiments, any of the features described herein from different embodiments may be combined.
As noted above, there exists a long felt need in the art for a device that enables the users to easily draw pictures on its surface. There is also a long felt need in the art for a device that eliminates the need to buy and set up a separate printer in order to make a printout of the drawings on a tablet device. Additionally, there is a long felt need in the art for a drawing pad that enables the users to save the drawings drawn on its surface, along with details such as name, date, title and more. Moreover, there is a long felt need in the art for a tablet device that does not require the children to write details such as name, date, title, description and other information on their drawing sheets, and prints such information on the drawing sheet as per the desires of the users. Further, there is a long felt need in the art for a drawing pad device that enables the parents/teachers to easily determine the identity of any drawing sheet. Furthermore, there is a long felt need in the art for a tablet device that does not require the tablet and printer to be connected to a communication network to make a printout of any drawing drawn on the surface of the tablet device. Also, there is a long felt need in the art for a tablet device that provides a hassle-free printout-making solution that saves the time of the users. Finally, there is a long felt need in the art for a tablet device that enables the users to draw and make a printout of the drawn picture using a single device.
The present invention, in one exemplary embodiment, is a novel method for printing inkless and paperless artwork drawn on a touch surface of a portable drawing pad. The method includes initially drawing an artwork or picture on the touch surface using a stylus, then selecting a print touch button displayed on the touch surface, and printing the artwork or picture using a built-in printer of the drawing pad. The method further includes feeding paper into a paper slot for printing the artwork or picture, selecting one or more colors and shapes for creating the artwork or picture.
Referring initially to the drawings,
The multipurpose tablet 100 includes a generally rectangular or square shape and includes an appearance similar to a conventional electronic tablet. The tablet 100 includes a top surface 102, a bottom surface 104, a front surface 114, a rear surface 118, a left surface 112 and a right surface 116. The mentioned surfaces provide a single portable tablet unit 100 that houses the internal components of the tablet 100. The internal components will be described further in the disclosure. The top surface 102 includes, in one potential embodiment, a 5″×7″ touchscreen display surface 106. The touchscreen 106 includes integrated touchscreen sensors to detect the touch of a user and operate the tablet 100 accordingly. The touchscreen display 106 features a built-in touchscreen monitor with a pressure-sensitive surface, thereby enabling a child to draw using a stylus or electronic pen 108. The stylus pen 108 is a pen-shaped instrument designed specifically for touch screen use. The stylus pen 108 includes a tip 110 that can be made from a conductive rubber or a capacitive hard plastic and the pressure of the tip 110 is monitored by the built-in touchscreen monitor to draw the movements or figures a child is drawing on the touchscreen 106. The top surface 102 can provide a protective layer to protect the touchscreen 106 from any physical damage.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be described herein with respect to contact or movement of the stylus 108 relative to the touchscreen display surface 106. It should be understood, however, that any contact or movement may alternatively be performed by any electronic pen or finger. Also, the touchscreen 106 can use any touch-sensitive technologies including resistive, capacitive, surface capacitance, optical (e.g., infrared), strain gauge, dispersive signal, acoustic pulse recognition or other similar technologies. Preferably, the touch-sensitive technology used is inkless and paperless.
The left surface 112 includes a power ON/OFF button 126 that is used to turn ON and turn OFF the tablet 100. Further, the left surface 112 includes a micro-USB charging port 124 that enables charging of the tablet 100 using a USB charging cable. The micro-USB charging port 124 is used for recharging the in-built rechargeable battery (not shown in
The tablet 100 of the present invention can be used for encouraging children with artistic talents, young doodlers and novice illustrators. The top surface 102 is scratch-proof and waterproof which provides protection to the touchscreen 106 against physical damages. The touchscreen 106 receives a user input comprising a pressure and a direction from the stylus 108 to draw pictures and doodles. The top surface 102 provides an area for a child to interact with the touchscreen 106. Generally, the top surface 102 is a planar area on the top of the tablet 100. However, in other embodiments, the top surface 102 may include a rounded region, an edge region and/or a corner region of the outer surface of the tablet 100.
The drawing pad/tablet 100 includes an integrated wireless communication module 126 that establishes a wireless connection based on Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or any other similar wireless technology with a handheld electronic device. The wireless connection is used for wirelessly transmitting the artwork from the tablet 100 to the connected electronic device.
The tablet 100 is integrated with a built-in printer feature for printing the drawing 202 displayed on the touchscreen 106. A print touch button 206 is shown on the touchscreen 106 is selected for printing the drawing 201. The drawing 202 dispensed from the printer slot 122 of the tablet 100. For printing the drawings created in the tablet 100, a paper feeding slot 120 can be used. A maximum of twenty papers can be fed into the paper feeding slot 120. However, the storage capacity of the paper feeding slot 120 is not limited, and can be designed to fulfil the needs and requirements of the user, while keeping the tablet 100 compact and lightweight. In one potential embodiment, when the user selects the print touch button 206, the user may provide a title of the drawing and the signature or name of the artist or the user. The provided information along with the timestamp (date) is printed on the back surface of a printed paper containing the printed drawing 202.
The electronic device 604 having software application 606 installed enables a parent to upload the art created by the child to a cloud storage 608, or to a website 610. The website 610 can also be linked with other social media platforms to automatically share the child's artwork with the parents' accounts. In one potential embodiment, the parent can link multiple social network accounts to the profile created on the website 610 enabling automatic syncing of the uploaded artwork to other social media accounts. The software application 606 also enables parents to share the artwork on a specific social media application 612 to share their child's work with friends and family members. A children-specific social media application 612 can be subscribed as an add-on functionality that can have competitions and various levels for the children to achieve. Additionally, various templates can be downloaded from the specific social media application 612, enabling a child to draw on the drawing tab 100 of the present invention.
The smartphone application 606 also enables a user such as a parent to add commentary, notes and voiceover to the artwork before uploading and storing. The application 606 uses the microphone of the electronic device 604 for adding voiceover and audio commentary to the artwork.
The software application is a computer-implemented application stored in a computer-readable storage medium of the electronic device 604. The memory can include volatile computer storage media. For example, the memory can include a random access memory (RAM), including dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), and/or static RAM (SRAM). In some embodiments, the memory includes non-volatile computer storage media. For example, the memory may include a hard disk drive, a flash memory or any other suitable non-volatile computer storage device. In some embodiments, the memory includes both volatile and non-volatile computer storage media.
Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different persons may refer to the same feature or component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components or features that differ in name but not structure or function. As used herein “multipurpose electronic tablet”, “multipurpose digital drawing tablet device”, “multipurpose drawing tablet”, “digital drawing pad”, “drawing tablet”, “portable tablet unit”, “multipurpose tablet” and “tablet”, are interchangeable and refer to the collapsible multipurpose electronic tablet 100 of the present invention.
Notwithstanding the forgoing, the multipurpose electronic tablet 100 of the present invention can be of any suitable size and configuration as is known in the art without affecting the overall concept of the invention, provided that it accomplishes the above-stated objectives. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the size, configuration, and material of the multipurpose electronic tablet 100 as shown in the FIGS. are for illustrative purposes only, and that many other sizes and shapes of the multipurpose electronic tablet 100 are well within the scope of the present disclosure. Although the dimensions of the multipurpose electronic tablet 100 are important design parameters for user convenience, the multipurpose electronic tablet 100 may be of any size that ensures optimal performance during use and/or that suits the user's needs and/or preferences.
Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplary embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the present invention. While the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the scope of the claims, together with all equivalents thereof.
What includes been described above includes examples of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimed subject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
The present application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/108,919, which was filed on Nov. 3, 2020 and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63108919 | Nov 2020 | US |
