Method, apparatus and system for conveying cartridge notification
View Patent ↗Embodiments of the invention recite a method, apparatus and system for conveying cartridge notification. In one embodiment, a permanently encoded pattern of location information embedded on a printed medium is recognized using an electronic interactive device. Note that the encoded pattern identifies an application. A determination can be made as to whether the electronic interactive device has access to the application based on its memory and the memory of an attached cartridge. In response to the electronic interactive device not having access to the application, it is determined based on a cartridge lookup table of which cartridge includes the application. A message can be conveyed regarding the cartridge to the user. The cartridge lookup table may be populated with information regarding the application contents of various cartridges in response to these cartridges being inserted into the interactive device.
1. A system comprising:
a removable cartridge comprising an application and information relating to said application including an instructional message regarding access to said application; and
an electronic interactive device operable to be attached to said cartridge and comprising:
a communication device; and
a lookup table comprising a plurality of entries wherein each entry comprises an instructional message corresponding to an associated application wherein each instructional message is operable to be rendered via said communication device in response to said electronic interactive device identifying an associated application that is not resident within said electronic interactive device or a cartridge attached thereto, wherein said electronic interactive device identifies said associated application based on an encoded pattern of dots on a writable surface.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said communication device comprises an audio output device.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein said communication device comprises a display device.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein said instructional message comprises an audible message.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein said instructional message comprises a text message.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein said removable cartridge is operable to convey said information relating to said application to said cartridge lookup table of said electronic interactive device.
7. An electronic interactive device comprising:
an optical unit for use with a printed medium comprising an encoded pattern of dots of location information, said optical unit for detecting said encoded pattern of dots;
a writing tool for manually writing on said printed medium;
a processor coupled with said optical unit; and
a memory coupled with said processor, said memory for storing instructions that when executed implement a method comprising:
recognizing said encoded pattern of dots identifies an application;
determining whether said memory comprises said application; and
in response to said memory not comprising said application, conveying an instructional message regarding access to said application.
8. The electronic interactive device of claim 7 , wherein said method further comprising:
in response to said memory not comprising said application, determining which cartridge comprises said application by accessing a cartridge lookup table resident within said electronic device wherein said cartridge lookup table comprises a plurality of entries, each entry comprising a respective instructional message for an associated application.
9. The electronic interactive device of claim 7 , further comprising:
a communication device coupled to said processor for said conveying said instructional message.
10. The electronic interactive device of claim 9 , wherein said communication device comprises an audio output device.
11. The electronic interactive device of claim 9 , wherein said communication device comprises a display device.
12. The electronic interactive device of claim 9 , wherein said optical unit comprises an optical emitter and an optical detector.