Document reader including an optical movement detection system
View Patent ↗A document scanner is disclosed. The document scanner includes a document bed having a document positioning surface. The document scanner further includes a scanner module slidably attached to the document bed. The scanner module includes an optical movement sensor configured to detect movement of the scanner module relative to the document positioning surface. A method of operation of the scanner module is disclosed as well.
1. An apparatus, comprising:
a document scanner including a document bed having a document positioning surface;
a scanner module slidably attached to a member connected to the document bed, wherein the scanner module includes an optical movement sensor, wherein the optical movement sensor provides means for detecting movement of the scanner module relative to the document positioning surface; and
a contact image sensor incorporated in the scanner module, wherein the contact image sensor provides means for scanning an image of a document, wherein, responsive to detected movement of the scanner, the optical movement sensor activates the contact image sensor, wherein the optical movement sensor further provides means for providing the detected movement information to both of the contact image sensor incorporated in the scanner module, and a magnetic character reader incorporated in the scanner module, wherein, upon receipt of the movement information by both of the contact image sensor and the magnetic character reader, both of the contact image sensor and the magnetic character reader utilize the movement information as movement feedback in order to permit the scanner module to generate electronic images or characters of a document positioned upon the document positioning surface that are user-recognizable and void of skew or distortion during movement of the scanner module across the document bed.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic character reader provides
means for sensing magnetic printing that is printed upon the document for subsequent transformation of the sensed magnetic printing into text or images of alphanumeric characters or symbols.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 , responsive to detected movement of the scanner, the optical movement sensor activates the magnetic character reader.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the member includes
a slider bar for slidably-connecting the scanner module to the document bed.
5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the slider bar is connected along a side of the document bed such that the scanner module is slidably-arranged along a length of the document positioning surface of the document bed.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the optical movement sensor is
an optical mouse sensor.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the optical movement sensor is mounted on
a printed circuit board within the scanner module.
8. An apparatus, comprising:
a document scanner including a document bed having a document positioning surface;
a scanner module slidably attached to a member connected to the document bed, wherein the scanner module includes an optical movement sensor; and
a light emitting diode that directs light toward the document positioning surface, wherein the optical movement sensor provides means for detecting at least a portion of the light from the light emitting diode, wherein, upon receipt of movement information by both of a contact image sensor and a magnetic character reader, both of the contact image sensor and the magnetic character reader utilize the movement information as movement feedback in order to permit the scanner module to generate electronic images or characters of a check positioned upon the document positioning surface that are user-recognizable and void of skew or distortion during movement of the scanner module across the document bed.
9. A method, comprising the steps of:
providing a document scanner including a document bed having a document positioning surface, and a scanner module arranged above the document positioning surface and slidably attached to a member connected to the document bed, wherein the scanner module includes an optical movement sensor, and at least one acquisition device;
moving the scanner module relative to the document bed, and, while the moving step is conducted, utilizing the optical movement sensor for
detecting movement of the scanner module relative to the document positioning surface of the document bed;
providing movement information to the least one acquisition device; and
rotatably-coupling the scanner module to the member for
permitting the scanner module to be rotationally lifted away from the document positioning surface, wherein the optical movement sensor conducts the steps of:
providing detected movement information to both of a contact image sensor incorporated in the scanner module, and a magnetic character reader incorporated in the scanner module, wherein, upon receipt of the movement information by both of the contact image sensor and the magnetic character reader, both of the contact image sensor and the magnetic character reader utilize the movement information as movement feedback in order to permit the scanner module to generate electronic images or characters of a document positioned upon the document positioning surface that are user-recognizable and void of skew or distortion during movement of the scanner module across the document bed.
10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising the steps of
prior to the moving step, positioning a document upon the document positioning surface; and
utilizing the at least one acquisition device for
acquiring data about the document.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one acquisition device includes magnetic character reader, wherein the acquiring data step includes the step of
utilizing a magnetic character reader for
reading at least one magnetic character printed upon the document.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one acquisition device includes contact image sensor, wherein the acquiring data step includes the step of
utilizing a contact image sensor for
scanning an image of the document.
13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising the step of
communicating the data to a remote computing system.
14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising the steps of
prior to the moving step, positioning a check upon the document positioning surface; and
during the moving step, utilizing the scanner module for
scanning the check placed on the document positioning surface.
15. An apparatus, comprising:
a document bed having a check positioning surface;
a scanner module slidably attached to a member connected to the document bed;
a contact image sensor incorporated into the scanner module;
a magnetic character reader incorporated into the scanner module; and
an optical movement sensor incorporated into the scanner module, wherein the optical movement sensor provides means for detecting movement of the scanner module relative to the check positioning surface, wherein, responsive to the detected movement of the scanner, the optical movement sensor sends movement information to both of: the contact image sensor for activating the contact image sensor, and the magnetic character reader for activating the magnetic character reader, wherein the optical movement sensor further provides means for providing the detected movement information to both of the contact image sensor incorporated in the scanner module, and a magnetic character reader incorporated in the scanner module, wherein, upon receipt of the movement information by both of the contact image sensor and the magnetic character reader, both of the contact image sensor and the magnetic character reader utilize the movement information as movement feedback in order to permit the scanner module to generate electronic images or characters of a document positioned upon the document positioning surface that are user-recognizable and void of skew or distortion during movement of the scanner module across the document bed.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the member includes
a slider bar for slidably-connecting the scanner module to the document bed.
17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the optical movement sensor is
an optical mouse sensor.
18. The apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising wherein the document bed includes
a communication connection that provides
means for connecting the document bed to a computing system.
19. The apparatus according to claim 15 , where the contact image sensor provides
means for scanning an image of a check.
20. The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the magnetic character reader provides
means for sensing magnetic printing that is printed upon a check for subsequent transformation of the sensed magnetic printing into text or images of alphanumeric characters or symbols.
21. An apparatus, comprising:
a document bed having a check positioning surface;
a scanner module slidably attached to a member connected to the document bed;
a contact image sensor incorporated into the scanner module;
a magnetic character reader incorporated into the scanner module;
an optical movement sensor incorporated into the scanner module; and
a light emitting diode that directs light toward the check positioning surface, wherein the optical movement sensor provides means for detecting at least a portion of the light from the light emitting diode, wherein, upon receipt of movement information by both of the contact image sensor and the magnetic character reader, both of the contact image sensor and the magnetic character reader utilize the movement information as movement feedback in order to permit the scanner module to generate electronic images or characters of a check positioned upon the check positioning surface that are user-recognizable and void of skew or distortion during movement of the scanner module across the document bed.
22. An apparatus, comprising:
a document scanner including a document bed having a document positioning surface; and
a scanner module slidably attached to a member connected to the document bed, wherein the scanner module includes an optical movement sensor, wherein the member includes a slider bar for slidably-connecting the scanner module to the document bed, wherein the scanner module is rotationally-coupled to the slider bar to provide means for permitting the scanner module to be rotationally lifted away from the document positioning surface, wherein, upon receipt of movement information by both of a contact image sensor and a magnetic character reader, both of the contact image sensor and the magnetic character reader utilize the movement information as movement feedback in order to permit the scanner module to generate electronic images or characters of a check positioned upon the document positioning surface that are user-recognizable and void of skew or distortion during movement of the scanner module across the document bed.