System and Workflow
Can the digital documents be locked so they do not accept additional writing?
Digital documents can be sealed on the server. Sealing prevents additional handwriting by the pen users. An administrator with the appropriate privileges can view the handwriting and if appropriate unseal the document to allow additional writing to be accepted. T logs area available that can show all of these changes and which user made them.
What are the transmission options from the pen to the server?
There are multiple connection options for the EDW™ platform.
- USB to PC; with this option, a digital pen is docked in a cradle attached to a USB port of a PC. There is an application on the PC that extracts the strokes from the pen and encrypts them and routes them to the server.
- Bluetooth to BlackBerry; A digital pen transmits strokes to a Bluetooth enabled BlackBerry. There is an application on the BlackBerry that receives the strokes from the pen, encrypts them and routes them to the server.
- Bluetooth to Windows Mobile; A digital pen transmits strokes to a Bluetooth enabled Windows Mobile device. There is an application on the device that receives the strokes from the pen, encrypts them and routes them to the server.
- Bluetooth to mobile phone; A digital pen transmits strokes to a compatible Bluetooth enabled mobile phone. There is an application on the phone that receives the strokes from the pen, encrypts them and routes them to the server.
- Bluetooth to PC; A digital pen transmits strokes to a Bluetooth enabled PC. There is an application on the PC that looks for the Bluetooth transmission and encrypts the strokes on the PC and routes them to the server.
With the Bluetooth options, files that are extracted from the pen are sent via mobile internet to the ExpeData server.
How do you start the transmission of the handwriting from the pen to the cellphone?
Bluetooth transmissions are initiated by tapping or marking the document’s pidget. The pidget is a symbol on the document that contains special pattern that triggers the pen to send strokes via Bluetooth.
If a document is completed using a Bluetooth®-enabled digital pen, but the send pidget is not ticked, is there a way to force the pen to transmit the current contents?
The pidget that is used on our documents is called a "send all pidget" which automatically sends everything contained on the pen. For example, if a user completes a document, but forgets to tick the pidget, when he fills out another document and selects the pidget, information from both documents will automatically be transmitted. Also, if the cradle that is used for charging is connected to a PC with our PC Acquisition client, the PC will route the handwriting to the server when docked for charging.
What reporting capabilities does the EDW™ platform offer?
The EDW™ platform offers a wide variety of reporting capabilities. Appropriate reports are available to basic users of the system, application administrators who configure settings for basic users, and system administrators.
The main ExpeData Reporting Capability consists of 23 daily reports monitoring activity on the server. These reports facilitate tracking of usage, thus allowing those providing support to be proactive. When these reports are compiled each night, a link may be e-mailed to a distribution list of recipients.
Can I use my own user interfaces instead of the EDW™ platform user interfaces?
Yes, ExpeData has developed an extensive library of Application Programming Interfaces (API) that allow the functionality of the EDW™ platform to be accessed programmatically enabling a partner or customer to use their own interfaces rather than the ones provided by ExpeData. Interface requests can take one of the following forms.
- XML documents that are sent via a web service call and processed in a batch mode subsequent to the receipt of the XML documents.
- Web service calls to specialized web methods that perform the required tasks.
- Calls to specialized DLL class methods that perform the required tasks.
Utilizing these APIs, a partner or customer can build an application that takes advantage of the full functionality of the EDW platform with completely custom interfaces or, partners can simply call the EDW platform and utilize the interfaces that ExpeData provides. The possibilities are limitless ExpeData provides enough flexibility so the choice can be yours on how it is deployed.
How does digital writing work?
There is a micro-printed dot background on each sheet of paper. Like a snowflake or DNA, this background is unique on each sheet of paper. A camera in the tip of the digital pen reads this pattern as it moves across the paper. The focal range of the camera in the tip of pen sees a 6x6 matrix. Each 50th of a second the pen captures the 36 dots. When the dot coordinates are received on the server they are connected to form strokes. Handwritten strokes captured via the digital pen are ‘merged’ with the document template which is identified by the specific sheet of unique pattern associated with a specific document. This is how the system can keep track of which strokes belong on which piece of paper and exactly where they are located on the paper. The end result is a digital duplicate image and the ability to read the handwriting with high accuracy and convert it into data.
Does ExpeData offer a way to demonstrate their system?
Yes, we have standard documents and software available for demonstration purposes. Please contact us for more information.
Is the data transmitted to and from the EDW™ platform encrypted?
Yes, all data transmitted to and from the EDW™ platform can be encrypted with 128 bit SSL.
Is the data encrypted in the digital pen?
Technically, the data is not encrypted. To remove information from the pen, you need the Anoto SDK. In order to understand the data that is in the pen, you have to know the sheet address of the form. The likelihood of this occurring is extremely rare, thus our decision that encryption is not needed for most applications. The data is a series of coordinates for the pen strokes, it is not text. In many ways, it is self-encrypting, but not technically encrypted.
As the data is being transferred to a server for processing, it is possible to encrypt the data using SSL.
What is the format(s) of the data and image outputs?
Interpreted data is provided in CSV or XML formats and images are provided in PDF, JPG, TIFF, PNG or GIF formats.
Can the image/data on the document be used to populate other systems?
Yes, through the interpretation process, the data is converted to text and can be used as input to other systems. Standard output from the system for images is in PDF format and for data is in XML format.
Can the digital pen read barcodes?
Yes, the Logitech io2 digital pen can read supported one dimensional barcodes and use that reading to transmit as data or to aid with correlation.
Are there languages outside English supported by the EDW platform?
Yes, we support multiple languages and localizations. Contact us for more information on languages supported by the EDW platform.
