What is a digital pen?
A digital pen is a ballpoint pen with some additional components. It looks like a large pen, about
the size of a whiteboard marker. It feels like any normal ballpoint pen when you write. Inside the
barrel of the pen are the electronic components that capture the information: an integrated digital
camera, an advanced imaging processor, and rechargeable batteries. The digital pens utilize Anoto Technology.
How do digital pens convert ballpoint ink into digital data?
The optical system inside the pen automatically records which dots in the page pattern it crosses over.
It does this by taking more than 70 readings per second. Each recording determines what has been written
or drawn and the exact position of the pen on the page. Also recorded is the particular paper form that
was used as well as the time of each pen stroke. The pen’s memory can store up to 40 full letter-sized
pages of this information before it has to be uploaded into our application.
Who makes the pens?
The pens are manufactured by Anoto®.
How secure is my data?
The pen records the dot pattern coordinates, not the ink strokes, so it does not contain images of handwritten words.
All data in the pen is encrypted with a 64-bit key. Additionally, the data can only be read by our application and
administrative access is controlled by a user name and password login procedure. Finally, the pen is emptied once
the upload to the computer is complete.
What validation tools are included?
The pen time stamps very coordinate, identifies the unique pen ID that was used, and the identity of the form that was
used. Also, a picture-perfect, tamper-proof image of the handwritten form is created in our application. It can be
printed out and/or stored within the computer system. For those documents that require a legally binding signature,
we can apply advanced biometrics to any signature created with our solution.
How is the data displayed once it is uploaded from the pen?
The pages can be displayed in two ways: 1) as a picture-perfect image of the handwritten original and 2) as a
side-by-side view with the handwritten version on the left and the converted computer text version on the
right.
