Signing digitally or electronically without paper and ink – almost child’s play with the new Magic-Sign Tablet that resembles the old Magna Doodle toy. 
An optimized Magna Doodle – the toy that we all remember from our earliest schooldays for writing and drawing – can record a signature, a password or even the well-known shaky cross for the illiterate with the aid of special pens. 
The stored writing is subsequently evaluated by an “underlaid” writing recognition unit in a forensi-cally correct way (depending on the technology used) and thus fulfills the requirements set by the experts on handwriting and for data protection.

Situation
Biometric procedures to record, recognize and compare the unmistakable dynamics of writing that cannot be faked (Dynamic Signature Recognition, DSR) are finding widespread application with increasing rapidity. They are used for access control to IT infrastructure, to buildings and rooms, as an electronic hotel booking form, an “electronic blueprint”, as a receipt at reception or as a means to authenticate electronic signatures in accordance with the Signature Law. 
A number of different procedures are available to the user of such devices to record the writing dy-namics, and these can be divided into three classes: devices with pressure-sensitive special pens, devices with dummy pens, and devices that use normal pens.

The technology 
Low-priced devices with special pens mostly use a pressure-sensitive that has a nylon tip. Devices that record the writing dynamics with a pressure-sensitive writing area can work with normal pens – as long as a piece of paper is placed on the writing area. Pens with nylon tips and no internal elec-tronics can be used in such cases as well. In addition, there is a procedure that uses a display to de-tect the position of the pen, in which case the writing pressure is likewise recorded by a special pen with no ink.

Disadvantages
All these procedures have certain disadvantages by their very nature.
A signatory using a pen with a nylon tip to produce an electronic or digital signature must thus sign without getting the kinesthetic feedback that a handwriting expert would prefer. This means the visual checking of the writing movement that is done at lightning speed and unconsciously during the writing process on the basis of the trail of ink. 
It is highly questionable as to whether it is possible to achieve usable recognition rates with equally good rejection rates at the same time without this feedback. 
A signatory using a handwriting recording device with ordinary pens has to put a piece of paper on the writing area if he wishes to avoid damaging it or dirtying it with ink. A piece of paper is not always available, it has to be held firmly, and it has to be disposed of once the signature has been made, etc. All these things work against using such methods for rapid access control or checking by means of a signature or a handwritten password. 
Procedures using a display method form an exception to this. But the writing may only be displayed after a certain time lag, depending on the computing power and evaluation procedure, and this can also be extremely confusing. In addition, they are complicated, delicate and expensive, and so it is highly questionable if they are suitable for widespread use.

Advantages of the Magic-Sign Tablet 
· Rapid signing without paper and ink with simultaneous optical feedback.
· Deletion of the signature or password immediately after it has been written.
· Suitable for virtually all handwriting recognition procedures and devices currently used. 
· It is still possible to use it with paper and ink, for the “electronic blueprint,” for example.
 

Can be retrofitted
Just about any type of signature recording device now on the market can be retrofitted with the Magna Doodle-like writing pad. Three well-known devices are shown as examples. Even a display that works by determining the position of the pen can be equipped with a Magic-Sign Tablet that can be swiveled to one side. 

· Can be attached with Velcro, Powerstrips, or double-sided adhesive tape.
· Special configurations are possible, such as a swiveling type applied onto a foil.
 

We reserve the right to make technical changes and improvements without notice. The illustrations only repre-sent possible examples and are not binding for the definitive configuration. It is currently not permissible for legal reasons and under patent and copyright law to comment on the situation concerning any possible applications for patents and copyrights that may be under way at the moment!
 

Please direct any questions to:  René Baltus, Auf den Steinen 7 53125 Bonn Germany baltus@hesy.com www.hesy.com Telefon: +49 228 257125 Mobil:   +49 170 7766 480 Fax:       +49 228 258136