Systems and methods for managing notes

• US 10,127,196 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2015
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Moore, Richard J., Somasundaram, Guruprasad, Wolk, Diane R., Stankiewicz, Brian J., Lorentz, Robert D., Pearson, Scott D., Moriyasu, Shingo
• Primary Examiner(s): Debrow, James J
• Application Number:
  US14/600,707
• Publication Number:
  US 20150135046A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,393 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups

Abstract

A mobile device comprises a sensor to produce image data containing a visual representation of a plurality of physical notes, each of the physical notes comprising separate physical objects, a processor, and at least one module. The module can process the image data to determine boundaries for each of the plurality of physical notes and to determine, based on the boundaries, one or more characteristics for each of the physical notes. The module can also create a digital note representative of each of the plurality of physical notes, apply a set of rules to identify any of the rules that specify criteria satisfied by one or more characteristics of the physical notes, and for each of the identified rules, perform one or more actions specified by the rule to each of the digital notes for which the characteristics of the physical notes satisfies the criteria specified by the rule.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

capturing, by a sensor of a mobile device, image data containing a visual representation of a plurality of physical notes, each of the physical notes comprising separate physical objects;

processing the image data with a processor of the mobile device to determine respective boundaries within the image data for each of the plurality of physical notes and to determine, based on the boundaries, one or more characteristics for each of the physical notes;

creating, with the processor, a respective digital note representative of each of the plurality of physical notes;

applying, with the processor, a set of rules to identify which of the rules specify criteria satisfied by one or more of the respective characteristics of the physical notes; and

for each of the identified rules, performing, with the processor, in response to determining that at least one of the plurality of physical notes is marked with an indication of a task and a due date, one or more actions including, for at least one of the identified rules, invoking a calendar application executing on the mobile device to add a calendar entry that indicates the task and the due date.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the rules are applied by a first software application executing on the mobile device, and

wherein performing one or more actions comprises invoking, with the first software application, a second software application executing on the mobile device and instructing the second software application to perform the action, and wherein the second software application is the calendar application.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein invoking the second

software application comprises for each of the physical notes having a task and a due date, performing a scheduling operation with respect to the calendar entry.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein performing the scheduling operation comprises one of scheduling, modifying, or canceling a calendar event.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein processing the image data comprises extracting, from the image data and based on the boundaries, respective content for each of the physical notes, and

wherein performing one or more actions comprises, for the at least one physical note having the indication of the task and the due date:

determining that the at least one physical note includes a marker indicating that the at least one physical note is to be processed as a calendar entry; and

associating the content extracted from the at least one physical note with the calendar entry.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein performing one or more actions comprises labeling each of the digital notes with one or more categories based on the characteristics of the corresponding one of the physical notes.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein performing one or more actions comprises in response to determining that a physical note is marked with an indication of a task, assigning to a “

Reminders”

group a respective digital note corresponding to the physical note.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein performing one or more actions comprises in response to determining that a physical note is marked with an indication of a task and a due date, automatically adding a task entry to a “

to do”

list that indicates the task and the due date.

9. The method of claim 1,

wherein processing the image data comprises extracting, from the image data and based on the boundaries, respective content for each of the physical notes, and

wherein performing one or more actions includes associating the respective content for each of the physical notes with the corresponding digital note.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, with the processor, input defining a rule that specifies criteria and a resultant action, wherein the criteria specifies one or more characteristics of a note; and

generating a rule in accordance with the specified criteria and the resultant action.

11. The method of claim 10,

wherein receiving input comprises receiving, with the processor, image data containing a representation or an example physical note, and

wherein generating a rule comprises processing the example physical note to determine characteristics of the example physical note and selecting, based on input from a user, one or more of the characteristics as criteria for the rule.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein performing one or more actions comprises unlocking one or more features of one or more applications executing on the mobile device.

13. A mobile device comprising:

a sensor to produce image data containing a visual representation of a plurality of physical notes, each of the physical notes comprising separate physical objects;

a processor; and

at least one module executable by the processor to;

process the image data to determine respective boundaries within the image data for each of the plurality of physical notes and to determine, based on the boundaries, one or more characteristics for each of the physical notes;

create a respective digital note representative of each of the plurality of physical notes;

apply a set of rules to identify any of the rules that specify criteria satisfied by one or more of the respective characteristics of the physical notes; and

for each of the identified rules, perform, in response to determining that at least one of the physical notes is marked with an indication of a task and a due date, one or more actions including, for at least one of the identified rules, invoking a calendar application executing on the mobile device to add a calendar entry that indicates the task and the due date.

14. The mobile device of claim 13,

wherein the module comprises a note management software application, and wherein the note management software application performs the one or more actions by instructing the calendar application to perform the one or more actions.

15. The mobile device of claim 14,

wherein, for each of the physical notes having characteristics that satisfies the rule, the note management software application performs a scheduling operation with respect to the calendar entry.

16. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein, responsive to each of the physical notes, the calendar application schedules, modifies or cancels a calendar event.

17. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the at least one module is further executable by the processor to:

extract, from the image data and based on the boundaries, respective content for each of the physical notes,

determine, based on content extracted from the at least one physical note having the indication of the task and the due date, that the at least one physical note includes a marker indicating that the at least one physical note is to be processed as a calendar entry; and

associate the content extracted from the at least one physical note with the calendar entry.

18. The mobile device of claim 13, further comprising:

a database having a plurality of records storing data indicative of the plurality of digital notes,

wherein the module configures the processor to create, for each of the physical notes, the respective digital note within the database, and

wherein the processor applies the rules to label each of the digital notes with one or more categories based on the characteristics of the corresponding one of the physical notes.

19. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the module, in response to determining that a physical note is marked with an indication of a task, assigns to a “

Reminders”

group a respective digital note corresponding to the physical note.

20. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the module, in response to determining that a physical note is marked with an indication of a task and a due date, automatically adds database to associate the respective content for each of the physical notes with the corresponding digital note.

21. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the module extracts, from the image data and based on the boundaries, respective content for each of the physical notes and updates the records within a database to associate the respective content for each of the physical notes with the corresponding digital note.

22. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the module configures the processor to:

receive input defining a rule that specifies criteria and a resultant action, wherein the criteria specifies one or more characteristics of a note; and

generate a rule in accordance with the specified criteria and the resultant action.

23. The mobile device of claim 22, wherein the module configures the processor to:

receive image data containing a representation of an example physical note, and process the example physical note to determine characteristics of the example physical note and select, based on input from a user, one or more of the characteristics as criteria for the rule.

24. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the module performs one or more actions by unlocking one or more features of one or more applications executing on the mobile device.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device

comprising instructions that cause a programmable processor to:

capture, by a sensor of a mobile device, image data containing a visual representation of a plurality of physical notes, each of the physical notes comprising separate physical objects;

process the image data with a processor of the mobile device to determine respective boundaries within the image data for each of the plurality of physical notes and to determine, based on the boundaries, one or more characteristics for each of the physical notes;

create, with the processor, a respective digital note representative of each of the physical notes;

apply, with the processor, a set of rules to identify which of the rules specify criteria satisfied by one or more of the respective characteristics of the physical notes; and

for each of the identified rules, perform, in response to determining that a physical note is marked with an indication of a task and a due date, one or more actions including, for at least one of the identified rules, invoking a calendar application executing on the mobile device to add a calendar entry that indicates the task and the due date.