Configuring digital pens for use across different applications

• US 10,248,226 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2017
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Gordon, John C., Rideout, Mark R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheng, Tom V
• Application Number:
  US15/430,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20180232068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04162 for exchanging data with external devices, e.g. smart pens, via the digitiser sensing hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials

Abstract

A technique is described herein for defining at least some characteristics of a digital pen in a global manner across plural applications, such that the pen exhibits the same characteristics across two or more applications. In one implementation, the technique involves: receiving a pen activation signal in response to a user'"'"'s activation of an input mechanism provided by a particular digital pen; identifying a location on a user interface (UI) presentation that is readily accessible to the user; generating a pen configuration presentation; presenting the pen configuration presentation on the UI presentation at the location that has been identified; receiving a configuration input from the user in response to the user'"'"'s interaction with the pen configuration presentation; and, in response to the configuration input, storing a global configuration setting that governs a characteristic of ink strokes produced by the particular digital pen across at least two different applications.

Claims

1. A method, performed by a computing device, comprising:

providing a user interface (UI) presentation on a display device;

receiving a pen activation signal in response to a user activating an input mechanism provided by a particular digital pen;

identifying a location on the UI presentation that is estimated to be accessible to the user, based on one or more accessibility factors;

generating a pen configuration presentation;

presenting the pen configuration presentation on the UI presentation at the location that has been identified;

receiving a configuration input from the user in response to interaction by the user with the pen configuration presentation; and

in response to the configuration input, storing a configuration setting in a data store that governs a characteristic of ink strokes produced by the particular digital pen,

the configuration setting applying across at least two different applications executable by the computing device, and being paired in the data store with a pen identifier associated with the particular digital pen.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the pen activation signal is received in response to the user activating a button provided by the particular digital pen.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein one accessibility factor describes a last location at which the user has applied an ink stroke on the UI presentation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one accessibility factor describes a current location of a hand of the user and/or the particular digital pen relative to the display device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one accessibility factor describes a representative location defined with respect to plural ink strokes produced by the user on the UI presentation within a recent span of time that culminates in a current time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration setting specifies a color of the ink strokes produced by the particular digital pen.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration setting specifies a baseline line thickness of the ink strokes produced by the particular digital pen.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration setting applies to at least a class of applications executed by the computing device.

9. The method of claim 1,

further comprising repeating the method for another digital pen, to provide another configuration setting for the another digital pen that applies across at least two different applications executable by the computing device,

wherein the another configuration setting is paired in the data store with another pen identifier, corresponding to the another digital pen to which it pertains.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the pen configuration presentation includes a prompt that invites the user to specify an application-related scope of the configuration setting.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the prompt invites the user to specify whether the configuration setting applies to a particular application that is executable by the computing device, or plural applications that are executable by the computing device.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving additional configuration input from the user; and

in response to the additional configuration input, storing an additional configuration setting that governs a characteristic of ink strokes produced by the particular digital pen,

the additional configuration setting applying to only a single particular application executable by the computing device.

13. The method of claim 1,

wherein the input mechanism is a member of a set of plural input mechanisms provided by the particular digital pen, and

wherein activation of at least some input mechanisms provides instructions to load different respective configuration settings for the particular digital pen.

14. The method of claim 1,

wherein the input mechanism is a member of a set of plural input mechanisms provided by the particular digital pen, and

wherein activation of at least some input mechanisms produces different pen configuration presentations that allow the user to perform different respective configuration operations.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the pen configuration presentation includes a prompt that invites the user to specify an identifier associated with the particular digital pen.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing pen information provided by the particular digital pen following storage of the configuration setting, including:

receiving pen information, corresponding to at least location information that identifies a current location of the particular digital pen with respect to the UI presentation;

associating the pen information with the pen identifier assigned to the particular digital pen;

retrieving the configuration setting from the data store based on the pen identifier; and

producing an ink stroke on the UI presentation based on the pen information and the configuration setting.

17. A computing device for configuring a digital pen, comprising:

a tool activation component configured to receive a pen activation signal in response to a user activating an input mechanism provided by a particular digital pen;

a location determination component configured to identify a location on a user interface (UI) presentation that is estimated to be accessible to the user, based on one or more accessibility factors, the UI presentation being generated by the computing device;

a configuration tool configured to;

generate a pen configuration presentation in response to the pen activation signal;

present the pen configuration presentation on the UI presentation at the location that has been identified;

receive a configuration input from the user in response to interaction by the user with the pen configuration presentation; and

in response to the configuration input, store a global configuration setting in a data store that governs a characteristic of ink strokes produced by the particular digital pen,

the global configuration setting applying across plural applications executable by the computing device, and being paired in the data store with a pen identifier associated with the particular digital pen.

18. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the pen configuration presentation includes a prompt that invites the user to specify whether the global configuration setting applies to a particular application that is executable by the computing device, or plural applications that are executable by the computing device.

19. The computing device of claim 17,

wherein the input mechanism is a member of a set of plural input mechanisms provided by the particular digital pen, and

wherein activation of at least some input mechanisms provides instructions to load different respective configuration settings for the particular digital pen.

20. A computer-readable storage medium for storing computer-readable instructions, the computer-readable instructions, when executed by one or more processor devices, performing a method that comprises:

providing a user interface (UI) presentation on a display device;

receiving a pen activation signal in response to a user activating an input mechanism provided by a particular digital pen;

generating a pen configuration presentation in response to receiving the pen activation signal, wherein the pen configuration presentation includes;

a prompt that invites the user to specify an application-related scope of a configuration setting, selectable scopes corresponding to an application-specific scope that applies to just a particular application, and a global scope that applies to plural applications; and

a prompt that invites the user to specify at least one characteristic of ink strokes produced by the particular digital pen;

presenting the pen configuration presentation on the UI presentation at a specified location based on one or more accessibility factors;

receiving a configuration input from the user in response to interaction by the user with the pen configuration presentation;

in response to the configuration input, storing a configuration setting in a data store that governs a characteristic of ink strokes produced by the particular digital pen, the configuration setting being paired in the data store with a pen identifier associated with the particular digital pen; and

in a drawing operation;

receiving pen information, corresponding to at least location information that identifies a current location of the particular digital pen with respect to the UI presentation;

associating the pen information with the pen identifier assigned to the particular pen;

retrieving the configuration setting from the data store based on the pen identifier; and

producing an ink stroke on the UI presentation based on the pen information and the configuration setting.

21. A computing device, comprising:

storage storing computer-readable instructions;

a processor configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to;

obtain a user defined pen configuration setting for an input mechanism of a particular digital pen, the pen configuration setting being defined by the user to be applied globally to all applications of the computing device or to a set of specific applications;

receive a pen activation signal from the input mechanism of the particular digital pen; and

,

interpret the pen activation signal with the pen configuration setting.

22. The computing device of claim 21, further comprising an operating system operating on the computing device and wherein the operating system comprises the computer-readable instructions that are executed by the processor.