Method and software for hybrid electronic note taking

• US 20030063136A1
• Filed: 10/01/2002
• Published: 04/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Jʼmaev, Jack Ivan
• Original Assignee: Jʼmaev, Jack Ivan
• Inventors: Jʼmaev, Jack Ivan
• Application Number:
  US10/261,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20030063136A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/864
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5846 using extracted text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/40 Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3225 of data relating to an image, a page or a document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3266 of text or character information, e.g. text accompanying an image H04N2201/3226 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information

Abstract

Method and software for capturing image of notes imparted onto physical medium. Extracted textual information from the image is affiliated with therewith. Textual information may be searched enabling later retrieval of the textual information or its affiliated image. Conduit supports storage of information in a personal digital assistant.

Claims

1. A method for taking electronic notes comprising the steps of:

capturing an image;

storing the image;

extracting textual information from the image;

affiliating the textual information with the image; and

storing the textual information.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

extracting a topic descriptor from the image; and

storing the topic descriptor.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

extracting a date descriptor from the image; and

storing the date descriptor.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of conveying the textual information to a personal digital assistant.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of conveying the image to a personal digital assistant.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

receiving search criteria from a user;

finding textual information according to the search criteria; and

presenting the found textual information if textual information

corresponding to the search criteria is found.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

receiving search criteria from a user;

finding textual information according to the search criteria; and

presenting a graphic image affiliated with the found textual information if

textual information corresponding to the search criteria is found.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of receiving search criteria from a user comprises the step of receiving a topic descriptor or receiving a date descriptor or receiving a phrase.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of extracting textual information from the image comprises the steps of:

recognizing characters in the image; and

providing character codes corresponding to characters recognized in the image.

10. A computer software program comprising:

acquisition module capable of accepting an image from a digitizing source;

extraction module capable of;

extracting textual information from the image;

storing the extracted textual information; and

affiliating the textual information with the image.

11. The computer software program of claim 10 further comprising an optical character recognition module that is called by the extraction module and generates character codes corresponding to printed character discovered in the image.

12. The computer software program of claim 10 further comprising a handwritten character recognition module that is called by the extraction module and generates character codes corresponding to hand-written characters discovered in the image.

13. The computer software program of claim 10 further comprising a printed-text character recognition module that is called by the extraction module and generates character codes corresponding to hand-printed characters discovered in the image.

14. The computer software program of claim 10 further comprising:

plurality of character recognition modules that are called by the extraction

module and generate character codes and positions corresponding to

characters discovered in the image; and

lexical analyzer module that;

receives character codes and positions from the plurality of character recognition modules; and

assembles words or phrases from the character codes according to character codes and positions and an enumeration of known words or phrases.

15. The computer software program of claim 10 wherein the extraction module extracts a topic descriptor or a date descriptor from the image.

16. The computer software program of claim 10 further comprising a search module that:

receives search criteria from a user;

finds textual information according to the search criteria; and

presents the found textual information.

17. The computer software program of claim 10 further comprising a search module that:

receives search criteria from a user;

finds textual information according to the search criteria;

presents an image affiliated with the found textual information.

18. The computer software program of claim 17 wherein the search module receives search criteria in the form of a topic descriptor a date descriptor or a phrase.

19. The computer software program of claim 10 further comprising personal digital assistant module that retrieves textual information and directs said textual information to a synchronization module.

20. The computer software program of claim 10 further comprising personal digital assistant module that retrieves an image affiliated with textual information and directs said image to a synchronization module.