In-place adaptive handwriting input method and system
First Claim
1. In a computing device having an executing program, a method comprising:
- evaluating a program field that has focus against information indicative of whether the field is configured to receive text input; and
if the field is configured to receive text input;
1) providing a visible user input interface at a displayed location relative to the field;
2) receiving handwritten data at the input interface;
3) providing the handwritten data to a recognition engine; and
4) returning a recognition result to the program.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method that displays a semi-transparent user input interface relative to an application'"'"'s currently focused input field at times when handwritten input is appropriate. The semi-transparent user interface starts when a program'"'"'s text input field receives focus, can grow as needed to receive input, or will disappear when not used for a time. Handwritten data is recognized and passed to the application as if it was typed in the focused field, and the application need not be aware of handwriting, as the system and method are external to the application. Pen events that are not handwriting, but comprise gestures directed to the program through the semi-transparent input user interface, are detected by a gesture detection engine and sent to the application. A user is thus guided to enter handwriting, while handwriting recognition appears to be built into applications, whether or not those applications are aware of handwriting.
221 Citations
33 Claims
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1. In a computing device having an executing program, a method comprising:
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evaluating a program field that has focus against information indicative of whether the field is configured to receive text input; and
if the field is configured to receive text input;
1) providing a visible user input interface at a displayed location relative to the field;
2) receiving handwritten data at the input interface;
3) providing the handwritten data to a recognition engine; and
4) returning a recognition result to the program. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. In a computing device having a program, a system comprising:
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user input interface code;
a field typing engine configured to evaluate a field of the program, determine if that field is supported by the user input interface code, and if so, to communicate information to the user input interface code;
the user input interface code drawing a visible input area to indicate that data may be entered therein, the drawing of the visible input area based on the information received from the field typing engine; and
a recognition engine that receives entered data from the user input interface code and converts the entered data to a recognition result that is made available to the program by the user input interface. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. In a computer system having a graphical user interface, a system comprising,
an application program having at least one application input area into which user input data can be entered; -
user interface code external to the application program;
a typing engine that determines whether to call the user interface code for a selected application input area of the application program based on attribute information associated with that application input area, the user interface code providing a semi-transparent input area based on the attribute information when called;
a timing mechanism configured to cause removal of the semi-transparent input area when no user interaction with the visible input area is detected for a period of time;
a gesture engine, the gesture engine invoked to determine whether user input data directed to the semi-transparent input area is a gesture directed to the application program or information that should be recognized as text; and
a handwriting recognition engine, the handwriting recognition engine configured to receive the information that the gesture engine has decided should be recognized as text, the handwriting recognition engine responding by returning recognized text when provided with the information. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33)
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Specification