Glow highlighting as an ink attribute

• US 20040085358A1
• Filed: 10/31/2002
• Published: 05/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lui, Charlton E., Tolmer, Justin Garrett
• Granted Patent: US 7,428,711 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/767
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/203 Drawing of straight lines or curves

Abstract

Methods for rendering electronic ink with highlighting attributes include: (a) receiving data representing at least one electronic ink stroke including a highlighting attribute; (b) rendering a first highlighting stroke in a first dimension and in a first highlighting color and/or pattern; and (c) rendering an ink color stroke in an ink color and/or pattern and in a second dimension that is smaller than the first dimension to produce a composite stroke that has a highlighted appearance. When the highlighted stroke is selected, this stroke may be rendered with a third, inner layer that is narrower than the ink colored layer, in a highlight color and/or pattern. This invention also relates to systems and computer-readable media for performing these methods, and to data structures that include a highlight attribute with electronic ink data.

Claims

1. A data structure for storing electronic ink, comprising:

data representing electronic ink; and

an indicator assigning a highlight attribute to the data.

2. A data structure according to claim 1, wherein the data represents a single ink stroke.

3. A data structure according to claim 1, wherein the data represents an ink word containing one or more ink strokes.

4. A method for rendering electronic ink, comprising:

receiving data representing at least one electronic ink stroke, wherein the data indicates that the at least one electronic ink stroke is to be highlighted;

rendering a first highlighting stroke in a first dimension and in a first highlighting color or pattern; and

rendering an ink color stroke in an ink color or pattern and in a second dimension that is smaller than the first dimension;

wherein the first highlighting stroke and the ink color stroke are rendered so as to produce a composite ink stroke that has a highlighted appearance.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the ink color stroke at least partially overlays the first highlighting stroke.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein the ink color stroke completely overlays the first highlighting stroke.

7. A method for rendering electronic ink, comprising:

receiving data representing at least one electronic ink stroke, wherein the data indicates that the at least one electronic ink stroke is to be highlighted;

rendering a first highlighting stroke in a first dimension and in a first highlighting color or pattern;

rendering an ink color stroke in an ink color or pattern and in a second dimension that is smaller than the first dimension;

rendering a second highlighting stroke in a second highlighting color or pattern and in a third dimension that is smaller than the second dimension,

wherein the first highlighting stroke, the second highlighting stroke, and the ink color stroke are rendered so as to produce a composite ink stroke that has a highlighted appearance.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the second highlighting color or pattern is the same as the first highlighting color or pattern.

9. A method according to claim 7, wherein the ink color stroke at least partially overlays the first highlighting stroke and the second highlighting stroke at least partially overlays the ink color stroke.

10. A method according to claim 7, wherein the ink color stroke completely overlays the first highlighting stroke and the second highlighting stroke completely overlays the ink color stroke.

11. A method, comprising:

rendering a highlighted ink stroke with a first outer highlight color or pattern and a first inner ink color or pattern different from the first outer highlight color or pattern;

selecting at least the highlighted ink stroke; and

when selected, rendering the highlighted ink stroke with a second outer highlight color or pattern, a second inner ink color or pattern, and a first inner highlight color or pattern.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the first outer highlight color or pattern is the same as the second outer highlight color or pattern.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein the first inner ink color or pattern is the same as the second inner ink color or pattern.

14. A method according to claim 11, wherein the first inner highlight color or pattern is the same as the second outer highlight color or pattern.

15. A method according to claim 11, wherein the first inner ink color or pattern at least partially overlays the first outer highlight color or pattern.

16. A method according to claim 11, wherein the first inner highlight color or pattern at least partially overlays the second inner ink color or pattern, and the second inner ink color or pattern at least partially overlays the second outer highlight color or pattern.

17. A method according to claim 11, wherein the first inner ink color or pattern fully overlays the first outer highlight color or pattern.

18. A method according to claim 11, wherein the first inner highlight color or pattern fully overlays the second inner ink color or pattern, and the second inner ink color or pattern fully overlays the second outer highlight color or pattern.

19. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps comprising:

storing data representing at least one electronic ink stroke, wherein the data indicates that the at least one electronic ink stroke is to be highlighted;

rendering a first highlighting stroke representing the at least one electronic ink stroke in a first dimension and in a first highlighting color or pattern; and

rendering an ink color stroke in an ink color or pattern and in a second dimension that is smaller than the first dimension;

wherein the first highlighting stroke and the ink color stroke are rendered so as to produce a composite ink stroke that has a highlighted appearance.

20. A computer-readable medium according to claim 19, wherein the ink color stroke at least partially overlays the first highlighting stroke.

21. A computer-readable medium according to claim 19, wherein the ink color stroke completely overlays the first highlighting stroke.

22. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions for performing the steps comprising:

storing data representing at least one electronic ink stroke, wherein the data indicates that the at least one electronic ink stroke is to be highlighted;

rendering a first highlighting stroke representing the at least one electronic ink stroke in a first dimension and in a first highlighting color or pattern;

rendering an ink color stroke in an ink color or pattern and in a second dimension that is smaller than the first dimension;

rendering a second highlighting stroke in a second highlighting color or pattern and in a third dimension that is smaller than the second dimension,

wherein the first highlighting stroke, the second highlighting stroke, and the ink color stroke are rendered so as to produce a composite ink stroke that has a highlighted appearance.

23. A computer-readable medium according to claim 22, wherein the second highlighting color or pattern is the same as the first highlighting color or pattern.

24. A computer-readable medium according to claim 22, wherein the ink color stroke at least partially overlays the first highlighting stroke and the second highlighting stroke at least partially overlays the ink color stroke.

25. A computer-readable medium according to claim 22, wherein the ink color stroke completely overlays the first highlighting stroke and the second highlighting stroke completely overlays the ink color stroke.

26. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions for performing the steps comprising:

storing a highlighted ink stroke with a first outer highlight color or pattern and a first inner ink color or pattern different from the first outer highlight color or pattern;

receiving a selection of at least the highlighted ink stroke; and

when selected, rendering the highlighted ink stroke with a second outer highlight color or pattern, a second inner ink color or pattern, and a first inner highlight color or pattern.

27. A computer-readable medium according to claim 26, wherein the first outer highlight color or pattern is the same as the second outer highlight color or pattern.

28. A computer-readable medium according to claim 26, wherein the first inner ink color or pattern is the same as the second inner ink color or pattern.

29. A computer-readable medium according to claim 26, wherein the first inner highlight color or pattern is the same as the second outer highlight color or pattern.

30. A computer-readable medium according to claim 26, wherein the first inner ink color or pattern at least partially overlays the first outer highlight color or pattern.

31. A computer-readable medium according to claim 26, wherein the first inner highlight color or pattern at least partially overlays the second inner ink color or pattern, and the second inner ink color or pattern at least partially overlays the second outer highlight color or pattern.

32. A computer-readable medium according to claim 26, wherein the first inner ink color or pattern fully overlays the first outer highlight color or pattern.

33. A computer-readable medium according to claim 26, wherein the first inner highlight color or pattern fully overlays the second inner ink color or pattern, and the second inner ink color or pattern fully overlays the second outer highlight color or pattern.

34. A system, comprising:

a storage device constructed and adapted to store data representing at least one electronic ink stroke, wherein the data indicates that the at least one electronic ink stroke is to be highlighted; and

a processor adapted to;

render a first highlighting stroke representing the at least one electronic ink stroke in a first dimension and in a first highlighting color or pattern; and

render an ink color stroke in an ink color or pattern and in a second dimension that is smaller than the first dimension;

wherein the processor renders the first highlighting stroke and the ink color stroke so as to produce a composite ink stroke that has a highlighted appearance.

35. A system according to claim 34, wherein the processor renders the ink color stroke so as to at least partially overlay the first highlighting stroke.

36. A system according to claim 34, wherein the processor renders the ink color stroke so as to completely overlay the first highlighting stroke.

37. A system, comprising:

a storage device constructed and adapted to store data representing at least one electronic ink stroke, wherein the data indicates that the at least one electronic ink stroke is to be highlighted; and

a processor adapted to;

render a first highlighting stroke representing the at least one electronic ink stroke in a first dimension and in a first highlighting color or pattern;

render an ink color stroke in an ink color or pattern and in a second dimension that is smaller than the first dimension;

render a second highlighting stroke in a second highlighting color or pattern and in a third dimension that is smaller than the second dimension,

wherein the processor renders the first highlighting stroke, the second highlighting stroke, and the ink color stroke so as to produce a composite ink stroke that has a highlighted appearance.

38. A system according to claim 37, wherein the processor renders the second highlighting color or pattern the same as the first highlighting color or pattern.

39. A system according to claim 37, wherein the processor renders the ink color stroke so as to at least partially overlay the first highlighting stroke and the second highlighting stroke so as to at least partially overlay the ink color stroke.

40. A system according to claim 37, wherein the processor renders the ink color stroke so as to completely overlay the first highlighting stroke and the second highlighting stroke so as to completely overlay the ink color stroke.

41. A system, comprising:

a storage device constructed and adapted to store data representing at least one electronic ink stroke, wherein the data indicates that the at least one electronic ink stroke is to be highlighted; and

a processor adapted to;

render a highlighted ink stroke representing the at least one electronic ink stroke with a first outer highlight color or pattern and a first inner ink color or pattern different from the first outer highlight color or pattern;

receive a selection of at least the highlighted ink stroke; and

when selected, render the highlighted ink stroke with a second outer highlight color or pattern, a second inner ink color or pattern, and a first inner highlight color or pattern.

42. A system according to claim 41, wherein the processor is adapted to render the first outer highlight color or pattern the same as the second outer highlight color or pattern.

43. A system according to claim 41, wherein the processor is adapted to render the first inner ink color or pattern the same as the second inner ink color or pattern.

44. A system according to claim 41, wherein the processor is adapted to render the first inner highlight color or pattern the same as the second outer highlight color or pattern.

45. A system according to claim 41, wherein the processor is adapted to render the first inner ink color or pattern so as to at least partially overlay the first outer highlight color or pattern.

46. A system according to claim 41, wherein the processor is adapted to render the first inner highlight color or pattern so as to at least partially overlay the second inner ink color or pattern, and the second inner ink color or pattern so as to at least partially overlay the second outer highlight color or pattern.

47. A system according to claim 41, wherein the processor is adapted to render the first inner ink color or pattern so as to filly overlay the first outer highlight color or pattern.

48. A system according to claim 41, wherein the processor is adapted to render the first inner highlight color or pattern so as to filly overlay the second inner ink color or pattern, and the second inner ink color or pattern so as to fully overlay the second outer highlight color or pattern.