Pen-based interface for a notepad computer

• US 20040160427A1
• Filed: 12/11/2001
• Published: 08/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Keely, Leroy Bertrand Jr., Young, Douglas Alan, Palay, Andrew James
• Granted Patent: US 7,032,187 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04807 Pen manipulated menu
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

The invention is a notepad computer with a page display region displaying a page of a document on which a user can write using a pen or stylus type writing tool. Associated with the page is an interface that can be used with the pen. The interface includes a core task tool region adjacent to the page where tool icons are partially visible until the pen is brought near one of the icons. The tool icon becomes fully visible when the pen is within the region of the icon. The tool when activated can pop-up a radial pop-up menu located at an edge of the document where all the menu choices are located in a semi-circle away from the edge so that the users hand while holding the pen and making a selection does not block the choices. A page flipping tool is located in a corner of the page and is an explicit two-stroke menu allowing selection of a next or previous page. A page scrolling tool is located along an edge of the page, the scrolling tool when activated is an implicit button allowing scrolling in one implied direction. The interface also includes a stack region adjacent to said page display region having one or more stack icons each representing a stack of documents. The icon is also an explicit two-stroke radial pop-up menu having forward and backward choices for selecting documents in the stack and a stack document list display displaying a list of documents in the stack when the stack icon is touched by an input pen. The interface also includes a typing tool overlaying a portion of the page and including a writing zone where a user handwrites strokes and, a page zone comprising part of the page where typed text corresponding to the handwritten strokes is displayed as the handwriting occurs.

Claims

1. A display process, comprising:

determining an orientation of an input pen; and

displaying user interface elements in a way varying responsive to pen orientation.

2. A display process, comprising:

determining an orientation of an input pen; and

highlighting displayed elements approached by the pen while the pen is in a highlighting orientation.

3. A display process as recited in claim 2, further comprising increasing an area of a selection when a pen stroke, which starts in a highlighting orientation inside the selection, moves and ends outside the selection.

4. A display process as recited in claim 2, further comprising decreasing an area of a selection when a pen stroke, which starts in a highlighting orientation inside the selection, moves and ends inside the selection.

5. A display process as recited in claim 2, further comprising changing a selection by detecting a stroke associated with a highlighted selection when stopped over a non-highlighted area and the pen is lifted away from the area.

6. A display process as recited in claim 2, wherein the highlighting comprises producing a glow.

7. A display, comprising:

an information display region; and

user interface elements in fixed locations, partially hidden by the information display region when inactive and fully in view, partially hiding the information display region, when active.

8. A display as recited in claim 7, wherein the interface elements vary between partially hidden and fully in view during a change between inactive and active.

9. A display process, comprising displaying a sequence of interface element images between partially hidden to fully in view depicting a location and availability of activation of an element.

10. A display process as recited in claim 9, further comprising changing an appearance of the element at a time when a pen comes within a predetermined distance of a display displaying the element.

11. A display process as recited in claim 9, wherein the element is a menu and the change from fully in view to hidden is slower when the element is selected.

12. A display, comprising:

a page display region displaying a page of a document; and

a core task tool region adjacent to said page display region having tool icons partially visible in the tool region and partially obscured by the page when inactive and fully displayed in the tool region and over the page when active.

13. A display as recited in claim 12, wherein said icons comprise a faded appearance when changing from active to inactive.

14. A display, comprising:

an image information display region having a displayed edge; and

a radial pop-up menu located at the edge of the region, having menu choices in a semi-circle toward the region.

15. A display as recited in claim 14, wherein when the edge is a left edge, the semi-circle is tilted downward avoiding obstruction by a hand positioned for left-handed writing.

22. A display as recited in claim 14, wherein a flipping page shows a shadow.

16. A display, comprising:

an information display region having a displayed edge; and

a two-stroke, radial pop-up menu located at the edge of the document, having two menu choices in opposite orientations along the edge of the region.

17. A display, comprising:

an information display region; and

a radial pop-up menu located in the region, having menu choices in a semi-circle away from an orientation of a user'"'"'s hand.

18. A display as recited in claim 17, wherein the orientation of the user'"'"'s hand is determined by a user'"'"'s pen orientation.

19. A display as recited in claim 17, wherein when the user is a left handed, the semi-circle is tilted downward.

20. A display, comprising:

an information display region; and

a two-stroke, radial pop-up menu located in the region, having first and second menu choices in opposite orientations with the first choice implicitly defining the second choice.

21. A display, comprising:

a page display region displaying a page of a document having a corner; and

page flipping tool located in the corner, the flipping tool when activated comprising a displayed two-stroke menu allowing selection of a next or previous page.

23. A display as recited in claim 21, further comprising a page number menu activated by raising an input device away from the flipping tool when the flipping tool is activated.

24. A display as recited in claim 21, wherein the scrolling tool when activated comprises an edge region allowing scrolling in one direction.

25. A display, comprising:

an information display region having a user interface element superimposed thereon; and

a shadow increasingly obscuring the region as said shadow approaches an edge of the element.

26. A display, comprising:

an information display region having a user interface element superimposed thereon; and

a glow increasingly obscuring the region as said glow approaches an edge of the element.

27. A display, comprising:

an information display region having a displayed edge; and

a radial pop-up menu located at the edge, having two menu choices opposite in both meaning and direction and distributed along the edge.

28. A display as recited in claim 27, wherein the menu is represented by an icon overlapping the region when activated.

29. A display as recited in claim 27, wherein the menu represents a stack of documents with the opposite choices being previous and next documents in the stack.

30. A display as recited in claim 29, wherein at a time an input device is lifted without selecting one of the choices a list of stack documents is displayed.

31. A display, comprising:

an information display region; and

a movable typing tool overlaying a portion of the region and comprising a writing zone where a user hand writes strokes, and an immediately adjacent typing zone of the region where typed text corresponding to handwritten text of the strokes is displayed as the strokes occur.

32. A display as recited in claim 31, further comprising a movable typed text cursor indicating where the next written text will be added.

33. A display, comprising:

a page display region in the display and displaying a page of a document having an edge and a corner; and

a core task tool region in the display adjacent to said page display region having tool icons partially visible in the tool region and partially obscured by the page when inactive and fully displayed in the tool region and over the page when active where bringing a pen within a predetermined distance of a tool icon activates the tool, where one of said task tools comprises a radial marking menu located at the edge of the document, having menu choices in a semi-circle away from the edge;

a page flipping tool located in the corner comprising a two-stoke menu allowing selection of a next or previous page and displaying a page menu activated by raising an input device away from the flipping tool when the flipping tool is activated;

a page scrolling tool located along the edge, the scrolling tool when activated comprising a button allowing scrolling in one direction;

a stack region in the display adjacent to said page display region having a stack icon representing a stack of documents and comprising a two-stroke radial pop-up menu having forward and backward choices for selecting documents in the stack and a stack document list display displaying a list of documents in the stack when the input device is lifted without choosing one of the choices; and

a typing tool overlaying a portion of the page and comprising a writing zone where a user handwrites strokes, a page zone comprising part of the page where typed text corresponding to the handwritten strokes is displayed as the handwriting occurs, and a movable typed text cursor indicating where the next written text will be added to the typed text.