Method and system for flagging digital ink note content

• US 20040196306A1
• Filed: 04/04/2003
• Published: 10/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Williams, Michael, Swanson, Shawna, Madan, Vikram, Paulson, Kevin P., Bernstein, Michael S., Manto, Gregory H., Weil, Steve E., Wynn, Roger
• Application Number:
  US10/407,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20040196306A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/700
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/38 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/171 by use of digital ink

Abstract

Various techniques and tools are described for allowing a user to flag desired content within a data file. More particularly, a user can select content within a file, such as an image or a group of electronic ink strokes. The user can then flag that selected content so that it may later be easily retrieved. The flag may simply mark the position of selected content, or the flag may be associated with the selected content such that, if the content is moved to another location or even to another file, the flag will remain associated with the selected content, and can continue to be used to easily retrieve the selected content.

Claims

1. A method of flagging content, comprising:

selecting content in a file; and

associating flag data with the selected content.

2. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the content by defining a bounding region containing the set of content; and

associating the flag data with the bounding region.

3. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising associating the flag data with the selected content by associating the flag data with content data defining the selected content.

4. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising associating the flag data with the selected content by modifying content data defining the selected content to include at least a portion of the flag data.

5. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising updating a data structure to include the association of the flag data with the selected content.

6. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the data structure is a database.

7. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a second content in the file; and

associating second flag data with the selected second content.

8. The method recited in claim 7, further comprising updating a data structure to include

an association of the first flag data with the selected first content, and

an association of the second flag data with the selected second content.

9. The method recited in claim 8, wherein the data structure is a database.

10. The method recited in claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a search request to display flag data; and

in response to receiving the search request, simultaneously displaying the first selected content and the second selected content.

11. The method recited in claim 10, further comprising displaying at least a portion of the first flag data with the displayed first selected content and displaying at least a portion of the second flag data with the displayed second selected content.

12. The method recited in claim 10, further comprising scanning the file to identify content associated with flag data.

13. The method recited in claim 10, further comprising reviewing a data structure containing associations of selected content with flag data to identify the first selected content associated with the first flag data and the second selected content associated with the second flag data.

14. The method recited in claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a search request to display flag data; and

in response to receiving the search request, displaying the first selected content.

15. The method recited in claim 14, further comprising displaying at least a portion of the first flag data with the displayed first selected content.

16. The method recited in claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a second search request to display flag data; and

in response to receiving the second search request, displaying the second selected content.

17. The method recited in claim 16, further comprising displaying at least a portion of the second flag data with the displayed second selected content.

18. The method recited in claim 14, further comprising scanning the file to identify content associated with flag data.

19. The method recited in claim 14, further comprising reviewing a data structure containing associations of selected content with flag data to identify the first selected content associated with the first flag data and the second selected content associated with the second flag data.

20. A tool for flagging content, comprising:

a content selection module that selects content in a file based upon content selection data provided by a user; and

an association module for associating flag data with the selected content.

21. The tool recited in claim 20, further comprising:

a flag data selection module that selects characteristics of the flag data based upon flag selection data provided by a user.

22. The tool recited in claim 20, further comprising:

a search module that identifies contents within a file that are associated with flag data; and

a display module for displaying at least the identified contents.

23. The tool recited in claim 22, wherein the search module searches the file to identify the contents in the file associated with flag data.

24. The tool recited in claim 22, wherein

the association module stores records of associations of selected contents with flag data in a data structure;

and

the search module searches the data structure to identify the contents in a file associated with flag data.