Electronic ink system

• US 20060001656A1
• Filed: 07/05/2005
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Brown University
• Original Assignee: Brown University
• Inventors: Miller, Timothy, LaViola, Joseph J. Jr., Holden, Loring, Zeleznik, Robert C.
• Application Number:
  US11/175,079
• Publication Number:
  US 20060001656A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

In a system that enables a user to gesturally input electronic ink on an input surface, a method of inputting a gesture command distinguishable from other marks includes inputting gesture command sequences on an input surface. In some embodiments, the gesture sequence includes forming a terminal gesture mark to instruct the system to perform an action.

Claims

1. In a system that enables a user to gesturally input electronic ink on an input surface, a method of inputting gesture commands distinguishable from other marks, comprising:

forming a context specification gesture mark on the input surface to define a context for the gesture command;

forming an action gesture mark on the input surface to indicate an action for the gesture command; and

forming a terminal gesture mark on the input surface to command the system to perform the action, the terminal gesture mark being a single gesture mark.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the action gesture mark is not recognized by the system until the terminal gesture mark is formed.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein the context gesture mark, the action gesture mark and the terminal gesture mark are input to the system in the same mode.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein the only marks that are first displayed during the method are those that correspond directly to marks formed on the display.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein the terminal gesture mark comprises apunctuation gesture mark.

6. A method as in claim 5, wherein the terminal gesture mark is a single tap.

7. A method as in claim 1, wherein the context specification gesture mark is a flick gesture mark.

8. A method as in claim 1, where in the action gesture mark comprises one or more alpha-numeric symbols.

9. A method as in claim 1, wherein the action gesture mark is a continuation of the context specification gesture mark.

10. A method as in claim 1, wherein the terminal gesture mark is a continuation of the action gesture mark.

11. A method as in claim 10, wherein the terminal gesture mark is a pause.

12. A method as in claim 10, wherein the terminal gesture mark is a scribble.

13. A method as in claim 1, wherein the context specification gesture mark is a scribble.

14. A method as in claim 1, wherein the action gesture mark indicates a plurality of actions, and the location of the terminal gesture mark relative to the action gesture designates one action of the set of actions.

15. A method as in claim 1, wherein the context gesture mark and the action gesture mark are the same gesture mark.

16. A method as in claim 1, wherein a first type of terminal gesture mark puts the gesture command into a user-interactive mode, and a second type of terminal gesture mark puts the gesture command into a non-user-interactive mode.

17. In a system that enables a user to gesturally input electronic ink on an input surface, a method of inputting a gesture command distinguishable from other marks, comprising:

forming a scribble gesture mark on the input surface to define a context for the gesture command; and

forming a terminal gesture mark on the input surface to instruct the system to delete marks present in the context.

18. A method as in claim 17, wherein the terminal gesture mark is a single gesture mark.

19. A method as in claim 17, wherein the terminal gesture mark comprises a punctuation gesture mark.

20. A method as in claim 18, wherein the terminal gesture mark is a single tap.

21. A method as in claim 17, wherein the marks are electronic ink marks.

22. In a system that enables a user to gesturally input electronic ink on an input surface, a method of inputting a gesture command distinguishable from other marks, comprising:

in a first mode, forming an action gesture mark on the input surface to indicate a set of actions; and

in the first mode, forming a terminal gesture mark on the input surface to command the system to perform one action of the set of actions;

wherein

the location of the terminal gesture mark on the input surface relative to one of the action gesture mark and a context specification gesture mark designates the one action of the set of actions.

23. A method as in claim 22, wherein the action gesture mark is recognized only after the terminal gesture mark is formed.

24. A method as in claim 22, further comprising forming a context specification gesture mark to define a context for the gesture command.

25. A method as in claim 24, wherein the context gesture mark is recognized only after the terminal gesture mark is formed.

26. A method as in claim 22, wherein the action gesture mark is a scribble.

27. A method as in claim 24, wherein the terminal gesture mark is formed on the input surface within the context.

28. A method as in claim 24, wherein the terminal gesture mark is formed on the input surface outside of the context specified by the context specification gesture mark.

29. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable signals stored thereon that define instructions that, as a result of being executed by a computer, instruct the computer to perform a method that enables a user to gesturally input, on an input surface, a gesture command distinguishable from other types of electronic ink, comprising acts of:

receiving a context specification gesture mark that defines a context for the gesture command;

receiving an action gesture mark that indicates an action for the gesture command; and

receiving a terminal gesture mark that commands the computer to perform the action, the terminal gesture mark comprising a single gesture mark.

30. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable signals stored thereon that define instructions that, as a result of being executed by a computer, instruct the computer to perform a method that enables a user to gesturally input, on an input surface, a gesture command distinguishable from other types of electronic ink, comprising acts of:

receiving a scribble gesture mark that defines a context for the gesture command; and

receiving a terminal gesture mark that commands the computer to delete marks present in the context.

31. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable signals stored thereon that define instructions that, as a result of being executed by a computer, instruct the computer to perform a method that enables a user to gesturally input, on an input surface, a gesture command distinguishable from other types of electronic ink, comprising acts of:

in a first mode, receiving an action gesture mark that indicates a set of actions; and

in the first mode, receiving a terminal gesture mark that commands the computer to perform one action of the set of actions;

wherein

the location of the terminal gesture mark on the input surface relative to one of the action gesture mark and a context specification gesture mark designates the one action of the set of actions.

32. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable signals stored thereon that define instructions that, as a result of being executed by a computer, instruct the computer to perform a method that enables a user to gesturally input, on an input surface, a gesture command distinguishable from other types of electronic ink, comprising acts of:

receiving an action gesture mark that indicates an action for the gesture command; and

receiving a terminal gesture mark, wherein a first type of terminal gesture mark puts the gesture command into a user-interactive mode, and a second type of terminal gesture mark puts the gesture command into a non-user-interactive mode.