Forms for completion with an electronic writing device

• US 20060209044A1
• Filed: 06/24/2005
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Cohen, Alexander J., Lord, Robert W., Jung, Edward K.Y., Levien, Royce A., Malamud, Mark A., Rinaldo, John D. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,672,512 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/002 Specific input/output arrangements not covered by G06F3/01 - G06F3/16 other optical apparatus G02B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/12 Details of acquisition arrangements; Constructional details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1423 the instrument generating sequences of position coordinates corresponding to handwriting preprocessing or recognising digital ink G06V30/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1448 based on markings or identifiers characterising the document or the area
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/32 Digital ink

Abstract

Embodiments include an article of manufacture, apparatus, device, system, computer-program product, and method. In an embodiment, an article of manufacture includes a display surface that includes a machine-distinguishable form identifier keyed to an electronic version of the form and at least two fields. Each field of the at least two fields respectively includes a unique machine-distinguishable field identifier keyed to a field of the electronic version of a form, a content area that accepts a hand-formed entry, and a unique user-understandable field identifier.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an information handwritten on a handwriting region of a surface that includes at least one handwriting region, each handwriting region of the at least one handwriting region respectively displaying a unique user-recognizable identifier and including a unique machine-distinguishable identifier;

generating a content signal indicative of the handwritten information;

generating a label signal indicative of a unique machine-distinguishable identifier established for the handwriting region; and

distributing a representation of the handwritten information to a data recipient in response to the label signal.

2. An article of manufacture comprising:

a display surface that includes a machine-distinguishable form identifier keyed to an electronic version of the form and at least two fields,

each field of the at least two fields respectively having a unique machine-distinguishable field identifier keyed to a field of the electronic version of a form, a content area that accepts a hand-formed entry, and a unique user-understandable field identifier.

3. The article of manufacture of claim 2, wherein the display surface that includes a machine-distinguishable form identifier keyed to an electronic version of the form and at least two fields includes a paper display surface that includes a machine-distinguishable form identifier keyed to an electronic version of the form and at least two fields.

4. The article of manufacture of claim 2, wherein the display surface that includes a machine-distinguishable form identifier keyed to an electronic version of the form and at least two fields includes an electronically driven display surface that includes a machine-distinguishable form identifier keyed to an electronic version of the form and at least two fields.

5. The article of manufacture of claim 2, wherein the machine-distinguishable form identifier includes at least one of a machine-distinguishable color, a pattern, a shade, a tone, a letter, a word, a phrase, a number, an alphanumeric, a character, an icon, a tag, a geometric shape, a figure, a graphic, a glyph, a repeated pattern, a random pattern, an image, a region, and/or a legend.

6. The article of manufacture of claim 2, wherein the unique user-understandable field identifier includes a unique user-understandable field name descriptive of an anticipated user entry in the content area.

7. The article of manufacture of claim 2, wherein the unique user-understandable field identifier includes at least one of a user understandable color, a pattern, a shade, a tone, a letter, a word, a phrase, a number, an alphanumeric, a character, an icon, a geometric shape, a figure, a graphic, a glyph, a repeated pattern, a random pattern, an image, a region, and/or a legend.

8. The article of manufacture of claim 2, wherein the content area includes a content area described by a coordinate system.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 2, wherein the content area includes a content area having a visible border.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 2, wherein the content area includes a content area having an invisible border.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 2, wherein the display surface that includes a machine-distinguishable form identifier keyed to an electronic version of the form and at least two fields includes a display surface that includes a user-understandable form name, a machine-distinguishable form identifier keyed to the electronic version of a form, and at least two fields.

12. (canceled)

13. A system comprising:

an article of manufacturer comprising;

a display surface that includes a machine-distinguishable form identifier keyed to an electronic version of the form and at least two fields,

each field of the at least two fields respectively having a unique machine-distinguishable field identifier keyed to a field of the electronic version of a form, a content area that accepts a hand-formed entry, and a unique human-understandable field name; and

a computer program product including;

(a) program instructions operable to perform a process in a computer system, the process comprising;

receiving a document signal indicative of the machine-distinguishable form identifier keyed to an electronic version of a form;

receiving an element signal indicative of the unique machine-distinguishable field identifier of a field of the at least two fields;

receiving a mark signal indicative of a hand-formed entry in the content area of the field of the form; and

distributing a representation of the hand-formed entry to the electronic version of a form; and

(b) a computer-readable signal-bearing medium bearing the program instructions.

14. A method comprising:

generating a document signal indicative of a form having at least one field, each field of the form respectively having a unique machine-distinguishable identifier and a content area;

generating an element signal indicative of the unique machine-distinguishable field identifier for a field of the at least one field; and

generating a mark signal indicative of a hand-formed entry in the content area of the field of the at least one field.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the generating a document signal indicative of a form having at least one field includes generating in a handheld writing device a document signal indicative of a form having at least one field.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the generating an element signal indicative of the unique field identifier for a field of the at least one field includes generating in the handheld writing device an element signal indicative of the unique field identifier for a field of the at least one field.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the generating a mark signal indicative of a hand-formed entry in the content area of the field of the at least one field includes generating in the handheld writing device a mark signal indicative of a hand-formed entry in the content area of the field of the at least one field.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the generating a document signal indicative of a form having at least one field includes generating in a human associatable device a document signal indicative of a form having at least one field.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the generating in a human associatable device a document signal indicative of a form having at least one field includes generating in a human wearable device a document signal indicative of a form having at least one field.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the generating in a human associatable device a document signal indicative of a form having at least one field includes generating in a hand-held writing device a document signal indicative of a form having at least one field.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein the generating a document signal indicative of a form having at least one field includes a generating a document signal indicative of a printed form having at least one field.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein the generating a document signal indicative of a form having at least one field includes a generating a document signal indicative of an electronically displayed form having at least one field.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein generating an element signal indicative of the unique machine-distinguishable field identifier for a field of the at least one field includes generating in a human associatable device an element signal indicative of the unique machine-distinguishable field identifier for a field of the at least one field.

27. The method of claim 14, wherein the generating an element signal indicative of the unique machine-distinguishable field identifier for a field of the at least one field includes generating an element signal indicative of a unique user-understandable field identifier for a field of the at least one field.

28. The method of claim 14, wherein the generating an element signal indicative of the unique field identifier for a field of the at least one field includes generating an element signal indicative of the unique machine-distinguishable field identifier for a field of the at least one field.

29. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

electronically associating the field of the at least one field and a representation of the hand-formed entry in the content area.

30. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

electronically associating the field of the at least one field and a representation of the hand-formed entry in the content area in response to the element signal and the mark signal.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

saving the electronically associated field of the at least one field and representation of the hand-formed entry in the content area.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

saving the electronically associated field of the at least one field and representation of the hand-formed entry in the content area in an electronic version of the form.

33. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

saving the electronically associated field of the at least one field and a representation of the hand-formed entry in the content area in an electronic version of the form having an identifier associated with a user.

16. (canceled)

21. (canceled)

26. (canceled)

34. A device comprising:

means for generating a document signal indicative of a real-world form having at least one field, each field of the form respectively having a unique machine-distinguishable identifier and a content area;

means for generating an element signal indicative of the unique machine-distinguishable field identifier for a field of the at least one field; and

means for generating a mark signal indicative of a hand-formed entry in the content area of the field of the form.

35. The device of claim 34, wherein the means for generating a document signal includes a handheld means for generating a document signal.

36. The device of claim 34, further comprising:

means for electronically associating the field of the at least one field and a representation of the hand-formed entry.

37. (canceled)