Performing an action with respect to a hand-formed expression

• US 20060209052A1
• Filed: 05/25/2005
• 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: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (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 8,102,383 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Embodiments include an apparatus, device, system, computer-program product, and method. In an embodiment, a method is provided. The method includes generating a content signal indicative of a hand-formed mark on a surface. The method also includes generating a label signal indicative of a machine-distinguishable tag associated with the hand-formed mark. The machine-distinguishable tag being selected from at least two machine-distinguishable tags. The method further includes distributing a representation of the hand-formed mark to a data recipient in response to the machine-distinguishable tag.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a content signal indicative of a hand-formed mark on a surface;

generating a label signal indicative of a machine-distinguishable tag associated with the hand-formed mark, the machine-distinguishable tag selected from at least two machine-distinguishable tags; and

distributing a representation of the hand-formed mark to a data recipient in response to the machine-distinguishable tag.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating a content signal indicative of a hand-formed mark on a surface includes generating a content signal in a handheld writing device indicative of a hand-formed mark on a surface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating a content signal indicative of a hand-formed mark on a surface includes generating a content signal indicative of a handwritten mark on a surface.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating a content signal indicative of a hand-formed mark on a surface includes generating a content signal indicative of a user hand-formed and machine-distinguishable mark on a surface.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating a content signal indicative of a hand-formed mark on a surface includes generating a content signal indicative of a hand-formed and human recognizable mark on a surface.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating a content signal indicative of a hand-formed mark on a surface includes generating a content signal indicative of a hand drawn figure on a surface.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the hand-formed mark includes at least one of a pattern, a shade, a tone, a letter, a word, 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.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating a label signal indicative of a machine-distinguishable tag associated with the hand-formed mark includes generating a label signal indicative of a hand-formed machine-distinguishable tag associated with the hand-formed mark.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating a label signal indicative of a machine-distinguishable tag associated with the hand-formed mark includes generating a label signal indicative of a machine-distinguishable tag preformed on the surface and associated with the hand-formed mark.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating a label signal indicative of a machine-distinguishable tag associated with the hand-formed mark includes generating a label signal indicative of a machine-distinguishable tag associated with the hand-formed mark in a handheld device that generated the content signal indicative of a hand-formed mark.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating a label signal indicative of a machine-distinguishable tag associated with the hand-formed mark includes generating a label signal indicative of a machine-distinguishable tag associated by a user with the hand-formed mark in a handheld device that generated the content signal indicative of a hand-formed mark.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating a label signal indicative of a machine-distinguishable tag associated with the hand-formed mark includes generating a label signal indicative of a machine-distinguishable tag proximally associated with the hand-formed mark.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating a label signal indicative of a machine-distinguishable tag associated with the hand-formed mark includes generating a label signal indicative of a machine-distinguishable tag gesturally associated by a user with the hand-formed mark.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the machine-distinguishable tag selected from at least two machine-distinguishable tags includes a machine-distinguishable tag selected from at least two machine-distinguishable user defined tags.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the machine-distinguishable tag selected from at least two machine-distinguishable user defined tags includes a machine-distinguishable tag selected from a tag characterization table having at least two machine-distinguishable tags and a unique user-created descriptor respectively correlating to each tag.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the machine-distinguishable tag selected from at least two machine-distinguishable tags includes a machine-distinguishable tag selected from at least two machine-distinguishable predefined tags.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the machine-distinguishable tag selected from at least two machine-distinguishable predefined tags includes a machine-distinguishable tag selected from a tag characterization table having at least two machine-distinguishable tags and a unique predefined descriptor respectively correlating to each tag.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the machine-distinguishable tag includes at least one character.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the machine-distinguishable tag includes at least one character representing an identification of the hand-formed mark.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the machine-distinguishable tag includes at least one hand-formed machine-distinguishable tag selected from the following:

a pattern, a shade, a tone, a letter, a word, 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, a legend, a movement, and/or a gesture.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributing a representation of the hand-formed mark to a data recipient in response to the machine-distinguishable tag includes distributing a representation of the content signal indicative of the hand-formed mark to a data recipient in response to the label signal.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributing a representation of the hand-formed mark to a data recipient in response to the machine-distinguishable tag includes distributing a representation of the hand-formed mark in response to the machine-distinguishable tag to a data recipient associated with a handheld device that generated the content signal indicative of a hand-formed mark.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributing a representation of the hand-formed mark to a data recipient in response to the machine-distinguishable tag includes distributing a representation of the hand-formed mark to a data recipient associated with an application in response to the machine-distinguishable tag.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributing a representation of the hand-formed mark to a data recipient in response to the machine-distinguishable tag includes distributing a representation of the hand-formed mark to a data recipient associated with an application in response to a lookup table.

37. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributing a representation of the hand-formed mark to a data recipient includes distributing a representation of the hand-formed mark to a data recipient in response to a received user action.

39. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributing a representation of the hand-formed mark to a data recipient in response to the machine-distinguishable tag includes distributing a representation of the hand-formed mark to a data recipient in response to the label signal indicative of a machine-distinguishable tag.

40. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributing a representation of the hand-formed mark to a data recipient in response to the machine-distinguishable tag includes distributing a recognized representation of the hand-formed mark to a data recipient in response to the machine-distinguishable tag.

41. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributing a representation of the hand-formed mark to a data recipient in response to the machine-distinguishable tag includes distributing the content signal indicative of the hand-formed mark to a data recipient in response to the machine-distinguishable tag.

44. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributing a representation of the hand-formed mark to a data recipient in response to the machine-distinguishable tag includes distributing a representation of the hand-formed mark to a program in response to the machine-distinguishable tag.

45. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributing a representation of the hand-formed mark to a data recipient in response to the machine-distinguishable tag includes exposing a representation of the hand-formed mark to an automation in response to the machine-distinguishable tag.

46. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating another content signal indicative of another hand-formed mark on the surface;

generating another label signal indicative of another machine-distinguishable tag associated with the another hand-formed mark, the another machine-distinguishable tag selected from the plurality of machine-distinguishable tags; and

distributing a representation of the another hand-formed mark to another data recipient in response to the another machine-distinguishable tag.

3. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

6. (canceled)

7. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

11. (canceled)

15. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

21. (canceled)

28. (canceled)

35. (canceled)

36. (canceled)

38. (canceled)

42. (canceled)

43. (canceled)

47. An apparatus comprising:

means for generating a content signal indicative of a hand-formed mark on a surface;

means for generating a label signal indicative of a machine-distinguishable tag associated with the hand-formed mark; and

means for distributing a representation of the hand-formed mark to an item file in response to the label signal indicative of a tag.

48. The apparatus of claim 47, further comprising:

a first handheld means that includes the means for generating a content signal indicative of a hand-formed mark on a surface, and the means for generating a label signal indicative of a machine-distinguishable tag associated with the hand-formed mark; and

a second means that includes the means for distributing a representation of the hand-formed mark to an item file in response to the label signal indicative of a machine-distinguishable tag.

49. A method comprising:

generating a content signal indicative of a hand-formed mark;

generating a label signal indicative of a machine-distinguishable identifier associated with the hand-formed mark, the machine-distinguishable identifier being one of at least two machine-distinguishable identifiers; and

in response to a user action, transmitting the content signal indicative of a hand-formed mark and the label signal indicative of a machine-distinguishable identifier associated with the hand-formed mark.

50. The method of claim 49, further comprising:

receiving the label signal indicative of a machine-distinguishable identifier associated with the hand-formed mark;

receiving the content signal indicative of a hand-formed mark; and

distributing a representation of the hand-formed mark to a data recipient in response to the label signal.

51. A system comprising:

an article of manufacture comprising;

a handwritten mark on a surface;

a machine-distinguishable tag associated by a user with the handwritten mark, the machine-distinguishable tag being selected from at least two machine-distinguishable tags; and

a pen comprising;

a writing element;

a writing detector module operable to generate a signal indicative of the handwritten mark by the writing element on the surface; and

a tag detector module operable to generate a signal indicative of the machine-distinguishable tag associated with the handwritten mark.

52. The system of claim 51, wherein the machine-distinguishable tag associated with the handwritten mark includes a machine-distinguishable tag hand marked on the surface and associated with the handwritten mark.

53. The system of claim 51, further including a computer program product comprising:

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

receiving a signal indicative of the handwritten mark;

receiving a signal indicative of the machine-distinguishable tag associated by the user with the handwritten mark, the machine-distinguishable tag being selected from at least two machine-distinguishable tags; and

distributing a representation of the handwritten mark to a data recipient in response to the machine-distinguishable tag; and

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

54. A method comprising:

generating a content signal indicative of a hand-formed mark;

generating a label signal indicative of a distinct identifier associated with the hand-formed mark, the distinct identifier selected from at least two distinct identifiers; and

performing an action with respect to a representation of the hand-formed mark in response to the distinct identifier.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein the distinct identifier selected from at least two distinct identifiers includes a distinct identifier selected from at least two distinct identifier s each respectively keyed to a unique data recipient.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein the distinct identifier selected from at least two distinct identifiers each respectively keyed to a unique data recipient includes a distinct identifier selected from at least two distinct identifiers each respectively corresponding to a unique data recipient.

57. The method of claim 55, wherein the distinct identifier selected from at least two distinct identifiers each respectively keyed to a unique data recipient includes a distinct identifier selected from at least two distinct identifiers each respectively identifying a unique data recipient.

58. The method of claim 55, wherein the distinct identifier selected from at least two distinct identifiers each respectively keyed to a unique data recipient includes a distinct identifier keyed to at least one of a file, a record, a database, and/or a storage medium.

59. The method of claim 54, wherein the performing an action with respect to a representation of the hand-formed mark in response to the distinct identifier includes distributing a representation of the hand-formed mark to a data recipient in response to the distinct identifier.

61. The method of claim 54, wherein the performing an action with respect to a representation of the hand-formed mark in response to the distinct identifier includes associating a representation of the hand-formed mark with a data recipient in response to the distinct identifier.

62. The method of claim 54, wherein the performing an action with respect to a representation of the hand-formed mark in response to the distinct identifier includes processing a representation of the hand-formed mark in response to the distinct identifier.

63. The method of claim 54, wherein the performing an action with respect to a representation of the hand-formed mark in response to the distinct identifier includes exposing a representation of the hand-formed mark to an automation in response to the distinct identifier.

60. (canceled)