Tool for selecting ink and other objects in an electronic document

• US 20060212812A1
• Filed: 03/21/2005
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Simmons, Alex J., Barabe, Benoit, Braun, Owen C., McGraw, Ian C., Engrav, Peter L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,454,702 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A note-taking application is provided which includes a free-form selection tool. In certain embodiments, a particular selection may be based in part on the speed or velocity of a user selection. The free-form selection tool is configured to provide more or less precise selections based in part on the speed of a selection. The free-form selection tool is further operable to recognize when a user is attempting to retry a selection.

Claims

1. A method of using a free-form selection tool to select one or more elements of an electronic document, the method comprising:

using a device to indicate a start point of a selection, the start point associated with an element of interest,

continuing the selection with the device, wherein an indicator provides feedback to a user as to what is being selected,

monitoring a selection distance traversed from the start point,

determining a speed of the selection, and

using the speed of the selection to determine an intended selection.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining how much of a particular element has been selected based on the monitored distance.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising selecting the particular element if a certain percentage of the particular element has been surrounded.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising using an initial selection distance threshold as a basis for the speed determination.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting an element based upon a number of times that an imaginary ray associated with the element crosses the indicator.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising selecting an element if the imaginary ray crosses the indicator an odd number of times.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising not selecting an element if the imaginary ray crosses the indicator an even number of times.

8. The method of claim 1, using the free-form tool to select a single text word, line, or paragraph.

9. The method of claim 1, using the free-form tool to select ink, text, and a picture.

10. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions, which when executed by a computer perform a method of selecting one or more elements of an electronic document, the method comprising:

indicating a start point of a selection, the start point associated with an element of interest,

continuing the selection and providing a visual indicator of a selection,

determining a speed of the selection, and

using the speed of the selection and other criteria to determine whether to select a particular element.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, the method further comprising selecting the particular element if a certain percentage of the particular element has been surrounded.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, the method further comprising selecting an element based upon a number of times that an imaginary ray associated with the element crosses the indicator.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, the method further comprising recognizing whether a selection is a retry.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, the method further comprising using the free-form tool to select a single text word, line, or paragraph.

15. A system including a free-form selection tool for making element selections associated with an electronic document, the system comprising:

means for indicating a start point of a selection, the start point associated with an element of interest, wherein the device is used to continue the selection,

means for monitoring a selection distance associated with the start point, and

means for determining a particular selection based at least in part on whether a user is performing a retry operation.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the means for determining a particular selection utilizes a selection speed as part of a selection determination.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the means for determining a particular selection utilizes a percentage based selection criteria as part of the determination.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the means for determining a particular selection analyzes a number of times that an imaginary ray associated with the element crosses a selection indicator.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the means for determining a particular selection is further configured to recognize a retry operation by comparing first and second selection start points and a time between the first and second selections.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the means for determining a particular selection is further configured to determine a retry operation by comparing an amount of overlap between a first and a second selection.