System and methods for spacing, storing and recognizing electronic representations of handwriting, printing and drawings

• US 5,613,019 A
• Filed: 06/03/1994
• Issued: 03/18/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Thompson, Michael P., Altman, Dan, Rouiller, Michael W., Kusmer, Steven R., Stikeleather, Gregory, Evans, Michele M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Boudreau, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): KELLEY, CHRISTOPHER S
• Application Number:
  US08/253,546
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 382/309, 382/311, 382/175, 382/177, 382/179, 382/187, 382/276, 382/292, 382/293, 345/145, 345/179, 364/419.1, 364/419.17, 395/146, 395/155, 395/161
• US Class Current: 382/311
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• 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 30/262 using context analysis, e.g. lexical, syntactic or semantic context
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/333 Preprocessing; Feature extraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/40 Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition

Abstract

A system for spacing, storing and recognizing electronic representations of handwriting and printing comprises a central processing unit that couples with a display device, an input device, and a memory. The memory includes means for spacing ink stroke representations, means for recognizing outline elements, means for performing deferred recognition, means for highlighting drawing areas and means for storing and displaying ink stroke representations. These means operate together to provide a pen-based or graphics oriented computer system with improved performance and added functionality for manipulating the space between ink stroke representations. The preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises several novel methods that provide this functionality including: a method for managing space between ink stroke representations, a method for displaying drawing elements in a visually distinct manner, a method for recognizing bullets and dashes, a method for storing ink stroke representations, a method for displaying and printing ink stroke representations, and a method for performing deferred character or word recognition.

Claims

1. A computerized method for modifying the amount of space between a plurality of ink stroke representations on a display device of a computing system, said method comprising the steps of:

inputting a space command;

receiving a pen down event;

determining a position of the pen down event;

displaying an insertion symbol having a first portion and a second portion at the position of the pen down event;

receiving additional pen events that specify movement of the second portion of the insertion symbol relative to the first portion of the insertion symbol;

updating the display of the insertion symbol for the additional pen events received by displaying the second portion of the insertion symbol in a different position relative to the first portion of the insertion symbol;

determining whether any of the additional pen events received was a pen up event; and

performing a space action if a pen up event has been received.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining a current position of the pen;

performing a horizontal spacing action if the current position of the pen is within half a line height of a horizontal position of the first portion of the insertion symbol; and

performing a vertical spacing action if the current position of the pen is more than half a line height above or below a horizontal position of the first portion of the insertion symbol.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining a line where the insertion symbol is positioned;

determining a current position of the pen;

performing a horizontal spacing action if the current position of the pen is within the line upon which the insertion symbol is positioned; and

performing a vertical spacing action if the current position of the pen is above or below the line upon which the insertion symbol is positioned.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the insertion symbol is a vertical line and the second portion of the insertion symbol is a pair of triangles and wherein the position of the triangles is adjusted according to the additional pen events received.

5. A computerized method for modifying an amount of space between a plurality of ink stroke representations on a display device of a computing system, said method comprising the steps of:

displaying an insertion symbol having a first portion and a second portion at a position on the display device;

determining a line and horizontal position of the insertion symbol;

determining whether a pen down event with a position within a predetermined proximity of the second portion of the insertion symbol was input;

receiving additional pen events;

updating the display of the insertion symbol for the additional pen events received if the pen down event was within the predetermined proximity of the second portion of the insertion symbol;

determining whether any of the additional pen events received was a pen up event; and

performing a space action if a pen up event has been received.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

receiving inputs;

determining if the input was a tap;

determining the position of the input if the input was a tap; and

displaying the insertion symbol at the position of the input if the input was a tap.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

determining a current position of the pen;

performing a horizontal spacing action if the current position of the pen is within half a line height of the line upon which the insertion symbol is positioned; and

performing a vertical spacing action if the current position of the pen is more than half a line height above or below the line upon which the insertion symbol is positioned.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

determining a current position of the pen;

performing a horizontal spacing action if the current position of the pen is within the line upon which the insertion symbol is positioned; and

performing a vertical spacing action if the current position of the pen is above or below the line upon which the insertion symbol is positioned.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the first portion of the insertion symbol is a vertical line and the second portion of the insertion symbol is a pair of triangles and wherein a position of the triangles is adjusted according to the additional pen events received while the vertical line remains at the position on the display device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of updating the display shows the triangles to the left or right of the vertical line in response to pen events that are positioned proximate to the line upon which the vertical line is positioned.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of updating the display shows a first triangle and the vertical line at the position on the display device with the vertical line extended to contact a second triangle above or below the position on the display device in response to pen events that are positioned above or below the line upon which the vertical line is positioned.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of performing a space action uses the pen up event and the pen down event to determine the amount of spaced to be modified.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein the first portion of the insertion symbol comprises a vertical line, and the second portion of the insertion symbol comprises a first spacing triangle and a second spacing triangle, and wherein the predetermined proximity is a target area over and about the first and second spacing triangles.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the target area is a first substantially square area with a side of one-fifth a line height that includes the first spacing triangle and a second substantially square area with a side of one-fifth a line height that includes the second spacing triangle.

15. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of performing a space action further comprises the steps of:

determining whether a horizontal space action is to be performed from the pen down and pen up positions;

performing a horizontal space action if a horizontal space action is to be performed; and

performing a vertical space action if a horizontal space action is not to be performed.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of performing a vertical space action further comprises the steps of:

determining the vertical distance between the position of the pen up event and the position of the pen down event;

determining whether the position of the pen up event is vertically below the position of the pen down event;

inserting the determined vertical distance at the position of the pen down event, if the position of the pen up event is vertically below the position of the pen down event; and

removing any end of paragraph markers between the position of the pen up event and the position of the pen down event, if the position of the pen up event is not vertically below the position of the pen down event.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the determined vertical distance between the position of the pen up event and the position of the pen down event is rounded to a number of lines.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of performing a horizontal space action further comprises the steps of:

determining the horizontal distance between the position of the pen up event and the position of the pen down event;

determining whether the position of the pen up event is to the left the position of the pen down event;

inserting the determined horizontal distance at the position of the pen down event, if the position of the pen up event is not to the left the position of the pen down event; and

removing the determined horizontal distance between the position of the pen up event and the position of the pen down event, if the position of the pen up event is to the left the position of the pen down event.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprises the steps of:

determining whether any words are positioned between the position of the pen up event and the position of the pen down event; and

removing space between the position of the pen up event and the position of the pen down event and joining any words positioned between the position of the pen up event and the position of the pen down event into a single word, if words are found to be positioned between the position of the pen up event and the position of the pen down event.

20. The method of claim 8, further comprises the steps of:

determining if the position of the pen down event is over an existing word;

identifying the left and right halves of the word if the position of the pen down event is over an existing word;

splitting the word into a right word and a left word if the position of the pen down event is over an existing word; and

wherein the step of inserting, insert the determined horizontal distance between the right word and the left word, if the position of the pen up event is not to the left the position of the pen down event and the position of the pen down event is over an existing word.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprises the steps of:

determining whether the right half of the word has at least one stroke; and

wherein the step of inserting, inserts the determined horizontal distance to the right of the word, if the position of the pen up event is not to the left the position of the pen down event, the position of the pen down event is over an existing word, and the right half of the word does not have at least one stroke.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprises the steps of:

determining whether the left half of the word has at least one stroke; and

wherein the step of inserting, inserts the determined horizontal distance to the left of the word, if the position of the pen up event is not to the left the position of the pen down event, the position of the pen down event is over an existing word, and the left half of the word does not have at least one stroke.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprises the steps of:

determining whether the pen down event is to the left of the first word in the line;

determining the horizontal position of the pen up event;

determining whether the position of the pen up event is on the first line of a paragraph;

wherein the step of inserting space, inserts the horizontal distance to the first line indent if the position of the pen up event is on the first line of a paragraph, the pen down event is to the left of the first word in the line, and the position of the pen down event is to the left of the position of the pen up event or inserts the horizontal distance to the left indent if the position of the pen up event is not on the first line of a paragraph, the pen down event is to the left of the first word in the line, and the position of the pen down event is to the left of the position of the pen up event; and

wherein the step of removing space, remove the horizontal distance from the first line indent if the position of the pen up event is on the first line of a paragraph, the pen down event is to the left of the first word in the line, and the position of the pen down event is not to the left of the position of the pen up event or removes the horizontal distance from the left indent if the position of the pen up event is not on the first line of a paragraph, the pen down event is to the left of the first word in the line, and the position of the pen down event is not to the left of the position of the pen up event.

24. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of performing a space action is performed only if the pen up event was outside a predetermined proximity of the insertion symbol.