Method and system for recognizing a graphic object's shape, line style, and fill pattern in a pen environment

• US 5,636,297 A
• Filed: 09/09/1994
• Issued: 06/03/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Pardikar, Shishir P., Eller, Marlin, Leyerle, Christopher B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancuso, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US08/303,339
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 382/199, 382/276, 382/293, 382/205, 382/181, 395/118, 395/133, 395/138, 395/139, 395/137, 395/155
• US Class Current: 382/293
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/40 Filling a planar surface by adding surface attributes, e.g. colour or texture
• 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 30/32 Digital ink

Abstract

A method and system for recognizing a graphic object'"'"'s shape, line style, and fill pattern in a pen environment are provided. In a preferred embodiment, a user draws a graphic object on an electronic tablet of a computer system. The graphic object comprises a shape attribute, a line style attribute, and a fill pattern attribute. A Recognizer, recognizes the graphic object. The graphic object is made up of a plurality of data points, each data point having an x-coordinate and a y-coordinate. The Recognizer subdivides the plurality of data points into one or more strokes, each stroke representative of a path travelled by the handwriting instrument after the handwriting instrument touches the tablet and before the handwriting instrument is lifted off of the tablet. For each data point in each stroke, the recognizer maps the data point to a normalized data point, then transforms the normalized data point into a transformed data point, and then determines whether the transformed data point is a shape-defining data point or an interior-defining data point. Shape-defining data points are representative of the shape attribute and the line style attribute, while the interior-defining data points are representative of the fill pattern attribute. Based on the coordinates of the transformed data points and the coordinates of the data points, the recognizer determines the attributes. After determining the attributes of the graphic object, the recognizer selects a representation of the graphic object that corresponds to the determined attributes and displays the representation on the electronic tablet.

Claims

1. A method of recognizing a graphic object in a computer system, the computer system comprising a handwriting instrument and an electronic tablet, the graphic object comprising a shape attribute and a plurality of format attributes, the method comprising the steps of:

inputting a plurality of data points into the computer system, the data points being produced by drawing the graphic object on the electronic tablet with the handwriting instrument, the data points comprising shape-defining data points and interior-defining data points, the shape-defining data points representative of the shape attribute and at least one of the plurality of format attributes and the interior-defining data points representative of at least one of the plurality of the format attributes, each data point having an x-coordinate and a y-coordinate;

for each data point,

mapping the data point to a normalized data point, the normalized data point having an x-coordinate and a y-coordinate that are within a predetermined range of values, the predetermined range of values defining a square area;

generating a transformed normalized data point, the transformed data point having an x-coordinate equal to a sum of the x-coordinate of the normalized data point plus the y-coordinate of the normalized data point and a y-coordinate equal to a difference of the x-coordinate of the normalized data point minus the y-coordinate of the normalized data point; and

determining whether the transformed data point corresponds to a shape-defining data point or an interior-defining data point;

determining the shape attribute and the formatting attributes of the graphic object based on the coordinates of the transformed data points; and

selecting a representation corresponding to the determined shape attribute and the determined format attributes of the graphic object.

2. A method in a computer system for displaying a graphics object with a user-specified shape and fill pattern, comprising:

receiving from a user a graphics drawing indicating both the shape and the fill pattern of the graphics object, graphics drawing having a shape that approximates the shape of the graphics object and having an interior with a drawing that approximates the fill pattern of the graphics object;

displaying the graphics drawing on a display device as it is received from the user;

dividing the graphics drawing into a shape-defining portion and a fill-pattern defining portion;

determining from the shape-defining portion the shape of the graphics object;

determining from the fill pattern-defining portion the fill pattern of the graphics object;

removing the displayed graphics drawing from the display device; and

displaying in place of the removed graphics drawing a graphics object of the determined shape that is filled with the determined fill pattern.

3. A method in a computer system for displaying a graphics object with a user-specified shape and fill pattern, comprising:

receiving from a user a graphics drawing indicating both the shape and the fill pattern of the graphics object;

dividing the graphics drawing into a shape-defining portion and a fill-pattern defining portion;

determining from the shape-defining portion the shape of the graphics object;

determining from the fill pattern-defining portion the fill pattern of the graphics object; and

displaying a graphics object of the determined shape that is filled with the determined fill pattern.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the graphics drawing has a perimeter and an interior and wherein the shape-defining portion is the perimeter and the fill-pattern defining portion is the interior.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the perimeter approximates the shape of the graphics object and the interior contains a drawing that approximates the fill-pattern of the graphics object.

6. The method of claim 4 including determining from the determined shape-defining portion a line style and wherein the graphics object is displayed with a perimeter having the determined line style.

7. A method in a computer system for determining a shape and a fill-pattern for a graphics object, comprising:

receiving from a user a graphics drawing indicating both the shape and the fill pattern of the graphics object, the graphics drawing having a plurality of data points, some of the data points being perimeter data points that form a perimeter of the drawing object, the perimeter having a shape that approximates the shape of the graphics object, some of the data points being interior data points that are within the perimeter of the graphics drawing, the interior data point arranged in a pattern that approximates the fill-pattern of the graphics object;

identifying the perimeter data points and the interior data points of the graphics drawing; and

determining from the identified perimeter data points the shape of the graphics object and from the identified interior data points the fill-pattern of the graphics object.

8. The method of step 7 including displaying the received graphics drawing and after determining the shape and the fill-pattern of the graphics object, replacing the display of the graphics drawing with a display of the graphics object with the determined shape and fill pattern.

9. The method of step 7 including determining from the perimeter data points a line style for a line forming the perimeter of the graphics object.

10. A method in a computer system for creating a graphics object with a shape and a formatting attribute that is specified by a user, comprising:

receiving from the user a graphics drawing indicating both the shape and the formatting attribute of the graphics object, the graphics drawing having a plurality of data points, each data point being either a perimeter data point or a formatting attribute data point, the perimeter data points forming a perimeter of the graphics drawing, the perimeter having a shape that approximates the shape of the graphics object, the formatting attribute data points indicating the formatting attribute;

identifying the perimeter data points and the formatting attribute data points of the graphics drawing;

determining from the identified perimeter data points the shape of the graphics object and from the identified formatting attribute data points the formatting attribute of the graphics object; and

creating a graphics object with the determined shape having the identified formatting attribute.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the determined formatting attribute is a fill-pattern.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the determined formatting attribute is a fill color.

13. The method of step 10 including displaying the received graphics drawing and after determining the shape and the formatting attributes of the graphics object, replacing the display of the graphics drawing with a display of the graphics object with the determined shape and formatting attribute.

14. The method of step 10 including determining from the perimeter data points a line style for a line forming the perimeter of the graphics object.

15. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for causing a computer system to display a graphics object with a user-specified shape and fill pattern, by:

receiving from a user a graphics drawing indicating both the shape and the fill pattern of the graphics object;

determining from the graphics drawing the shape of the graphics object;

determining from the graphics drawing the fill pattern of the graphics object; and

displaying a graphics object of the determined shape that is filled with the determined fill pattern.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the graphics drawing has a perimeter and an interior and wherein the shape-defining portion is the perimeter and the fill-pattern defining portion is the interior.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the perimeter approximates the shape of the graphics object and the interior contains a drawing that approximates the fill-pattern of the graphics object.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 including determining from the determined shape-defining portion a line style and wherein the graphics object is displayed with a perimeter having the determined line style.

19. A computer system for creating a graphics object with a shape and a formatting attribute that is specified by a user, comprising:

means for receiving from the user a graphics drawing indicating both the shape and the formatting attribute of the graphics object, the graphics drawing having a plurality of data points, each data point being either a perimeter data point or a formatting attribute data point, the perimeter data points forming a perimeter of the graphics drawing, the perimeter having a shape that approximates the shape of the graphics object, the formatting attribute data points indicating the formatting attribute;

means for determining from the perimeter data points the shape of the graphics object and from the formatting attribute data points the formatting attribute of the graphics object; and

means for creating a graphics object with the determined shape having the identified formatting attribute.

20. The computer system of claim 19 wherein the determined formatting attribute is a fill-pattern.

21. The computer system of claim 19 wherein the determined formatting attribute is a fill color.

22. The computer system of step 19 including means for displaying the received graphics drawing, and means for replacing the display of the graphics drawing with a display of the graphics object with the determined shape and formatting attribute, after determining the shape and the formatting attributes of the graphics object.

23. The computer system of step 19 including means for determining from the perimeter data points a line style for a line forming the perimeter of the graphics object.