Recognition keypad
First Claim
1. A method for inputting data to a computer system comprising:
- displaying an image of a recognition keypad on a screen of a computer system, said keypad having at least one button and a recognition area, said keypad being adapted to receive a user selection input on said button and an indicium including one or more user ink strokes on said recognition area, said recognition area being responsive to no more than a single indicium at any one time and having a plurality of recognition modes, wherein only one of said recognition modes is active at any one time, said button being used to select which of said recognition modes is active such that when said button is in a selected state from said user selection input, one recognition mode is active, and when said button is not in said selected state, a different recognition mode is active;
recognizing said indicium including said ink strokes after said indicium has been entered in said recognition area; and
inputting data to said computer system based upon said recognition mode, such that when a particular one of said recognition modes is active, said computer system receives said data as a first type of data that instructs a function to be performed in said computer system, and when a different one of said recognition modes is active, said computer system receives said data as a second type of data, different from said first type of data, that does not instruct said function to be performed in said computer system.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for inputting data to an active application program running on a computer system includes the steps of displaying the image of a recognition keypad on a screen of the computer system, the keypad being adapted to receive user inputs; analyzing the user inputs to the recognition keypad; and inputting data to an application program running on the computer system based upon the analysis of the user inputs. The recognition keypad includes at least one button and a recognition area having at least two recognition modes. Preferably, the user inputs include inputs from a pointing device, and the recognition modes include a command mode and a character mode. The user preferably enters characters and gestures to the recognition area, and the buttons are preferably modifier buttons operative to modify the entered characters and gestures based on the current recognition mode.
357 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A method for inputting data to a computer system comprising:
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displaying an image of a recognition keypad on a screen of a computer system, said keypad having at least one button and a recognition area, said keypad being adapted to receive a user selection input on said button and an indicium including one or more user ink strokes on said recognition area, said recognition area being responsive to no more than a single indicium at any one time and having a plurality of recognition modes, wherein only one of said recognition modes is active at any one time, said button being used to select which of said recognition modes is active such that when said button is in a selected state from said user selection input, one recognition mode is active, and when said button is not in said selected state, a different recognition mode is active; recognizing said indicium including said ink strokes after said indicium has been entered in said recognition area; and inputting data to said computer system based upon said recognition mode, such that when a particular one of said recognition modes is active, said computer system receives said data as a first type of data that instructs a function to be performed in said computer system, and when a different one of said recognition modes is active, said computer system receives said data as a second type of data, different from said first type of data, that does not instruct said function to be performed in said computer system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method for inputting data to an active window of an application program running on a computer system comprising:
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displaying an active window of an application program on a screen of a computer system; displaying a recognition keypad window on said screen separate from said active window, said keypad having at least one button and a recognition area, said keypad being adapted to receive pointer selection inputs on said button and a handwritten character including one or more pointer ink strokes from said user on said recognition area, said recognition area being responsive to no more than a single handwritten character at any one time and having a plurality of recognition modes, wherein only one of said recognition modes is active at any one time, said button being used to select which of said recognition modes is active, wherein a first recognition mode is a command mode operative to input commands to said active window and is active when said button is in a selected state, and wherein a second recognition mode is a character mode operative to input alphanumeric characters to said active window and is active when said button is in an unselected state; analyzing said handwritten character to said recognition keypad based upon the recognition mode selected by said button, wherein said indicium is analyzed as a command in said command mode and said indicium is analyzed as an alphanumeric character in said character mode; and inputting data to said active window based upon said analysis of said handwritten character such that said inputted data is input to said active window as a recognized character modified as a command that instructs a function to be performed in said active window when said handwritten character was entered in said command mode, and said inputted data is input to said active window only as a recognized character when said handwritten character was entered in said character mode. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A recognition keypad comprising:
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a central processing unit (CPU); a display screen coupled to said CPU; a pointer coupled to said CPU to provide user inputs which can be displayed on said screen; a recognition keypad displayed on said screen, said recognition keypad comprising a button and at least one recognition area, said keypad being adapted to receive user inputs as selection inputs on said button and receive an indicium including handwritten ink strokes on said recognition area, said recognition area being responsive to no more than a single ink indicium that represents a single character or gesture at any one time and having a plurality of recognition modes, wherein only one of said recognition modes is active at any one time, said user selection inputs on said button being used to select which of said recognition modes is active, wherein a first recognition mode is a command mode, and wherein a second recognition mode is a character mode; and an analyzer responsive to said indicium made to said at least one recognition area based upon which recognition mode is active, wherein said indicium is interpreted as a command when said active recognition mode is said command mode and wherein said indicium is interpreted as an alphanumeric character or predefined gesture when said active recognition mode is said character mode, and wherein said analyzer is operative to input data to an active window of an application program running on said CPU, separate from said keypad, based upon said indicium and said active recognition mode, wherein said inputted data instructs a function to be performed in said application program when said single indicium was entered in said command mode and wherein said inputted data does not instruct said function to be performed in said application program when said indicium was entered in said character mode. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method for inputting data to an active application program comprising:
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displaying an image of a recognition area and a modifier button on a screen of a computer system, said recognition area being responsive to ink strokes from said user forming no more than a single indicium at any one time, wherein said single indicium is selected from the group of handwritten gestures and handwritten characters input by a user, and wherein said modifier button is in a selected state when selected by selection inputs from said user and is in an unselected state when not in said selected state; performing recognition on said single indicium made by a user in said recognition area to recognize said indicium as a alphanumeric character or predefined gesture equivalent to said handwritten character or handwritten gesture; and inputting said recognized character or gesture to an active window of said active application program that is separate from said recognition area, wherein said inputted recognized character or gesture is modified in accordance with said modifier button and is received by said active window as modified data if said modifier button is in a selected state, and wherein said inputted recognized character or gesture is received by said active window unmodified as said recognized character or gesture if said modifier button is in an unselected state. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification