Mapping drawings generated on small mobile pen based electronic devices onto large displays

• US 5,818,425 A
• Filed: 04/03/1996
• Issued: 10/06/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Want, Roy, Gold, Rich
• Primary Examiner(s): WU, XIAO MIN
• Application Number:
  US08/626,861
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• Field of Search: 345/2, 345/1, 345/3, 345/173, 345/179, 345/156, 345/158, 345/127, 345/128, 345/131, 345/121, 345/123, 345/141, 345/143, 345/145, 345/146
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A user interface system for providing pen based input to large display screens includes a portable computer supporting both a wireless transmitter and a small pen input screen. A computer is connected to a large display screen having an area substantially larger than an area of the small pen input screen of the portable computer. A wireless receiver is connected to the computer and configured to receive wireless communications from the portable computer. An input mapping module is used for controlling user defined output on the large display screen in response to user defined input from the small pen input screen of the portable computer. The input mapping module has a selectable first mode for positioning graphical output to fall within a bounding box movable about the large display screen in response to pen movement on the small pen input screen. A second mode resizes a boundary box within which drawings are scaled and mapped onto the large display screen, while a third mode maps drawings on the pen input screen onto the large display screen. A fourth mode allows sequential character input to be automatically displayed on the large display screen.

Claims

1. A user interface system for graphically displaying pen based input from multiple users on large display screens, the system comprising

multiple portable computers, with each portable computer supporting a wireless transmitter and a small pen input screen;

a computer supporting a wireless receiver and a large display screen sized to have an area substantially larger than an area of the small pen input screen of the portable computer, with the wireless receiver of the computer configured to receive wireless communications from the portable computer, and

an input mapping module for generating multiple graphical displays on the large display screen in response to multiple user defined input from the small pen input screen of each of the multiple portable computers, with the input mapping module having a selectable mode for positioning the graphical display to fall within a bounding box movable about the large display screen in response to pen movement on the small pen input screen from each of the multiple portable computers, and

wherein the input mapping module for generating a graphical display on the large display screen further comprises a selectable mode for drawing user defined output characters in a first bounding box on the large display screen in response to pen movement on the small pen input screen, with input mapping module automatically positioning consecutive user defined output characters to fall within a second bounding box positioned adjacent to the first bounding box.

2. A user interface system for graphically displaying pen based input from multiple users on large display screens, the system comprising

multiple portable computers, with each portable computer supporting a wireless transmitter and a small pen input screen;

a computer supporting a wireless receiver and a large display screen sized to have an area substantially larger than an area of the small pen input screen of the portable computer, with the wireless receiver of the computer configured to receive wireless communications from the portable computer, and

an input mapping module for generating multiple graphical displays on the large display screen in response to multiple user defined input from the small pen input screen of each of the multiple portable computers, with the input mapping module having

a selectable first mode for positioning the graphical display to fall within a bounding box movable about the large display screen in response to pen movement on the small pen input screen from each of the multiple portable computers,

a selectable second mode for resizing the bounding box to be movable in response to pen movement on the small pen input screen,

a selectable third mode for drawing on the large display screen in response to pen movement on the small pen input screen, and

a selectable fourth mode for drawing user defined output characters in a first bounding box on the large display screen in response to pen movement on the small pen input screen, with input mapping module automatically positioning consecutive user defined output characters to fall within a second bounding box positioned adjacent to the first bounding box.

3. The user interface system of claim 2, further comprising at least one depressable button for selecting one of the selectable first, second, third, and fourth modes.

4. A method for graphically displaying pen based input on large display screens, the method comprising the steps of

providing a portable computer that supports a wireless transmitter and a small pen input screen;

establishing communication between the portable computer and a computer supporting both a wireless receiver and a large display screen sized to have an area substantially larger than an area of the small pen input screen of the portable computer, and

drawing user defined output characters in a first bounding box on the large display screen in response to pen movement on the small pen input screen, with input mapping module automatically positioning consecutive user defined output characters to fall within a second bounding box positioned adjacent to the first bounding box.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of selecting a second mode for resizing the bounding box in response to pen movement on the small pen input screen.

6. A user interface system for graphically displaying pen based input from a pen based portable computer on large display screens, the system comprising

a small pen input screen,

a large display screen sized to have an area substantially larger than an area of the small pen input screen,

an input mapping module for generating a graphical display on the large display screen in response to input from the small pen input screen, with the input mapping module having a selectable mode for positioning the graphical display to fall within a first bounding box movable about the large display screen in response to pen movement on the small pen input screen, and wherein the input mapping module automatically positions consecutive user defined output characters to fall within a second bounding box positioned adjacent to the first bounding box.