Handwritten character input device allowing input of handwritten characters to arbitrary application program

• US 6,088,481 A
• Filed: 06/30/1995
• Issued: 07/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Okamoto, Masayoshi, Horii, Hiroshi, Ieda, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W.
• Application Number:
  US08/497,553
• Time in Patent Office: 1,838 Days
• Field of Search: 382/187, 382/189, 382/179, 708/107, 708/141, 345/340, 345/342, 345/345, 345/346, 345/358, 345/145, 345/179
• US Class Current: 382/189
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Based on handwriting coordinate data input by a pen at an arbitrary position on a screen, a handwriting display portion displays a handwriting at the writing position. A recognition portion recognizes a written character or an editing symbol. A handwriting erase portion erases the handwriting, and returns the screen to a state before writing. A recognition result output portion supplies the recognition result to an application program having a keyboard focus in the same form as that of keyboard input. As a result, a character or the like can be directly written at an arbitrary position on a window displayed by the application program or on the screen, and input or editing can be carried out.

Claims

1. A handwritten character input device recognizing a handwritten character and outputting a code corresponding to the recognized handwritten character to a prescribed application program, comprising:

input means for inputting a handwritten character;

display means for displaying a first window displayed by said application program on a prescribed display screen; and

setting means for setting a second window in the whole area of said display screen allowing input of a handwritten character at an area overlapping said first window with a display content of said first window viewable through said second window.

2. The handwritten character input device according to claim 1, wherein

said application program includes an application program not adapted to handwritten input.

3. The handwritten character input device according to claim 1, wherein

an area of said second window is matched with an area of said first window.

4. The handwritten character input device according to claim 1, wherein

said second window includes a transparent window.

5. The handwritten character input device according to claim 1, wherein

said second window includes a permeable window.

6. The handwritten character input device according to claim 1, wherein

said second window displays a display content of said second window in an area overlapping with said first window.

7. The handwritten character input device according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining means for determining a setting position of a handwriting display area in which a handwriting is displayed according to a writing start position of the handwritten character written with said input means on said second window; and

position setting means for setting said handwriting display area at the position determined by said determining means.

8. A handwritten character input device recognizing a handwritten character and outputting a code corresponding to the recognized handwritten character to a prescribed application program of a plurality of application programs, comprising:

pen type input means for inputting a handwritten character;

identifying means for identifying the handwritten character written with said input means and generating a code corresponding to the identified handwritten character;

output means for outputting the code generated by said identifying means to a certain application program having a keyboard focus of said plurality of application programs;

fixing means for fixing a keyboard focus to a prescribed application program of said plurality of application programs; and

setting means for setting a window allowing input of a handwritten character in an entire display area of a prescribed display screen.

9. A handwritten character input device recognizing a handwritten character and outputting a code corresponding to the recognized handwritten character to a prescribed application program of a plurality of application programs, comprising:

pen type input means for inputting a handwritten character;

identifying means for identifying the handwritten character written with said input means and generating a code corresponding to the identified handwritten character;

output means for outputting the code generated by said identifying means to a certain application program having a keyboard focus of said plurality of application programs;

display means for displaying a first window displayed by said application program having a keyboard focus on a prescribed display screen; and

setting means for setting a second window allowing input of a handwritten character in an entire display area of said first window with a display content of said first window viewable through said second window.

10. A handwritten character input device recognizing a handwritten character and outputting a code corresponding to the recognized handwritten character to a prescribed application program of a plurality of application programs, comprising:

pen type input means for inputting a handwritten character;

identifying means for identifying the handwritten character written with said input means and generating a code corresponding to the identified handwritten character;

output means for outputting the code generated by said identifying means to a certain application program having a keyboard focus of said plurality of application programs,

wherein said handwritten character input device includes two operation modes of a mouse emulation mode for outputting handwriting coordinate data to an application program in the same form as that of mouse input and a character/editing symbol input mode for outputting a code corresponding to said handwriting coordinate data, and

wherein said handwritten character input device further comprises selecting means for selecting, after an editing symbol is input by said pen type input means in said character/editing symbol input mode, an unlock mode changing said operation mode to said mouse emulation mode.

11. A handwritten character input device recognizing a handwritten character and outputting a code corresponding to the recognized handwritten character to a prescribed application program of a plurality of application programs, comprising:

pen type input means for inputting a handwritten character;

identifying means for identifying the handwritten character written with said input means and generating a code corresponding to the identified handwritten character;

output means for outputting the code generated by said identifying means to a certain application program having a keyboard focus of said plurality of application programs;

wherein

said handwritten character input device includes two operation modes of a mouse emulation mode for outputting handwriting coordinate data to an application program in the same form as that of mouse input and a character/editing symbol input mode for outputting a code corresponding to said handwriting coordinate data, and

said handwritten character input device further comprises moving means for moving, when a mouse cursor movement editing symbol instructing movement of a mouse cursor is input by said pen-type input means in said character/editing symbol input mode, said mouse cursor to a position to which said mouse cursor movement editing symbol is written, and moving a keyboard focus to an application program displaying a window having the moved mouse cursor.

12. A handwritten character input device recognizing a handwritten character and outputting a code corresponding to the recognized handwritten character to a prescribed application program of a plurality of application programs, comprising:

pen type input means for inputting a handwritten character;

identifying means for identifying the handwritten character written with said input means and generating a code corresponding to the identified handwritten character;

output means for outputting the code generated by said identifying means to a certain application program having a keyboard focus of said plurality of application programs;

setting means for setting a position of a handwriting display area in which a handwriting is displayed according to a writing start position of a handwritten character input by said pen type input means;

re-drawing request means for erasing said handwriting display area after identifying the handwritten character by said identifying means and requesting re-drawing of a display area to an application program displaying a window including said handwriting display area; and

changing means for changing, when the handwritten character input by said input means is written outside said handwriting display area, a size of said handwrting display area so as to include a position at which the handwritten character is written.

13. A handwritten character input device recognizing a handwritten character and outputting a code corresponding to the recognized handwritten character to a prescribed application program of a plurality of application programs, comprising:

pen type input means for inputting a handwritten character;

identifying means for identifying the handwritten character written with said input means and generating a code corresponding to the identified handwritten character;

output means for outputting the code generated by said identifying means to a certain application program having a keyboard focus of said plurality of application programs; and

setting means for setting, when a window displayed by an application program having a keyboard focus is smaller than a prescribed size, a window allowing input of a handwritten character at an arbitrary position of a parent window of said window displayed by the application program.

14. A handwritten character input device recognizing a handwritten character and outputting a code corresponding to the recognized handwritten character to a prescribed application program of a plurality of application programs, comprising:

pen type input means for inputting a handwritten character;

identifying means for identifying the handwritten character written with said input means and generating a code corresponding to the identified handwritten character;

output means for outputting the code generated by said identifying means to a certain application program having a keyboard focus of said plurality of application programs; and

determining means for determining, when coordinate input is detected at a position distant from a position of the handwritten character input by said input means by at least a prescribed distance, that a writing operation is completed.

15. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing a computer to implement, as a front end processor, functions of recognizing a handwritten character and outputting a code corresponding to the recognized handwritten character to a prescribed application program not adapted to handwritten input, said computer readable program code means in said computer program product including

input means for inputting a handwritten character,

display means for displaying a first window displayed by said application program on a prescribed display screen, and

setting means for setting a second window allowing input of a handwritten character at an area overlapping said first window with a display content of said first window viewable through said second window.

16. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing a computer to implement, as a front end processor, functions of recognizing a handwritten character and outputting a code corresponding to the recognized handwritten character to a prescribed application program of a plurality of application programs not adapted to handwritten input, said computer readable program code means in said computer program product including

input means for inputting a handwritten character,

identifying means for identifying the handwritten character written with said input means and generating a code corresponding to the identified handwritten character,

output means for outputting the code generated by said identifying means to a certain application program having a keyboard focus of said plurality of application programs, and

setting means for setting a window allowing input of a handwritten character in an entire display area of a prescribed display screen.

17. A handwritten character input device, comprising:

pen type coordinate input means for inputting handwriting coordinate data;

display means formed integrally with said coordinate input means and having a prescribed display screen;

handwriting display means for displaying a handwriting at a writing position on said display screen using said handwriting coordinate data;

identifying means for identifying at least a character and an editing symbol from said handwriting coordinate data;

handwriting erasing means for erasing the handwriting displayed by said handwriting display means; and

output means for outputting a code corresponding to the character when the character is identified by said identifying means to an application program having a keyboard focus and for outputting a code corresponding to the editing symbol when the editing symbol is identified by said identifying means to the application program,

wherein, when the code corresponding to the editing symbol is output to the application program, said display means is responsive to the application program to affect said display screen in a manner other than displaying the editing symbol, and

wherein, when the code corresponding to the editing symbol is output to the application program, said display means is responsive to the application program to change a location of a cursor or a pointer.

18. The handwritten character device of claim 17, wherein

the code corresponding to the editing symbol corresponds to a return command code, and said display means changes the location of the cursor to a subsequent line of said display screen.

19. The handwritten character device of claim 17, wherein

the code corresponding to the editing symbol corresponds to a coordinate associated with the editing symbol and the coordinate is output to the application program in a format of a mouse output.