Methods, systems and products pertaining to a digitizer for use in paper based record systems

• US 6,259,043 B1
• Filed: 11/12/1996
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Clary, Gregory James, Corbi, Thomas Allan, Karidis, John Peter, Evans, Robert Joseph, Nathan, Krishna Sundaram, Hortensius, Peter Dirk
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Application Number:
  US08/747,735
• Time in Patent Office: 1,701 Days
• Field of Search: 345/146, 345/156, 345/173, 345/179, 345/438, 345/441, 235/375-382, 382/119, 382/187, 382/188, 382/189, 382/313, 382/325, 128/18.01, 128/18.03, 128/18.06, 128/18.07, 128/19.01, 128/19.03, 128/19.04
• US Class Current: 178/18.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1423 the instrument generating sequences of position coordinates corresponding to handwriting preprocessing or recognising digital ink G06V30/32

Abstract

Real time digitization of handwritten text and integration of digital recordation of handwritten text with traditional paper-based record making systems is achieved with a recording unit which may record a sequential data stream of strokes and associated events. The data stream may be stored in the apparatus and processed in accordance with various applications. Recordation of handwritten strokes may be accompanied by automatic detection and recordation of predefined events, and by user invoked generation of events. Recorded handwritten text may be processed to produce character strings or image data for text recorded in conjunction with predefined events.

Claims

1. A system for recording strokes responsive to the writing thereof on a writing medium associated with the system, comprising:

a digitizing system capable of generating data representative of strokes produced on a writing medium located in proximity to a digitizing surface associated with the digitizing system, wherein said writing medium substantially overlays at least a portion of said digitizing surface and is selectively removable therefrom, and further wherein the writing medium is not required to be substantially configured to operate in association with the digitizing system and is otherwise also useable in association with one or more conventional paper-based record making tasks;

nonvolatile memory for storing data generated by said digitizing system;

means for recording in said nonvolatile memory data generated by said digitizing system;

means for detecting a predefined event occurring on said writing medium; and

means for associating the detected predefined event with at least a portion of said strokes.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for recording in said nonvolatile memory data representing said predefined event; and

means for recording in said nonvolatile memory in association with said data representing said predefined event a time and date stamp indicating the time and date of detection of said predefined event.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said means for detecting a predefined event comprises means for detecting a soft button event.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein said means for detecting a predefined event comprises means for detecting data representing a predefined stroke pattern.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein said means for detecting a predefined event comprises means for detecting a new page event.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said means for detecting a new page event comprises:

means for detecting replacement of said writing medium with a different writing medium; and

means for automatically generating a new page event upon said replacement.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein said means for detecting a predefined event comprises means for detecting a user invoked stroke characterization event.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising means for recording in said nonvolatile memory in association with said data representing said predefined event data representing one or more bounding strokes.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for retaining a writing medium in proximity to said digitizing surface such that said digitizing tablet is capable of digitizing strokes produced on said writing medium.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said means for retaining is further capable of providing replicable alignment between said digitizing tablet and said writing medium.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein an active area of said digitizing tablet has a form factor of approximately 8.5 inches in width by 11.5 inches in length.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for providing data generated by said digitizing tablet responsive to the generation thereof by said digitizing tablet.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for storing a time and date of a predefined user event;

means for determining an instance of a time and date corresponding to said time and date of said predefined user event; and

means for notifying a user of said instance.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein the digitizing system is a digitizing tablet.

14. A method for processing a recorded data stream representative of handwritten strokes entered on a writing medium located proximate a digitizing surface associated with a digitizing system and events occurring in conjunction with the production of said handwritten strokes, comprising:

determining a predefined type of event for which data is to be provided;

detecting a predefined event occurring on said writing medium; and

associating the detected predefined event with at least a portion of said strokes entered on said writing medium;

wherein said writing medium substantially overlays at least a portion of said digitizing surface and is selectively removable therefrom, and further wherein the writing medium is not required to be substantially configured to operate in association with the digitizing system and is otherwise also useable in association with one or more conventional paper-based record making tasks.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining one or more strokes comprises determining one or more strokes located within an area defined by one or more bounding strokes.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising recognizing characters represented by said one or more strokes.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising providing a character string corresponding to said characters.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising generating image data representative of said strokes.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising providing image data representative of said strokes.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said providing comprises providing image data by means of a carrier frequency modulated in accordance with a facsimile transmission standard.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein determining one or more strokes comprises determining one or more strokes occurring within a predefined area.

32. The method of claim 14, wherein the digitizing system is a digitizing tablet.

22. A system for processing a recorded data stream representative of handwritten strokes entered on a writing medium disposed proximate a digitizing surface associated with a digitizing system and events occurring in conjunction with the production of said handwritten strokes, comprising;

means for determining a predefined type of event for which data is to be provided;

means for determining an event of said predefined type represented in said recorded data stream representing handwritten strokes entered on said writing medium disposed proximate said digitizing surface; and

means for determining one or more strokes associated with said event;

wherein said writing medium substantially overlays at least a portion of said digitizing surface and is selectively removable therefrom, and further wherein the writing medium is not required to be substantially configured to operate in association with the digitizing system and is otherwise also useable in association with one or more conventional paper-based record making tasks.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said means for determining one or more strokes comprises means for determining one or more strokes located within an area defined by one or more bounding strokes.

24. The system of claim 22, further comprising means for recognizing characters represented by said one or more strokes.

25. The system of claim 24, further comprising means for providing a character string corresponding to said characters.

26. The system of claim 22, further comprising means for generating image data representative of said strokes.

27. The system of claim 26, further comprising means for providing image data representative of said strokes.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein said means for providing comprises means for providing image data by means of a carrier frequency modulated in accordance with a facsimile transmission standard.

29. The system of claim 22, wherein said means for determining one or more strokes comprises means for determining one or more strokes occurring within a predefined area.

33. The system of claim 22, wherein the digitizing system is a digitizing tablet.

30. A system for recording strokes responsive to the writing thereof with a stylus, comprising:

a digitizing system capable of generating data representative of strokes produced by said stylus on a writing medium located in proximity to a digitizing surface associated with the digitizing system, wherein said writing medium substantially overlays at least a portion of said digitizing surface and is selectively removable therefrom, and further wherein the writing medium is not required to be substantially configured to operate in association with the digitizing system and is otherwise also useable in association with one or more conventional paper-based record making tasks;

first means capable of detecting a pen-down event and of generating data representative of said pen-down event;

second means capable of detecting a pen-up event and of generating data representative of said pen-up event;

means for sequentially storing data generated by said digitizing system and said first means and said second means;

means for comparing the data representative of strokes with prestored templates representing functional operations; and

means for performing a functional operation if said data representative of strokes includes data matching one or more of said templates.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein the digitizing system is a digitizing tablet.

35. Apparatus for recording strokes responsive to the writing thereof on a writing medium associated with the system, comprising:

a digitizing system capable of generating data representative of strokes produced on a writing medium located in proximity to a digitizing surface associated with the digitizing system, wherein said writing medium substantially overlays at least a portion of said digitizing surface and is selectively removable therefrom, and further wherein the writing medium is not required to be substantially configured to operate in association with the digitizing system and is otherwise also useable in association with one or more conventional paper-based record making tasks;

nonvolatile memory for storing data generated by said digitizing system; and

at least one processor operative to record in said nonvolatile memory data generated by said digitizing system, to detect a predefined event occurring on said writing medium, and to associate the detected predefined event with at least a portion of said strokes.

36. Apparatus for processing a recorded data stream representative of handwritten strokes entered on a writing medium located proximate a digitizing surface associated with a digitizing system and events occurring in conjunction with the production of said handwritten strokes, comprising:

at least one processor operative to determine a predefined type of event for which data is to be provided;

to detect a predefined event occurring on said writing medium, and to associate the detected predefined event with at least a portion of said strokes entered on said writing medium, wherein said writing medium substantially overlays at least a portion of said digitizing surface and is selectively removable therefrom, and further wherein the writing medium is not required to be substantially configured to operate in association with the digitizing system and is otherwise also useable in association with one or more conventional paper-based record making tasks.

37. Apparatus for processing a recorded data stream representative of handwritten strokes entered on a writing medium disposed proximate a digitizing surface associated with a digitizing system and events occurring in conjunction with the production of said handwritten strokes, comprising;

at least one processor operative to determine a predefined type of event for which data is to be provided, to determine an event of said predefined type represented in said recorded data stream representing handwritten strokes entered on said writing medium disposed proximate said digitizing surface, and to determine one or more strokes associated with said event, wherein said writing medium substantially overlays at least a portion of said digitizing surface and is selectively removable therefrom, and further wherein the writing medium is not required to be substantially configured to operate in association with the digitizing system and is otherwise also useable in association with one or more conventional paper-based record making tasks.

38. Apparatus for recording strokes responsive to the writing thereof with a stylus, comprising:

a digitizing system capable of generating data representative of strokes produced by said stylus on a writing medium located in proximity to a digitizing surface associated with the digitizing system, wherein said writing medium substantially overlays at least a portion of said digitizing surface and is selectively removable therefrom, and further wherein the writing medium is not required to be substantially configured to operate in association with the digitizing system and is otherwise also useable in association with one or more conventional paper-based record making tasks; and

at least one processor operative to detect a pen-down event and to generate data representative of said pen-down event, to detect a pen-up event and to generate data representative of said pen-up event, to sequentially store data generated by said digitizing system and in accordance with the pen-down and pen-up events, to compare the data representative of strokes with prestored templates representing functional operations, and to perform a functional operation if said data representative of strokes includes data matching one or more of said templates.