Method and apparatus for handwriting input on a pen based palmtop computing device

• US 6,295,372 B1
• Filed: 02/25/1997
• Issued: 09/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Palmsource Incorporated (Access Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hawkins, Jeffrey C., Haitani, Robert Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Jayanti K.
• Application Number:
  US08/805,453
• Time in Patent Office: 1,673 Days
• Field of Search: 382/187, 382/188, 382/189, 382/181, 382/182, 382/186, 178/18-20, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 178/18.1, 345/204-205, 345/1-5, 345/358, 345/112, 345/113, 345/156, 345/180-184, 345/173, 395/148, 708/140
• US Class Current: 382/187
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0225 User interface arrangements, e.g. keyboard, display; Interfaces to other computer systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1423 the instrument generating sequences of position coordinates corresponding to handwriting preprocessing or recognising digital ink G06V30/32

Abstract

A pen-based palmtop computer system having a small dedicated text input area is disclosed. In one embodiment, the dedicated text input area consists of a large digitizer pad laid on top of a smaller flat panel display screen such that a portion of the digitizer pad extends beyond the flat panel display screen. In this embodiment, the dedicated text input area is located in the region of the digitizer pad that extends beyond the flat panel display screen. Text can be entered by handwriting in the small dedicated text input area or tapping keys on an illustrated keypad.

Claims

1. A palmtop computer comprising:

a housing having a first surface, and

a display assembly provided with the first surface of the housing, the display assembly comprising a digitizer coupled to a display screen, wherein relative to a cross-section of the housing that includes the first surface, the display assembly has a first thickness corresponding to the digitizer overlaying the display screen to provide an output area for the first surface of the housing, and a second thickness less than the first thickness and corresponding to the digitizer extending beyond the display screen to form a dedicated input area for the first surface of the housing, wherein the dedicated input area is adapted to receive input corresponding to one or more gestures made by contacting the dedicated input area wherein the dedicated input area includes at least two character boxes, the character boxes comprising subareas of the dedicated handwriting area, logical components of a logical board interpreting an input entered onto a first character box as a character from a first set of characters, the logical components of the logical board interpreting an input entered onto a second character box as character from a second set of character.

2. The palmtop computer of claim 1, further comprising a first logic board comprising logical components for interpreting gestures made onto the dedicated input area.

3. The palmtop computer of claim 1, wherein an internal space is formed within the housing adjacent to the first thickness and underneath the second thickness, the internal space providing for an internal component of the palmtop computer.

4. A palmtop computer apparatus comprising:

a display screen; and

a display assembly comprising a display screen coupled to a digitizer pad, the digitizer pad overlaid on the display screen, wherein relative to a cross-section of the palmtop computer, the display assembly includes a first thickness corresponding to the digitizer overlaying the display screen and a second thickness less than the first thickness and corresponding to the digitizer extending beyond the display screen to form a dedicated input area, the dedicated input area being adapted to receive input corresponding to one or more characters made by contacting the dedicated input area;

a handwriting interpreter to interpret the input made by contacting the dedicated input area;

wherein the handwriting interpreter causes a virtual floating keyboard to be displayed on the display assembly upon receiving an input entered onto the dedicated input area.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising:

a first character box and a second character box, the first and second character boxes formed on the dedicated input area, the handwriting interpreter interpreting an input entered onto the first character box as a first character from a first set of characters, the handwriting interpreter interpreting an input entered onto the second character box as a second character from a second set of characters.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising logic to display characters from the first set of characters and the second set of characters automatically in response to the inputs being entered onto the first character box and the second character box.

7. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising:

a dedicated function area also formed on a region of the display assembly corresponding to the digitizer extending beyond the display area, the dedicated function area comprising at least one function item that performs an associated function when selected.

8. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said handwriting interpreter comprises a recognition system for automatically interpreting an input entered onto the dedicated input area.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the handwriting interpreter interprets a set of consecutively entered characters in a character entry box of the dedicated input area.