Touch screen device and method for co-extensively presenting text characters and rendering ink in a common area of a user interface

• US 6,642,458 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2002
• Issued: 11/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nowlan, Steven, Panagrossi, Gerald Thomas III
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Application Number:
  US10/175,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20020158923A1
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174, 345/179, 345/592, 345/629, 345/634, 345/635, 345/636, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 178/18.05, 178/18.06, 178/18.07, 178/19.01, 178/19.03, 178/19.04, 178/19.05
• US Class Current: 178/18.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A touch screen device and method for co-extensively and contrastingly presenting text characters (34) and rendering ink (36) in a common area of a user interface. The text characters (34) and the rendering ink (36) are presented in relative contrast such that co-extensive text characters (34) and rendering ink (36) are independently legible.

Claims

1. A method for co-extensively presenting text characters and rendering ink on a display of an electronic device, the display including an input-sensitive surface, the method comprising the steps of:

presenting text characters in a first state on the display;

receiving rendering ink at the input-sensitive surface of the display; and

presenting a non-overlapping portion of the text characters in a first state, a non-overlapping portion of the rendering ink in a second state, and an overlapping portion of the text characters and the rendering ink in a third state different from the first and second states.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second state is similar to the first state.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of presenting a common area for presenting the text characters and the rendering ink, the common area having a background state different from the first and second states.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the background state is similar to the third state.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first, second and third states correspond to one of the following types of states:

color, shade, density, thickness, brightness and effect.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second states are a first color and the third state is a second color different from the first color.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first color is a dark color and the second color is a light color.

8. A electronic device comprising:

a display capable of presenting co-extensively text characters and rendering ink;

an input-sensitive surface adjacent to the display to receive the rendering ink; and

a computing unit coupled to the display and the input-sensitive surface, the computing unit being effective to command the display to present a non-overlapping portion of the text characters in a first state, a non-overlapping portion of the rendering ink in a second state, and an overlapping portion of the text characters and the rendering ink in a third state different from the first and second states.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the second state is similar to the first state.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the display includes a common area for presenting the text characters and the rendering ink, the common area having a background state different from the first and second states.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the background state is similar to the third state.

12. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the first, second and third states correspond to one of the following types of states:

color, shade, density, thickness, brightness and effect.

13. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the first and second states are a first color and the third state is a second color different from the first color.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the first color is a dark color and the second color is a light color.

15. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the input-sensitive surface receives input from a pointer.