Display of ink for hand entered characters

• US 6,791,537 B1
• Filed: 07/06/2001
• Issued: 09/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mobigence Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mobigence Incorporated
• Inventors: Berelovich, Alex, Shim, Jae H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Liang, Regina
• Application Number:
  US09/900,247
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/173, 345/179, 382/181, 382/187, 382/189, 382/312, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 178/19.01
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/171 by use of digital ink

Abstract

Method and system for simultaneous display of standard text characters and hand entered characters in a designated soft write pad portion of a hand held device display screen. When a hand entered character is entered on the soft write pad, standard text on the soft write pad is displayed in a display pattern (color and/or shading and/or thickness and/or font) that is visually distinguishable from a display pattern used for (temporary) display of the hand entered character. The hand entered character is analyzed and, if recognized, is converted to a standard text character and displayed at a location indicated by a cursor. The display pattern of standard text character and/or hand entered characters can be changed by the user. Display of a hand entered character on the soft write pad terminates after a designated time interval.

Claims

1. A method for display, in a hand held computing device, of standard text characters and one or more hand entered characters entered by a user, the method comprising:

(i) determining if stylus pressure to enter at least one hand entered character has been applied to a designated soft write pad;

(ii) when stylus pressure has not been applied to the soft write pad portion, displaying at least one standard text character in a selected first display pattern on the soft write pad portion and returning to step (i);

(iii) when the stylus pressure has been applied to the soft write pad, determining if the stylus pressure has been removed from the soft write pad portion;

(iv) when the stylus pressure has not been removed from the soft write pad portion, displaying the at least one standard text character in a selected second display pattern, displaying the at least one hand entered character in a selected third display pattern that is visually distinguishable from the second display pattern, and returning to step (iii);

(v) when the stylus pressure has been removed from the soft write pad portion, determining whether a selected time interval, having a selected length, including the present time, and including a time determined with reference to the time the stylus pressure was removed, has elapsed;

(vi) when the stylus pressure has been removed from the soft write pad portion and the selected time interval has not elapsed, continuing to display the at least one standard text character in the second display pattern, continuing to display the at least one hand entered character in the third display pattern, on the soft write pad portion, and returning to step (v); and

(vii) when the stylus pressure has been removed from the soft write pad portion and the selected time interval has elapsed, reverting to display of the at least one standard text character in the first display pattern, and returning to step (i).

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if a user of said device has indicated a choice of at least one of said second display pattern for said standard text characters and said third display pattern for said at least one hand entered character; and

when the user of said device has indicated the choice of at least one of said second display pattern and said third display pattern, implementing the choice in said display pattern of said standard text characters and said at least one hand entered character, respectively, on said soft write pad portion.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information on color blindness of a selected user, whereby the user cannot distinguish between a first color and a second color; and

choosing said second and third display patterns so that at most one of said second and third display patterns includes at least one of the first color and the second color.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting said second display pattern to include at least one of a selected color, a selected shade of a color, a selected thickness and a selected font for display of at least one of said standard text characters.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting said third display pattern to include at least one of a selected color, a selected shade of a color, a selected thickness and a selected font for display of at least one of said hand entered characters.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing said display of said at least one hand entered character from said soft write pad portion after said selected time interval has elapsed following entry of said at least one hand entered character on said soft write pad portion.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising choosing said selected time interval to have a length of at most 2 sec.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising analyzing and recognizing said at least one hand entered character on said soft pad, converting said at least one hand entered character to a corresponding standard text character, and displaying the converted at least one hand entered character as the corresponding standard text character, displayed in said first display pattern.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising continuing to display said converted at least one hand entered character in said third display pattern for a second selected time interval after said at least one hand entered character has been converted and displayed as said corresponding standard text character.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of determining if said stylus pressure has been applied to said designated soft write pad comprises determining if said stylus pressure has been applied to said designated soft write pad over at least one standard text character, displayed in said second display pattern on a touch sensitive screen.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting said second display pattern to be a substantially fully grayed out display pattern.

12. A system for display, in a hand held computing device, of standard text characters and one or more hand entered characters entered by a user, the system comprising:

a touch sensitive display screen on a hand held computing device that receives and displays at least one hand entered character in a designated soft write pad portion on the display screen and that can recognize the at least one hand entered character as a standard text character; and

a computer that controls display of the at least one hand entered character and a corresponding standard text character and that is programmed;

(i) to determine if stylus pressure to enter at least one hand entered character has been applied to a designated soft write pad;

(ii) when stylus pressure has not been applied to the soft write pad portion, to display the at least one standard text character in a first display pattern on the soft write pad portion and returning to step (i);

(iii) when the stylus pressure has been applied to the soft write pad, to determine if the stylus pressure has been removed from the soft write pad portion;

(iv) when the stylus pressure has not been removed from the soft write pad portion, to display the at least one standard text character in a selected second display pattern, to display the at least one hand entered character in a selected third display pattern that is visually distinguishable from the second display pattern, and to return to step (iii);

(v) when the stylus pressure has been removed from the soft write pad portion, to determine whether a selected time interval, having a selected length, including the present time, and including a time determined with reference to the time the stylus pressure was removed, has elapsed;

(vi) when the stylus pressure has been removed from the soft write pad portion and the selected time interval has not elapsed, to continue to display the at least one standard text character in the second display pattern, to continue to display the at least one hand entered character in the third display pattern, on the soft write pad portion, and returning to step (v); and

(vii) when the stylus pressure has been removed from the soft write pad portion and the selected time intervals has elapsed, to revert to display of the at least one standard text character in the first display pattern, and to return to step (i).

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said computer is further programmed:

to determine if a user of said device has indicated a choice of at least one of said second display pattern for said standard text characters and said third display pattern for said at least one hand entered character; and

when the user of said device has indicated the choice of at least one of said second display pattern and said third display pattern, to implement the choice in said display pattern of said standard text characters and at least one hand entered character on said soft write pad portion.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein said computer is further programmed:

to receive information on color blindness of a selected user, whereby the user cannot distinguish between a first color and a second color; and

to choose said second and third display patterns so that at most one of said second and third display patterns includes at least one of the first color and the second color.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein said second display pattern is selected to include at least one of a selected color, a selected shade of a color, a selected thickness and a selected font for display of at least one of said standard text characters.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein said third display pattern is selected to include at least one of a selected color, a selected shade of a color, a selected thickness and a selected font for display of at least one of said hand entered character.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein said computer is further programmed to remove said display of said at least one hand entered character from said soft write pad portion after said selected time interval has elapsed following entry of said at least one hand entered character on said soft write pad portion.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein said selected time interval is chosen to have a length of at most 2 sec.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein said computer is further programmed:

to analyze and recognize said at least one hand entered character on said soft pad, to convert said hand entered character to a corresponding standard text character, and to display the converted hand entered character as the corresponding standard text character, displayed in said first display pattern.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said computer is further programmed to continue to display said converted at least one hand entered character in said third display pattern for a second selected time interval after said at least one hand entered character has been converted and displayed as said corresponding standard text character.

21. The system of claim 12,wherein said computer is programmed to determine if said stylus pressure has been applied to said designated soft write pad by determining if said stylus pressure has been applied to said designated soft write pad over at least one standard text character, displayed in said second display pattern on a touch sensitive screen.

22. The system of claim 12, wherein said second display pattern is a substantially fully grayed out display pattern.