Electronic record system and control program device with display and tablet function for manipulating display area functions with pen stylus

• US 6,886,061 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2002
• Issued: 04/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kazuo Nakazawa, NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kazuo Nakazawa, NEC Corporation, Takeo Igarashi
• Inventors: Igarashi, Takeo, Nakazawa, Kazuo, Ashihara, Takashi, Yao, Takenori, Sakachi, Hiroyuki, Yokota, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Peyton, Tammara
• Application Number:
  US10/300,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20040003142A1
• Time in Patent Office: 887 Days
• Field of Search: 710/1, 710/14, 710 72- 74, 702 1- 5, 600/523
• US Class Current: 710/73
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

Disclosed is an electronic record system which dispenses with complicated operations using a menu and a button and handwriting input operation like paper writing can be achieved. A system is established and is provided with: an input/output unit device capable of inputting/outputting data by the direct writing on a display screen with a pen; and a control/arithmetic device connected to the input/output unit device and reflecting the data inputted on the display screen to the screen. In this system, an electronic record in the form of strip-shaped sheet with an infinite length extending in the longitudinal direction is displayed, data is directly inputted from the display screen as a stroke data, the inputted characters are converted into the character data by the use of a character recognition engine and the converted data is used as data format available in a secondary use such as a data search, and various functions are driven by a predetermined pen operation.

Claims

1. An electronic record system comprising:

an input/output unit device which has a display device with a tablet function and which executes input operation by directly writing input data on a record screen displayed on the display device with a pen; and

a control/arithmetic device, connected to the input/outout unit device, for processing the handwritten input data onto the display device, so as to formulate an electronic record on the basis of the handwritten input data,

wherein the record screen of the display device is divided into a reduced-size display area for past information recorded on a past date and an actual size display area for current information recorded by handwriting,

wherein the control/arithmetic device is configured so that the past information on the reduced-size display area is duplicated onto the actual-size display area by drawing, by the use of the pen, a circular-like shape which surrounds desired past information displayed on the reduced-size display area and by executing drawing from the inside of the handwritten and substantial circle to the outside.

2. The electronic record system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic record is computerized like a stripe-shaped sheet with an infinite length extending in a vertical direction of the record screen, and the control/arithmetic device is configured so that the electronic record displayed on the display device can be scrolled.

3. The electronic record system according to claim 1, wherein the record screen comprises a reduced-size display area on which past information on a past date specified by date information is longitudinally displayed in a reduced size, and an actual-size display area on which detailed information is handwritten and current information is longitudinally displayed in an actual size.

4. The electronic record system according to claim 3, wherein the record screen further includes a date display area for displaying a succession of dates longitudinally.

5. The electronic record system according to claim 4, wherein the control/arithmetic device is configured so that the date display area, the size-reduced display area and the actual-size display area are independently longitudinally scrolled.

6. The electronic record system according to claim 1, wherein the input data comprises written information and data processing information, and the input/output unit device is configured so as to select a writing operation and data processing operation in accordance with an input mode of the pen.

7. The electronic record system according to claim 1, wherein the written information comprises a written record and partition line information that is entered by linear drawing in the horizontal direction of the record screen, so as to end the writing operation, the control/arithmetic device comprising determination means for determining whether the written information is either the written record or the partition line information, and wherein, when it is determined that the written information is the partition line information, a drawn line is not treated as stroke data and a partition line is displayed on the record screen to store the written information.

8. The electronic record system according to claim 7, wherein the determination means determines whether the written information is the written record or the partition line information, with reference to a relationship between an entire length of the drawing and a straight distance from a starting point to an end point of the drawing, a relationship between a width of a line segment formed by the drawing and a width of the record screen, and a straight distance in the vertical direction of the line segment formed by the drawing.

9. The electronic record system according to claim 1, wherein the data processing information comprises area selection information inputted by drawing so as to surround a desired area with a circle and pie menu process information inputted by linear drawing for executing processes registered in advance,

the control/arithmetic device comprising determination means for determining whether the inputted data is the area selection information or the pie menu process information;

and wherein, when the determination means determines the inputted data as the area selection information, image processing to the selected desired area is performed, and when the determination means determines the inputted data as the pie menu process information, a data input support process or an application starting process is performed.

10. The electronic record system according to claim 9, wherein the image processing operation includes enlargement, reduction, rotation, movement, duplication, deletion, and character data conversion.

11. The electronic record system according to claim 9, wherein the control/arithmetic device is configured so that image processing operations are selected in accordance with a direction of the drawing performed across the selected area or the drawing performed in an optional direction from the drawn line.

12. The electronic record system according to claim 9, wherein the data input support process is for processing undo, redo and schema,

the control/arithmetic device being configured so that when the schema is selected, a schema image list is displayed and a desired schema image is duplicated on the electronic record by the use of the pen.

13. The electronic record system according to claim 12, wherein the application includes a computing function using handwriting character recognition and a three-dimensional figure forming function for converting the two-dimensional handwritten input or the schema image into a three-dimensional image.

14. The electronic record system according to claim 9, wherein the control/arithmetic device is configured so that the pie menu processes are selected in accordance with a direction of the drawing optionally performed so as not to cross the selected area.

15. The electronic record system according to claim 9, wherein the control/arithmetic device is configured so that when the determination means determines that the inputted data is the area selection information, an area surrounded with a substantial circle is colored with a translucent color to indicate that the area is selected.

16. The electronic record system according to claim 1, wherein the application is adapted to be operated by the use of a translucent window formed on the electronic record, and the application is adapted to be finished by a pen input on the outside of the window.

17. The electronic record system according to claim 1, wherein the control/arithmetic device is configured so that a request section is displayed on the record screen, while a list constituted of index sections and name sections assigned in each index section are displayed by the pen operation on the request section, and a desired name is displayed in the request section by operating the pen on the desired name.

18. The electronic record system according to claim 17, wherein the control/arithmetic device is configured so that an order of items displayed in the name section is sorted in accordance with a frequency of selection of the items, and the list is dynamically modified by increasing/decreasing the number of the names displayed in the name section.

19. The electronic record system according to claim 17, wherein when the pen operation on the index section in the list is performed, all names linked with the index are displayed, and a desired name is displayed on the request section and registered in the name section by the pen operation on the desired name.

39. The electronic record system claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic record is an electronic medical record.

41. The electronic record system according to claim 4, wherein the control/arithmetic device is configured so that the date display area and the reduced-size display area are scrolled together by vertical drawing on these areas.

20. A computer-readable memory including a program comprising instructions, which when executed cause an electronic record system comprising an input/output unit device which has a display device with a tablet function and which executes input operation by directly writing input data on the display device with a pen;

and a control/arithmetic device, connected to the input/output unit device, for reflecting on the display device the input data entered on the display device to;

display on the display device a record screen in which the input data is intuitively written by direct handwriting; and

establish an electronic record on the basis of the handwritten input information on the record screen displayed by the display step, wherein the electronic record is computerized so as to be a stripe-shaped sheet with an infinite length extending in a vertical direction of the display screen, and the control/arithmetic device is configured so that the electronic record displayed on the display device is scrolled.

21. The computer-readable memory according to claim 20, wherein the record screen comprises a reduced-size display area on which past information in a past date specified by date information is longitudinally displayed in a reduced size, and an actual-size display area on which detailed information is handwritten and current information is longitudinally displayed in an actual size.

22. The computer-readable memory according to claim 21, wherein the record screen further comprises a date display area in which a succession of dates are longitudinally displayed.

23. The computer-readable memory according to claim 22, which is constituted so that the date display area, the size-reduced display area and the actual-size display area are independently longitudinally scrolled.

40. The control program claimed in claim 20, wherein the electronic record is an electronic medical record.

24. A computer-readable memory including a program comprising instructions, which when executed cause an electronic record system comprising an input/output unit device which has a display device with a tablet function and which executes input operation by directly writing input data on the display device with a pen, and a control/arithmetic device, connected to the input/output unit device, for reflecting on the display device the input data entered on the display device to:

display on the display device a record screen in which the input data is intuitively written by direct handwriting; and

establish an electronic record on the basis of the handwritten input information on the record screen displayed by the display step,

wherein the electronic record is computerized so as to be a stripe-shaved sheet with an infinite length extending in a vertical direction of the display screen, and the control/arithmetic device is configured so that the electronic record displayed on the display device is scrolled,

wherein the record screen comprises a reduced-size display area on which past information in a past date specified by date information is longitudinally displayed in a reduced size, and an actual-size display area on which detailed information is handwritten and current information is longitudinally displayed in an actual size,

wherein the record screen further comprises a date display area in which a succession of dates are longitudinally displayed,

which is constituted so that the date display area, the size-reduced display area and the actual-size display area are independently longitudinally scrolled, and

wherein the date display area and the reduce-size display area are scrolled together by vertical drawing on these areas, and desired past information is duplicated on the actual-size display area by performing the drawing so as to surround a desired region of the past information displayed on the reduced-size display area with a substantial circle and the drawing from the inside of the circle to the outside.

25. The computer-readable memory according to claim 24, wherein the inputted data comprises written information and data processing information;

the instructions further comprising causing the electronic record system to select a writing operation and a data processing operation in accordance with an input mode of the pen.

26. The computer-readable memory according to claim 25, wherein the written information comprises a written record and partition line information that is inputted by linear drawing in the horizontal direction of the display screen, so as to finish the writing operation;

the instructions further causing the electronic record system to;

determine whether the written information is the written record or the partition line information; and

treat a drawn line as no stroke data when it is determined that the written information is the partition line information, to display a partition line on the record display screen to store the written information.

27. The computer-readable memory according to claim 26, wherein the determination step determines whether the written information is either the written record or the partition line information, on the basis of a relationship between an entire length of the drawing and the straight distance between a starting point and an end point of the drawing, a relationship between a width of a line segment formed by the drawing and a width of the medical record screen, and a straight distance in the vertical direction of the line segment formed by the drawing.

28. The computer-readable memory according to claim 27, wherein the data processing information comprises area selection information inputted by drawing so as to surround a desired area with a circle, pie menu process information inputted by linear drawing for executing processes registered in advance;

the instructions further causing the electronic record system to;

judge whether the inputted data is the area selection information or the pie menu process information;

carry out image processing to the selected area when the judging step judges the area selection information; and

carry out a data input support process or an application starting process when the judging step judges the pie menu process information.

29. The computer-readable memory according to claim 28, wherein the image processing includes enlargement, reduction, rotation, movement, duplication, deletion, and character data conversion.

30. The computer-readable memory according to claim 29, which is constituted so that the image processing operations are selected in accordance with a direction of the drawing performed across the selected area or the drawing performed in an optional direction from the drawn line.

31. The computer-readable memory according to claim 30, wherein the data input support process is for processing undo, redo and schema;

the control program being configured so that when the schema is selected, a schema image list is displayed and a desired schema image can be duplicated on the electronic record by the pen operation.

32. The computer-readable memory according to claim 31, wherein the application includes a computing function using handwriting character recognition and a three-dimensional figure forming function for converting the two-dimensional handwritten input or the schema image into a three-dimensional image, and the respective functions work in cooperation with each other.

33. The computer-readable memory according to claim 32, which is constituted so that the pie menu processes are selected in accordance with a direction of the drawing optionally performed so as not to cross the selected area.

34. The computer-readable memory according to claim 33, which is constituted so that an area surrounded with a substantial circle is colored with a translucent color to indicate that the area is selected, when the judging step judges that the inputted data is the area selection information.

35. The computer-readable memory according to claim 34, wherein the application is adapted to be operated by the use of a translucent window formed on the electronic record, and the application is adapted to be finished by a pen input on the outside of the window.

36. The computer-readable memory according to claim 35, which is constituted so that a request section is displayed on the record screen while a list comprising index sections and name sections assigned in each index section are displayed by the pen operation on the request section, and a desired name is displayed in the request section by the pen operation on the desired name.

37. The computer-readable memory according to claim 36, wherein an order of items displayed in the name section is sorted in accordance with a frequency of selection of the items, and the list is dynamically modified by increasing/decreasing the number of names displayed in the name section.

38. The computer-readable memory according to claim 37, wherein when the pen operation on the index section in the list is performed, all names linked with the index are displayed, and a desired name is displayed on the request section and registered in the name section by the pen operation on the desired name.