Method of generating digital ink thickness information

• US 7,176,906 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2001
• Issued: 02/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wang, Jian, Williams, Lyndsay
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe; Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Jennifer T.
• Application Number:
  US09/849,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20020163510A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,111 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174, 345/175, 345/176, 345/178, 345/177, 345179-183, 345/156, 345/157, 345/158, 178 1801- 2001
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method and system that converts ballistic movement of a pen (e.g., movement of a pen point across a surface) into thickness information for digital ink data. The pen includes at least one accelerometer that is used to generate the ballistic information. A thickness conversion component may be located on a computer that is remote from the pen, and the ballistic information is transmitted to the computer via a hardwired or wireless connection. The accelerometer generates the ballistic information in the form of pulses, the width of which is directly related to the acceleration of the pen movements. The thickness conversion component converts the acceleration information, with or without additional information such as coordinate information, into thickness information for digital ink. This thickness information may be used to generate variably thick lines, which may be useful for a variety of applications, for example, better display and improved recognition.

Claims

1. A computer system, comprising,

a writing instrument configured to detect, relative to itself and using an accelerometer, pulses representing ballistic information about the writing instrument the represented ballistic information including represented acceleration information from a user'"'"'s handwriting;

and

a conversion component configured to receive the pulses representing ballistic information, including the represented acceleration information from the user'"'"'s handwriting, directly from the writing instrument and to convert the received pulses representing the acceleration information to generate line thickness information for a digital representation of a portion of the user'"'"'s handwriting that is to be displayed on a display device.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the writing instrument is a pen.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the accelerometer generates analog movement information, and wherein the writing instrument comprises an analog-to-digital converter for converting the analog movement information to digital data.

4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein the conversion component is located remote from the writing instrument, and further comprising transmitting the digital data to the conversion component.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the digital data is transmitted via a wireless connection.

6. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the digital data is transmitted via a hardwired connection.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the accelerometer is configured to generate tilt information.

8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the conversion component generates thickness information based upon wavelengths of the movement information.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the thickness information increases a thickness component as the wavelengths increase.

10. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the conversion component is located remote from the writing instrument, and further comprising transmitting the digital data to the conversion component.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the digital data is transmitted via a wireless connection.

12. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the digital data is transmitted via a hardwired connection.

13. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the movement information comprises pulses having wavelengths.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the thickness information increases a thickness component as the wavelengths increase.

15. A computer system, comprising,

a writing instrument configured to detect, relative to itself and using an accelerometer, pulses representing movement information about the writing instrument including represented acceleration information from a user'"'"'s handwriting;

and

a conversion component configured to receive the pulses representing movement information, including the represented acceleration information from the user'"'"'s handwriting, directly from the writing instrument and to convert the received pulses representing the acceleration information to generate line thickness information for a digital representation of portion of the user'"'"'s handwriting that is to be displayed on a display device based upon spacing of plots in a map of a plot of the movement information.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the thickness information is based upon the samples/unit distance of the plots.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the thickness information increases a thickness component as the samples/unit distance increase.

18. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the movement information comprises tilt information.

19. A computer system, comprising,

a writing instrument configured to detect, relative to itself, pulses representing movement information including represented acceleration and represented tilt information about the writing instrument from a user'"'"'s handwriting;

and

a conversion component configured to receive the pulses representing movement information, including the represented acceleration and tilt information from the user'"'"'s handwriting, directly from the writing instrument and to convert the represented acceleration information to generate line thickness information for a digital representation of portion of the user'"'"'s handwriting that is to be displayed on a display device based upon spacing of plots in a map of a plot of the tilt information.

20. The computer system of claim 19, wherein the thickness information is based upon the samples/unit distance of the plots.

21. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the thickness information increases a thickness component as the samples/unit distance increase.

22. The computer system of claim 19, wherein the writing instrument is configured to detect pulses from an accelerometer representing tilt information about the writing instrument.