Method and system for categorizing data objects with designation tools

• US 7,353,453 B1
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Issued: 04/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Simmons, Alex J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): RUTLEDGE, AMELIA L
• Application Number:
  US10/186,820
• Time in Patent Office: 2,104 Days
• Field of Search: 715/541, 715/530, 715/531, 715/512
• US Class Current: 715/268
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/171 by use of digital ink

Abstract

A system and method for categorizing data objects with designation tools. A designation tool is provided for categorizing data in an electronic document. A user may select a designation tool corresponding to a data category with which to categorize data to be inputted into an electronic document. The data category is displayed in association with the data entered with the designation tool. The designation tool may also be used to categorize existing data content in an electronic document. Data that is selected with a designation tool is categorized into the data category associated with that designation tool.

Claims

1. A designation tool for categorizing data content displayed in electronic ink on a computer screen, the designation tool comprising:

a data category, wherein the data category is selected among a plurality of data categories in response to a user selection of the designation tool based on a selection of a writing tool;

a data object note tag associated with the selected designation tool for displaying a data category label in association with categorized electronic ink, wherein a presentation of the data object note tag is customizable, and wherein the presentation of the note tag includes an ink highlight option, an ink width option, a special action option, and a format option for a checkbox engageable by the user upon the completion of a written task the format option for the checkbox comprising at least one from a set of;

a color of the checkbox and a symbol to be associated with the checkbox; and

a selection component for engaging the designation tool to categorize data written in electronic ink.

2. The designation tool of claim 1, wherein the symbol to be associated with the checkbox includes at least one from a set of:

a star, an exclamation point, and an arrow.

3. The designation tool of claim 1, wherein the checkbox, when engaged, displays one of:

an X and a √

in the checkbox.

4. The designation tool of claim 1, wherein the designation tool is operable to categorize data content inputted while the designation tool is engaged.

5. The designation tool of claim 1, wherein the designation tool is operable to categorize data content selected while the designation tool is engaged.

6. The designation tool of claim 1, wherein the selection component comprises an icon on a graphical user interface corresponding to a data category associated with the designation tool.

7. The designation tool of claim 1, wherein the data category label is at least one of the following:

action item, priority item, note summary, personal to do, personal reminder, important information, hot issue, and key takeaway.

8. The designation tool of claim 1, wherein the data category object note tag is displayed at the beginning of a line of an electronic document.

9. The designation tool of claim 1, wherein the data category object note tag is displayed at the beginning of a paragraph of an electronic document.

10. The designation tool of claim 1, wherein the data category object note tag is displayed at the beginning of a page of an electronic document.

11. A method for categorizing data content comprising:

receiving a selection of a designation tool that is associated with a data category;

receiving inputted data content in electronic ink;

categorizing the data content in the data category associated with the designation tool based on a selection of a writing tool; and

rendering identifiable the data category by displaying a data object note tag in association with the data content, the data object note tag identifying the data category, wherein the data object note tag is associated with the selected designation tool, and wherein a presentation of the data object note tag is customizable by a user, the presentation of the note tag including an ink highlight option, an ink width option, a special action option, and a format option for a checkbox engageable by a user upon the completion of a written task the format option for the checkbox comprising at least one from a set of;

a color of the checkbox and a symbol to be associated with the checkbox.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

sorting categorized data content with similarly categorized data content in an electronic document.

13. A method for categorizing data content comprising:

selecting a designation tool that is associated with a data category based on a selection of a writing tool;

selecting data content to be categorized into the data category;

categorizing the data content in the data category associated with the selected designation tool; and

rendering identifiable the data category by displaying a data object note tag in association with the data content, the data object note tag identifying the data category, wherein the data object note tag is associated with the selected designation tool, and wherein a presentation of the data object note tag is customizable by a user, the presentation of the note tag including an ink highlight option, an ink width option, a special action option, and a format option for a checkbox engageable by a user upon the completion of a written task the format option for the checkbox comprising at least one from a set of;

a color of the checkbox and a symbol to be associated with the checkbox.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the data content comprises at least one of the following in an electronic document:

a line, a heading, a paragraph and a page.

15. A method for categorizing data content comprising:

receiving an identification of a data category for categorizing data content;

associating the data category with a data object note tag for rendering identifiable the data category in association with categorized data content;

enabling a user to customize a presentation of the data object note tag, wherein the presentation of the data object note tag is customizable, and wherein the presentation of the note tag includes an ink highlight option, an ink width option, a special action option, and a format option for checkbox engageable by the user upon the completion of a written task the format option for the checkbox comprising at least one from a set of;

a color of the checkbox and a symbol to be associated with the checkbox;

associating the data category and the data object note tag with a designation tool for categorizing inputted data content into the data category, wherein the designation tool is associated with a writing tool;

automatically selecting the designation tool that is associated with the data category;

receiving inputted data content in electronic ink;

categorizing the data content into the data category associated with the designation tool; and

rendering identifiable the data category by displaying the data object note tag in association with the data content, the data object note tag identifying the data category.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

configuring a physical feature of the data object note tag.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the physical feature comprises at least one of the following:

color and shape.

18. A method for categorizing data content comprising:

receiving a selection of a designation tool associated with a user selected writing tool that is associated with a data category;

receiving inputted data content in electronic ink;

categorizing the data content in the data category associated with the designation tool;

rendering identifiable the data category by displaying a data object note tag identifying the data category in association with the data content, wherein the data object note tag is associated with the selected designation tool and a includes a graphical user interface engageable by a user upon the completion of a written task; and

enabling the user to customize the graphical user interface of the data object note tag, wherein the graphical user interface of the note tag includes an ink highlight option, an ink width option, a special action option, and a format option for checkbox engageable by the user upon the completion of a written task the format option for the checkbox comprising at least one from a set of;

a color of the checkbox and a symbol to be associated with the checkbox.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the designation tool is operable to categorize at least one of:

inputted and selected data content while the designation tool is engaged.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the graphical user interface further includes an icon corresponding to the data category associated with the designation tool.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

configuring a physical feature of the data object note tag.