Method and system for performing actions on content in a region within a free form two-dimensional workspace

• US 7,360,156 B1
• Filed: 10/09/2002
• Issued: 04/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Simmons, Alex J., Pratley, Christopher H., Braun, Owen C., Sellers, Timothy D., Stuple, Stuart J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; MaiKhanh
• Application Number:
  US10/268,000
• Time in Patent Office: 2,015 Days
• Field of Search: 715/530, 715/764, 715/765, 715/766, 715/767, 715/501.1, 715/531
• US Class Current: 715/255
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A method and system are provided for performing actions on content in a region within a free form two-dimensional workspace. In a computer software application, a region is defined within the workspace, an action is associated with the region, content is received within the region, and an action is performed on the content in the region. The region may be defined by generating an outline object to define a region within the workspace. An action may be associated with the region by selecting an action from a list of actions to associate with the region. The actions performed may be handwriting recognition, adding data to a contacts list, adding data to a task list, and identifying a recognizer for the content. The actions may also include editing data entered in a region.

Claims

1. In a system for creating and editing an electronic workspace, a computer-implemented method of performing actions on content in a region within a free form two-dimensional workspace, comprising the steps of:

defining the region within the free form two-dimensional workspace by generating a user defined outline object, wherein defining the region within the workspace comprises defining a dynamic region in the workspace;

displaying a task pane in the workspace having a list of actions to associate with the region;

receiving a selection of an action from the list of actions;

associating the selected action with the region;

receiving content within the region, wherein receiving content within the region comprises receiving handwriting and wherein performing the action on the content comprises converting the handwriting to text, and wherein the size of the region dynamically expands in both a horizontal direction and a vertical direction as the content is received and as additional content is entered;

identifying a content type for the content within the region; and

performing the action on the content, wherein performing the action comprises performing an automated function with respect to the content received within the region, the automated function comprising transferring the content from the region, the region defined using a first application program, to a second application program, the second application program comprising at least one of the following;

a contacts module and a task list module,

wherein performing the action further comprises;

adding the text to a contacts list in the second application program;

wherein adding the text to the contacts list comprises;

identifying the text; and

adding the text to a field in the contacts list based on the identified text,

recognizing the text with a smart tag recognizer dynamic link library, and

editing the text in the contacts list in the second application program by editing the text in the region defined using the first application program.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the region comprises generating an outline object in the workspace and using at least one handle for sizing the outline object to define the region.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving content within the region comprises receiving a drawing within the region.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the action further comprises adding the text to a task list in the second application program.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein adding the text to a task list comprises:

identifying the text; and

adding the text to a field in the task list based on the identified data.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein performing the action further comprises editing the text in the task list in the second application program by editing the text in the region defined using the first application program.

7. A computer-readable medium containing instructions which when executed by a computer perform a method of performing actions on content in a region within a free form two-dimensional workspace, comprising the steps of:

defining the region within the free form two-dimensional workspace by generating a user defined outline object, wherein defining the region within the workspace comprises defining a dynamic region in the workspace;

displaying a task pane in the workspace having a list of actions to associate with the region;

receiving a selection of an action from the list of actions;

associating the selected action with the region;

receiving content within the region, wherein receiving content within the region comprises receiving handwriting and wherein performing the action on the content comprises converting the handwriting to text, and wherein the size of the region dynamically expands in both a horizontal direction and a vertical direction as the content is received and as additional content is entered;

identifying a content type for the content within the region; and

performing the action on the content, wherein performing the action comprises performing an automated function with respect to the content received within the region, the automated function comprising transferring the content from the region, the region defined using a first application program, to a second application program, the second application program comprising at least one of the following;

a contacts module and a task list module,

wherein performing the action further comprises;

adding the text to a contacts list in the second application program;

wherein adding the text to the contacts list comprises;

identifying the text; and

adding the text to a field in the contacts list based on the identified text,

recognizing the text with a smart tag recognizer dynamic link library; and

editing the text in the contacts list in the second application program by editing the text in the region defined using the first application program.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein defining the region comprises generating an outline object in a user-defined area of the workspace and using at least one handle for sizing the outline object to define the region.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein performing the action further comprises adding the text to a task list in the second application program.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein adding the text to a task list comprises:

identifying the text; and

adding the text to a field in the task list based on the identified data.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein performing the action further comprises editing the text in the task list in the second application program by editing the text in the region defined using the first application program.

12. A computer system for performing actions on content in a region within a free form two-dimensional workspace, the computer system comprising:

a processor;

a memory connected to the processor;

an application program, the application program when executed by the computer system perform;

opening the free form two-dimensional workspace;

defining the region within the free form two-dimensional workspace by generating a user defined outline object, wherein defining the region within the workspace comprises defining a dynamic region in the workspace;

displaying a task pane in the workspace having a list of actions to associate with the region;

receiving a selection of an action from the list of actions;

associating the selected action with the region; and

receiving content within the region, wherein receiving content within the region comprises receiving handwriting and wherein performing the action on the content comprises converting the handwriting to text, and wherein the size of the region dynamically expands in both a horizontal direction and a vertical direction as the content is received and as additional content is entered;

an identifier, in communication with the application program, for automatically identifying the type of the content received within the region;

an action plug-in, in communication with the application program and the identifier, for performing the action based on the type of the content identified by the identifier in the region, wherein the action is an automated function applied to the content received within the region, the automated function comprising transferring the content from the region, the region defined using a first application program, to a second application program, the second application program comprising at least one of the following;

a contacts module and a task list module, and

a smart tag recognizer dynamic link library, in communication with the application program for recognizing the content in the region,

wherein performing the action further comprises;

adding the text to a contacts list in the second application program;

wherein adding the text to the contacts list comprises;

identifying the text; and

adding the text to a field in the contacts list based on the identified text

recognizing the text with the smart tag recognizer dynamic link library, and

editing the text in the contacts list in the second application program by editing the text in the region defined using the first application program.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the content is contacts list data.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the content is task list data.