Glow highlighting as an ink attribute

• US 7,428,711 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2002
• Issued: 09/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Tolmer, Justin Garrett, Lui, Charlton E
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): PITARO, RYAN F
• Application Number:
  US10/284,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20040085358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,154 Days
• Field of Search: 715/863, 345/17, 345/179, 345/592
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/203 Drawing of straight lines or curves

Abstract

Methods for rendering electronic ink with highlighting attributes include: (a) receiving data representing at least one electronic ink stroke including a highlighting attribute; (b) rendering a first highlighting stroke in a first dimension and in a first highlighting color and/or pattern; and (c) rendering an ink color stroke in an ink color and/or pattern and in a second dimension that is smaller than the first dimension to produce a composite stroke that has a highlighted appearance. When the highlighted stroke is selected, this stroke may be rendered with a third, inner layer that is narrower than the ink colored layer, in a highlight color and/or pattern. This invention also relates to systems and computer-readable media for performing these methods, and to data structures that include a highlight attribute with electronic ink data.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium having a data structure stored thereon for storing electronic ink, the data structure comprising:

a first set of data points defining a first electronic ink stroke, wherein the first set of data points includes first highlight attribute information, the first highlight attribute information comprises a highlight indicator that, upon being set, causes a first highlight stroke that is different from the first electronic ink stroke and rendered separately from the first electronic ink stroke to be generated and associated with the first electronic ink stroke; and

a second set of data points defining a second electronic ink stroke, wherein the second set of data points includes second highlight attribute information, the second highlight attribute information comprises a highlight indicator that, upon being set, causes a second highlight stroke that is different from the second electronic ink stroke and rendered separately from the second electronic ink stroke to be generated and associated with the second electronic ink stroke.

2. A computer readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the first data set representing the first electronic ink stroke represents a single ink stroke.

3. A computer readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the first data set representing the first electronic ink stroke represents an ink word including one or more ink strokes.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 1,

wherein the first highlight attribute information includes data indicating a glow highlighting color or pattern, and

wherein the second highlight attribute information includes data indicating a glow highlighting color or pattern.

5. A method for rendering electronic ink, comprising:

receiving data representing at least one electronic ink stroke, wherein the data includes a set of data points corresponding to the at least one electronic ink stroke, and wherein the set of data points includes a highlight indicator specifying whether the at least one electronic ink stroke has highlighting activated such that the highlight indicator causes a first highlighting stroke, different from the at least one electronic ink stroke and to be rendered separately from the at least one electronic ink stroke, to be associated with the at least one electronic ink stroke if the highlight indicator specifies that the at least one electronic ink stroke has highlighting activated;

rendering the first highlighting stroke in a first dimension and in a first highlighting color or pattern, wherein the first dimension and the first highlighting color or pattern is defined by the set of data points; and

rendering an ink color stroke in an ink color or pattern and in a second dimension that is smaller than the first dimension;

wherein the first highlighting stroke and the ink color stroke are rendered so as to produce a composite ink stroke that has a highlighted appearance.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the ink color stroke at least partially overlays the first highlighting stroke.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the data representing the at least one electronic ink stroke further includes a word data set.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

identifying a first indication that the at least one electronic ink stroke has highlighting activated;

upon identifying the indication, associating the first highlighting stroke with the at least one electronic ink stroke;

identifying a second indication that the at least one electronic ink stroke is no longer to be highlighted; and

upon identifying the second indication, removing the first highlighting stroke from association with the at least one electronic ink stroke.

9. A method for rendering electronic ink, comprising:

receiving data representing at least one electronic ink stroke, the data including at least one set of data points corresponding to the at least one electronic ink stroke, and wherein the at least one set of data points includes a highlight indicator specifying whether the at least one electronic ink stroke has highlighting activated wherein a first highlighting stroke, different from the at least one electronic ink stroke and to be rendered separately from the at least one electronic ink stroke, is created and associated with the at least one electronic ink stroke if the highlight indicator specifies that the at least one electronic ink stroke has highlighting activated;

rendering the first highlighting stroke in a first dimension and in a first highlighting color or pattern, wherein the first highlighting color or pattern is defined by the at least one set of data points;

rendering an ink color stroke in an ink color or pattern and in a second dimension that is smaller than the first dimension;

rendering a second highlighting stroke in a second highlighting color or pattern and in a third dimension that is smaller than the second dimension,

wherein the first highlighting stroke, the second highlighting stroke, and the ink color stroke are rendered so as to produce a composite ink stroke that has a highlighted appearance.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the second highlighting color or pattern is the same as the first highlighting color or pattern.

11. A method according to claim 9, wherein the ink color stroke at least partially overlays the first highlighting stroke and the second highlighting stroke at least partially overlays the ink color stroke.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the data representing the at least one electronic ink stroke further includes a word data set.

13. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps comprising:

storing data representing at least one electronic ink stroke, the data including at least one set of data points corresponding to the at least one electronic ink stroke and wherein the at least one set of data points includes a highlight indicator specifying whether the at least one electronic ink stroke has highlighting activated; and

if the highlight indicator specifies that the at least one ink stroke has highlighting activated,

rendering a first highlighting stroke representing the at least one electronic ink stroke in a first dimension and in a first highlighting color or pattern, wherein the first highlighting stroke is different from the at least one electronic ink stroke and is rendered separately from the at least one electronic ink stroke and the first highlighting color or pattern is defined by the at least one set of data points; and

rendering an ink color stroke in an ink color or pattern and in a second dimension that is smaller than the first dimension;

wherein the first highlighting stroke and the ink color stroke are rendered so as to produce a composite ink stroke that has a highlighted appearance.

14. A computer-readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the ink color stroke at least partially overlays the first highlighting stroke.

15. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions for performing the steps comprising:

storing a set of data points defining at least one electronic ink stroke, wherein the set of data points includes an attribute indicative of whether the at least one electronic ink stroke is to be highlighted, the attribute causes a first highlighting stroke that is different from the at least one electronic ink stroke to be rendered separately from the at least one electronic ink stroke upon the attribute indicating that the at least one ink stroke is to be highlighted and causes the first highlighting stroke to be removed upon the attributed indicating that the at least one ink stroke is no longer to be highlighted;

rendering the first highlighting stroke representing the at least one electronic ink stroke in a first dimension and in a first highlighting color or pattern, wherein the first highlighting stroke is rendered in a first layer;

rendering an ink color stroke in an ink color or pattern and in a second dimension that is smaller than the first dimension, wherein the ink color stroke is rendered in a second layer;

rendering a second highlighting stroke in a second highlighting color or pattern and in a third dimension that is smaller than the second dimension, wherein the second highlighting stroke is rendered in a third layer,

wherein the first highlighting stroke, the second highlighting stroke, and the ink color stroke are rendered so as to produce a composite ink stroke that has a highlighted appearance.

16. A computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the second highlighting color or pattern is the same as the first highlighting color or pattern.

17. A computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the ink color stroke and the second layer at least partially overlay the first highlighting stroke and the first layer and the second highlighting stroke and the third layer at least partially overlay the ink color stroke and the second layer.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first dimension, the first highlighting color or pattern, the second dimension, the ink color or pattern, the third dimension, and the second highlighting color or pattern are defined by the set of data points that define the at least one electronic ink stroke.

19. A system, comprising:

a storage device configured to store data representing at least one electronic ink stroke, wherein the data includes at least one set of data points corresponding to the at least one electronic ink stroke and wherein the at least one set of data points includes a highlight indicator specifying whether the at least one electronic ink stroke has highlighting activated, the highlight indicator associates a first highlighting stroke with the at least one electronic ink stroke upon an indication by the attribute that the at least one electronic ink stroke is to be highlighted, the first highlighting stroke is different from the at least one electronic ink stroke and is rendered separately from the at least one electronic ink stroke; and

a processor adapted to;

render the first highlighting stroke representing the at least one electronic ink stroke in a first dimension and in a first highlighting color or pattern, wherein the first highlighting color or pattern is defined by the at least one set of data points; and

render an ink color stroke in an ink color or pattern and in a second dimension that is smaller than the first dimension;

wherein the processor renders the first highlighting stroke and the ink color stroke so as to produce a composite ink stroke that has a highlighted appearance.

20. A system according to claim 19, wherein the processor renders the ink color stroke so as to at least partially overlay the first highlighting stroke.

21. A system, comprising:

a storage device constructed and adapted to store a set of data points representing at least one electronic ink stroke, wherein the set of data points includes an attribute indicative of whether the at least one electronic ink stroke is to be highlighted, the attribute associates a first highlighting stroke with the at least one electronic ink stroke upon an indication by the attribute that the at least one electronic ink stroke is to be highlighted, the first highlighting stroke is different from the at least one electronic ink stroke and is rendered separately from the at least one electronic ink stroke; and

a processor adapted to;

render the first highlighting stroke representing the at least one electronic ink stroke in a first dimension and in a first highlighting color or pattern, wherein the first highlighting stroke is rendered in a first layer and wherein the first highlighting color or pattern is defined by the set of data points;

render an ink color stroke in an ink color or pattern and in a second dimension that is smaller than the first dimension, wherein the ink color stroke is rendered in a second layer; and

render a second highlighting stroke in a second highlighting color or pattern and in a third dimension that is smaller than the second dimension, wherein the second highlighting stroke is rendered in a third layer,

wherein the processor renders the first highlighting stroke, the second highlighting stroke, and the ink color stroke so as to produce a composite ink stroke that has a highlighted appearance.

22. A system according to claim 21, wherein the processor renders the second highlighting color or pattern the same as the first highlighting color or pattern.

23. A system according to claim 21, wherein the processor renders the ink color stroke so as to at least partially overlay the first highlighting stroke and the second highlighting stroke so as to at least partially overlay the ink color stroke.

24. A system, comprising:

a storage device configured to store data representing at least one electronic ink stroke, wherein the data includes at least one set of data points corresponding to the at least one electronic ink stroke and wherein the at least one set of data points includes a highlight indicators, the highlight indicator is triggered to specify that the at least one electronic ink stroke has highlighting activated and to cause a highlight stroke that is different from the at least one electronic ink stroke to be rendered separately from the at least one electronic ink stroke; and

a processor adapted to;

render a highlighted ink stroke representing the at least one electronic ink stroke with the highlight stroke, wherein the highlighted ink stroke includes a first outer highlight color or pattern and a first inner ink color or pattern different from the first outer highlight color or pattern, wherein the first outer highlight color or pattern is defined by the at least one set of data points;

receive a selection of at least the highlighted ink stroke; and

when selected, render the highlighted ink stroke with a second outer highlight color or pattern, a second inner ink color or pattern, and a first inner highlight color or pattern.

25. A system according to claim 24, wherein the processor is adapted to render the first outer highlight color or pattern the same as the second outer highlight color or pattern.

26. A system according to claim 24, wherein the processor is adapted to render the first inner ink color or pattern the same as the second inner ink color or pattern.

27. A system according to claim 24, wherein the processor is adapted to render the first inner highlight color or pattern the same as the second outer highlight color or pattern.

28. A system according to claim 24, wherein the processor is adapted to render the first inner ink color or pattern so as to at least partially overlay the first outer highlight color or pattern.

29. A system according to claim 24, wherein the processor is adapted to render the first inner highlight color or pattern so as to at least partially overlay the second inner ink color or pattern, and the second inner ink color or pattern so as to at least partially overlay the second outer highlight color or pattern.