Freeform digital ink revisions

• US 7,546,525 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Issued: 06/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2004
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bargeron, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): PESIN, BORIS M
• Application Number:
  US11/171,064
• Publication Number:
  US 20070022371A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,440 Days
• Field of Search: 715/512, 715/230, 715/231, 715/232, 715/233, 715/268, 382/188
• US Class Current: 715/230
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/171 by use of digital ink
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1444 Selective acquisition, locating or processing of specific regions, e.g. highlighted text, fiducial marks or predetermined fields

Abstract

A computer-implemented system for digital ink revisions is provided. The system comprises an annotation module that recognizes a handwritten annotation in an image of a document. The system further comprises a command module that executes a command associated with the recognized handwritten annotation. Methods for using the system are also provided.

Claims

1. A system embodied on a computer-readable storage medium that facilitates digital ink revisions, comprising:

an annotation module that recognizes a handwritten annotation in an image of a document; and

a command module that executes a command associated with the recognized handwritten annotation, the association between the command and the recognized handwritten annotation is user-defined, the command module allowing a user to specify a granularity level such that only commands that will affect the document layout at or below the specified granularity level will be executed, wherein specification of a line level prevents execution of commands that would affect the layout above the line level, specification of a paragraph level prevents execution of commands that would affect the layout above the paragraph level, and specification of a section level prevents execution of commands that would affect the layout above the section level.

2. The system of claim 1, the annotation module differentiates between an executable handwritten annotation and a non-executable handwritten annotation.

3. The system of claim 2, the command module selectively enables execution of the executable handwritten annotation.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising a layout manager that adjusts a layout of the document based at least in part upon the executed command.

5. The system of claim 4, the layout manager selectively adjusts the layout of at least a section of the document, the manner in which the layout is adjusted is based at least in part on user-defined preferences.

6. The system of claim 5, the section of the document is at least one of a line, a paragraph, a page, a frame, a user-defined section, or an entire document.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising an undo module that enables undoing a performed command and adding the undone command to a redo map, the redo map facilitates redoing the undone command by selecting the command from the redo map.

8. The system of claim 7, the undo module enables undoing a performed commands and redoing undone commands in a non-linear fashion.

9. A method for digital ink revisions, comprising:

obtaining an image of a document containing at least one handwritten annotation;

sending the image to a search engine to facilitate locating an original unannotated version of the document;

recognizing a handwritten annotation in the image of a the document using the original unannotated version of the document;

executing a command associated with the recognized handwritten annotation, the association between the command and the recognized handwritten annotation is based at least in part upon user-preferences;

undoing the executed command associated with the handwritten annotation;

adding the undone command to a redo map; and

selecting the undone command from the redo map to facilitate redoing the command.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising determining whether the handwritten annotation is executable.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising selectively enabling execution of the command associated with the handwritten annotation that is determined to be executable.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising adjusting a layout of the document based at least in part upon executing the command associated with the handwritten annotation.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising restricting execution of the command based at least in part on the effect execution will have on the layout of the document, the conditions of restriction are defined by user preferences.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, undoing the executed command associated with the handwritten annotation includes selecting the executed command from a non-linear group of commands.

15. A computer-implemented method for implementing digital ink revisions, comprising:

obtaining an image of a document containing at least one handwritten annotation;

sending the image to a search engine to facilitate locating an original unannotated version of the document;

recognizing a handwritten annotation in the image of a document using the original unannotated version of the document;

executing a command associated with the handwritten annotation, the association between the command and the recognized handwritten annotation is based at least in part on user actions; and

adjusting a layout of the document based at least in part upon execution of the command associated with the handwritten annotation, the manner in which the layout is adjusted in response to the command is based at least in part on user-defined preferences applied to the document that allow a user to select a granularity level such that the layout of the document will only be modified at or below the selected level, wherein selection of a line level allows the layout to be modified only at or below the line level, selection of a paragraph level allows the layout to be modified only at or below the paragraph level, selection of a section level allows the layout to be modified only at or below the section level, and selection of the document level allows the layout of the entire document to be modified.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining whether the handwritten annotation is executable.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising automatically preventing execution of the command associated with the handwritten annotation based at least on the effect execution of the command will have on the layout of the document, the conditions for automatically disabling execution are user-defined.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising adjusting a layout of the document based at least in part upon executing the command associated with the handwritten annotation and the user-specified level of granularity.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising undoing the executed command associated with the handwritten annotation and adding the undone command to a redo map, the redo map facilitates redoing the undone command by selecting the command from the redo map.

20. The method of claim 19, undoing the executed command associated with the handwritten annotation includes selecting the executed command from a non-linear group of previously executed commands.