Electronically capturing handwritten data

• US 8,115,748 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2010
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SendSig, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: ADS Software Mgmt LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Clary, Gregory J
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Srilakshmi K
• Application Number:
  US12/818,646
• Publication Number:
  US 20100309131A1
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 178/18.05, 178/18.09, 178/19.01, 178/20.01
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for electronically capturing handwritten data using a computing device having a handwriting capture interface. The method includes detecting a position associated with an actuation of the handwriting capture interface to define a handwritten input, and defining a bounding box encompassing at least a portion of individual strokes of the handwritten input. In addition, the method includes storing the handwritten input and the bounding box.

Claims

1. A method for capturing handwritten data, the method comprising:

detecting, at a computing device comprising a handwriting capture interface, a first position and movement associated with an actuation of the handwriting capture interface to define a handwritten input;

in response to detecting the first position and movement associated with the actuation, defining at least one bounding box encompassing at least a portion of individual strokes of the handwritten input, wherein a size of the at least one bounding box is based on the first position and movement associated with the actuation; and

in response to defining the at least one bounding box, storing the handwritten input and the at least one bounding box.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the first position and movement associated with the actuation comprises sampling the first position and movement associated with the actuation to form a coordinate representation of individual strokes of the handwritten input.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining at least one baseline for individual strokes of the handwritten input.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining at least one baseline comprises at least one of detecting a second position and movement associated with the actuation to locate the at least one baseline or receiving an output from a keypad.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one baseline comprises at least a portion of the at least one bounding box.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising modifying the size of the at least one bounding box, wherein at least a portion of the at least one bounding box comprises at least a portion of the at least one baseline.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises a pen-enabled computing device.

5. A method for capturing handwritten data, the method comprising:

detecting, at a computing device comprising a handwriting capture interface, a first position and movement associated with an actuation of the handwriting capture interface to define a handwritten input, wherein detecting the first position and movement associated with the actuation comprises sampling the first position and movement associated with the actuation to form a coordinate representation of individual strokes of the handwritten input;

in response to detecting the first position and movement associated with the actuation, defining at least one bounding box encompassing at least a portion of individual strokes of the handwritten input, wherein a size of the at least one bounding box is based on the first position and movement associated with the actuation;

storing the handwritten input and the at least one bounding box; and

determining at least one baseline for individual strokes of the handwritten input, wherein the determining at least one baseline comprises detecting changes in a one-dimensional histogram comprising an axis having a number of predetermined points along the axis, wherein the histogram comprises a count for individual predetermined points along the axis, the count defining the individual strokes of the handwritten input that pass through the individual predetermined points along the axis, wherein the at least one baseline is determined relative to a point along the axis corresponding to at least one predetermined point having a large count relative to other predetermined points.

9. A computing device apparatus comprising:

a handwriting capture interface;

a memory element configured to store information associated with signals received from the capture interface; and

a processing device configured to be in communication with the memory element, wherein the processing device is configured to;

detect a first position and movement associated with an actuation of the handwriting capture interface to form a handwritten input;

in response to detection of the first position and movement associated with the actuation, define at least one bounding box encompassing at least a portion of individual strokes of the handwritten input, wherein a size of the at least one bounding box is based on the first position and movement associated with the actuation; and

in response to defining the at least one bounding box, store the handwritten input and the at least one bounding box in the memory element.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processing device is further configured to sample the first position and movement associated with the actuation of the handwriting capture interface to form a coordinate representation of individual strokes of the handwritten input.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processing device is further configured to determine at least one baseline for individual strokes of the handwritten input, and the at least one baseline comprises a location and at least a portion of the at least one bounding box.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing device is further configured to at least one of detect a second position and movement associated with the actuation to define the location of the at least one baseline or receive an output from a keypad to define the location of the at least one baseline.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one baseline comprises at least a portion of the at least one bounding box.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising modifying the size of the at least one bounding box, wherein at least a portion of the bounding box comprises at least a portion of the at least one baseline.

13. A computing device apparatus comprising:

a handwriting capture interface;

a memory element configured to store information associated with signals received from the capture interface; and

a processing device configured to be in communication with the memory element, wherein the processing device is configured to;

detect a first position and movement associated with an actuation of the handwriting capture interface to form a handwritten input;

in response to detection of the first position and movement associated with the actuation, define at least one bounding box encompassing at least a portion of individual strokes of the handwritten input, wherein a size of the at least one bounding box is based on the first position and movement associated with the actuation;

store the handwritten input and the at least one bounding box in the memory element;

sample the first position and movement associated with the actuation of the handwriting capture interface to form a coordinate representation of individual strokes of the handwritten input;

determine at least one baseline for individual strokes of the handwritten input, and the at least one baseline comprises a location and at least a portion of the at least one bounding box, wherein the location of the at least one baseline is based on changes in a one-dimensional histogram comprising an axis having a number of predetermined points along the axis, wherein the histogram comprises a count for individual predetermined points along the axis, the count defining the individual strokes of the handwritten input that pass through the individual predetermined points along the axis, wherein the location of the at least one baseline is determined relative to a point along the axis corresponding to the predetermined point having a large count relative to other predetermined points.

16. A tangible computer readable medium configured to store instructions configured to cause a computing device to perform operations comprising:

detecting a first motion associated with an actuation of a handwriting capture interface in communication with the computing device to define a handwritten input comprising a coordinate representation of individual strokes of the handwritten input;

in response to detecting the first motion associated with the actuation, defining at least one bounding box encompassing at least a portion of individual strokes of the handwritten input, wherein a size of the at least one bounding box is based on the first motion associated with the actuation; and

in response to defining the at least one bounding box, storing the handwritten input and the at least one bounding box.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, further configured to cause the computing device to perform operations comprising determining a location of at least one baseline based on the coordinate representation of individual strokes of the handwritten input.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the determining the location comprises at least one of detecting a second motion of the actuation to define the location or receiving an output from a keypad to define to the location.

19. A tangible computer readable medium configured to store instructions configured to cause a computing device to perform operations comprising:

detecting a first motion associated with an actuation of a handwriting capture interface in communication with the computing device to define a handwritten input comprising a coordinate representation of individual strokes of the handwritten input;

in response to detecting the first motion associated with the actuation, defining at least one bounding box encompassing at least a portion of individual strokes of the handwritten input, wherein a size of the at least one bounding box is based on the first motion associated with the actuation;

storing the handwritten input and the at least one bounding box; and

determining a location of at least one baseline based on the coordinate representation of individual strokes of the handwritten input, wherein the determining the location comprises detecting changes in a one-dimensional histogram comprising an axis having a number of predetermined points along the axis, wherein the histogram comprises a count for individual predetermined points along the axis, the count defining the individual strokes of the handwritten input that pass through the individual predetermined points along the axis, wherein the at least one baseline is determined relative to a point along the axis corresponding to at least one predetermined point having a large count relative to other predetermined points.