Overlaying electronic ink

• US 8,166,388 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gounares, Alexander, Dodge, Steve, Zielinski, Tobiasz A., Goldberg, Arin J., Tsimberg, Eugene A., Torset, Todd A., Chambers, Robert L., Kannapel, Timothy H., Balaz, Rudolph, Bhattacharyay, Subha, Biswas, Manoj K., Dresevic, Bodin, Fisher, Stephen A., Krantz, Brigette E., Somji, Shiraz M.
• Primary Examiner(s): STORK, KYLE R
• Application Number:
  US10/183,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20030217336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,588 Days
• Field of Search: 715/500.1, 715/517, 715/513, 715/540, 715/541, 715/523, 715/530, 715/230, 715/231, 715/233, 715/234, 715/243, 715/254, 455/556.2, 455/566
• US Class Current: 715/230
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/171 by use of digital ink
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1423 the instrument generating sequences of position coordinates corresponding to handwriting preprocessing or recognising digital ink G06V30/32

Abstract

Overlaying electronic ink over a document. A typical scenario may be where one it would be useful to mark up a document with electronic ink, such as by making handwritten comments, drawings, and the like over the underlying document. In some embodiments, a developer may easily define an inking surface, such as a transparent or opaque window, over a document. The inking surface may act as an input interface such that a user may write onto the inking surface such that is appears that the document itself is being marked up.

Claims

1. A method for overlaying ink on a document, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying the document in a first window, the first window having a handle;

generating a transparent second window over the first window;

attaching the second window to the handle of the first window;

collecting ink data in the second window; and

rendering the ink data as rendered ink in the second window.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second window has an opaque border.

3. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of:

generating a first event during the step of rendering; and

generating a second event upon the step of rendering being completed.

4. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of:

receiving a request from a software application separate from the second window to delete at least a portion of the rendered ink;

generating a first event in response to the request;

deleting the at least the portion of the rendered ink; and

generating a second event upon the step of deleting being completed.

5. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of:

receiving a request from a software application separate from the second window to select at least a portion of the rendered ink;

selecting the at least the portion of the rendered ink; and

storing a reference to the at least the portion of the ink.

6. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of:

selecting at least a portion of the rendered ink;

receiving a request from a software application separate from the second window to change the at least the portion of the rendered ink;

generating a first event in response to the request;

changing the at least the portion of the rendered ink; and

generating a second event upon the step of changing being completed.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of changing includes changing an amount of the at least the portion of the rendered ink that is selected.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of changing includes changing the at least the portion of the rendered ink to another at least a portion of the rendered ink.

9. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 1.

10. The method of claim 1, further including a step of a software application that corresponds to the first window requesting generation of the second window.

11. The method of claim 1, further including setting a property that is associated with the second window and that represents the handle of the first window.

12. The method of claim 1, further including reading a property that is associated with the second window and that represents whether the second window is in an ink-only collection mode, a gesture-only collection mode, or a gesture-and-ink collection mode.

13. The method of claim 1, further including a step of a software application separate from the second window selecting at least a portion of the ink data in the second window.

14. The method of claim 1, further including a step of a software application separate from the second window requesting to modify at least a portion of the ink data in the second window.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the ink data defines a command, and further including a step of modifying a content of the document in accordance with the command.

15. A method for overlaying ink on a document, the document being displayed in a first window, the first window having a handle, the method comprising the steps of:

generating a second window, the second window being at least partially transparent and being generated over at least a portion of the document;

attaching the second window to the handle of the first window;

collecting ink data in the second window in a location over the at least the portion of the document; and

rendering the ink data as rendered ink,

wherein the ink data defines a command, and further including a step of modifying a content of the document in accordance with the command.

17. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

displaying a document in a first window associated with a software application;

the software application using an application programming interface to request that a transparent second window be generated over the document;

receiving stylus input directed to the second window;

generating ink data from the stylus input; and

rendering the ink data as rendered ink in the second window over the document.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the stylus input is made on a touch-sensitive display, and wherein the step of rendering includes rendering the ink data on the touch-sensitive display.