Method and system for processing information relating to active regions of a page of physical document

• US 8,196,041 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2007
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Carro, Fernando Incertis
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): TANK, ANDREW L
• Application Number:
  US11/842,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20080017422A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,750 Days
• Field of Search: 715/702, 715/704, 715760-761, 715/768, 715/783, 715/810, 715/823, 715/835, 715846-847, 715/866, 715/763, 715/781, 715/790, 715/793, 715/863
• US Class Current: 715/702
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0441 using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for receiving changes in electrical potential transmitted by the digitiser, e.g. tablet driving signals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• 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 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A method and system for processing information relating to active regions of a page of physical document. A transparent electro-luminescent tablet or other touch sensitive plate is coupled to a workstation and positioned over the page. Active regions traced on the page by a first user are received from the tablet or plate by a workstation and recorded in an active regions table within the workstation. Information recorded in the active regions table include: identification of the active regions and associated hyperlinks received by the workstation from the first user; and geometric coordinates defining an outline of each active region. The workstation receives from a second user coordinates pertaining to a point within at least one active region, from which and from information in the active regions table, the workstation identifies the at least one active region and displays its associated hyperlinks on a computer screen of the workstation.

Claims

1. A method for processing information relating to active regions of a page of physical document so that a user can access corresponding information via a workstation, said method comprising:

recording in an active regions table within the workstation, an identification of the page of the physical document, said page having been identified to the workstation by a first user after the first user positioned a transparent electro-luminescent tablet or other touch sensitive plate over the page, said tablet or plate being coupled to the workstation;

receiving, by the workstation from the tablet or plate, a plurality of active regions traced on the page by the first user;

after said receiving the plurality of active regions traced on the page by the first user, receiving, by the workstation from the first user, an identification of each active region of the plurality of active regions and at least one hyperlink associated with each active region of the plurality of active regions;

after said receiving the plurality of active regions traced on the page by the first user and after said receiving the identification of each active region and the associated at least one hyperlink, said workstation recording information in the active regions table, wherein the information comprises said identification of each active region of the plurality of active regions, geometric coordinates defining an outline of each active region of the plurality of active regions, and the at least one hyperlink associated each active region of the plurality of active regions;

after said recording information, receiving by the workstation identifying coordinates of only one point on the tablet or page that was pointed to by a second user while the only one point was aligned over a single point on the page, wherein at least one active region of the plurality of active regions comprises the single point;

identifying, by the workstation through use of the received identifying coordinates and the information recorded in the active regions table, the at least one active region comprising the single point; and

displaying on a computer screen of the workstation, the at least one hyperlink associated with each active region of the identified at least one active region.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one active region comprises at least two active regions of the plurality of active regions, and wherein the single point is common to overlapping portions of the at least two active regions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one active region consists of one active region of the plurality of active regions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information further comprises text relating to each hyperlink of the at least one hyperlink associated with each active region of the plurality of active regions, and wherein said displaying further comprises displaying the recorded text relating to each hyperlink of the at least one hyperlink associated with each active region of the identified at least one active region.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said displaying further comprises displaying the identification of the page of the physical document and an ISBN number of the physical document, and wherein said displaying further comprises displaying the identification of the page and the ISBN number.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises recording in the active regions table:

a title of the physical document, a publisher of the physical document, and an internet address of the publisher.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user and the second user are different users.

8. A computer program product, comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program instructions embodied therein, said computer readable program instructions configured to be executed by a processor of a workstation to implement a method for processing information relating to active regions of a page of physical document so that a user can access corresponding information via the workstation, said method comprising:

recording in an active regions table within the workstation, an identification of the page of the physical document, said page having been identified to the workstation by a first user after the first user positioned a transparent electro-luminescent tablet or other touch sensitive plate over the page, said tablet or plate being coupled to the workstation;

receiving, by the workstation from the tablet or plate, a plurality of active regions traced on the page by the first user;

after said receiving the plurality of active regions traced on the page by the first user, receiving, by the workstation from the first user, an identification of each active region of the plurality of active regions and at least one hyperlink associated with each active region of the plurality of active regions;

after said receiving the plurality of active regions traced on the page by the first user and after said receiving the identification of each active region and the associated at least one hyperlink, said workstation recording information in the active regions table, wherein the information comprises said identification of each active region of the plurality of active regions, geometric coordinates defining an outline of each active region of the plurality of active regions, and the at least one hyperlink associated each active region of the plurality of active regions;

after said recording information, receiving by the workstation identifying coordinates of only one point on the tablet or page that was pointed to by a second user while the only one point was aligned over a single point on the page, wherein at least one active region of the plurality of active regions comprises the single point;

identifying, by the workstation through use of the received identifying coordinates and the information recorded in the active regions table, the at least one active region comprising the single point; and

displaying on a computer screen of the workstation, the at least one hyperlink associated with each active region of the identified at least one active region.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the at least one active region comprises at least two active regions of the plurality of active regions, and wherein the single point is common to overlapping portions of the at least two active regions.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the at least one active region consists of one active region of the plurality of active regions.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the information further comprises text relating to each hyperlink of the at least one hyperlink associated with each active region of the plurality of active regions, and wherein said displaying further comprises displaying the recorded text relating to each hyperlink of the at least one hyperlink associated with each active region of the identified at least one active region.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein said displaying further comprises displaying the identification of the page of the physical document and an ISBN number of the physical document, and wherein said displaying further comprises displaying the identification of the page and the ISBN number.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises recording in the active regions table:

a title of the physical document, a publisher of the physical document, and an internet address of the publisher.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the first user and the second user are different users.

15. A computer system comprising a workstation that includes a computer readable storage medium containing program instructions configured to be executed by a processor of the workstation to implement a method for processing information relating to active regions of a page of physical document so that a user can access corresponding information via the workstation, said method comprising:

recording in an active regions table within the workstation, an identification of the page of the physical document, said page having been identified to the workstation by a first user after the first user positioned a transparent electro-luminescent tablet or other touch sensitive plate over the page, said tablet or plate being coupled to the workstation;

receiving, by the workstation from the tablet or plate, a plurality of active regions traced on the page by the first user;

after said receiving the plurality of active regions traced on the page by the first user, receiving, by the workstation from the first user, an identification of each active region of the plurality of active regions and at least one hyperlink associated with each active region of the plurality of active regions;

after said receiving the plurality of active regions traced on the page by the first user and after said receiving the identification of each active region and the associated at least one hyperlink, said workstation recording information in the active regions table, wherein the information comprises said identification of each active region of the plurality of active regions, geometric coordinates defining an outline of each active region of the plurality of active regions, and the at least one hyperlink associated each active region of the plurality of active regions;

after said recording information, receiving by the workstation identifying coordinates of only one point on the tablet or page that was pointed to by a second user while the only one point was aligned over a single point on the page, wherein at least one active region of the plurality of active regions comprises the single point;

identifying, by the workstation through use of the received identifying coordinates and the information recorded in the active regions table, the at least one active region comprising the single point; and

displaying on a computer screen of the workstation, the at least one hyperlink associated with each active region of the identified at least one active region.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the at least one active region comprises at least two active regions of the plurality of active regions, and wherein the single point is common to overlapping portions of the at least two active regions.

17. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the at least one active region consists of one active region of the plurality of active regions.

18. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the information further comprises text relating to each hyperlink of the at least one hyperlink associated with each active region of the plurality of active regions, and wherein said displaying further comprises displaying the recorded text relating to each hyperlink of the at least one hyperlink associated with each active region of the identified at least one active region.

19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein said displaying further comprises displaying the identification of the page of the physical document and an ISBN number of the physical document, and wherein said displaying further comprises displaying the identification of the page and the ISBN number.

20. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises recording in the active regions table:

a title of the physical document, a publisher of the physical document, and an internet address of the publisher.

21. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the first user and the second user are a same user.