Incorporated handwriting input experience for textboxes

• US 8,255,822 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2007
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Markiewicz, Jan-Kristian, Kotipali, Krishna, Garside, Adrian James, Murayama, Takanobu, Dziadosz, Susan E., Keely, Leroy B., Alphin, Thomas H., Wick, Thomas Randall, Schultz, Tracy Dianne
• Primary Examiner(s): HAILU, TADESSE
• Application Number:
  US11/963,774
• Publication Number:
  US 20090159342A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,712 Days
• Field of Search: 178/18.01, 715/808, 715/768, 715/863, 715/780, 715/858, 715/815, 715/866, 715/711, 715/264, 382/188, 708/160
• US Class Current: 715/780
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof

Abstract

Textboxes are provided to support both standard textbox operations and handwriting input. A textbox may be displayed as a standard textbox, receive input from a keyboard, a pointing device (e.g., a mouse), and/or a handheld writing device (e.g., an electronic pen or stylus), and interpret the input to perform standard textbox operations. Based on various user actions, the textbox is displayed as an enlarged textbox that provides a writing surface for receiving input from the handheld writing device that is interpreted as handwriting input. Text is recognized from the handwriting input, and the text from the enlarged textbox is synchronized with the textbox.

Claims

1. One or more computer-storage media embodying computer-useable instructions for performing a method comprising:

displaying a textbox configured to receive input from a handheld writing device, wherein all input received from the handheld writing device in the textbox is interpreted as one or more standard textbox operations and not as handwriting input;

based on one or more user actions, displaying an expanded textbox over the textbox, wherein the expanded textbox covers the textbox and is configured to receive input from the handheld writing device, wherein all input received from the handheld writing device in the expanded textbox is interpreted as handwriting input that is initially displayed as digital ink within the expanded textbox and then converted to text within the expanded textbox after the digital ink has been recognized as the text using a recognizer; and

based on a location of the textbox, determining an alignment of the expanded textbox relative to the textbox.

2. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 1, wherein the expanded textbox is left-aligned with the textbox if a left edge of the text box is located on the left side of a display or if both the left edge and a right edge of the text box are located within a predetermined distance from a left edge of the display.

3. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 1, wherein the expanded textbox is left-aligned with the textbox and a left edge of the expanded textbox is indented a predetermined distance from a left edge of the textbox.

4. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 1, wherein an expanded textbox icon is located adjacent to the textbox, wherein the expanded textbox icon is a graphical user interface element configured to receive a user selection and cause the expanded textbox to be displayed in place of the textbox.

5. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 4, wherein a minimize icon is located adjacent to the expanded textbox, wherein the minimize icon is a graphical user interface element configured to receive a user selection and cause the textbox to be displayed in place of the expanded textbox.

6. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 1, wherein the one or more standard textbox operations comprise one or more of:

text select, cut, copy, paste, delete, and undo.

7. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 1, wherein the expanded textbox is configured to grow as a user continues to write using the handheld writing device.

8. The one or more computer-storage media of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises automatically synchronizing the text between the expanded textbox and the textbox.

9. A method for providing handwriting input to a textbox, the method comprising:

displaying the textbox configured to receive input from a keyboard, a mouse, and a handheld writing device, wherein all input received from the handheld writing device in the textbox is interpreted to perform standard textbox operations and not as handwriting input;

displaying text within the textbox based on input received from the keyboard;

based on one or more user actions, displaying a writing surface over the textbox, wherein the writing surface is presented as an enlarged textbox-covering the textbox, and wherein the text from the textbox is displayed within the writing surface;

determining an alignment of the writing surface relative to the textbox based on a location of the textbox;

receiving input from the handheld writing device within the writing surface, wherein all input received from the handheld writing device in the enlarged text box is interpreted as handwriting input;

initially displaying digital ink within the writing surface based on the handwriting input;

replacing display of the digital ink with display of further text identified from the handwriting input using a recognizer, wherein the further text is displayed with the text from the textbox; and

automatically synchronizing the further text from the writing surface with the textbox.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein displaying the writing surface over the textbox comprises left-aligning the writing surface with the textbox.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises expanding the writing surface to the right as the input from the handheld writing device is received to provide more space for a user to continue to write within the writing surface using the handheld writing device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the displaying the writing surface over the textbox comprises indenting a left edge of the writing surface a predetermined distance from a left edge of the textbox.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises receiving one or more corrections to the further text within the writing surface from the handheld writing device and correcting the further text within the writing surface.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises displaying an expanded textbox icon adjacent to the textbox, and wherein the one or more user actions include receiving a user selection of the expanded textbox icon.

15. One or more computer-storage media embodying computer-useable instructions for performing a method comprising:

displaying a textbox in a first state, wherein the textbox is displayed as a standard textbox and is configured to receive input from a keyboard and a pointing device, wherein all input received from the pointing device in the textbox is interpreted as standard textbox operations and not handwriting input;

based on one or more first user actions, displaying the textbox in a second state, wherein the textbox in the second state is configured to receive a first input from a handheld writing device and interpret the first input from the handheld writing device as standard textbox operations, and wherein an icon is displayed adjacent to the textbox, the icon allowing the textbox to be displayed in a third state when the icon is selected; and

based on one or more second user actions, displaying the textbox in the third state by displaying a writing surface over the textbox, wherein the writing surface covers the textbox and is configured to receive a second input from the handheld writing device and interpret the second input from the handheld writing device as handwriting input, an alignment of the writing surface relative to the textbox being based on a location of the textbox, and wherein text is synchronized between the writing surface and the textbox.

16. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the writing surface is left-aligned with the textbox.

17. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein a left edge of the writing surface is indented a predetermined distance from a left edge of the textbox.

18. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the one or more second user actions comprises receiving a selection of the icon.

19. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein a second icon is displayed adjacent to the writing surface when the textbox is displayed in the third state, wherein the textbox is displayed in the second state when the second icon is selected.