Transmitting new data format under existing infrastructure

• US 8,370,525 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2001
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Sun, Jiming, Holmbo, Dennis L.
• Primary Examiner(s): BURGESS, BARBARA N
• Application Number:
  US09/822,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20020143994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,330 Days
• Field of Search: 709/246, 709/230, 709/236, 709/247, 382/244, 382/173, 347/92, 347/7, 347/209, 347/40, 347/19, 347/13, 347/41, 347/43, 347/251, 347/184, 347/2, 358/296, 358/502, 358/1.16, 358/527, 283/72, 283/95
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

A method and apparatus for implementing ink data communication between multiple parties using computing and/or communication devices on a network is disclosed. An electronic chat system comprising a hardware interface layer for receiving raw ink data from an input device, an ink management layer for processing the raw ink data into a form useable by a chat interface layer, and a network interface layer for transferring the processed ink data across a network to a chat interface layer on a remote computer.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor, including;

an encoder to encode handwritten input in an ink data format received from a handwriting input device into a string of data having an American Standard Code of Information Interchange (ASCII) format supported by a server having an instant message infrastructure, the ink data format representing the handwritten input as a plurality of x, y coordinate pairs and a corresponding plurality of instances in time, wherein each x, y coordinate pair indicates a position of the handwriting input device at a corresponding instant in time;

a packetizer coupled to the encoder to break the string of data into packets no larger than a maximum message size allowed by the instant message infrastructure, at least one packet having an ink message header identifying the string of data therein as part of an ink message, wherein the at least one packet is transmitted to the server supporting the ASCII format; and

a decoder to decode a received packet encoded in the ASCII format back into the handwritten input encoded in the ink data format, wherein the handwritten input in the ink data format further represents the handwritten input as a plurality of scale parameters and a plurality of ink strokes that include ink color and width.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the decoder comprises a detector to detect the ink message header and a converter to convert the string of data back into the handwritten input encoded in the ink data format.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the handwriting input device is one of a touch-screen, a digitizer, an electronic tablet, an electronic pen, a light pen, and a mouse.

4. An apparatus comprising:

a processor, including;

an encoder to encode handwritten input in an ink data format received from a handwriting input device into a string of data having an American Standard Code of Information Interchange (ASCII) format supported by a server having an instant message infrastructure, the ink data format representing the handwritten input as a plurality of x, y coordinate pairs and a corresponding plurality of instances in time, wherein each x, y coordinate pair indicates a position of the handwriting input device at a corresponding instant in time;

a packetizer coupled to the encoder to break the string of data into packets no larger than a maximum message size allowed by the instant messaging infrastructure, at least one packet having an ink message header identifying the string of data therein as part of an ink message; and

a management layer coupled to the packetizer to process the packetized string of data using a processing function, the processing function being enabled or disabled using a configuration user interface, wherein the processing function is one of a filtering, an interpolation, a smoothing, a data reduction, a compaction, a compression, an encryption, and a handwriting recognition; and

an interface layer coupled to the management layer to process the at least one packet into one of an instant messaging, a chat message, and an e-mail message.

5. A method comprising:

encoding handwriting input in an ink data format received from a handwriting input device into a string of data having an American Standard Code of Information Interchange (ASCII) format supported by a server having an instant message infrastructure, the ink data format representing the handwritten input as a plurality of x, y coordinate pairs and a corresponding plurality of instances in time, wherein each x, y coordinate pair indicates a position of the handwriting input device at a corresponding instant in time;

breaking the string of data into packets no larger than a maximum message size allowed by the instant messaging infrastructure, at least one packet having an ink message header identifying the string of data therein as part of an ink message, wherein the at least one packet is transmitted to the server supporting the ASCII format; and

decoding a received packet encoded in the ASCII format back into the handwritten input encoded in the ink data format, wherein the handwritten input in the ink data format further represents the handwritten input as a plurality of scale parameters and a plurality of ink strokes that include ink color and width.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the decoding comprises detecting the ink message header and converting the string of data into the handwritten input encoded in the ink data format.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the handwritten input in the ink data format is obtained from the handwriting device selected from a group consisting of a touch-screen, a digitizer, an electronic tablet, an electronic pen, a light pen, and a mouse.

8. A method comprising:

encoding handwriting input in an ink data format received from a handwriting input device into a string of data having an American Standard Code of Information Interchange (ASCII) format supported by a server having an instant message infrastructure, the ink data format representing the handwritten input as a plurality of x, y coordinate pairs and a corresponding plurality of instances in time, wherein each x, y coordinate pair indicates a position of the handwriting input device at a corresponding instant in time;

breaking the string of data into packets no larger than a maximum message size allowed by the instant messaging infrastructure, at least one packet having an ink message header identifying the string of data therein as part of an ink message; and

processing the string of data using a processing function, the processing function being enabled or disabled using a configuration user interface, wherein the processing function is one of a filtering, an interpolation, a smoothing, a data reduction, a compaction, a compression, an encryption, and a handwriting recognition; and

processing the at least one packet into one of an instant messaging, a chat message, and an e-mail message.

9. A computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer usable memory having computer program code embodied therein, the computer program product having;

computer readable program code for encoding handwritten input in a an ink data format received from a handwriting input device into a string of data having an American Standard Code of Information Interchange (ASCII) format supported by a server having an instant message infrastructure, the ink data format representing the handwritten input as a plurality of x, y coordinate pairs and a corresponding plurality of instances in time, wherein each x, y coordinate pair indicates a position of the handwriting input device at a corresponding instant in time;

computer readable program code for breaking the string of data into packets no larger than a maximum message size allowed by the instant messaging infrastructure, at least one packet having an ink message header identifying the string of data therein as part of an ink message, wherein the at least one packet is transmitted to the server supporting the ASCII format; and

computer readable program code for decoding a received packet encoded in the ASCII format back into the handwritten input encoded in the ink data format, wherein the handwritten input in the ink data format further represents the handwritten input as a plurality of scale parameters and a plurality of ink strokes that include ink color and width.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein the computer readable program code for decoding comprises computer readable program code for detecting the ink message header and converting the string of data into the handwritten input encoded in the ink data format.

11. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein the handwritten input in the ink data format is obtained from the handwriting device selected from a group consisting of a touch-screen, a digitizer, an electronic tablet, an electronic pen, a light pen, and a mouse.

12. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable memory having computer program code embodied therein, the computer program product having;

computer readable program code for encoding handwritten input in an ink data format received from a handwriting input device into a string of data having an American Standard Code of Information Interchange (ASCII) format supported by a server having an instant message infrastructure, the ink data format representing the handwritten input as a plurality of x, y coordinate pairs and a corresponding plurality of instances in time, wherein each x, y coordinate pair indicates a position of the handwriting input device at a corresponding instant in time;

computer readable program code for breaking the string of data into packets no larger than a maximum message size allowed by the instant messaging infrastructure, at least one packet having an ink message header identifying the string of data therein as part of an ink message; and

computer readable program code for processing the string of data using a processing function, the processing function being enabled or disabled using a configuration user interface, wherein the processing function is one of a filtering, an interpolation, a smoothing, a data reduction, a compaction, a compression, an encryption, and a handwriting recognition; and

computer readable program code for processing the at least one packet into one of an instant messaging, a chat message, and an e-mail message.