Utility object for specialized data entry

• US 8,745,528 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2009
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Feldman, Kyril, Chambers, Robert L, Dodge, Steve, Murayama, Takanobu, Zielinski, Tobias, Torset, Todd A, Wick, Thomas R, Garside, Adrian J
• Primary Examiner(s): Sax, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LE V
• Application Number:
  US12/358,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20090150776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,957 Days
• Field of Search: 715/769, 715/864, 715804-805
• US Class Current: 715/804
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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

An object is associated with one or more controls in a software application. An object associated with a control determines the operation of the data entry user interface when the data entry user interface is being employed to enter data into the control. More particularly, the object may communicate interface e characteristics to a component that is responsible for providing the user interface to the user. Such a component may be, for example, a shared software module that renders the user interface on a display, receives input data from the user through the user interface, and routes the entered data to a designated destination. Alternately, the object itself may create a user interface having the specified characteristics.

Claims

1. A computer generated user interface for accepting handwritten ink, the user interface comprising:

a first region for accepting, on a hardware display, handwritten ink associated with a pen; and

a second region whose contents are controlled by configuring one or more objects associated with said user interface, the one or more objects controlling a placement of the user interface near at least one of at least two insertion points, each of the at least two insertion points being in a respective insertion region, each insertion region being associated respectively with an edit control,

wherein the one or more objects specifying an offset of the first and second regions from the respective edit controls, and the one or more objects determining an input language and a handwriting surface and a keyboard surface for at least one of the at least two insertion points, the handwriting surface and keyboard surface corresponding to the input language, and

wherein the handwritten ink being sent to at least one of the at least two insertion points directly upon the pen moving at least a predetermined distance from a surface on which the user interface is displayed and without additional interaction between the pen and the user interface;

wherein said handwritten ink is converted into text and said text is inserted into at least one of the respective insertion regions; and

wherein the one or more objects provide instructions to position the user interface within an area of the at least one of the respective edit controls when the user interface cannot be positioned above or below the at least one of the respective edit controls, the instructions based on the size of the at least one of the respective edit controls.

2. The user interface according to claim 1, wherein said offset includes a vertical offset.

3. The user interface according to claim 1, wherein said offset includes a reference to a horizontal boundary of at least one of the respective edit controls.

4. The user interface according to claim 1, wherein the offset is a default offset.

5. The user interface according to claim 1, wherein the offset is definable by a developer.

6. The user interface according to claim 1, wherein said handwritten ink is inserted in at least one of the respective insertion regions.

7. The user interface according to claim 1, further comprising a third region, upon whose interaction, sends said handwritten ink in said first region to at least one of the at least two insertion points.

8. The user interface according to claim 1, wherein said one or more objects is modifiable by a developer.