Method for handling objects representing annotations on an interactive input system and interactive input system executing the method

• US 8,972,891 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2011
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smart Technologies ULC (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Smart Technologies ULC (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Garin, Alexander, Pham, Ann Dang, Rounding, Kathryn, Tsang, Kenny, Willekes, Tom
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US13/076,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20110265034A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,433 Days
• Field of Search: 715/805, 715/810, 715802-804, 715/813, 715/814, 715/702, 715/863
• US Class Current: 715/805
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04109 FTIR in optical digitiser, i.e. touch detection by frustrating the total internal reflection within an optical waveguide due to changes of optical properties or deformation at the touch location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/36 Matching; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/40 Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition

Abstract

An interactive input system, method and computer readable medium for handling objects representing annotations on an interactive input system are disclosed. The method includes creating an annotation on the interactive input system, associating the annotation with a temporary grouping region, and in the event that a threshold amount of time passes before a further annotation is created within a threshold distance of the temporary grouping region, disabling the temporary grouping region to thereafter prevent automatic grouping with the annotation of any further annotation.

Claims

1. A method of handling objects representing annotations displayed on an interactive surface, comprising:

creating a first annotation using a first input stream from a first user and displaying the first annotation on the interactive surface;

creating a second annotation using a second input stream from a second user, at least partially concurrently with said first annotation and displaying the second annotation on the interactive surface;

associating the first annotation with a first temporary grouping region of the interactive surface;

associating the second annotation with a second temporary grouping region of the interactive surface;

within a threshold amount of time following creation of the first and second annotations,

creating a new further annotation using a new input stream from a third user and displaying the new further annotation on the interactive surface within a threshold distance of at least one of the first and second temporary grouping regions,

comparing an identifier of the first and second input streams used to create the first and second annotations with an identifier of the new input stream used to create the new further annotation,

in the event that the identifier of the first input stream and the identifier of the new stream are the same, associating the new further annotation with the first temporary grouping region,

in the event that the identifier of the second input stream and the identifier of the new input stream are the same, associating the new further annotation with the second temporary grouping region, and

otherwise in the event that the identifier of the new input stream is different than the identifiers of the first and second input streams, associating the new further annotation with a third temporary grouping region of the interactive surface; and

in the event that the threshold amount of time passes before the new further annotation is created and displayed on the interactive surface within the threshold distance of the at least one of the first and second temporary grouping regions, disabling the first and second temporary grouping regions to thereafter prevent automatic grouping of any new further annotation with the first and second annotations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second temporary grouping regions are bounding rectangles encompassing at least the first and second annotations, respectively.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a user is permitted to manually associate either the first or second annotation with the new further annotation.

3. An interactive input system comprising:

a display surface; and

processing structure communicating with the display surface, the processing structure being configured to;

create a first annotation using a first input stream from a first user and cause display of the first annotation on the interactive surface;

create a second annotation using a second input stream from a second user, at least partially concurrently with said first annotation and cause display of the second annotation on the interactive surface;

associate the first annotation with a first temporary grouping region of the interactive surface;

associate the second annotation with a second temporary grouping region of the interactive surface;

within a threshold amount of time following creation of the first and second annotations,

create a new further annotation using a new input stream from a third user and cause the display of the new further annotation on the interactive surface within a threshold distance of at least one of the first and second temporary grouping regions,

compare an identifier of the first and second input streams used to create the first and second annotations with an identifier of the new input stream used to create the new further annotation,

in the event that the identifier of the first input stream and the identifier of the new input stream are the same, associate the new further annotation with the first temporary grouping region,

in the event that the identifier of the second input stream and the identifier of the new input stream are the same, associate the new further annotation with the second temporary grouping region, and

otherwise in the event that the identifier of the new input stream is different than the identifiers of the first and second input streams, associate the new further annotation with a third temporary grouping region of the interactive surface; and

in the event that the threshold amount of time passes before the new further annotation is created and displayed on the interactive surface within the threshold distance of the at least one of the first and second temporary grouping regions, disabling the first and second temporary grouping regions to thereafter prevent automatic grouping of any new further annotation with the first and second annotations.

4. The interactive input system of claim 3, wherein the first and second temporary grouping regions are bounding rectangles encompassing at least the first and second annotations, respectively.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein a user is permitted to manually associate either the first or second annotation with the new further annotation.

5. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying a computer program for handling objects representing annotations displayed on an interactive surface, the computer program comprising:

computer program code for creating a first annotation using a first input stream from a first user and displaying the first annotation on the interactive surface;

computer program code for creating a second annotation using a second input stream from a second user, at least partially concurrently with said first annotation and displaying the second annotation on the interactive surface;

computer program code for associating the first annotation with a first temporary grouping region of the interactive surface;

computer program code for associating the second annotation with a second temporary grouping region of the interactive surface;

computer program code for, within a threshold amount of time following creation of the first and second annotations,

creating a new further annotation using a new input stream from a third user and displaying the new further annotation on the interactive surface within a threshold distance of at least one of the first and second temporary grouping regions,

comparing an identifier of the first and second input streams used to create the first and second annotations with an identifier of the new input stream used to create the new further annotation,

in the event that the identifier of the first input stream and the indentifier of the new input stream are the same, associating the new further annotation with the first temporary grouping region

in the event that the identifier of the second input stream and the identifier of the new input stream are the same, associating the new further annotation with the second temporary grouping region, and

otherwise in the event that the identifier of the new input stream is different than the identifiers of the first and second input streams, associating the new further annotation with a third temporary grouping region of the interactive surface; and

computer program code for disabling the first and second temporary grouping regions to thereafter prevent automatic grouping of any new further annotation with the first and second annotations, in the event that the threshold amount of time passes before the new further annotation is created and displayed on the interactive surface within the threshold distance of the at least one of the first and second temporary grouping regions.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 5, wherein a user is permitted to manually associate either the first or second annotation with the new further annotation.

9. An apparatus comprising:

an interactive surface;

memory storing executable instructions; and

a processing unit communicating with said interactive surface and said memory, said processing unit being configured to, upon execution of said executable instructions, cause said apparatus at least to;

create a first annotation using a first input stream from a first user and cause display of the first annotation on the interactive surface;

create a second annotation using a second input stream from a second user, at least partially concurrently with said first annotation and cause display of the second annotation on the interactive surface;

associate the first annotation with a first temporary grouping region of the interactive surface;

associate the second annotation with a second temporary grouping region of the interactive surface;

within a threshold amount of time following creation of the first and second annotations,

create a new further annotation using a new input stream from a third user and cause the display of the new further annotation on the interactive surface within a threshold distance of at least one of the first and second temporary grouping regions,

compare an identifier of the first and second input streams used to create the first and second annotations with an identifier of the new input stream used to create the new further annotation,

in the event that the identifier of the first input stream and the identifier of the new input stream are the same, associate the new further annotation with the first temporary grouping region,

in the event that the identifier of the second input stream and the identifier of the new input stream are the same, associate the new further annotation with the second temporary grouping region, and

otherwise in the event that the identifier of the new input stream is different than the identifiers of the first and second input streams, associate the new further annotation with a third temporary grouping region of the interactive surface; and

in the event that the threshold amount of time passes before the new further annotation is created and displayed on the interactive surface within the threshold distance of the at least one of the first and second temporary grouping regions, disabling the first and second temporary grouping regions to thereafter prevent automatic grouping of any new further annotation with the first and second annotations.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first and second temporary grouping regions are bounding rectangles encompassing at least the first and second annotations, respectively.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said processing unit is further configured to, upon execution of said executable instructions, cause said apparatus to permit a user to manually associate either the first or second annotation with the new further annotation.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said interactive surface is either horizontally oriented or vertically oriented.