Methods and systems for interacting with a digital marking surface

• US 9,811,238 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2013
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Henerlau, Paul R., Owen, James E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): El Seoud, Mohamed Abou
• Application Number:
  US14/014,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20150067593A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,531 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention relate to methods and systems for interacting with a digital marking surface, in particular, to methods and systems for deactivating an ink tool. According to a first aspect of the present invention, a tap gesture, or other gesture, on an ink mark associated with an ink tool may deactivate the ink tool, if the ink tool is active. According to a second aspect of the present invention, a deactivation ink tool may effectuate the deactivation of an active ink tool when a first ink mark associated with the deactivation ink tool is placed on a first ink mark associated with the active ink tool. According to a third aspect of the present invention, a deactivation ink tool may effectuate the deactivation of an active ink tool when an ink mark associated with the deactivation ink tool is placed on a user-input solicitation mechanism associated with the active ink tool. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a deactivation ink tool may effectuate the deactivation of an active ink tool when an ink mark associated with the deactivation ink tool is placed on an otherwise unmarked portion of a digital marking surface.

Claims

1. A method for deactivating a content-manipulative ink tool pending on a digital marking-surface system, the method comprising:

receiving an ink unit on a digital marking surface of the digital marking-surface system;

determining whether the ink unit is of a shape associated with a deactivation ink tool; and

when the ink unit is of a shape associated with a deactivation ink tool;

identifying preexisting ink-unit content, wherein the preexisting ink-unit content;

is intersected by the ink unit;

graphically indicates, on the digital marking surface, intersected handwritten ink content provisionally to be manipulated via the content-manipulative ink tool;

is defined by a motion of a digital marking device along the digital marking surface between a digit-down-action or pen-down-action location and a digit-up-action or pen-up-action location of the digital marking device;

is associated with the content-manipulative ink tool, wherein the content-manipulative ink tool is configured to, in response to receiving a selection of an item from the content-manipulative ink tool, modify the intersected content; and

is displayed concurrently with the ink unit on the digital marking surface;

determining whether a user-input solicitation mechanism offering selection for the content-manipulative ink tool is displayed as a menu on the digital marking surface in conjunction with the preexisting ink-unit content; and

when a user-input solicitation mechanism offering selection for the content-manipulative ink tool is displayed as a menu on the digital marking surface in conjunction with the preexisting ink-unit content;

canceling the user-input solicitation mechanism; and

deactivating the content-manipulative ink tool.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein deactivating the content-manipulative ink tool includes removing the preexisting ink-unit content from the digital marking surface.

3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein canceling the user-input solicitation mechanism includes removing the user-input solicitation mechanism from the digital marking surface.

4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the digital marking surface is part of a combined input/display device, and wherein the combined input/display device supports user placement of a digital ink mark on the digital marking surface.

5. A method for deactivating a content-manipulative ink tool pending on a digital marking-surface system, the method comprising:

receiving an ink unit on a digital marking surface of the digital marking-surface system;

determining whether the ink unit is of a shape associated with a deactivation ink tool; and

when the ink unit is of a shape associated with a deactivation ink tool;

identifying a preexisting user-input solicitation mechanism displayed as a menu on the digital marking surface, offering selection for the content-manipulative ink tool, and intersected by the ink unit, the content-manipulative ink tool being associated with a preexisting ink-tool mark, wherein the preexisting ink-tool mark;

graphically indicates, on the digital marking surface, handwritten ink content provisionally to be manipulated via the content-manipulative ink tool;

is defined by a motion of a digital marking device along the digital marking surface between a pen-down-action location and a pen-up-action location of the digital marking device;

is associated with the content-manipulative ink tool, wherein the content-manipulative ink tool is configured to, in response to receiving a selection of an item from the preexisting user-input solicitation mechanism, modify the intersected content; and

is displayed concurrently with the ink unit on the digital marking surface; and

canceling the preexisting user-input solicitation mechanism; and

deactivating the content-manipulative ink tool.

6. A method as described in claim 5, wherein deactivating the content-manipulative ink tool includes removing the preexisting ink-tool mark associated with the content-manipulative ink tool from the digital marking surface.

7. A method as described in claim 5, wherein canceling the preexisting user-input solicitation mechanism includes removing the preexisting user-input solicitation mechanism from the digital marking surface.

8. A method as described in claim 5, wherein the digital-marking-surface system comprises a combined input/display device, and wherein the combined input/display device supports user placement of a digital ink mark on a digital marking surface.

9. A method for deactivating a content-manipulative ink tool pending on a digital marking-surface system, the method comprising:

receiving an ink unit on a digital marking surface of the digital marking-surface system;

determining whether the ink unit is of a shape associated with a deactivation ink tool; and

when the ink unit is of a shape associated with a deactivation ink tool;

determining whether the ink unit intersects content on the digital marking surface; and

when the ink unit intersects no content on the digital marking surface;

determining whether a user-input solicitation mechanism offering selection for the content-manipulative ink tool is displayed as a menu on the digital marking surface, the content-manipulative ink tool being associated with a preexisting ink-tool mark, wherein the preexisting ink-tool mark;

graphically indicates, on the digital marking surface, handwritten ink content provisionally to be manipulated via the content-manipulative ink tool;

is defined by a motion of a digital marking device along the digital marking surface between a pen-down-action location and a pen-up-action location of the digital marking device;

is associated with the content-manipulative ink tool, wherein the content-manipulative ink tool is configured to, in response to receiving a selection of an item from the content-manipulative ink tool, modify the content; and

is displayed concurrently with the ink unit on the digital marking surface; and

when a user-input solicitation mechanism offering selection for the content-manipulative ink tool is displayed as a menu on the digital marking surface;

canceling the user-input solicitation mechanism; and

deactivating the content-manipulative ink tool.

10. A method as described in claim 9, wherein deactivating the content-manipulative ink tool includes removing the preexisting ink-tool mark associated with the ink tool from the digital marking surface.

11. A method as described in claim 9, wherein canceling the user-interface solicitation mechanism includes removing the user-interface solicitation mechanism from the digital marking surface.

12. A method as described in claim 9, wherein the digital-marking-surface system comprises a combined input/display device, wherein the combined input/display device supports user placement of a digital ink mark on the digital marking surface.