Hybrid information management system for handwriting and text
First Claim
1. A computer information system for handwriting and text, comprising:
- a) a computer including a non-volatile storage area and a display;
b) means, including a digitizing pen for indicating positional coordinate information of said pen as an image on said display when said pen is moved, and for initiating a plurality of commands to said computer based upon the position of said image on said display;
c) means for entering digital information into said computer;
d) means for entering handwritten and text information into said storage area and displaying said information on said display;
e) means for creating, in said storage area, handwriting files which accept handwritten information as well as text .[.and which can be calendar-sequenced upon user direction, and can have date indicia and positional format areas, said date indicia and said positional format areas being in a calendar format.].;
f) means for manipulating said handwritten and text information within and between said handwriting files in a plurality of different ways in accordance with said respective plurality of commands;
g) means for indexing, storing, retrieving, copying and deleting said handwriting files in said computer;
h) means for creating a program object image on said display, said program object image representing a visual element of a programming system, which is created by a command to said programming system, which appears as an image on said display, which possesses one of a plurality of programmer-controllable physical shapes or sizes, including that of a button object image, which can be moved to any location on said display, which can have program commands associated with it such that a program associated with said program object image can be activated by a user to perform specific program actions;
an improvement comprising;
i) means for allowing said user (1) to create, and place one or more of said program object images on an image of one of said handwriting files on said display, and (2) to associated one or more of said program object images with any specific section of said handwritten information;
whereby labor savings or other beneficial actions produced by said user'"'"'s activation of said program object image associated with said specified handwritten information can be derived repeatedly without repeated creation of said program object image or the commands that it automates;
j) means which can be activated by said user to move as a group only said specific sections of handwritten information and some or all of said program object images associated with said specified section of handwritten information to a specific location within or across said handwriting files which accept handwriting, such that the associations between said specific section of handwritten information and said program object images are preserved;
whereby the substantial labor to recreate said linkages can be eliminated which otherwise would be necessary for said user to derive the benefit of said associations in another file location or in a different file; and
k) means for identifying precisely said specific section of handwritten information which may be carried out by one of a plurality of techniques, including encirclement of the desired material by the user with a line drawing cursor.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A computer system used with special input hardware for providing the benefits of computerization to handwritten as well as keyboard entered information to meet a wide spectrum of commonly-occurring, written information processing needs. The input hardware consists of a transparent digitizing tablet mounted atop a flat panel display screen such that a user can handwrite directly upon the display screen with an attached pen. Application program functions include appointment documentation and work scheduling, handwritten or text file creation and manipulation, author-to-typist liaison functions for document production, handwritten annotation to text, handwritten note creation from text, and text document creation from handwritten source material.
-
Citations
22 Claims
-
1. A computer information system for handwriting and text, comprising:
-
a) a computer including a non-volatile storage area and a display; b) means, including a digitizing pen for indicating positional coordinate information of said pen as an image on said display when said pen is moved, and for initiating a plurality of commands to said computer based upon the position of said image on said display; c) means for entering digital information into said computer; d) means for entering handwritten and text information into said storage area and displaying said information on said display; e) means for creating, in said storage area, handwriting files which accept handwritten information as well as text .[.and which can be calendar-sequenced upon user direction, and can have date indicia and positional format areas, said date indicia and said positional format areas being in a calendar format.].; f) means for manipulating said handwritten and text information within and between said handwriting files in a plurality of different ways in accordance with said respective plurality of commands; g) means for indexing, storing, retrieving, copying and deleting said handwriting files in said computer; h) means for creating a program object image on said display, said program object image representing a visual element of a programming system, which is created by a command to said programming system, which appears as an image on said display, which possesses one of a plurality of programmer-controllable physical shapes or sizes, including that of a button object image, which can be moved to any location on said display, which can have program commands associated with it such that a program associated with said program object image can be activated by a user to perform specific program actions; an improvement comprising; i) means for allowing said user (1) to create, and place one or more of said program object images on an image of one of said handwriting files on said display, and (2) to associated one or more of said program object images with any specific section of said handwritten information;
whereby labor savings or other beneficial actions produced by said user'"'"'s activation of said program object image associated with said specified handwritten information can be derived repeatedly without repeated creation of said program object image or the commands that it automates;j) means which can be activated by said user to move as a group only said specific sections of handwritten information and some or all of said program object images associated with said specified section of handwritten information to a specific location within or across said handwriting files which accept handwriting, such that the associations between said specific section of handwritten information and said program object images are preserved;
whereby the substantial labor to recreate said linkages can be eliminated which otherwise would be necessary for said user to derive the benefit of said associations in another file location or in a different file; andk) means for identifying precisely said specific section of handwritten information which may be carried out by one of a plurality of techniques, including encirclement of the desired material by the user with a line drawing cursor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
-
-
22. In a computer information system for handwriting and text, comprising:
-
a) a computer including a non-volatile storage area and a display; b) means, including a digitizing pen for indicating positional coordinate information of said pen as an image on said display when said pen is moved, and for initiating a plurality of commands to said computer based upon the position of said image on said display; c) means for entering digital information into said computer; d) means for entering handwritten and text information into said storage area and displaying said information on said display; e) means for creating in said storage area, handwriting files which accept handwritten information as well as text; f) means for manipulating said handwritten and text information within and between said files in a plurality of different ways in accordance with said respective plurality of commands; and g) means for indexing, storing, retrieving, copying and deleting said files which accept handwritten information as well as and text in said computer; and h) a keyboard and means for typing into one of said handwriting files; the improvement comprising; i) means for creating files which accept handwriting and text and which display a two-part format, one part comprising an area for handwriting, the other a scrolling text window which accepts information entered by means of said keyboard or displays previously created text, whereby a user can (1) handwrite notes in said handwriting area and (2) view text displayed in said scrolling text window; and j) means for editing text in said text window with a plurality of commands, including at least cut, copy, paste, and wordwrap function commands.
-
Specification