Extended eraser functions

• US 20070285399A1
• Filed: 06/12/2006
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lund, Arnold M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,661,068 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Various technologies and techniques are disclosed that allow an eraser to be used for additional operations. A pen feature is provided that supports various eraser gestures. An eraser gesture is detected from a pen input device. If the eraser gesture matches a supported eraser gesture, then an operation associated with the supported eraser gesture is performed. For example, a scratchout gesture made with the eraser can undo a previous erasure of text made by the eraser. A customization feature is provided that allows a user to customize some or all of the eraser gestures.

Claims

1. A method for using an eraser for additional operations comprising the steps of:

providing a pen feature that supports a plurality of eraser gestures;

detecting an eraser gesture; and

performing an operation associated with the eraser gesture.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the erasure gesture is a scratchout gesture.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the operation is an undo of a prior erasure operation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation associated with the eraser gesture can be customized by a user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the pen is a digitized pen.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the pen is an electromagnetic pen.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the eraser gesture includes a separate input in combination with an eraser input.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the separate input is a key press.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the eraser gesture is selected from the group consisting of a scratchout gesture, a circle gesture, a tap gesture, a tap and hold gesture, and a tap and other input combination gesture.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation includes providing a status of a particular application.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation includes taking a particular application out of a current state.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation includes deleting a selected item.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation includes displaying a context menu with additional operation items that can be selected by a user.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein upon selecting one of the additional operation items from the context menu, an additional operation associated with the selected one of the additional operation items is performed.

15. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform the steps recited in claim 1.

16. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform steps comprising:

provide a pen feature that supports a plurality of eraser gestures;

detect an eraser gesture;

if the eraser gesture matches a supported eraser gesture, perform an operation associated with the supported eraser gesture; and

provide a customization feature that allows a user to customize at least a portion of the plurality of eraser gestures.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, further having computer-executable instructions for detecting the erasure gesture as a combination of an eraser input plus a separate input.

18. A method for providing a scratchout gesture with an eraser comprising the steps of:

providing a pen input feature;

detecting an eraser gesture from a user;

determining that the eraser gesture is a scratchout gesture made with an eraser end of a pen input device; and

undoing an erasure operation previously caused by the eraser end of the pen to restore a previously erased portion of input.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising

displaying the previously erased portion of input.

20. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform the steps recited in claim 18.