Method and apparatus for providing a note for an application program
First Claim
1. A method for providing a handwritten note on an application program image comprising:
- noticing a note anchor object included with application data processed by an application program, wherein said note anchor object is manipulable as said application data by a function of said application program that processed said application data, said manipulation including moving, deleting, or inserting said anchor object as said application data; and
displaying a note slip image and an application image on a computer screen, said application image being created on said computer screen by said application program, said note slip image being displayed on said computer screen by a note slip program executing simultaneously with said application program, said note slip image being associated with said noticed note anchor object and portraying a handwritten note.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for providing a note on an application program includes noticing a note anchor object associated with a data file displayed by an application program on a computer screen and displaying a note slip image over the displayed data and images of the application program. Many anchor objects and note slips may be displayed on the screen at once, and a single anchor object is preferably associated with a single note slip. The note slip is preferably receptive to pen-based inputs, and may be resized or moved on the screen. The anchor object includes a visual picture data portion and a picture comment data portion that descibes the note slip associated with that anchor object. The anchor object preferably exists as a standard graphical picture in the application program and can be manipulated as such. The present invention thus allows note slips to be displayed in existing application programs, either pen-compatible or non-pen-compatible.
376 Citations
49 Claims
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1. A method for providing a handwritten note on an application program image comprising:
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noticing a note anchor object included with application data processed by an application program, wherein said note anchor object is manipulable as said application data by a function of said application program that processed said application data, said manipulation including moving, deleting, or inserting said anchor object as said application data; and displaying a note slip image and an application image on a computer screen, said application image being created on said computer screen by said application program, said note slip image being displayed on said computer screen by a note slip program executing simultaneously with said application program, said note slip image being associated with said noticed note anchor object and portraying a handwritten note. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for providing a handwritten note for an application program running on a pen computer system comprising:
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displaying on a computer screen a note anchor object and an application image created by an application program, said application image portraying application data developed by said application program, said note anchor object being included with said application data; noticing said note anchor object, said note anchor object being treated as application data by a function of said application program and being manipulable as said application data; displaying a note slip image on said computer screen, said note slip image being associated with said note anchor object and being displayed by a note slip program being executed simultaneously with said application program; and entering a note data image describing a handwritten note on said note slip image with a stylus and a tablet. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A pen computer system comprising:
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a central processing unit (CPU); a display screen coupled to said CPU; a tablet coupled to said CPU; a stylus coupled to said tablet for entering data on said tablet; means for noticing a note anchor object associated with application data developed by an application program, wherein a function of said application program can move, delete, or insert said anchor object within said application data developed by said application program; means for displaying a note slip image over an application image created on a computer screen by said application program, wherein said means for displaying a note slip image includes a note slip program executing simultaneously with said application program; and means for entering a note data image describing a handwritten note on said note slip image with said stylus and said tablet. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A method for providing a handwritten note for an application program running on a pen computer system comprising:
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executing a note slip program simultaneously with an application program on said pen computer system, said application program being able to process and display a data document; creating a note anchor object in a memory when instructed by a user, said note anchor object including a visible picture data portion representing a graphical image of said note anchor object and a picture comment data portion; inserting said note anchor object into a data document displayed by said application program on a computer screen from said memory, said note anchor object being inserted into said data document at a location indicated by a cursor of said application program, wherein a function of said application program can move, delete, or insert said anchor object within said data document and wherein said anchor object is displayed within said displayed data document as said graphical image; displaying a note slip image associated with and relative to said note anchor object when said note anchor object is selected by said user, where a location of said note slip image relative to said note anchor object and a size of said note slip image are adjustable by said user, said note slip image being displayed by said note slip program; and entering handwritten data on said note slip image with a stylus, said handwritten data and said size and location of said note slip image on said computer screen being stored in said picture comment data portion of said note anchor object. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. A pen computer system for providing a handwritten note for an application program running on said pen computer system, said application program being able to process and display text application data, said pen computer system comprising:
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a central processing unit (CPU); a buffer memory coupled to said CPU; a display screen coupled to said CPU; a tablet coupled to said CPU; a stylus coupled to said tablet for entering data on said tablet; means implemented on said CPU for creating a note anchor object in said buffer memory when instructed by a user, said note anchor object including a visible picture data portion describing a graphical image of said note anchor object and a picture comment data portion; means implemented on said CPU for pasting said note anchor object into a data document displayed by said application program on said display screen from said buffer memory, said note anchor object being inserted into said data document at a location indicated by a cursor of said application program, said note anchor object being treated as text application data, being manipulable by said application program as text application data and being displayed within said displayed data document as said graphical image; means implemented on said CPU for displaying a note slip image on said display screen associated with and relative to said note anchor object when said note anchor object is selected by said user; means implemented on said CPU for entering handwritten note data on said note slip image with a stylus and a tablet, said handwritten note data and a size and location of said note slip image on said display screen being stored in said picture comment data portion of said note anchor object. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
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Specification