Method and apparatus for writing

• US 6,031,525 A
• Filed: 04/01/1998
• Issued: 02/29/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: New York University
• Original Assignee: New York University
• Inventors: Perlin, Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Shalwala, Bipin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kovalick, Vincent E.
• Application Number:
  US09/053,502
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• Field of Search: 345/168, 345/173, 345/179, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 178/18.06, 178/18.07, 178/19.01, 178/19.02, 178/19.04, 178/19.05
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

The present invention pertains to an apparatus for writing. The apparatus comprises a writing mechanism. The apparatus comprises a tablet surface sensitive to the position of the writing mechanism and able to detect whether the writing mechanism is in contact with the surface. The apparatus comprises a computer processor which identifies a writeable character from the motion of the writing mechanism from a resting zone into an other zone of a plurality of zones when the writing mechanism is in contact with the surface. The computer processor defines the surface into the resting zone and enough other zones to identify a written alphabet. Each other zone is in contact with the resting zone. The present invention pertains to a method for writing. The method comprises the steps of moving a stylus from a resting zone on a tablet surface to at least an other zone of a plurality of zones in contact with the resting zone while the stylus is in continuous contact with the surface. The surface is sensitive to the position of the writing mechanism and able to detect whether the writing mechanism is in contact with the surface. Then there is the step of identifying a letter with a processor in contact with the surface from the movement of the stylus from the resting zone to at least the other zone and back to the resting zone.

Claims

1. An apparatus for writing comprising:

a writing mechanism;

a tablet surface sensitive to the position of the writing mechanism and able to detect whether the writing mechanism is in contact with the surface; and

a computer processor which identifies a writeable character from the motion of the writing mechanism from a resting zone into an other zone of a plurality of zones when the writing mechanism is in contact with the surface, said computer processor defining the surface into the resting zone and enough other zones to identify a written alphabet, each other zone in contact with the resting zone.

2. An apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein the character is a letter.

3. An apparatus as described in claim 2 wherein a writing mechanism is a stylus.

4. An apparatus as described in claim 3 wherein the motion of the stylus which the computer processor uses to identify letters can write words by moving the stylus in continuous multi-word text of arbitrary length in a single continuous gesture.

5. An apparatus as described in claim 4 wherein the motion of the stylus on the surface detected by the computer defines a letter by moving from the resting zone to an other zone and then back to the resting zone from an other zone.

6. An apparatus as described in claim 5 wherein the other zone moved to from the resting zone by the stylus and back from the other zone is the same other zone.

7. An apparatus as described in claim 6 wherein an other zone the stylus moves to from the resting zone and back from an other zone are different zones.

8. An apparatus as described in claim 7 wherein the other zones include eight other zones.

9. A method for writing comprising the steps of:

moving a stylus from a resting zone on a tablet surface to at least an other zone of a plurality of zones in contact with the resting zone while the stylus is in continuous contact with the surface, said surface sensitive to the position of the writing mechanism and able to detect whether the writing mechanism is in contact with the surface;

identifying a letter with a processor in contact with the surface from the movement of the stylus from the resting zone to at least the other zone and back to the resting zone.

10. A method as described in claim 9 wherein the moving step includes the step of moving the stylus from a resting zone on a tablet surface to no more than two other zones.

11. A method as described in claim 10 wherein the moving step includes the steps of moving continuously the stylus after the stylus has been returned to the resting zone to an other zone and back to the resting zone, and identifying with the processor a letter associated with the movement of the stylus.

12. A method as described in claim 11 wherein the moving continuously step includes the step of continuously moving the stylus to form multi-word text of arbitrary length in a single continuous gesture.

13. A method as described in claim 12 wherein the moving step includes the steps of moving continuously the stylus after the stylus has been returned to the resting zone to an other zone and back to the resting zone, and identifying with the processor a shift or lock key which switches a first set of characters associated with the movement of the stylus to a second set of characters associated with the movement of the stylus.

14. A method as described in claim 13 including after the identifying step, there is the step of modifying a display of characters that the movement of the stylus encode.