Pen-based interface for a notepad computer

• US 6,337,698 B1
• Filed: 11/20/1998
• Issued: 01/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Keely, Jr., Leroy Bertrand, Young, Douglas Alan, Palay, Andrew James
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US09/196,100
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 345/179, 345/339, 345/348-387, 345/146, 345/173, 345/433, 345/437, 345/345, 345/977, 345/764, 345/767, 345/777, 345/768, 345/779, 345/810, 345/821-823, 345/860, 345/862, 707/541, 348/595
• US Class Current: 715/823
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04807 Pen manipulated menu
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

The invention is a notepad computer with a page display region displaying a page of a document on which a user can write using a pen or stylus type writing tool. Associated with the page is an interface that can be used with the pen. The interface includes a core task tool region adjacent to the page where tool icons are partially visible until the pen is brought near one of the icons. The tool icon becomes fully visible when the pen is within the region of the icon. The tool when activated can pop-up a radial pop-up menu located at an edge of the document where all the menu choices are located in a semi-circle away from the edge so that the user'"'"'s hand while holding the pen and making a selection does not block the choices. A page flipping tool is located in a corner of the page and is an explicit two-stroke menu allowing selection of a next or previous page. A page scrolling tool is located along an edge of the page, the scrolling tool when activated is an implicit button allowing scrolling in one implied direction. The interface also includes a stack region adjacent to said page display region having one or more stack icons each representing a stack of documents. The icon is also an explicit two-stroke radial pop-up menu having forward and backward choices for selecting documents in the stack and a stack document list display displaying a list of documents in the stack when the stack icon is touched by an input pen. The interface also includes a typing tool overlaying a portion of the page and including a writing zone where a user handwrites strokes and, a page zone comprising part of the page where typed text corresponding to the handwritten strokes is displayed as the handwriting occurs.

Claims

1. A display, comprising:

an information display region;

a user interface element display region adjacent to the information display region;

user interface elements overlapping the information display region and the user interface element display region in fixed locations, with a portion of a user interface element in the user interface element display region being fully visible at any time and a portion of the same tool icon in the information display region fading in when the same user interface element is activated and fading out when the same user interface element is not activated.

2. A display as recited in claim 1, wherein the interface elements vary between partially hidden and fully in view during a change between inactive and active.

3. A display process, comprising displaying a sequence of interface element images between partially hidden to fully in view depicting a location and availability of activation of an element, the interface element images overlapping an information display region and a user interface element display region with a portion of a user interface element in the user interface element display region being fully visible at any time and a portion of the same tool icon in the information display region fading in when the same user interface element is activated and fading out when the same user interface element is not activated.

4. A display process as recited in claim 3, further comprising changing an appearance of the element at a time when a pen comes within a predetermined distance of a display displaying the element.

5. A display process as recited in claim 3, wherein the element is a menu and the change from fully in view to hidden is slower when the element is selected.

6. A display, comprising:

a page display region displaying a page of a document;

a core task tool region adjacent to said page display region; and

one or more tool icons overlapping the page display region and the tool region with a portion of a tool icon in the tool region being fully visible at any time and a portion of the same tool icon in the page display region fading in when the same tool icon is activated and fading out when the same tool icon is not activated.

7. A display as recited in claim 6, wherein said icons comprise a faded appearance in said page display region when changing from active to inactive.

8. A display process, comprising:

displaying an information display region and an adjacent tool icon display region and displaying a plurality of tool icons with each tool icon overlapping the information display region and the adjacent tool icon display region, a portion of each tool icon in the tool region being fully visible at any time; and

fading in a portion of one of the tool icons in the page display region as an input pen approaches the tool icon and fading out the portion of the tool icon in the page display region as the pen leaves the tool icon.

9. A display, comprising:

a page display region in the display and displaying a page of a document having an edge and a corner; and

a core task tool region in the display adjacent to said page display region having tool icons overlapping the page display region and the tool region with a portion of a tool icon in the tool region being fully visible at any time and a portion of the same tool icon in the page display region fading in when the same tool icon is activated and fading out when the same tool icon is not activated, where bringing a pen within a predetermined distance of a tool icon activates the tool, where one of said task tools comprises a radial marking menu located at the edge of the document, having menu choices in a semi-circle away from the edge;

a page flipping tool located in the corner comprising a two-stroke menu allowing selection of a next or previous page and displaying a page menu activated by raising an input device away from the flipping tool when the flipping tool is activated;

a page scrolling tool located along the edge, the scrolling tool when activated comprising a button allowing scrolling in one direction;

a stack region in the display adjacent to said page display region having a stack icon representing a stack of documents and comprising a two-stroke radial pop-up menu having forward and backward choices for selecting documents in the stack and a stack document list display displaying a list of documents in the stack when the input device is lifted without choosing one of the choices; and

a typing tool overlaying a portion of the page and comprising a writing zone where a user handwrites strokes, a page zone comprising part of the page where typed text corresponding to the handwritten strokes is displayed as the handwriting occurs, and a movable typed text cursor indicating where the next written text will be added to the typed text, said typing tool having a horizontal orientation for horizontal lines of text and a diagonal orientation for diagonal lines of text.