Method and system for creating ad-hoc links from free-form ink

• US 6,766,494 B1
• Filed: 06/15/1998
• Issued: 07/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.), Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.), Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: O'Hara, Kenton P. A., Sellen, Abigail J., Mont-Reynaud, Bernard M., Price, Morgan N., Schilit, William N., Golovchinsky, Gene
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Paula, Cesar B
• Application Number:
  US09/094,730
• Time in Patent Office: 2,227 Days
• Field of Search: 707/501, 707/502, 707/512, 707/513, 707/530, 707/531, 707/541, 345/156, 345/326
• US Class Current: 715/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/131 Fragmentation of text files, e.g. creating reusable text-blocks; Linking to fragments, e.g. using XInclude; Namespaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/171 by use of digital ink

Abstract

The reading and writing system enhances free-form ink annotating and note taking by creating links between passages in response to free-form ink. The reading and writing system generates links between free-form ink anchors and also generates links between documents in different windows when a free-form ink stroke extends across window boundaries. The reading and writing system also removes a link when the free-form ink stroke representing the link is erased. The reading and writing system will display the ink anchors in a display showing all related linked anchors with their surrounding context when a corresponding link is selected.

Claims

1. A method for providing multi-links from a first portion of a document to at least one second portion of at least one document, the method performed by a processor comprising:

generating a first anchor that provides for multi-way links in the first portion of the document;

generating a second anchor that provides for the multi-way links in the at least one second portion of the at least one document;

comparing and determining if at least one of a morphological characteristic and a spatial characteristic of the at least one free-form ink stroke related to the first anchor is similar to at least one of a corresponding morphological characteristic and a spatial characteristic of at least one free-form ink stroke related to the at least the second anchor and if similar then;

generating a multi-way link from the first anchor of the first portion of the document to the second anchor of at least one second portion of the at least one document;

maintaining the multi-way link from the first anchor of the first portion of the document to the second anchor of at least one second portion of the at least one document;

displaying the at least one free-form ink stroke related to the first portion of the document, the first portion of the document, the at least one free-form ink stroke related to the at least one second portion of the at least one document and the at least one second portion of the at least one document as annotations-in-context;

sorting the at least one free-form ink stroke related to the first portion of the document and the at least one free-form ink stroke related to the at least one second portion of the at least one document into a sorted order by date of creation before displaying, wherein the step of displaying comprises displaying in the sorted order.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the document is in the same document as the at least one second portion of the at least one document.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the document is in a different document than the at least one second portion of the at least one document.

4. The method of claim 1, the at least one morphological characteristic being the at least one free-form ink stroke crossing a window boundary.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the at least one free-form ink stroke represents a callout; and

copying the first portion of the document onto the at least one second portion of the at least one document.

6. The method of claim 5, the callout comprising a circle around the first portion of the document and a line to the at least one second portion of the at least one document.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one second portion comprises a plurality of second portions of the at least one document and the link is from the first portion of the document to each of the plurality of second portions.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the link is a selectable link that is displayed in the document of the first portion and further comprising displaying the at least one second portion of the at least one document in response to a selection of the selectable link.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining comprises:

determining whether the at least one free-form ink stroke related to the first portion of the document is a free-form ink stroke around at least one first ink stroke;

determining whether the at least one free-form ink stroke related to the at least one second portion of the at least one document is a free-form ink stroke around at least one second ink stroke;

determining whether the at least one of a morphological characteristic and a spatial characteristic of the at least one free-form ink stroke related to the first portion of the document is a corresponding one of a morphological characteristic and a spatial characteristic of the at least one first ink stroke; and

determining whether the at least one of a morphological characteristic and a spatial characteristic of the at least one free-form ink stroke related to the at least one second portion of the at least one document is a corresponding one of a morphological characteristic and a spatial characteristic of the at least one second ink stroke.

10. The method of claim 9 the free-form ink stroke around the at least one first ink stroke being a circle and the free-form ink stroke around the at least one second ink stroke being a circle.

11. The method of claim 1, the number of the at least one free-form ink strokes being displayed being limited in accordance with a user preference.

12. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a selection of a free-form ink stroke representing the link;

removing the link corresponding to the free-form ink stroke; and

maintaining the first portion of the document and the at least one second portion of at least one document.

13. An electronic document system for providing multi-links from a first portion of a document to at least one second portion of at least one document, comprising:

a processor that generates a first anchor that provides for multi-way links in the first portion of the document;

a pen based input device that receives at least one free-form ink stroke, the pen based input device including a pen based display;

the processor that generates a second anchor that provides for multi-way links in the at least one second portion of the at least one document,

the processor that compares and determines if the first anchor and the second anchor have at least one of a morphological characteristic and a spatial characteristic of the at least one free-form ink stroke that is similar and if similar then;

the processor generates a multi-way link from the first anchor of the first portion of the document to the second anchor of at least one second portion of the at least one document, the processor maintains the multi-way link from the first anchor of the first portion of the document to the second anchor of at least one second portion of the at least one document,

wherein the display is responsive to the selection of the selectable link to display at least one free-form ink stroke related to the first portion of the document, the first portion of the document, the at least one free-form ink stroke related to the at least one second portion of the at least one document and the at least one second portion of the at least one document as annotations-in-context, and

wherein the processor sorts by date of creation the at least one free-form ink stroke related to the first portion of the document and the at least one free-form ink stroke related to the at least one second portion of the at least one document and the display is responsive to a selection of the selectable link to display the at least one free-form ink stroke related to the first portion of the document and the at least one free-form ink stroke related to the at least one second portion of the at least one document in sorted order;

wherein the processor generates a selectable link and the pen based display is responsive to a selection of the selectable link to display the at least one second portion of the at least one document.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first portion of the document is in the same document as the at least one second portion of the at least one document.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the first portion of the document is in a different document than the at least one second portion of the at least one document.

16. The system of claim 13, the at least one morphological characteristic being at least one free-form ink stroke crossing a window boundary.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor determines if the at least one free-form ink stroke represents a callout;

and copies the first portion of the document onto the at least one document of the at least one second portion of the at least one document in response to a determination that the at least one free-form ink stroke represents a callout.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is responsive to a determination from the at least one of the morphological characteristic and a spatial characteristic of the at least one free-form ink stroke that the at least one free-form ink stroke represents a link between the first portion of the document and a plurality of second portions of the at least one document for generating a link from the first portion of the document to the plurality of second portions of the at least one document.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the display is responsive to the selection of the selectable link to display at least one free-form ink stroke related to the first portion of the document, the first portion of the document, the at least one free-form ink stroke related to the at least one second portion of the at least one document and the at least one second portion of the at least one document as annotations-in-context.

20. The system of claim 13, the display for displaying a number of the at least one free-form ink strokes that is limited in accordance with a user preference.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor generates a link in response to a determination that at least one of a morphological characteristic and a spatial characteristic of the at least one free-form ink stroke related to the first portion of the document is similar to at least one of a corresponding morphological characteristic and a spatial characteristic of at least one free-form ink stroke related to-the at least one second portion of the at least one document.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the processor generates a link if;

the at least one free-form ink stroke related to the first portion of the document is a free-form ink stroke around at least one first ink stroke;

the at least one free-form ink stroke related to the at least one second portion of the at least one document is a free-form ink stroke around at least one second ink stroke;

the at least one of a morphological characteristic and a spatial characteristic of the at least one free-form ink stroke related to the first portion of the document is a corresponding one of a morphological characteristic and a spatial characteristic of the at least one first ink stroke; and

the at least one of a morphological characteristic and a spatial characteristic of the at least one free-form ink stroke related to the at least one second portion of the at least one document is a corresponding one of a morphological characteristic and a spatial characteristic of the at least one second ink stroke.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the processor generates a link if the free-form ink stroke around the at least one first ink stroke is a circle and the free-form ink stroke around the at least one second ink stroke is a circle.

24. A system of claim 13, further comprising:

a pen based input that receives a pen tap;

a processor responsive to the pen tap occurring on a free-form ink stroke that corresponds to the multi-way link, wherein the processor removes the multi-way link and maintains the first portion of the document and the at least one second portion of the at least one document.