System and method for automatically recognizing electronic handwriting in an electronic document and converting to text

• US 7,174,042 B1
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Issued: 02/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Simmons, Alex J., DelBene, Kurt
• Primary Examiner(s): DESIRE, GREGORY M
• Application Number:
  US10/186,865
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/179, 345/169, 345/172, 382/188, 382/189, 382/229, 382/314, 382/186, 382/187, 382/321, 715/531, 715/541, 715/530, 715/533
• US Class Current: 382/187
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/226 of cursive writing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/32 Digital ink

Abstract

A user can enter handwritten electronic ink into a writing guide on an electronic page of an electronic tablet. An ink processing module can display the handwritten electronic ink as it is rendered on the electronic page by the user. Upon the occurrence of a predefined event, the writing guide module can automatically recognize and convert the electronic ink to text without the user'"'"'s manual intervention. The writing guide module can replace the electronic ink in the writing guide with the converted text.

Claims

1. A method for automatically recognizing and converting electronic ink to text, comprising the steps of:

detecting a handheld device proximate to a surface of an electronic tablet, wherein a user uses the handheld device to enter electronic ink on the electronic tablet;

determining if the user is using the handheld device to enter handwriting based upon at least one of the following characteristics of the entered electronic ink;

the size of input strokes comprising the entered electronic ink, the number of the input strokes comprising the entered electronic ink, and the aspect ratio of the input strokes comprising the entered electronic ink;

if the user is using the handheld device to enter handwriting, creating a handwriting writing guide in which the user enters the electronic ink;

in response to an occurrence of a predefined event, converting the electronic ink to text; and

replacing the electronic ink with the text in the handwriting writing guide.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the converting step comprises the steps of:

sending the electronic ink to a recognizer; and

converting the electronic ink to the text at the recognizer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the replacing step comprises the steps of:

creating the text region by building a text region around the handwriting writing guide in which the electronic ink was written by the user; and

inserting the text received from the recognizer into the text region.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the replacing step further comprises the step of creating a virtual insertion point at an end of the text region.

5. A method for automatically converting electronic ink to text, comprising the steps of:

detecting a stroke input by a user on an electronic tablet based upon a motion of a stylus on the electronic tablet, wherein the stroke input represents the motion of the stylus;

converting the stroke input to electronic ink;

displaying the electronic ink to the user;

determining if the electronic ink comprises handwriting based upon at least one of the following characteristics of the stroke input;

the size of input strokes comprising the stroke input, a number of the input strokes comprising the stroke input, and the aspect ratio of the stroke input; and

if the electronic ink comprises handwriting, automatically converting the electronic ink to text, without manual intervention by the user, in response to an occurrence of a predefined event.

6. The method for automatically converting electronic ink of claim 5, wherein the detecting step further comprises the steps of:

inserting the electronic ink in an existing writing guide, if the stroke input is proximate to the existing writing guide, else

creating a new writing guide and inserting the electronic ink in the new writing guide.

7. The method for automatically converting electronic ink of claim 5, wherein the converting step comprises the steps of:

automatically issuing a request to convert the electronic ink to text, in response to the occurrence of the predefined event; and

converting the electronic ink to text, in response to receiving the request.

8. The method for automatically converting electronic ink of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

creating a text region by building the text region around the writing guide in which the electronic ink was written by the user; and

inserting the text into the text region.

9. The method for automatically converting electronic ink of claim 8, further comprising the step of creating a virtual insertion point at an end of the text region.

10. A method for automatically recognizing and converting electronic ink to text, comprising the steps of:

detecting a handheld device proximate to a surface of an electronic tablet, wherein a user uses the handheld device to enter electronic ink on the electronic tablet;

determining if the user is using the handheld device to enter handwriting based upon at least one of the following characteristics of the entered electronic ink;

the size of input strokes comprising the entered electronic ink, the number of the input strokes comprising the entered electronic ink, and the aspect ratio of the input strokes comprising the entered electronic ink;

if the user is using the handheld device to enter handwriting, creating a handwriting writing guide in which the user enters the electronic ink,

in response to an occurrence of a predefined event,

sending the electronic ink to a recognizer, and

converting the electronic ink to the text at the recognizer; and

replacing the electronic ink with the text in the handwriting writing guide.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the replacing step comprises the steps of:

creating a text region by building a text region around the handwriting writing guide in which the electronic ink was written by the user; and

inserting the text received from the recognizer into the text region.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the replacing step further comprises the step of creating a virtual insertion point at an end of the text region.