Method and apparatus for capturing and rendering text annotations for non-modifiable electronic content

• US 7,496,856 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2005
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Demello, Marco A., Silver, David M., Beezer, John L.
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US11/234,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20060020882A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• Field of Search: 715/795, 715/796, 715/790, 715/799, 715/802, 715/804, 715/803, 715/805, 715/853, 715/854, 715/817, 715/818, 715/819, 715/820, 715/907, 713/2, 709/224
• US Class Current: 715/802
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes

Abstract

A system and method for capturing, displaying, and navigating text annotations in a non-modifiable document is disclosed. Once it is determined that a text annotation is to be created, the system determines the file position of the selected object. The file position of the selected object is stored along with the created text annotation in another file or a non-read only portion of a file storing the document. Using the file position, the text annotation may be properly identified with the selected object without modifying the non-modifiable document. Once a text annotation is displayed a user may easily navigate among the captured annotations.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for annotating a non-modifiable page of a document, the method comprising:

receiving an indication that an object in the page of the document is to be annotated;

providing, for each annotation, a window for display to a user, the window having a portion for receiving an annotation of the object, and said window having a portion allowing navigation to at least one other annotation of at least one other object;

receiving user input to navigate directly to said at least one other annotation;

causing said at least one other annotation to be displayed; and

closing said window upon receiving user input not associated with said window.

2. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein causing said at least one other annotation to be displayed includes displaying said at least one other annotation in said window.

3. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, said portion allowing navigation allowing navigation to one of a next annotation and a previous annotation in said document.

4. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein said receiving the indication that the object in the page of the document is to be annotated comprises:

receiving a selection of the object;

receiving a selection of a menu item that provides said window.

5. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising

searching annotations for user-defined information.

6. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising

causing to be displayed an indication that a text annotation has been stored in conjunction with the object on said non-modifiable page.

7. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an annotation of the object;

determining a position of the annotated object in the document; and

storing the position and the annotation of the annotated object separately from a non-modifiable portion of the document.

8. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim7, wherein receiving the indication that the object in the page of the document is to be annotated comprises receiving the indication through interaction with a stylus.

9. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 7, wherein receiving the indication that the object in the page of the document is to be annotated comprises receiving the indication through interaction with a mouse.

10. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 7, wherein said determining comprises:

counting bytes from a beginning of the non-modifiable portion of the document to the annotated object.

11. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 7, wherein said determining comprises:

counting a number of bytes from a beginning of the non-modifiable portion of the document to a first object on the page;

counting a number of bytes from the first object on the page to the annotated object; and

adding the number obtained from said first counting step to the number obtained from said second counting step to determine the file position of the annotated object in a file.

12. A system for annotating a document comprising:

one or more processors;

a storage accessible to the one or more processors that stores annotations, each of which is associated with an object in one or more documents;

computer-executable instructions executable by the one or more processors to;

receive an indication that an object in a page of one of said one or more documents is to be annotated;

provide, for each annotation, a window having a portion for receiving an annotation of the object, said window having a portion allowing navigation to at least one other annotation of at least one other object;

receive user input to navigate directly to said at least one other annotation in said storage;

cause said at least one other annotation to be displayed; and

close said window upon receiving user input not associated with said window.

13. The system as recited in claim 12, said system further comprising:

an output connected to said one or more processors, said output being configured to receive the one of said one or more documents and said window.

14. The system as recited in claim 12, said storage further comprising:

an index of annotations, each of said annotations including reference to an object in the one of said one or more documents.

15. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein said reference includes a file position of said object in the one of said one or more documents.