Ink gestures

• US 7,536,656 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2004
• Issued: 05/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gounares, Alexander, Hullender, Gregory
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Kieu D
• Application Number:
  US11/022,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20050111736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,603 Days
• Field of Search: 715/863, 345/173
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A system and process for capturing and implementing handwritten gestures is provided. A user may use gestures to quickly command a pen-based input device to perform operations. According to certain aspects, users may edit text or handwritten ink using a pen in a pen-based computing platform and have the edits and affects the text or ink.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a stroke placed on a displayed page, the stroke comprising a sequence of points captured by movement of a stylus with respect to the page and having a location on the page, wherein said stroke is placed anywhere on said page;

determining from the sequence of points and the page that the stroke comprises at least one alphanumeric character and that the location of the at least one alphanumeric character on the page overwrites one of a word and a selected portion of text on the page, and concluding based on the overwriting that the stroke is to be interpreted as a gesture comprising a command to modify the overwritten one of the word and the selected portion of text on the page;

determining the modifying command from the at least one alphanumeric character based on a pre-arranged correspondence therebetween; and

effectuating the determined command with respect to the overwritten one of the word and the selected portion of text on the page so as to modify the word or the selected portion of text according to the determined command, the modifying command changing a characteristic of a font of the overwritten one of the word and the selected portion of text on the page.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

erasing the stroke that formed the gesture.

3. A computer readable medium having stored thereon a program comprising instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

4. The computer readable medium according to claim 3, said program further comprising instructions for performing the steps of:

erasing the stroke that formed the gesture.

5. A method comprising:

receiving a stroke placed on a displayed page, the stroke comprising a sequence of points captured by movement of a stylus with respect to the page and having a location on the page, wherein said stroke is placed anywhere on said page;

rendering said stroke on said page;

sending said stroke to an application;

determining in said application from the sequence of points and the page that the stroke comprises at least one alphanumeric character and that the location of the at least one alphanumeric character on the page overwrites one of a word and a selected portion of text on the page, and concluding based on the overwriting that the stroke is to be interpreted as a gesture comprising a command to modify the overwritten one of the word and the selected portion of text on the page; and

processing said gesture by;

determining the modifying command from the at least one alphanumeric character based on a pre-arranged correspondence therebetween; and

effectuating the determined command with respect to the overwritten one of the word and the selected portion of text on the page so as to modify the word or the selected portion of text according to the determined command, the modifying command changing a characteristic of a font of the overwritten one of the word and the selected portion of text on the page.