Abstract: A pen-based system that automatically identifies either single page or multi-page forms when data is a written on paper copies of the form. The system captures pen stroke data as an untrained user fills out the paper form attached to its surface. The sequence and location of the raw pen-stroke data is analyzed to determine which form the user was filling out and which field on each page was the intended field for the subsets of stroke data. The form/field identification method allows the electronic clipboard to be used as if it were an ordinary clipboard. One of several single or multi-page forms in the selected, and attached to the clipboard without any special attention to its positioning. The user can fill out fields in any order skipping between pages at will, leaving fields blank, etc. and having no other interaction with the clipboard.

Abstract: A pen-based tablet computer system that locates objects in a collection of stored images by using partial tracing of a graphical data object. The system uses data generated from the partial tracing of the graphical object to control a search of the input data file for the most likely graphical object which is a match. When the most likely match is located, the input data page containing the matched image is determined. The system then may determine the page of form data that applies to the input data page that contains the graphical object and the correct input data page and form data page are simultaneously displayed on the computer display screen. The graphical object may be an image, text data, a line drawing, etc.