Abstract: Information is captured from a rendered document with a handheld document data capture device. Electronic information associated with the rendered document is applied to determine the system's actions and/or behaviors in response to the data capture. In some embodiments, the electronic information is markup data or an action map associated with the rendered document. In some embodiments, an electronic counterpart corresponding to the rendered document is located, and information associated with the electronic counterpart is applied to determine actions and/or behaviors available to a user of the handheld document data capture device.

Abstract: A system, apparatus and method for enhancing documents, including using a graphical capture device, are described herein.

Abstract: A system for processing text captured from rendered documents is described. The system receives a sequence of one or more words optically or acoustically captured from a rendered document by a user. The system identifies among words of the sequence a word with which an action has been associated. The system then performs the associated action with respect to the user.

Abstract: A system for processing a visual capture operation as described. The system receives an indication of a visual capture operation performed from a rendered document. The indication specifies both a text sequence capture as part of the capture operation and a supplemental marking captured as part of the capture operation. The system determines an action to perform in response to receiving the indication, based both upon the text sequence specified in the indication and the supplemental markings specified by the indication.

Abstract: A facility for analyzing text capture operation traffic is described. The system receives indications of operations for capturing text from rendered documents performed by a plurality of users. The system performs collective analysis on the received indications, and outputs a result produced by the analysis.

Abstract: A portable device having scanning, imaging or other data-capture capability is described. In some cases, the portable device can indicate to the user when enough information has been captured to uniquely identify a source document. In some cases, the portable device calculates timestamps and location-stamps indicating when and where a data capture occurred. In some cases, the portable device is controlled by gestures. In some cases, the portable scanning device has associated billing and content/service subscription information.

Abstract: A system for processing a text capture operation is described. The system receives text captured from a rendered document in the text capture operation. The system also receives supplemental information distinct from the captured text. The system determines an action to perform in response to the text capture operation based upon both the captured text and the supplemental information.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosed innovations provide systems and methods for automatically locating and retrieving digital supplemental materials and counterparts of rendered documents. These systems and methods are especially useful when the provider or copyright holder of the digital document charges a fee for access to the digital materials. Some embodiments solve the technical problem of allowing a user to access restricted digital content associated with a rendered document via a search string captured from the rendered document. Some embodiments further provide automatic intermediation to gain access to protected digital materials.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosed innovations provide systems and methods for locating data associated with rendered documents. Some embodiments support the use of a handheld document data capture device.

Abstract: Systems and methods for quickly and easily getting information about, or included in, a paper document into a public or private digital page. One embodiment of an example system includes a scanner that generates scan information from at least a portion of a paper document and a processing system that receives the generated scan information from the scanner, accesses a database of digital documents, searches the database based on the received scan information, locates a digital document corresponding to the paper document, and sends either the digital content or a hyperlink to the digital content to a predetermined web page.

Abstract: A hardware interface device controlled by assistive technology software residing on a computer. The hardware interface device posts and intercepts external keyboard and mouse events. The hardware interface device sends the keyboard and mouse commands into the computer from the hardware interface device in a manner such that the keyboard and mouse commands received by the computer are indistinguishable by the operating system from those received from standard mouse and keyboard hardware.

Abstract: A method and system of the present invention are distinguished by the fact that graphical elements can be displayed to a communication partner to enhance communication beyond words and synthesized speech. Extensive research in the field of augmentative communications has focused on using graphical elements, such as pictures and icons, to help a non-vocal user encode a message quicker than typing it letter-by-letter. But in spite of the well-known axiom “a picture's worth a thousand words”, none of these techniques have thought to use pictures, animations, video, or other graphical elements to output the message as well. The present invention corrects this oversight by providing two touch-sensitive, graphical, dynamic displays: one for the operator and one for the interlocutor (communication partner).

Abstract: An efficient and simple approach to encoding ideographic characters as sequences of input strokes or stroke categories is disclosed, wherein: each character is represented by one or more sequences of one or more components; each component corresponds to a plurality of alternative stroke sequences, each of which is associated with a probability that it will be the sequence which the user enters to specify the given component or character; and the probability associated with the user's preferred stroke sequence is automatically increased by the system when the character is selected, thus automatically adapting to a user's preferences.

Abstract: Many portable electronic devices are designed to utilize only a touch-screen for text input, generally using some form of stylus to contact the screen. Such devices generally input text using some form of handwriting recognition, which is slow and often inaccurate, or an on-screen keyboard, which essentially requires the user to perform “one-finger” typing, often on a reduced-size keyboard. The Continuous Stroke Word-Based Text Input System allows someone to use a small on-screen keyboard to quickly enter words by drawing a continuous line that passes through or near the keys of each letter in a word in sequence without lifting the stylus (similar to a children's connect-the-dots drawing). The user traces an input pattern for a word by contacting the keyboard on or near the key of the first letter of the word, then tracing through each letter in sequence, lifting the stylus from the screen upon reaching the last letter.

Abstract: A reduced keyboard system for the Japanese language which uses word-level disambiguation of entered keystroke sequences, and which enables the user to select the desired interpretation of an ambiguous input key sequence as kana, and then select the desired textual interpretation associated with the selected kana interpretation. The system uses a highly compressed database format which has several advantages in terms of reduced size and minimal processing requirements during operation. Also disclosed is a reduced keyboard system which uses sequences of two keystrokes to specify each syllable, including the syllables with palatalized vowels that are written with two kana each. Input sequences of keystrokes are interpreted as ordered pairs of keystrokes which select a character according to its position in a two-dimensional matrix. The first keystroke of each ordered pair specifies the row of the matrix in which the desired character appears, and the second keystroke of each pair specifies the column.

Abstract: A reduced keyboard system for the Japanese language which uses word-level disambiguation of entered keystroke sequences, and which enables the user to select the desired interpretation of an ambiguous input key sequence as kana, and then select the desired textual interpretation associated with the selected kana interpretation. The system uses a highly compressed database format which has several advantages in terms of reduced size and minimal processing requirements during operation. Also disclosed is a reduced keyboard system which uses sequences of two keystrokes to specify each syllable, including the syllables with palatalized vowels that are written with two kana each. Input sequences of keystrokes are interpreted as ordered pairs of keystrokes which select a character according to its position in a two-dimensional matrix. The first keystroke of each ordered pair specifies the row of the matrix in which the desired character appears, and the second keystroke of each pair specifies the column.

Abstract: A reduced keyboard disambiguating system (50) having a keyboard (54) with a reduced number of keys. A plurality of letters and symbols are assigned to a set of data keys (56) so that keystrokes entered by a user are ambiguous. Due to the ambiguity in each keystroke, an entered keystroke sequence could match a number of words with the same number of letters. The disambiguating system includes a memory (104) having a number of vocabulary modules (110). The vocabulary modules contain a library of objects that are each associated with a keystroke sequence. Each object is also associated with a frequency of use. Objects within the vocabulary modules that match the entered keystroke sequence are identified by the disambiguating system. Objects associated with a keystroke sequence that match the entered keystroke sequence are displayed to the user in a selection list (76). The objects are listed in the selection list according to their frequency of use.

Abstract: A reduced keyboard disambiguating system. The keyboard has twelve to sixteen keys, nine of them labeled with numerous letters and other symbols, and those nine plus one more are associated each with one of the ten digits. Textual entry keystrokes are ambiguous. The user strikes a delimiting “Select” key, or a key with an unambiguous character interpretation, at the end of each word, delimiting a keystroke sequence that could match any of a plurality of words associated with the same keystroke sequence. Each input keystroke sequence is processed with a complete vocabulary, and words which match the sequence of keystrokes are presented to the user in order of decreasing frequency of use. The vocabulary is stored in a special format that supports significant data compression without requiring additional processing. In addition, stems of longer words whose initial letters match the sequence of keystrokes are also presented to the user in order of decreasing frequency of use.

Abstract: A reduced keyboard disambiguating system. The keyboard has twelve keys, nine of them labeled with numerous letters and other symbols, and those nine plus one more are labeled each with one of the ten digits. Textual entry keystrokes are ambiguous. The user strikes a delimiting “Select” key at the end of each word, delimiting a keystroke sequence that could match any of many words with the same number of letters. The keystroke sequence is processed with a complete vocabulary, and words which match the sequence of keystrokes are presented to the user in order of decreasing frequency of use. In addition, stems of longer words whose initial letters match the sequence of keystrokes are also presented to the user in order of decreasing frequency of use. The first word in the presented list is automatically selected by the input of the first character in the next word. The letters are assigned to the keys in a non-sequential order which reduces chances of ambiguities.

Abstract: A reduced keyboard disambiguating system (50) having a keyboard (54) with a reduced number of keys. A plurality of letters and symbols are assigned to a set of data keys (56) so that keystrokes entered by a user are ambiguous. Due to the ambiguity in each keystroke, an entered keystroke sequence could match a number of words with the same number of letters. The disambiguating system includes a memory (104) having a number of vocabulary modules (110). The vocabulary modules contain a library of objects that are each associated with a keystroke sequence. Each object is also associated with a frequency of use. Objects within the vocabulary modules that match the entered keystroke sequence are identified by the disambiguating system. Objects associated with a keystroke sequence that match the entered keystroke sequence are displayed to the user in a selection list (76). The objects are listed in the selection list according to their frequency of use.