Abstract: Described herein are techniques performed by an application executing on a computing device. The application may have a graphical user interface (GUI) comprised of graphic objects displayed on a display of the computing device. The application may also have state data managed and stored by the application. The state data may specify features and layout of the GUI. The graphic objects may be displayed according to the state data. The application may dynamically adjust a threshold to different levels by monitoring user interactions with the GUI via an input device and setting the threshold to the different levels according to the user interactions with the GUI. Operations from an external source directed to the GUI are received. Each operation has a corresponding priority specific to the operation. The priorities and threshold levels are compared to determine whether to implement the operations.

Abstract: Described herein are techniques to facilitate efficient application navigation by a user. In one embodiment, two or more scrollable surfaces contain application icons. One surface may have a first type of application icon and may be a user-customized surface akin to a desktop. Usually, only one of the surfaces is active and displayed at a given time. The user can swap one surface into view and the other surface out of view. The active surface is independently scrollable; when a given surface is swapped out and then swapped back in, despite any scrolling of the intervening surface, when the given surface is swapped back into view it returns at the same position it had before being swapped out. Another embodiment may provide optimizations to enhance performance and responsiveness by pre-rendering imagery of an off-screen surface. Caching logic may be used to assure that the imagery is correct.

Abstract: Described herein are techniques performed by an application executing on a computing device. The application may have a graphical user interface (GUI) comprised of graphic objects displayed on a display of the computing device. The application may also have state data managed and stored by the application. The state data may specify features and layout of the GUI. The graphic objects may be displayed according to the state data. The application may dynamically adjust a threshold to different levels by monitoring user interactions with the GUI via an input device and setting the threshold to the different levels according to the user interactions with the GUI. Operations from an external source directed to the GUI are received. Each operation has a corresponding priority specific to the operation. The priorities and threshold levels are compared to determine whether to implement the operations.

Abstract: Described herein are techniques to facilitate efficient application navigation by a user. In one embodiment, two or more scrollable surfaces contain application icons. One surface may have a first type of application icon and may be a user-customized surface akin to a desktop. Usually, only one of the surfaces is active and displayed at a given time. The user can swap one surface into view and the other surface out of view. The active surface is independently scrollable; when a given surface is swapped out and then swapped back in, despite any scrolling of the intervening surface, when the given surface is swapped back into view it returns at the same position it had before being swapped out. Another embodiment may provide optimizations to enhance performance and responsiveness by pre-rendering imagery of an off-screen surface. Caching logic may be used to assure that the imagery is correct.

Abstract: Computer-readable media, computerized methods, and computer systems for intuitively surfacing a teaching animation that demonstrates a manual gesture recognized by a writing-pad tool are provided. Initially, the writing-pad tool is interrogated to determine a context of a computing environment associated with a touchscreen interface. Generally, determining includes recognizing a current condition of the writing-pad tool based on whether text is provided within a content-entry area generated thereby, ascertaining whether a focus of a cursor tool resides within the content-entry area based on whether a portion of the text is selected, and ascertaining which actions are available for invocation at the writing-pad tool based on the current condition and the focus of the cursor. The context of the computing environment is utilized to identify which teaching animations to promote to an active state. Typically the promoted teaching animations are associated with the actions ascertained as available for invocation.

Abstract: An interface is provided between a handwriting receiving panel and an auto complete process. A user writes onto the handwriting receiving panel which recognizes the handwritten text. The handwritten text is forwarded to the auto complete process which provides suggested content to the user based on the handwritten text. The user can select the suggested content for use with another application. Alternatively, the user may add additional information to the handwriting receiving panel to enable the auto complete process to provide more or different suggested content.

Abstract: User interfaces for editing text in pen-based computing systems include: (a) a display portion that displays text; and (b) a correction interface that displays an editable text portion corresponding to at least a portion of the text. The correction interface accepts input via a stylus to enable changes to the editable text portion on a character-by-character basis (e.g., to add, delete, or change individual characters). The correction interface further may include or associate with a “suggestion list” portion that includes alternative(s) to substitute into the editable text portion and/or a “task list” portion that displays potential actions available through the interface. The invention also relates to systems, methods, and computer-readable media to activate, provide, and operate such interfaces.

Abstract: Computer-readable media, computerized methods, and computer systems for intuitively surfacing a teaching animation that demonstrates a manual gesture recognized by a writing-pad tool are provided. Initially, the writing-pad tool is interrogated to determine a context of a computing environment associated with a touchscreen interface. Generally, determining includes recognizing a current condition of the writing-pad tool based on whether text is provided within a content-entry area generated thereby, ascertaining whether a focus of a cursor tool resides within the content-entry area based on whether a portion of the text is selected, and ascertaining which actions are available for invocation at the writing-pad tool based on the current condition and the focus of the cursor. The context of the computing environment is utilized to identify which teaching animations to promote to an active state. Typically the promoted teaching animations are associated with the actions ascertained as available for invocation.

Abstract: An improved system for managing user inputs and z-order in a graphic user interface (GUI) environment is disclosed. A GUI element may include a plurality of keys corresponding to keys on a typical keyboard, and may serve as a replacement for the keyboard. The system permits an application having an input focus to retain the input focus while inputs are received in the GUI element, and even transient user interface elements (e.g., menus) will remain displayed in those applications after the user inputs are entered. Input pen and mouse events may first be forwarded to the input area application, which may remove the events from the normal circulation, preventing other applications from learning of the events, and then post those events to the input panel application separately.

Abstract: An improved system for managing user inputs and z-order in a graphic user interface (GUI) environment is disclosed. A GUI element may include a plurality of keys corresponding to keys on a typical keyboard, and may serve as a replacement for the keyboard. The system permits an application having an input focus to retain the input focus while inputs are received in the GUI element, and even transient user interface elements (e.g., menus) will remain displayed in those applications after the user inputs are entered. Input pen and mouse events may first be forwarded to the input area application, which may remove the events from the normal circulation, preventing other applications from learning of the events, and then post those events to the input panel application separately.

Abstract: A user interface is described that informs the user as to the status of the operation of a voice recognition application. The user interface displays an indicator, such as a volume bar, each time that the voice recognition application records and identifies a volume event. The user interface also displays an indicator when the voice recognition application recognizes a volume event corresponding to a displayed volume event indicator. The interface thus confirms to a user that the voice recognition application is both recording and recognizing the words being spoken by the user. It also graphically informs the user of the delay the application is currently experiencing in recognizing the words that the user is speaking.

Abstract: A user input panel dynamically expands to accommodate user input, such as handwritten or keyboard input. Expansion may occur in one or two out of four possible directions, depending upon the language to be written or typed. For example, when writing English words, the input panel may expand to the right as the user writes and then downward when the input panel has fully expanded rightward.

Abstract: A process and system for using handwritten input in an auto-suggest list input is described. Handwritten input is recognized as text and forwarded to an auto-suggest list provider that provides a list of suggested results based on the recognized.

Abstract: A system and method for redistributing space in ink-to-text conversions is described. In stylus-based computing systems, users often desire to convert ink from ink into text. Sometimes the conversion is made such that an interaction region is made too small for effective recognition correction or interaction. A system and procedure is described that adjusts the spacing of text to allow easier interaction with the recognition results.

Abstract: User interfaces, methods, systems, and computer-readable media for activating and/or displaying text input systems on display devices may include: (a) displaying a text input system activation target at a user changeable location on a display device; (b) receiving user input directed to the activation target; and (c) activating a text input system in response to the user input. Such user interfaces, methods, and systems further may include (d) displaying a pre-interaction condition of the activation target; (e) receiving user input directed to the activation target in this pre-interaction condition; and (f) changing an appearance of the activation target from the pre-interaction condition to a larger size and/or a different visual appearance in response to this user input. Additional aspects of this invention relate to computer-readable media for providing user interfaces, systems, and methods as described above.

Abstract: Described is a computer-implemented system and method that detects and differentiates scratch-out gestures from other electronic ink, e.g., entered via a pen. The system and method compare boundary-based criteria to differentiate, which eliminates the need to have a specially-shaped scratch-out pattern, instead allowing a wide variety of scratch-out styles to be detected. Criteria includes boundary-based evaluations such as whether the potential scratch-out gesture intersects previously recognized words or characters, whether the scratch-out gesture has a width that is at least a threshold percentage of the width of a word or character bounding box, whether the electronic ink extends beyond the midpoint of the bounding box, and whether at least some portion of the scratch-out gesture is above a baseline of the word or character. Scratch-out gestures entered in freeform input writing areas and boxed input writing areas are supported.

Abstract: A user interface is described that informs the user as to the status of the operation of a voice recognition application. The user interface displays an indicator, such as a volume bar, each time that the voice recognition application records and identifies a volume event. The user interface also displays an indicator when the voice recognition application recognizes a volume event corresponding to a displayed volume event indicator. The interface thus confirms to a user that the voice recognition application is both recording and recognizing the words being spoken by the user. It also graphically informs the user of the delay the application is currently experiencing in recognizing the words that the user is speaking.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media process computer input data (such as electronic ink data, speech input data, keyboard input data, etc.), including focus change data, in a manner so that the input insertion range better comports with the user's original intent. More specifically, user input data may be accepted, before, during, and/or after a focus change event is initiated, and the systems and methods will process this input data in an intuitive manner, directing the data to areas of an application program or the operating system that better comport with the user's original intent. In this manner, loss of input data may be avoided and misdirected input data may be avoided, thereby lowering user frustration during focus change events.