Abstract: Various technologies and techniques are disclosed that generate a teaching data set for use by a handwriting recognizer. Ink input is received from various ink sources, such as implicit field data, scripted untruthed ink, scripted truth ink, and/or ink from at least one other language in the same script as the target language for the recognizer. The ink input is used with various machine learning methods and/or other algorithmic methods to generate a teaching ink data set. Examples of the various machine learning methods include a character and/or word n-gram distribution leveling method, an allograph method, a subject diversity method, and a print and cursive data selection method. The teaching ink data is used by a handwriting trainer to produce the handwriting recognizer for the target language.

Abstract: The manipulation system described herein provides a common platform and application-programming interface (API) for applications to communicate with various multi-touch hardware devices, and facilitates the interpretation of multi-touch input as one or more manipulations. Manipulations map more directly to user intentions than do individual touch inputs and add support for basic transformation of objects using multiple touch contacts. An application can use manipulations to support rotating, resizing, and translating multiple objects at the same time. The manipulation system outputs two-dimensional (2D) affine transforms that contain rotation, scale, and translation information. Thus, using the manipulation system the application author can focus more on building touch-capable applications and let the manipulation system handle the underlying transformations and communication with the multi-touch hardware.

Abstract: In accordance with one or more aspects of a dynamic soft keyboard, a user input is received via a soft keyboard having multiple keys. Information describing a current input environment for the soft keyboard is obtained, and a determination is made as to which one or more keys of the multiple keys was intended to be selected by the user input. This determination is made based at least in part on the current input environment.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and/or techniques (“tools”) for hybrid operating systems for battery powered computing systems are described herein. The hybrid operating systems (OS) may include a full-power OS component that enables the computing system to operate in a full-power mode, and a low-power OS component that enables the computing system to operate in a low-power mode. In the full-power mode, the computing system consumes a first amount of electrical power, while in the low-power mode, the computing system consumes less electrical power. The computing system may include a processor that consumes a given power amount of power, and a low-power core processor that consumes less power than the processor.

Abstract: A recognition tool according to various examples of the invention intelligently recognizes natural input before it is passed to a destination or target application. More particularly, the recognition tool according to various examples of the invention provides better formatting for text recognized from natural input, based upon the context in which the text is being inserted into a target application. The recognition tool also provides various tools for correcting inaccurately recognized text. The recognition tool may allow a user to select only a part of an inaccurate text, and then identify alternate text candidates based upon the selected portion of the inaccurate text. Further, when the user selects text containing multiple words for correction, the recognition tool provides cross combinations of alternate text candidates for the user's selection.

Abstract: Various technologies and techniques are disclosed that generate a teaching data set for use by a handwriting recognizer. Ink input is received from various ink sources, such as implicit field data, scripted untruthed ink, scripted truth ink, and/or ink from at least one other language in the same script as the target language for the recognizer. The ink input is used with various machine learning methods and/or other algorithmic methods to generate a teaching ink data set. Examples of the various machine learning methods include a character and/or word n-gram distribution leveling method, an allograph method, a subject diversity method, and a print and cursive data selection method. The teaching ink data is used by a handwriting trainer to produce the handwriting recognizer for the target language.

Abstract: Described is electronic ink maintained as a software object, thereby associating ink functionality with electronic ink data. The ink may be separated into words or characters, with one object per word or character. By the associated functionality, applications that deal with embedded objects in general can automatically benefit from electronic ink, including having the object's functionality render the ink data as part the application's document. Further, because the ink data is maintained as an object, the data is automatically persisted in association with the document into which it is embedded. Ink-aware applications may call on methods of the electronic ink object to adjust formatting, search recognized ink along with text, and perform other functions. Via the electronic ink object, electronic ink substantially approaches much of the behavior normally available with text data, without requiring applications to interpret the ink data.

Abstract: Described is electronic ink maintained as a software object, thereby associating ink functionality with electronic ink data. The ink may be separated into words or characters, with one object per word or character. By the associated functionality, applications that deal with embedded objects in general can automatically benefit from electronic ink, including having the object's functionality render the ink data as part the application's document. Further, because the ink data is maintained as an object, the data is automatically persisted in association with the document into which it is embedded. Ink-aware applications may call on methods of the electronic ink object to adjust formatting, search recognized ink along with text, and perform other functions. Via the electronic ink object, electronic ink substantially approaches much of the behavior normally available with text data, without requiring applications to interpret the ink data.

Abstract: A natural (e.g., handwriting or speech) input recognition system and method that uses contextual mapping to improve recognition accuracy by biasing recognition based on the context of an input field. As natural input data is being entered into an application field, the context (type) of the field is determined and used to locate context-based validation rules and context-based user bias data. When entry is complete, the context-based validation rules and context-based user bias data are provided to a recognition engine with the natural input data. The recognizer biases its recognition result by using the rules and the user bias data to recognize the natural input. A field signature generator is described that determines each field's context, independent of the application, and a data harvesting engine is described that automatically collects user bias data from various data stores.

Abstract: A user is provided with guidelines that are temporarily displayed with content, in order to assist the user in neatly and accurately writing electronic ink. The guidelines may appear when the user moves a writing tool, such as a stylus or pen, close to a display and writing surface. Alternately, the guidelines may appear after the user has begun to write electronic ink, so that the guidelines can correspond to the angle at which the user is writing, the size of the user's handwriting, or both. As the user writes the electronic ink onto the writing surface, the handwritten electronic ink is added to the content being rendered on the display. After the user has finished writing electronic ink and moves the writing tool away from the writing surface, the guidelines are deleted, and are not added to the displayed content. In this way, the user can employ the temporary guidelines to accurately and legibly write electronic ink into content, without the guidelines themselves becoming a permanent part of the content.

Abstract: A transparent graphical user interface that overlays the user interfaces of other applications. The transparent user interface receives handwriting input and displays handwriting objects represented by handwriting input received in the area of the transparent handwriting interface. The transparent user interface of the invention can be expanded to include most of the display area of a computer, thereby allowing the user to write anywhere within the display area. This also allows the user to write multiple lines of text. Additionally, because the user interface is transparent, it allows the user to see the underlying graphical user interfaces for other applications, including applications that receive text recognized from the handwriting input written into the transparent handwriting interface. Further the transparent interface allows the user to interact with underlying graphical user interfaces.

Abstract: Described is electronic ink maintained as a software object, thereby associating ink functionality with electronic ink data. The ink may be separated into words or characters, with one object per word or character. By the associated functionality, applications that deal with embedded objects in general can automatically benefit from electronic ink, including having the object's functionality render the ink data as part the application's document. Further, because the ink data is maintained as an object, the data is automatically persisted in association with the document into which it is embedded. Ink-aware applications may call on methods of the electronic ink object to adjust formatting, search recognized ink along with text, and perform other functions. Via the electronic ink object, electronic ink substantially approaches much of the behavior normally available with text data, without requiring applications to interpret the ink data.

Abstract: A user is provided with guidelines that are temporarily displayed with content, in order to assist the user in neatly and accurately writing electronic ink. The guidelines may appear when the user moves a writing tool, such as a stylus or pen, close to a display and writing surface. Alternately, the guidelines may appear after the user has begun to write electronic ink, so that the guidelines can correspond to the angle at which the user is writing, the size of the user's handwriting, or both. As the user writes the electronic ink onto the writing surface, the handwritten electronic ink is added to the content being rendered on the display. After the user has finished writing electronic ink and moves the writing tool away from the writing surface, the guidelines are deleted, and are not added to the displayed content. In this way, the user can employ the temporary guidelines to accurately and legibly write electronic ink into content, without the guidelines themselves becoming a permanent part of the content.

Abstract: A recognition tool according to the invention intelligently recognizes natural input before it is passed to a destination or target application. More particularly, the recognition tool according to the invention provides better formatting for text recognized from natural input, based upon the context in which the text is being inserted into a target application. The recognition tool also provides various tools for correcting inaccurately recognized text. For example, the recognition tool allows a user to select only a part of an inaccurate text, and then identifies alternate text candidates based upon the selected portion of the inaccurate text. Further, when the user selects text containing multiple words for correction, the recognition tool provides cross combinations of alternate text candidates for the user's selection.

Abstract: A transparent graphical user interface that overlays the user interfaces of other applications. The transparent user interface receives handwriting input and displays handwriting objects represented by handwriting input received in the area of the transparent handwriting interface. The transparent user interface of the invention can be expanded to include most of the display area of a computer, thereby allowing the user to write anywhere within the display area. This also allows the user to write multiple lines of text. Additionally, because the user interface is transparent, it allows the user to see the underlying graphical user interfaces for other applications, including applications that receive text recognized from the handwriting input written into the transparent handwriting interface. Further the transparent interface allows the user to interact with underlying graphical user interfaces.

Abstract: A natural (e.g., handwriting or speech) input recognition system and method that uses contextual mapping to improve recognition accuracy by biasing recognition based on the context of an input field. As natural input data is being entered into an application field, the context (type) of the field is determined and used to locate context-based validation rules and context-based user bias data. When entry is complete, the context-based validation rules and context-based user bias data are provided to a recognition engine with the natural input data. The recognizer biases its recognition result by using the rules and the user bias data to recognize the natural input. A field signature generator is described that determines each field's context, independent of the application, and a data harvesting engine is described that automatically collects user bias data from various data stores.

Abstract: A system and method that displays a semi-transparent user input interface relative to an application's currently focused input field at times when handwritten input is appropriate. The semi-transparent user interface starts when a program's text input field receives focus, can grow as needed to receive input, or will disappear when not used for a time. Handwritten data is recognized and passed to the application as if it was typed in the focused field, and the application need not be aware of handwriting, as the system and method are external to the application. Pen events that are not handwriting, but comprise gestures directed to the program through the semi-transparent input user interface, are detected by a gesture detection engine and sent to the application. A user is thus guided to enter handwriting, while handwriting recognition appears to be built into applications, whether or not those applications are aware of handwriting.

Abstract: Described is electronic ink maintained as a software object, thereby associating ink functionality with electronic ink data. The ink may be separated into words or characters, with one object per word or character. By the associated functionality, applications that deal with embedded objects in general can automatically benefit from electronic ink, including having the object's functionality render the ink data as part the application's document. Further, because the ink data is maintained as an object, the data is automatically persisted in association with the document into which it is embedded. Ink-aware applications may call on methods of the electronic ink object to adjust formatting, search recognized ink along with text, and perform other functions. Via the electronic ink object, electronic ink substantially approaches much of the behavior normally available with text data, without requiring applications to interpret the ink data.