Abstract: A method of and system for facilitating stylus input into a text entry field in a pen-based computer system. The system detects a touch down of a stylus and determines whether the touch down is in a text entry field. Upon detection of movement of the stylus in the text entry field greater than a threshold, the system draws an include rectangle around the text entry field. The system sizes the include rectangle based on the size of the text entry field. The system interprets and completely inks any stroke of the stylus starting within the include rectangle within a predetermined timeout as an input to the text entry field. The system erases the include rectangle whenever it detects a stylus touch down outside the include rectangle, or the predetermined timeout expires without the system detecting a stylus touch down.

Abstract: Pre-recognition analysis on stroke characteristics such as the count, size and position of each stroke in real-time as it is drawn improves recognition accuracy. After each stroke, the set of strokes is weighted toward handwriting or gesture. The system uses a gesture threshold size to distinguish between gestures and handwriting. The system also uses the stroke count to distinguish between the two inputs, relying on the knowledge of the allowable number of strokes in a gesture. The count information may also be used in conjunction with the stroke size information to weight the set of strokes between gestures handwriting. Once the stroke size crosses a gesture vs. text size threshold, the result is weighted toward gestures. By examining the `white space` between strokes and the juxtaposition of the strokes, a gesture vs. text determination can be made with high accuracy.

Abstract: To distinguish between gestures and handwriting, the pen subsystem examines the size of the user's writing. The user may set the gesture versus text size according to his/her handwriting style. In this manner, the user knows exactly how large to make the gestures. If the user declines to customize the setting, the pen subsystem can query other user settings that indicate approximate size of the user's handwriting. A third choice available the system dynamically determine and track the size of handwriting. This would allow multiple users to serially use the computer without having to change settings.