Computer based pen system and method for automatically cancelling unwanted gestures and preventing anomalous signals as inputs to such system

Claim 1

A method for registering and operating an input device in a pen-based computer system for entering a gesture into the system, the system having a memory, a processor including proximity and gesture cancel timer devices and a display coupled to a system bus, the method comprising the steps of: a. placing the system in a gesture mode; b. determining the input device type and storing an identification of the device type in the memory for the gesture stroke, if the system is not in a gesture mode, and performing the following steps; b1. establishing an alterable motion zone definitive of movement for each input device type; b2. establishing a gesture cancel time period for a user; b3. dividing the gesture time period by a utility factor; b4. saving the the result of step b3 as a gesture cancel reset time for the gesture cancel timer device; c. canceling the proximity timer for a second or greater numbered gesture stroke, if the system is in a gesture mode, and performing the following steps: c1. determining the input device type; c2. comparing the device types for present and past gesture strokes; c3. canceling the gesture if the device types are different for present and past gestures strokes; d. incrementing a stroke count if the device types are the same for the present and past gestures strokes and performing the following steps: d1. comparing the gesture stroke count to a preselected maximum count; d2. cancelling the gesture if the stroke count exceeds the maximum count; (d3)e1. recording coordinates in the display as the final gesture position, if the stroke does not exceed the maximum count, and performing the following steps; (d4)e2. time stamping the final gesture position; (d5)e3. initiating a gesture cancel timer, and (d6)e4. canceling the gesture when the gesture cancel timer exceeds a preselected time period.

Claim 2

A method for registering and operating an input device in a pen-based computer system for entering a gesture into the system, the system having a memory, a processor including proximity and gesture cancel timer devices and a display coupled to a system bus, the method comprising the steps of: a. placing the system in a gesture mode; b. determining the input device type and storing an identification of the device type in the memory for the gesture stroke, if the system is not in a gesture mode, and performing the following steps; b1. establishing an alterable motion zone definitive of movement for each input device type; b2. establishing a gesture cancel time period for a user; b3. dividing the gesture time period by a utility factor; b4. saving the the result of step b3 as a gesture cancel reset time for the gesture cancel timer device; c. canceling the proximity timer for a second or greater numbered gesture stroke, if the system is in a gesture mode, and performing the following steps: c1. determining the input device type; c2. comparing the device types for present and past gesture strokes; c3. canceling the gesture if the device types are different for present and past gestures strokes; d. incrementing a stroke count if the device types are the same for the present and past gestures strokes and performing the following steps: d1. comparing the gesture stroke count to a preselected maximum count; d2. cancelling the gesture if the stroke count exceeds the maximum count; (d3)e1. recording coordinates in the display as the final gesture position, if the stroke does not exceed the maximum count, and performing the following steps; (d4)e2. time stamping the final gesture position; (d5)e3. initiating a gesture cancel timer, and (d6)e4. canceling the gesture when the gesture cancel timer exceeds a preselected time period.

Claim 3

A method for registering a new point from an input device for a gesture entered into a pen-based computer system, the system having a memory, a processor including proximity and gesture cancel timer devices and a display coupled to a system bus, the method comprising the steps of: a. incrementing a point counter for the new point; b. comparing the point counter to a maximum and canceling the gesture if the maximum is exceeded; c. comparing successive new points in a gesture for movement compared to an alterable motion zone defining an input device, if the point count is less than the maximum count; d. scheduling a gesture cancel timer resets, if the movement is greater than a maximum and performing the following steps; d1. recording the position of the input device; d2. recording a time stamp for the last point in the gesture; e. subtracting the time of last timer start from the time stamp of current point in step d2 or if the movement in step d is less than the maximum movement; f. comparing the results of step e to a gesture cancel time period and cancelling the gesture if the period is greater than the gesture cancel timer period or performing the following steps if the time period is less than the gesture cancel timer period; f1. determining if the resullts of step f is greater than a gesture cancel timer reset time and ending the method if the result is less than the gesture cancel timer reset time or performing the following steps if the result is greater than the reset time; f2. determining whether a timer reset has been scheduled per step d; f3. subtracting the time stamp of the current point from the time stamp of the last motion point; f4. subtracting the results of step f3 from the gesture cancel timer period; f5. restarting a gesture cancel timer using the results of step f4; f6. recording the time stamp as the last gesture timer restart time whereby the system automatically cancels unwanted gestures and prevents anomalous signals as inputs to the system.

Claim 4

A method for registering a new point from an input device for a gesture entered into a pen-based computer system, the system having a memory, a processor including proximity and gesture cancel timer devices and a display coupled to a system bus, the method comprising the steps of: a. incrementing a point counter for the new point; b. comparing the point counter to a maximum and canceling the gesture if the maximum is exceeded; c. comparing successive new points in a gesture for movement compared to an alterable motion zone defining an input device, if the point count is less than the maximum count; d. scheduling a gesture cancel timer resets, if the movement is greater than a maximum and performing the following steps; d1. recording the position of the input device; d2. recording a time stamp for the last point in the gesture; e. subtracting the time of last timer start from the time stamp of current point in step d2 or if the movement in step d is less than the maximum movement; f. comparing the results of step e to a gesture cancel time period and cancelling the gesture if the period is greater than the gesture cancel timer period or performing the following steps if the time period is less than the gesture cancel timer period; f1. determining if the resullts of step f is greater than a gesture cancel timer reset time and ending the method if the result is less than the gesture cancel timer reset time or performing the following steps if the result is greater than the reset time; f2. determining whether a timer reset has been scheduled per step d; f3. subtracting the time stamp of the current point from the time stamp of the last motion point; f4. subtracting the results of step f3 from the gesture cancel timer period; f5. restarting a gesture cancel timer using the results of step f4; f6. recording the time stamp as the last gesture timer restart time whereby the system automatically cancels unwanted gestures and prevents anomalous signals as inputs to the system.