Appeal No. 2004-1026 Page 2
Application No. 09/028,480
BACKGROUND
The invention at issue on appeal uses a pen to edit a document or other image
displayed on a screen. (Supp. Reply Br. at 3.) According to the appellants, an
apparatus that enables data entry "by directly pointing a screen [sic] provided with a
tablet by means of a pen for inputting coordinates, has been developed." (Spec. at 1-2.)
They add, "[t]here is an apparatus of this type having a gesture function to edit a
document by handwriting. With this apparatus, when a line as an edit symbol [sic] is
drawn on the screen with a pen, an editing operation specified by a command
corresponding to the pattern of the line is performed." (Id. at 2.)
The appellants explain that such "a conventional editing operation using a
gesture has the following drawback[]." (Id.) "[I]f the input pen is moved into an area
where gesture entry is unavailable, the gesture processing stops and an error message
is given. Therefore, care needs to be taken throughout the input operation, i.e., from
the start of drawing to the end of drawing, requiring rather complicated handling." (Id. at
3.)
In contrast, the appellants' invention uses "pen-down coordinates" to decide
whether to perform gesture-based editing. (Supp. Reply Br. at 5.) As shown in
Figures 15 and 16 of their specification, the appellants' invention includes a tablet 32
featuring an “effective” area 32a, in which gesture entry is available, and an “ineffective
area” 32b, in which gesture entry is unavailable. A gesture judging section 51 shown in
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007