An interactive display device comprising:
- one or more processors;
- one or more input devices configured to detect one or more gestures from a user;
- a display configured to render one or more annotation strokes within one or more content spaces;
- at least one memory, storing non-transitory computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to implement a tracer mode that:
- (i) operates without graphical menus or toolbars;
- (ii) uses one or more transitory annotation strokes overlaid on application content to:
- (A) issue application commands when a user performs a secondary gesture that compares a drawn symbol with a predetermined set of symbols executing a corresponding command;
- or
- B) serve as passive, non-destructive content markup that automatically fades if no secondary gesture is performed,
- the operations comprising:
- acquiring, at the one or more processors, input data from the interactive display device, interpreted as the one or more gestures executed by the user;
- capturing, at the one or more processors, one or more tracer strokes, in response to one or more trace gestures, which generate ink trails recording the gesture trajectories of the one or more trace gestures, in the one or more content spaces, wherein the strokes are not required to occur in any particular area or graphical region and may be produced directly over top of other digital content;
- fading, at the one or more processors, one or more previously captured active tracer strokes, in response to detecting the release of all gestures, comprising the steps:
- starting, at the one or more processors, a repeating fade timer, in response to the release of all gestures;
- fading, at the one or more processors, the one or more previously captured active tracer strokes, in response to the repeating fade timer, wherein an opacity attribute is adjusted for the one or more previously captured active tracer strokes, so that they become progressively transparent with each subsequent fade timer event;
- removing, at the one or more processors, the one or more previously captured active tracer strokes when they fall below an opacity threshold, and canceling the repeating fade timer;
- restoring, at the one or more processors, the one or more previously captured active tracer strokes to full opacity, in response to detecting one or more additional trace gestures, and canceling the repeating fade timer;
- triggering, at the one or more processors, a tap-symbol matching process, of the one or more previously captured active tracer strokes, in response to a tap-symbol trigger gesture delivered in relation to the one or more previously captured active tracer strokes, wherein the user can selectively choose to not trigger the active tracer strokes, allowing them to fade and be removed;
- matching, at the one or more processors, the one or more previously captured active tracer strokes, in response to the detected tap-symbol trigger gesture, with a tap-symbol stored in a set of single/multi-stroke tap-symbol exemplars;
- replacing, the one or more previously captured active tracer strokes, in response to a tap-symbol match, with a tap-symbol that fades on release;
- executing, at the one or more processors, in response to a tap-symbol match, an associated application command, to act on the user content in proximity of the tap-symbol.