US 6,618,040 B1 · Apparatus and method for indexing into an electronic document to locate a page or a graphical image

Abstract

A pen-based tablet computer system that locates objects in a collection of stored images by using partial tracing of a graphical data object. The system uses data generated from the partial tracing of the graphical object to control a search of the input data file for the most likely graphical object which is a match. When the most likely match is located, the input data page containing the matched image is determined. The system then may determine the page of form data that applies to the input data page that contains the graphical object and the correct input data page and form data page are simultaneously displayed on the computer display screen. The graphical object may be an image, text data, a line drawing, etc.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method of locating the electronic page image in which data was previously stored, including the steps of:

placing a copy of a previously drawn image on a pen digitizing device attached to a computer;
tracing over a portion of the previously drawn image to produce trace data;
comparing the trace data with the electronic page images previously stored in a computer;
and
selecting the electronic page image which most closely matches the trace data;
whereby the electronic page images can be retrieved by matching trace data with the electronic page images.

3 more elements

A method of locating an image in a graphical object database in which data was previously stored, including the steps of:

placing a copy of a previously drawn graphical object on a pen digitizing device attached to a computer;
tracing over a portion of the previously drawn graphical object to produce trace data;
comparing the trace data with graphical objects in a graphical object database stored in a computer;
and
selecting the graphical object which most closely matches the trace data;
whereby a graphical object database can be searched by matching trace data with graphical objects in the database.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus and method for indexing into an electronic document to locate a page or a graphical image

Life of this patent

Apparatus and method for indexing into an electronic document to locate a page or a graphical image

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18