Charles P Thacker

US Patent:

6788815, Sep 7, 2004

Filed:

Feb 28, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/795984

Inventors:

Charlton E. Lui - Redmond WA
Charles P. Thacker - Palo Alto CA
James E. Mathews - Bellevue WA
Leroy B. Keely - Portola Valley CA
David Switzer - Redmond WA
William H. Vong - Seattle WA
Butler W. Lampson - Cambridge MA

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06K 900

US Classification:

382187, 382189, 382314, 345169

Abstract:

A user interface allows a user to input handwritten, key-press, and spoken text in a seamless, synchronized manner. A text input panel accepts soft keyboard presses and handwritten words, characters, and gestures. A text recognizer/synchronizer integrates textual input from various sources while recognizing and preserving the order in which a user entered text via the soft keyboard, via handwriting, and/or by speaking. Synchronized text may be displayed in a stage area of the text input panel before being passed to an operating system message router and/or an application program. While in handwriting recognition mode, various permutations and combinations of a word recognition area, a character recognition area, and a keybar/keypad may optionally be displayed.

US Patent:

6903730, Jun 7, 2005

Filed:

Jan 16, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/759202

Inventors:

James E. Mathews - Bellevue WA, US
Charles Patrick Thacker - Palo Alto CA, US
Michael Hin-cheung Tsang - Bellevue WA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G09G005/00

US Classification:

345179, 345173, 345156, 345863

Abstract:

A technique is disclosed for detecting an in-air gesture made by a digitizing pen above a digitizing writing surface. When the digitizing pen is determined to be in motion above the digitizing writing surface, positional information of the digitizing pen with respect to the surface of the digitizing writing surface is recorded within a moving buffer. The moving buffer records a predetermined amount of positional information spanning a predetermined amount of time while the digitizing pen is in motion above the digitizing writing surface. When the digitizing pen has stopped motion, positional information recorded in the moving buffer is evaluated for determining whether the recorded information corresponds to a predetermined in-air gesture. A predetermined user interface panel is displayed when the positional information recorded in the moving buffer corresponds to a predetermined in-air gesture.

US Patent:

6957233, Oct 18, 2005

Filed:

Dec 7, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/455806

Inventors:

John L. Beezer - Redmond WA, US
Marco A. DeMello - Redmond WA, US
Jerry J. Dunietz - Seattle WA, US
Leroy B. Keely - Portola Valley CA, US
Vikram Madan - Bellevue WA, US
David M. Silver - Redmond WA, US
Charles P. Thacker - Palo Alto CA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F017/30

US Classification:

707200, 345179, 345711

Abstract:

A system and method for capturing annotations for a non-modifiable document is disclosed. Once it is determined that an annotation is to be created, the system determines the file position of the selected object. The file position of the selected object is stored along with the created annotation in another file or a non-read only portion of a file storing the document. Using the file position, the annotation may be properly identified with the selected object without modifying the non-modifiable document.

US Patent:

7028258, Apr 11, 2006

Filed:

Oct 1, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/410414

Inventors:

Charles P. Thacker - Palo Alto CA, US
Ralph Sommerer - Cambridge, GB

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 7/00

US Classification:

715525, 715517, 715518, 715519, 715520, 345660, 345670

Abstract:

Dynamic pagination for electronic documents, such as electronic books, is disclosed. In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method first processes a document made up of at least text, as a number of segments. Second, the method determines a number of page breaks within a predetermined segment. This segment, for example, may be entered into the memory of a viewing device, such as an electronic book device. Third, the method renders a predetermined page within the predetermined segment, and finally displays the predetermined page. For example, the page can be displayed on a display device such as a flat-panel display of an electronic book device.

US Patent:

7082495, Jul 25, 2006

Filed:

Feb 21, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/372734

Inventors:

Dean L. DeWhitt - Sammamish WA, US
Clark D. Nicholson - Seattle WA, US
W. Jeff Westerinen - Sammamish WA, US
Michael R. Fortin - Redmond WA, US
John M. Parchem - Seattle WA, US
Charles P. Thacker - Palo Alto CA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 12/00

US Classification:

711113, 711135

Abstract:

A method and apparatus to improve the read/write performance of a hard drive is presented. The hard drive includes solid state, non-volatile (NV) memory as a read/write cache. Data specified by the operating system is stored in the NV memory. The operating system provides a list of data to be put in NV memory. The data includes data to be pinned in NV memory and data that is dynamic. Pinned data persists in NV memory until the operating system commands it to be flushed. Dynamic data can be flushed by the hard drive controller. Data sent by an application for storage is temporary stored in NV memory in data blocks until the operating system commits it to the disk.

US Patent:

7120872, Oct 10, 2006

Filed:

Mar 25, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/103700

Inventors:

Charles P Thacker - Palo Alto CA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 15/00

US Classification:

715541, 382181, 382186

Abstract:

A pen-based computing system supports organizing, editing, and rendering handwritten digital ink. A given page of text may include several word flows, but the flows may be prevented from overlapping one another, and each word and stroke may be assigned to only one flow on the page. Various functions are available to open up additional space in a flow, to reflow the words in a flow, and to normalize the spacing between words in a flow.

US Patent:

7265303, Sep 4, 2007

Filed:

Dec 17, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/736841

Inventors:

Charles P. Thacker - Palo Alto CA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06K 11/06
G09G 5/00

US Classification:

178 1807, 345173

Abstract:

An electromagnetic digitizer arrangement that may include a comb-like pattern of sensing traces that form various sensing loops depending upon the configurations of various switches is described. The comb arrangement of traces may be fabricated using only a single layer per sensing axis. Thus, the digitizer may be fabricated in a technology, such as indium tin oxide on glass, that cannot provide plated-through holes.

US Patent:

7266769, Sep 4, 2007

Filed:

Dec 23, 2004

Appl. No.:

11/019469

Inventors:

Charles P Thacker - Palo Alto CA, US

Assignee:

Microsoft Corporation - Redmond WA

International Classification:

G06F 17/00

US Classification:

715541, 7071041

Abstract:

A pen-based computing system supports organizing, editing, and rendering handwritten digital ink. A given page of text may include several word flows, but the flows may be prevented from overlapping one another, and each word and stroke may be assigned to only one flow on the page. Various functions are available to open up additional space in a flow, to reflow the words in a flow, and to normalize the spacing between words in a flow.