Method and Apparatus for Manipulating Digital Content

1 . A method comprising:

detecting when an input device is moved across digital content presented on a display surface and comparing at least one attribute assigned to the input device with at least one attribute assigned to the digital content; and

based on the result of the comparison, manipulating the digital content.

2 . The method of claim 1 further comprising assigning the at least one attribute to the input device in response to user interaction.

3 . The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one attribute is assigned to the input device in response to user interaction with a tool tray that is configured to hold said input device.

4 . The method of claim 3 wherein said input device is an erasing tool and wherein said manipulating comprises erasing digital content.

5 . The method of claim 4 wherein said digital content comprises digital ink.

6 . The method of claim 5 wherein said erasing comprises erasing digital ink that has an assigned at least one attribute that matches the at least one attribute assigned to said digital ink.

7 . The method of claim 6 wherein the at least one attribute assigned to said erasing tool is selected from digital ink color, digital ink shape, digital ink line width, digital ink line type, digital ink format, digital ink location on the display surface and age of the digital ink.

8 . The method of claim 5 wherein said erasing comprises erasing digital ink that has an assigned at least one attribute that does not match the at least one attribute assigned to said digital ink.

9 . The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one attribute assigned to said erasing tool is selected from digital ink color, digital ink shape, digital ink line width, digital ink line type, digital ink format, digital ink location on the display surface and age of the digital ink.

10 . The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one attribute is assigned to the input device in response to user interaction with a graphical user interface presented on said display surface.

11 . The method of claim 10 wherein said input device is an erasing tool and wherein said manipulating comprises erasing digital content.

12 . The method of claim 11 wherein said digital content comprises digital ink.

13 . The method of claim 12 wherein said erasing comprises erasing digital ink that has an assigned at least one attribute that matches the at least one attribute assigned to said digital ink.

14 . The method of claim 13 wherein the at least one attribute assigned to said erasing tool is selected from digital ink color, digital ink shape, digital ink line width, digital ink line type, digital ink format, digital ink location on the display surface and age of the digital ink.

15 . The method of claim 12 wherein said erasing comprises erasing digital ink that has an assigned at least one attribute that does not match the at least one attribute assigned to said digital ink.

16 . The method of claim 15 wherein the at least one attribute assigned to said erasing tool is selected from digital ink color, digital ink shape, digital ink line width, digital ink line type, digital ink format, digital ink location on the display surface and age of the digital ink.

17 . The method of claim 1 wherein said input device is a pen tool and wherein said manipulating comprises performing an action involving said digital content.

18 . The method of claim 17 wherein said performing is carried out when the pen tool has an assigned at least one attribute that matches the at least one attribute assigned to said digital content.

19 . The method of claim 18 wherein said performing is selected from cutting said digital content, copying said digital content, pasting said digital content, moving said digital content, rotating said digital content, highlighting said digital content, converting said digital content to text, reading said digital content audibly, and changing at least one of font size, colour and type of said digital content.

20 . The method of claim 17 wherein said performing is carried out when the pen tool has an assigned at least one attribute that does not match the at least one attribute assigned to said digital content.

21 . The method of claim 20 wherein said performing is selected from cutting said digital content, copying said digital content, pasting said digital content, moving said digital content, rotating said digital content, highlighting said digital content, converting said digital content to text, reading said digital content audibly, and changing at least one of font size, colour and type of said digital content.

22 . The method of claim 1 further comprising, prior to said detecting, determining input device type, said manipulating being based on both the result of the comparing and the input device type.

23 . The method of claim 22 further comprising assigning the at least one attribute to the input device in response to user interaction.

24 . The method of claim 23 wherein the at least one attribute is assigned to the input device in response to user interaction with a tool tray that is configured to hold said input device.

25 . The method of claim 24 wherein said determining comprises examining a signal generated by said tool tray that identifies said input device.

26 . The method of claim 25 wherein said signal is generated in response to said input device being removed from said tool tray.

27 . The method of claim 26 wherein said input device is an erasing tool and wherein said manipulating comprises erasing digital content.

28 . The method of claim 27 wherein said digital content comprises digital ink.

29 . The method of claim 28 wherein said erasing comprises erasing digital ink that has an assigned at least one attribute that matches the at least one attribute assigned to said digital ink.

30 . The method of claim 29 wherein the at least one attribute assigned to said erasing tool is selected from digital ink color, digital ink shape, digital ink line width, digital ink line type, digital ink format, digital ink location on the display surface and age of the digital ink.

31 . The method of claim 28 wherein said erasing comprises erasing digital ink that has an assigned at least one attribute that does not match the at least one attribute assigned to said digital ink.

32 . The method of claim 31 wherein the at least one attribute assigned to said erasing tool is selected from digital ink color, digital ink shape, digital ink line width, digital ink line type, digital ink format, digital ink location on the display surface and age of the digital ink.

33 . The method of claim 24 wherein said determining comprises examining a signal generated by said input device.

34 . The method of claim 34 wherein said input device is a tool comprising a writing end and an erasing end, said signal identifying the end of said tool used to move across said digital content.

35 . The method of claim 2 wherein said assigning comprises determining when said input device has been brought into proximity with another device, a selection pan or displayed information having an assigned attribute and assigning the attribute of that proximate device, selection pan or displayed information to the input device.

36 . The method of claim 2 wherein the assigned at least one attribute is assigned to all input devices used to move across digital content.

37 . The method of claim 2 wherein different attributes are assigned to different input devices used to move across digital content.

38 . The method of claim 1 wherein said display surface is divided into different regions and wherein said detecting and manipulating is performed for each region when an input device is moved across digital content displayed thereon.

39 . The method of claim 38 wherein the same at least one attribute is assigned to all input devices.

40 . The method of claim 38 wherein the at least one attribute assigned to the input devices are not all the same.

41 . A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying computer executable instructions, which when executed, carry out the method of:

detecting when an input device is moved across digital content presented on a display surface and comparing at least one attribute assigned to the input device with at least one attribute assigned to the digital content; and

based on the result of the comparison, manipulating the digital content.

42 . An apparatus comprising:

memory; and

processing structure communicating with said memory and executing instructions stored therein to cause said apparatus at least to:

detect when an input device is moved across digital content presented on a display surface and compare at least one attribute assigned to the input device with at least one attribute assigned to the digital content; and

based on the result of the comparison, manipulate the digital content.

43 . The apparatus of claim 42 further comprising a tool tray accommodating one or more input devices.

44 . The apparatus of claim 43 wherein said at least one attribute is assigned to an input device removed from said tool tray in response to user interaction.

45 . The apparatus of claim 44 wherein said user interaction is one of user interaction with said tool tray or user interaction with a graphical user interface presented on said display surface.