Pen Input Modes for Digital Ink
Techniques for pen input modes for digital ink are described. According to various embodiments, a pen apparatus is described that is switchable between providing digital ink input and non-digital-ink input. According to various embodiments, a pen apparatus is switchable between different ink input modes. For instance, the pen apparatus is switchable between a permanent ink mode in which ink is applied as permanent ink, and a transient ink mode in which ink is applied as transient ink.
1 . A pen apparatus comprising:
a shaft;
a tip portion that is retractably engaged with the shaft such that the tip portion is extendable from the shaft and retractable at least partially into the shaft; and
a tip button that is selectable to extend and retract the tip portion relative to the shaft,
the pen apparatus configured to apply digital ink to an input surface of a computing device in response to interaction of the pen with the input surface with the tip portion extended from the shaft, and configured to apply non-digital-ink input to the input surface of the computing device in response to interaction of the pen with the input surface with the tip portion at least partially retracted into the shaft.
2 . A pen apparatus as recited in claim 1 , further comprising an active component configured to interact with the input surface to cause digital ink to be applied to the input surface in response to interaction of the pen with the input surface with the tip portion extended from the shaft.
3 . A pen apparatus as recited in claim 1 , further comprising an active component configured to interact with the input surface to cause digital ink to be applied to the input surface in response to interaction of the pen with the input surface with the tip portion at least partially extended from the shaft, and wherein the active component is further configured to interact with the input surface to cause non-digital ink input to be applied to the input surface in response to interaction of the pen with the input surface with the tip portion at least partially retracted into the shaft.
4 . A pen apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the non-digital ink input comprises touch input to the input surface such that digital ink is not applied to the input surface in response to interaction of the pen with the input surface with the tip portion at least partially retracted into the shaft.
5 . A pen apparatus as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a pen mode button positioned on the shaft, the pen mode button being selectable to cause the pen apparatus to apply digital ink to the input surface in different ink modes and in response to interaction of the pen with the input surface with the tip portion at least partially extended from the shaft.
6 . A pen apparatus as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a pen mode button positioned on the shaft, the pen mode button being selectable to cause the pen apparatus to switch between applying digital ink in a permanent ink mode and applying digital ink in a transient ink mode.
7 . A pen apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein retraction of the tip portion causes the tip portion to be non-detectable to the input surface.
8 . A pen apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the pen apparatus is configured such that retraction of the tip portion disables one or more of ink functionality of the pen apparatus or ink functionality of the input surface.
9 . A pen apparatus as recited in claim 1 , wherein the shaft includes an eraser portion that is configured to erase digital ink applied to the input surface.
10 . A system comprising:
an input surface;
one or more processors; and
one or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions that, responsive to execution by the one or more processors, cause the system to perform operations including:
detecting pen input from a pen to the input surface;
processing the pen input as digital ink input in response to ascertaining that the pen is in an ink-enabled mode; and
processing the pen input as non-digital-ink input in response to ascertaining that the pen is in an ink-disabled mode.
11 . The system as described in claim 10 , wherein the instructions further include ascertaining whether the pen is in the ink-enabled mode or the ink-disabled mode by determining whether a tip portion of the pen is in an extended or retracted position.
12 . The system as described in claim 10 , wherein the instructions further include determining that a tip portion of the pen is in a retracted position, and in response processing the pen input to the input surface as non-digital-ink input.
13 . The system as described in claim 10 , wherein said processing the pen input as non-digital-ink input includes processing the pen input such that digital ink is not applied to the input surface in response to contact between the pen and the input surface.
14 . The system as described in claim 10 , wherein the pen input comprises pen input to a digital document, and wherein the operations further include:
ascertaining that the pen is in a transient ink mode,
wherein processing the pen input as digital-ink input comprises causing the digital ink input to be propagated to a transient ink layer for the digital document.
15 . The system as described in claim 10 , wherein the operations further include:
receiving an indication of contact between an eraser portion of the pen and digital ink displayed on the input surface; and
causing the digital ink to be removed from the input surface in response to the indication.
16 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:
receiving by a computing system ink input to an input surface from a pen apparatus;
processing by the computing system the ink input as transient ink in response to ascertaining that the pen apparatus is in a transient ink mode; and
processing by the computing system the ink input as permanent ink in response to ascertaining that the pen apparatus is in a permanent ink mode.
17 . A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 16 , further comprising ascertaining whether the pen apparatus is in the transient ink mode or the permanent ink mode based on a signal from the pen apparatus indicating a current active ink mode for the pen apparatus.
18 . A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 16 , wherein the ink input comprises ink input to a digital document, and wherein said processing the ink input as transient ink comprises propagating the ink input to a transient layer for the digital document.
19 . A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 16 , wherein the ink input comprises ink input to a digital document, wherein said processing the ink input as transient ink comprises propagating the ink input to a transient ink layer for the digital document, and wherein the method further comprises enabling the transient ink layer to be accessible separately from primary content of the digital document.
20 . A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 16 , further comprising:
detecting further pen input to the input surface;
ascertaining that the pen apparatus is in an ink-disabled mode; and
processing further pen input to the input surface as non-digital-ink input in response to ascertaining that the pen apparatus is in an ink-disabled mode.