Irregular Table Creation via Cell Removal in Digital Ink Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing interactive input systems, such as those used in touch systems and tablet PCs, are limited in their ability to recognize and represent the meaning and context of hand-drawn objects, particularly in creating irregular-shaped tables, as they can only generate tables in the shapes of rectangles and squares.
Innovation Solution
A computerized method and tool that detects and removes selected cells from a regular-shaped table to create an irregular-shaped table object, allowing for the transformation of regular-shaped tables into irregular-shaped tables and vice versa, using a software tool that interprets pointer contacts and updates image data to reflect user interactions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional word processing software is used to create tables, then tables can be created efficiently, but the shape of tables is limited to rectangles and squares only
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the table creation process into two phases: first creating a regular rectangular table structure efficiently, then selectively removing specific cells to transform it into an irregular-shaped table. This segmentation allows the system to maintain the efficiency of conventional table creation while achieving shape versatility through the cell removal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of directly creating irregular-shaped tables from scratch (which would be complex and time-consuming), the patent inverts the approach by starting with a complete rectangular table and removing unnecessary cells. This inverse method leverages the simplicity of rectangular table creation while achieving irregular shapes through subtraction, thereby maintaining productivity while improving adaptability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If irregular-shaped tables are created by manual drawing, then shape flexibility is achieved, but the ability to recognize and represent meaning and context is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by automatically detecting cell boundaries, borders, and structural elements before finalizing the irregular-shaped table creation. This preliminary detection phase ensures that the meaning and context of hand-drawn elements are recognized and preserved, preventing information loss while maintaining shape flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing layer that acts as a mediator between the hand-drawn irregular table and the digital representation. This intermediary layer detects and interprets the meaning and context of hand-drawn elements, translating them into structured data that preserves semantic information while enabling flexible shape representation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If cell removal is performed to create irregular shapes, then table shape adaptability is improved, but the complexity of table creation process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cell removal function as a separate, dedicated operation that can be applied to existing rectangular tables. By taking out this specific function and making it a distinct feature, the system avoids the need to redesign the entire table creation process, thereby limiting the increase in overall system complexity while still achieving irregular shape adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
A computerized method of creating an irregular-shaped table of cells comprises detecting one or more cells of a table to be removed, removing each detected cell from the table and creating a table object representing the resultant irregular-shaped table.