Patent ID: 6865570

Claim:
A method of enabling users to search stored information, the method including the steps of: providing a user with a search request form including information relating to a search request, the search request form having disposed therein or thereon coded data indicative of an identity of the search request form and of at least one reference point of the search request form, the search request form further including at least one search field within which the user can input a handwritten search request; receiving in a computer system, indicating data from a sensing device, operated by the user, regarding the identity of the search request form and at least one of a position and a movement of the sensing device within the at least one search field relative to the search request form; identifying, in the computer system and from the indicating data, the handwritten search request; and performing the search of the stored information by utilising handwriting recognition of the handwritten search request or by utilising digital ink stroke matching of the handwritten search request; wherein the sensing device comprises: (a) an image sensor adapted to capture images of at least some of the coded data when the sensing device is placed in an operative position relative to the search request form; and (b) a processor adapted to: (i) identify at least some of the coded data from one or more of the captured images; (ii) determine an orientation, within the captured images, of at least some of the coded data; (iii) decode at least some of the coded data; and (iv) generate the indicating data using at least some of the decoded coded data.