Patent ID: 8094938

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a touch-sensitive display screen providing a handwriting input area capable of detecting hand-made user input; and a processing device providing a user interface to a user via the touch-sensitive display screen, wherein: the handwriting input area includes a writing start area capable of switching between a first two-dimensional size and a second two-dimensional size, larger than the first two-dimensional size, wherein said writing start area is smaller than said handwriting input area; and in that the processing device is configured to handle said hand-made user input as either a logical mouse event, associated with a control operation for said user interface, or a logical pen event, associated with handwriting; wherein user input within the writing start area when having its first two-dimensional size is handled as a logical mouse event and causes the writing start area to switch to its second two-dimensional size; wherein user input that starts within the writing start area when having its second two-dimensional size and ends anywhere within the handwriting input area including outside said writing start area is handled as a logical pen event and causes interpretation of the user input as a symbol from a plurality of predefined symbols, said plurality of predefined symbols including a first symbol set and a second symbol set, and said writing start area comprising a first subarea and a second subarea, each being capable of switching between a first two-dimensional size and a second two-dimensional size, larger than the first two-dimensional size; wherein user input within either of said first subarea and second subarea, when having its respective first two-dimensional size, is handled as a logical mouse event and causes a switch to its second two-dimensional size; wherein user input that starts within said first subarea, when having its second two-dimensional size, is handled as a logical pen event and causes interpretation of the user input as a symbol from said first symbol set; wherein user input that starts within said second subarea, when having its second two-dimensional size, is handled as a logical pen event and causes interpretation of the user input as a symbol from said second symbol set; and wherein the symbol from said first symbol set and the symbol from said second symbol set are combinable into a sequence of symbols.