Patent ID: 8627197

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of annotating pages of an electronic document independently of the contents of the electronic document, the computer-implemented method comprising the steps of: (a) displaying a page of the electronic document on a computer display device using a document browser that permits a user to move forward and backward among a plurality of document pages; (b) detecting a selection of an annotation mode that permits the user to annotate the currently displayed document page; (c) receiving annotation stroke input from a user input device indicating movement associated with the user input device on the currently displayed document page, wherein the user input device comprises a stylus comprising a first end portion and a second end portion; (d) storing annotation stroke data based on the received annotation stroke input, said annotation stroke data comprising data corresponding to the stroke location and the movement associated with the user input device, wherein the annotation stroke data is stored in an annotation file associated with the user, the annotation file stored separate from the electronic document; (e) detecting whether the first end portion of the stylus or the second end portion of the stylus is being moved across the computer display device; (f) if the first end portion of the stylus is being moved across the computer display device, then selecting an ink annotation mode; and (g) if the second end portion of the stylus is being moved across the computer display device, then selecting an eraser annotation mode.