Patent Document ID: 6021218
Application ID: 08331151

Base Claim:
1. A method of formatting handwritten input entered in a pointer-based computer system having a display screen on which the path of the pointer is displayed as ink, the method comprising the following steps: analyzing the handwritten input with a word recognizer to identify some parts of the handwritten input as recognized text words and other, different parts of the handwritten input as unrecognized ink words, the unrecognized ink words being displayed on the display screen in their handwritten input form and the recognized text words appearing in a standard font; grouping the recognized text words and the unrecognized ink words into one or more paragraphs containing both a recognized text word and an unrecognized ink word; formatting the recognized text words and unrecognized ink words by adjusting their positions with respect to one another within the one or more paragraphs so that the paragraphs have one or more lines, at least one of which has a plurality of words, wherein the words in each line are separated from one another by defined word separation distances; and displaying the formatted paragraphs on said display screen such that both unrecognized ink words and recognized text words are contiguously displayed in the same paragraphs, the unrecognized ink words being displayed in their handwritten input form and the recognized text words being displayed in a standard font within the formatted paragraphs, wherein the steps of analyzing, grouping, and formatting are performed by said computer system.

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Claim 9:
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of grouping the recognized text words and the unrecognized words into one or more paragraphs includes a step of determining whether each recognized text word or unrecognized ink word overlaps an existing paragraph.