Enhanced digital ink erasing

Abstract

Techniques are presented for enhanced erasing of digital ink. The ink erasing feature of a content creation application can preserve the complex shapes that can result from partial erasure of ink strokes. The ink erasing feature can receive ink stroke data from an ink stroke and display the ink stroke. The ink erasing feature can then receive and display an eraser stroke that contacts the ink stroke. Once the eraser stroke is received, the ink erasing feature can determine whether any eraser segment of the eraser stroke contacts the ink stroke. If an eraser segment does not contact the ink stroke, the ink erasing feature discards the eraser segment. If an eraser segment does contact the ink stroke, the ink erasing feature can update the ink stroke data based on amount of overlap and location of contact between the eraser stroke and the ink stroke.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 receiving ink stroke data of an ink stroke, wherein the ink stroke data comprises a set of ink points, and wherein two adjacent ink points of the set of ink points are connected by a corresponding ink segment;   displaying the ink stroke at a client device;   receiving an eraser stroke that intersects the ink stroke at one or more locations resulting in remaining portions of the ink stroke appearing as separate ink strokes, the eraser stroke having eraser stroke data, wherein the eraser stroke data comprises a set of eraser points, and wherein two adjacent eraser points are connected by an eraser segment;   displaying the eraser stroke at the client device;   updating the ink stroke data based on the one or more locations of intersection by storing each of the remaining portions of the ink stroke as an independently modifiable sub ink stroke, wherein each of the remaining portions of the ink stroke can be separately manipulated;   displaying the updated ink stroke with a portion of the ink stroke removed at each of the one or more locations of intersection at the client device;   receiving a selection of one or more of the remaining portions of the ink stroke, wherein at least one remaining portion remains unselected;   receiving a request to send the selected one or more of the remaining portions of the ink stroke to a sticky note; and   displaying the selected one or more of the remaining portions of the ink stroke on the sticky note at the client device.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 surfacing a toolbar comprising commands to manipulate selected content, wherein one of the commands to manipulate selected content is a sticky note command, the sticky note command being a command to send selected content to a sticky note.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving a request to manipulate the sticky note; and   in response to receiving the request to manipulate the sticky note, manipulating the sticky note and the selected one or more of the remaining portions of the ink stroke displayed on the sticky note.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the request to manipulate the sticky note is a request to move the sticky note to a different location, wherein the manipulating of the sticky note and the selected one or more of the remaining portions of the ink stroke displayed on the sticky note comprises moving the sticky note and the selected one or more of the remaining portions of the ink stroke displayed on the sticky note to the different location. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the request to manipulate the sticky note is a request to resize the sticky note, wherein the manipulating of the sticky note and the selected one or more of the remaining portions of the ink stroke displayed on the sticky note comprises resizing the sticky note and the selected one or more of the remaining portions of the ink stroke displayed on the sticky note. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving a selection of at least one of the remaining portions, the at least one of the remaining portions being the unselected at least one remaining portion;   receiving a request to manipulate the selected at least one of the remaining portions; and   in response to receiving the request to manipulate the selected at least one of the remaining portions, manipulating the selected at least one of the remaining portions.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the request to manipulate the selected at least one of the remaining portions comprises a request to move the selected at least one of the remaining portions to a different location, wherein the manipulating of the selected at least one of the remaining portions comprises moving the selected at least one of the remaining portions to the different location with any other of the remaining portions remaining at a current location. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the request to manipulate the selected at least one of the remaining portions comprises a request to change a color of the selected at least one of the remaining portions to a different color, wherein the manipulating of the selected at least one of the remaining portions comprises changing the color the selected at least one of the remaining portions to the different color. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the eraser stroke has transparent color. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the selected one or more of the remaining portions of the ink stroke comprises fully selected remaining portions, wherein the unselected at least one remaining portion comprises any partially selected remaining portions. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 surfacing a selection box around the selected one or more of the remaining portions of the ink stroke.   
     
     
         12 . An apparatus comprising:
 one or more computer readable storage media;   a processing system; and   program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more computer readable media that, when executed by the processing system, direct the processing system to:
 receive ink stroke data of an ink stroke, wherein the ink stroke data comprises a set of ink points, and wherein two adjacent ink points of the set of ink points are connected by a corresponding ink segment; 
 display the ink stroke; 
 receive an eraser stroke that intersects the ink stroke at one or more locations resulting in remaining portions of the ink stroke appearing as separate ink strokes, the eraser stroke having eraser stroke data, wherein the eraser stroke data comprises a set of eraser points, and wherein two adjacent eraser points are connected by an eraser segment; 
 display the eraser stroke; 
 update the ink stroke data based on the one or more locations of intersection by storing each of the remaining portions of the ink stroke as an independently modifiable sub ink stroke, wherein each of the remaining portions of the ink stroke can be separately manipulated; 
 display the updated ink stroke with a portion of the ink stroke removed at each of the one or more locations of intersection; 
 receive a selection of one or more of the remaining portions of the ink stroke, wherein at least one remaining portion remains unselected; 
 receive a request to send the selected one or more of the remaining portions of the ink stroke to a sticky note; and 
 display the selected one or more of the remaining portions of the ink stroke on the sticky note. 
   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the program instructions further direct the processing system to:
 surface a toolbar comprising commands to manipulate selected content, wherein one of the commands to manipulate selected content is a sticky note command, the sticky note command being a command to send selected content to a sticky note.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the program instructions further direct the processing system to:
 receive a request to manipulate the sticky note; and   in response to receiving the request to manipulate the sticky note, manipulate the sticky note and the selected one or more of the remaining portions of the ink stroke displayed on the sticky note.   
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the program instructions further direct the processing system to:
 receive a selection of at least one of the remaining portions, the at least one of the remaining portions being the unselected at least one remaining portion;   receive a request to manipulate the selected at least one of the remaining portions; and   in response to receiving the request to manipulate the selected at least one of the remaining portions, manipulate the selected at least one of the remaining portions.   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the eraser stroke has transparent color. 
     
     
         17 . A computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processing system, direct the processing system to:
 receive ink stroke data of an ink stroke, wherein the ink stroke data comprises a set of ink points, and wherein two adjacent ink points of the set of ink points are connected by a corresponding ink segment;   display the ink stroke;   receive an eraser stroke that intersects the ink stroke at one or more locations resulting in remaining portions of the ink stroke appearing as separate ink strokes, the eraser stroke having eraser stroke data, wherein the eraser stroke data comprises a set of eraser points, and wherein two adjacent eraser points are connected by an eraser segment;   display the eraser stroke;   update the ink stroke data based on the one or more locations of intersection by storing each of the remaining portions of the ink stroke as an independently modifiable sub ink stroke, wherein each of the remaining portions of the ink stroke can be separately manipulated;   display the updated ink stroke with a portion of the ink stroke removed at each of the one or more locations of intersection;   receive a selection of one or more of the remaining portions of the ink stroke, wherein at least one remaining portion remains unselected;   receive a request to send the selected one or more of the remaining portions of the ink stroke to a sticky note; and   display the selected one or more of the remaining portions of the ink stroke on the sticky note.   
     
     
         18 . The medium of  claim 17 , wherein the instructions further direct the processing system to:
 surface a toolbar comprising commands to manipulate selected content, wherein one of the commands to manipulate selected content is a sticky note command, the sticky note command being a command to send selected content to a sticky note.   
     
     
         19 . The medium of  claim 17 , wherein the instructions further direct the processing system to:
 receive a request to manipulate the sticky note; and   in response to receiving the request to manipulate the sticky note, manipulate the sticky note and the selected one or more of the remaining portions of the ink stroke displayed on the sticky note.   
     
     
         20 . The medium of  claim 17 , wherein the instructions further direct the processing system to:
 receive a selection of at least one of the remaining portions, the at least one of the remaining portions being the unselected at least one remaining portion;   receive a request to manipulate the selected at least one of the remaining portions; and   in response to receiving the request to manipulate the selected at least one of the remaining portions, manipulate the selected at least one of the remaining portions.