{
  "patent_number": "US 5559942",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Digital Sticky Notes Work Inside Computer Programs",
  "original_title": "Method and apparatus for providing a note for an application program",
  "summary": "A 1993 Apple patent for attaching digital sticky notes to documents so they move and behave like regular text or images within an application.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes a way to attach a digital note to a specific spot in a document. The note is represented by an 'anchor object' that the application treats just like any other piece of data, such as a paragraph or a photo. Because the anchor is treated as data, you can move, delete, or copy the note along with the text around it. When you interact with the anchor, a separate 'note slip' window appears, allowing you to write notes using a stylus.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover general text annotation tools that are not tied to a specific manipulable anchor object.",
    "Does not cover notes that exist independently of the application data (i.e., screen overlays that don't move with the document).",
    "Does not cover cloud-based collaboration or multi-user commenting systems.",
    "Does not cover voice-based notes or audio attachments."
  ],
  "filed": "1993-05-10",
  "granted": "1996-09-24",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Apple Computer Inc",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/apple-computer-inc",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Michael L. Gough",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/michael-l-gough"
    },
    {
      "name": "Bruce V. Holloway",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/bruce-v-holloway"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 244,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics",
    "software"
  ],
  "abstract": "A method and apparatus for providing a note on an application program includes noticing a note anchor object associated with a data file displayed by an application program on a computer screen and displaying a note slip image over the displayed data and images of the application program. Many anchor objects and note slips may be displayed on the screen at once, and a single anchor object is preferably associated with a single note slip. The note slip is preferably receptive to pen-based inputs, and may be resized or moved on the screen. The anchor object includes a visual picture data portion and a picture comment data portion that descibes the note slip associated with that anchor object. The anchor object preferably exists as a standard graphical picture in the application program and can be manipulated as such. The present invention thus allows note slips to be displayed in existing application programs, either pen-compatible or non-pen-compatible.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/5559942/mac-os-menu-bar",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/5559942/mac-os-menu-bar/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US5559942",
  "relatedPatents": []
}