A method for forming letters using a template by grouping letters based on similarities in the direction of muscle movement which takes advantage of the similar hand movements used with-in particular groups of letters. The learning of these letters is organized so that after one letter is mastered, another letter is learned based on the similarities of hand movements used in printing a learned letter and the next letter being taught. The handwriting method facilitates learning how to read and write in new languages.

A method for forming letters using a template by grouping letters based on similarities in the direction of muscle movement which takes advantage of the similar hand movements used with-in particular groups of letters. The learning of these letters is organized so that after one letter is mastered, another letter is learned based on the similarities of hand movements used in printing a learned letter and the next letter being taught. The handwriting method facilitates learning how to read and write in new languages.

A drawing toy and associated methods and computer-readable storage devices are disclosed. The drawing toy may comprise a stylus having a tip, a drawing surface configured to produce a visual path that follows a path of the tip along the drawing surface, and a plurality of stencils, each stencil comprising a plurality of designated areas and a plurality of trace paths. A controller of the drawing toy may identify a stencil placed upon the drawing surface, determine that a particular designated area of the placed stencil is proximate the stylus tip, and generate an output signal configured to cause a user perceivable output associated with the particular designated area determined to be proximate the stylus tip.

A drawing toy and associated methods and computer-readable storage devices are disclosed. The drawing toy may comprise a stylus having a tip, a drawing surface configured to produce a visual path that follows a path of the tip along the drawing surface, and a plurality of stencils, each stencil comprising a plurality of designated areas and a plurality of trace paths. A controller of the drawing toy may identify a stencil placed upon the drawing surface, determine that a particular designated area of the placed stencil is proximate the stylus tip, and generate an output signal configured to cause a user perceivable output associated with the particular designated area determined to be proximate the stylus tip.

Disclosed is a digital pen that tracks the user's writing and provides useful feedback based on the user's writing. In one embodiment, the pen may provide feedback when the user has written a misspelled word, invalid mathematical expression, or any noncompliant expression. The pen may also provide feedback relating to the user's handwriting. The feedback may be visual, auditory, or tactile, and may be realtime or delayed. Statistics relating to the user's performance may be tracked, uploaded to external devices, and shared with others. This allows the user and interested parties to track the user's progress over time. The disclosed pen will be useful in educational settings.

Disclosed is a digital pen that tracks the user's writing and provides useful feedback based on the user's writing. In one embodiment, the pen may provide feedback when the user has written a misspelled word, invalid mathematical expression, or any noncompliant expression. The pen may also provide feedback relating to the user's handwriting. The feedback may be visual, auditory, or tactile, and may be realtime or delayed. Statistics relating to the user's performance may be tracked, uploaded to external devices, and shared with others. This allows the user and interested parties to track the user's progress over time. The disclosed pen will be useful in educational settings.

Improved systems and methods using a border guide and/or border guide easel that enables art instruction in a relatively low cost and simple to use manner suitable for group or individual instruction of a relatively sophisticated nature. A scaled border guide preferably labeled with numbers and letters provides a virtual coordinate or reference system that enables artists to locate multiple random points on the surface to be painted. A physical grid or stencil or the like are not used on the artist's surface. The scaled border lines are used to define a virtual grid on the artist's working surface that may be used to indicate reference, points, positions, sizes and shapes for drawing or painting. Art instruction methods allow the teaching of drawing and painting in a more classical and relatively sophisticated style as compared to paint-by-numbers or grid art.

Improved systems and methods using a border guide and/or border guide easel that enables art instruction in a relatively low cost and simple to use manner suitable for group or individual instruction of a relatively sophisticated nature. A scaled border guide preferably labeled with numbers and letters provides a virtual coordinate or reference system that enables artists to locate multiple random points on the surface to be painted. A physical grid or stencil or the like are not used on the artist's surface. The scaled border lines are used to define a virtual grid on the artist's working surface that may be used to indicate reference, points, positions, sizes and shapes for drawing or painting. Art instruction methods allow the teaching of drawing and painting in a more classical and relatively sophisticated style as compared to paint-by-numbers or grid art.

In the method of hair color consultation, actual individual images of a person are continuously recorded by a video camera and are input into a computer in a continuous sequence in real time. Automatic image editing and processing is carried out in real time, in which the computer continuously marks hair regions of the individual images by an automatic analysis of close and similar pixel color values, of contiguous texture, and/or of contiguous morphological properties, and changes hair color of the hair regions according to predetermined specifications. Then the modified individual images with the changed hair color are displayed on the at least one screen and/or touch screen in real time so that the desired hair color may be selected. An apparatus for performing the method is also described.

There is provided an image display device including a display control unit having a display combining unit that displays one or a plurality of pathological index cursors based on information relating to a pathological slide image.