Method and apparatus for handwriting recognition

• US 20050108054A1
• Filed: 11/04/2004
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Gottlieb, Meir
• Application Number:
  US10/981,116
• Publication Number:
  US 20050108054A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/268 Lexical context
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

A PC tablet or similar device is used to generate a patient diagnosis. A doctor or other health provider writes a diagnosis on the device. A known handwriting algorithm is used to convert the written phrase into a sequence of words. Two lists are also provided, one containing words commonly used in medical diagnoses and the other containing actual diagnoses. The two lists are used to generate a diagnosis which is presented to the provider.

Claims

1. An apparatus generating information related to patient diagnosis comprising:

a data entry element sensing a handwritten phrase from a user;

a data storage including a first list formed of common medical terms and a second list formed of phrases of several words, each phrase defining a patient diagnosis; and

a processor adapted to receive a plurality of converted words corresponding to said handwritten phrase, said processor generating a patient diagnosis based on the comparison of said plurality of words to said first and second list.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a handwriting recognition module that analyzes said written phrase and generates in response said converted words.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a screen used to display said diagnosis to the health care provider.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising a selection member operable by a health provide to selectively accept said diagnosis.

5. A method of generating a patient diagnosis using a data entry device, comprising the steps of:

receiving a handwritten phrase from a health provider;

converting said handwritten phrase into a sequence of converted words, said sequence including at least a first converted word and a second converted word;

comparing said first and a second converted word to a list of words commonly used in medical diagnosis;

obtaining a first plurality of words from said list associated with said first converted word and a second plurality of words from said list associated with said second converted word;

generating word grooups, each word group including a word from at least each of said first and second plurality of words;

comparing word groups to phrases from a list of phrases, each phrase forming a known diagnosis; and

selecting one of said phrases as the diagnosis.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising obtaining a third converted word.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein said one phrase is selected using fuzzy logic.

8. The method of claim 5 further comprising presenting the patient diagnostic to said health provider.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising providing several diagnoses to said health provider, said health provider selecting one of said diagnoses as corresponding to the patient.

10. An apparatus for generating a patient diagnosis by a health care provider comprising:

means for receiving written phrases from said health care provider;

means for converting said written phrases into converted words;

a comparator comparing said converted words to entries of a list to generate a first set of words and a second set of words corresponding to said first and second converted words, respectively;

a second comparator comparing groups of said first and second words to entries in a list of diagnoses; and

a selector that selects an entry from said list of diagnoses as being descriptive of the patient'"'"'s condition.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said means for receiving includes a touch screen.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said touch screen is adapted to display data.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said touch screen is adapted to display said diagnosis.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising data storage means storing said list of words and said list of diagnoses.

15. the apparatus of claim 10 wherein said apparatus is a hand-held device.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a memory storing said lists.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising communication means arranged to receive said list from a remote data storage facility.