Apparatus and Method for Handwriting Recognition

• US 20080166049A1
• Filed: 04/02/2004
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Gao, Yi pu, Liu, Ying, Wang, Kong Qiao, Kangas, Jari A., Zou, Yanming
• Granted Patent: US 8,094,938 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/189
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1423 the instrument generating sequences of position coordinates corresponding to handwriting preprocessing or recognising digital ink G06V30/32

Abstract

An apparatus (100) for handwriting recognition has a touch-sensitive display screen (240) providing a hand writing input area (270) capable of detecting hand-made user input. The apparatus also has a processing device (300) coupled to the touch-sensitive display screen and providing a user interface to a user. The handwriting input area (270) includes a writing start area (280) capable of switching between a first two-dimensional scope (282) and a second two-dimensional scope (282′), larger than the first two-dimensional scope. The processing device (300) is configured to handle said handmade user input as either a logical mouse event, associated with a control operation for said user interface, or a logical pen event, associated with handwriting. User input within the writing start area when having its first two-dimensional scope is handled as a logical mouse event and causes the writing start area to switch to its second two-dimensional scope, Furthermore, user input that starts within the writing start area when having its second two-dimensional scope is handled as a logical pen event and causes interpretation of the user input (252) as a symbol (254) from a plurality of predefined symbols.

Claims

1. An apparatus for handwriting recognition, the apparatus comprising:

a touch-sensitive display screen (240) providing a handwriting input area (270) capable of detecting hand-made user input; and

a processing device (300) coupled to the touch-sensitive display screen and providing a user interface to a user, characterised in that

the handwriting input area (270) includes a writing start area (280) capable of switching between a first two-dimensional scope (282) and a second two-dimensional scope (282′

), larger than the first two-dimensional scope; and

in that

the processing device (300) is configured to handle said hand-made user input as either a logical mouse event, associated with a control operation for said user interface, or a logical pen event, associated with handwriting,

wherein user input within the writing start area when having its first two-dimensional scope is handled as a logical mouse event and causes the writing start area to switch to its second two-dimensional scope, and

wherein user input that starts within the writing start area when having its second two-dimensional scope is handled as a logical pen event and causes interpretation of the user input (252) as a symbol (254) from a plurality of predefined symbols.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1, said plurality of predefined symbols including a first symbol set and a second symbol set, and said writing start area (280) comprising a first subarea (282) and a second subarea (284), each being capaple of switching between a first two-dimensional scope (282, 284) and a second two-dimensional scope (282′

, 284′

), larger than the first two-dimensional scope,

wherein user input within either of said first subarea and second subarea, when having its respective first two-dimensional scope, is handled as a logical mouse event and causes a switch to its second two-dimensional scope,

wherein user input that starts within said first subarea, when having its second two-dimensional scope, is handled as a logical pen event and causes interpretation of the user input as a symbol from said first symbol set, and

wherein user input that starts within said second subarea, when having its second two-dimensional scope, is handled as a logical pen event and causes interpretation of the user input as a symbol from said second symbol set.

3. An apparatus as in claim 2, said plurality of predefined symbols further comprising at least a third symbol set, and said writing start area (280) further comprising at least a third subarea (286) that functions in a manner which is fully analogous with those of the first and second subareas (282, 284).

4. An apparatus as in claim 2, wherein a switch to the second two-dimensional scope (282′

, 284′

) for either of said first subarea (282) or second subarea (284) causes a switch for the other one of said first subarea (282) or second subarea (284) to its first two-dimensional scope, if not already having it, so that maximum only one of said first and second subareas can have its second two-dimensional scope at any given time.

5. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the processing device (300) is configured to provide a visual indication of said writing start area (280) on said display screen (240).

6. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said writing start area (280) is considerably smaller than and has a fixed location within said handwriting input area (270).

7. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said writing start area (280) is considerably smaller than and has an adaptive location within said handwriting input area (270).

8. An apparatus as in claim 7, wherein said processing device (300) is configured to adjust said adaptive location depending on a current cursor position.

9. An apparatus as in claim 7, wherein said adaptive location is adjustable by a user of the apparatus.

10. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said handwriting input area (270) is formed by a majority of the display screen'"'"'s available presentation area (240).

11. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said handwriting input area (270) is formed by essentially the entire display screen'"'"'s available presentation area (240).

12. An apparatus as in claim 1, said user input including at least one pen stroke, wherein said processing device (300) is configured to display, on said display screen (240), a graphical trace (252) representing said at least one pen stroke prior to the interpretation thereof.

13. An apparatus as in claim 12, wherein said processing device (300) is configured to display, on said display screen (240), said symbol (254) when it has been interpreted from said at least one pen stroke.

14. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said plurality of predefined symbols includes a symbol set selected from the group consisting of:

Latin characters, upper case characters, lower case characters, Arabic numerals, punctuation symbols, Cyrillic characters, Chinese characters, Japanese Kanji symbols, Japanese Hiragana characters and Japanese Katakana characters, and user-defined symbols.

15. An apparatus as in claim 1, in the form of a mobile terminal (100) for a mobile telecommunications system (110).

16. An apparatus as in claim 1, in the form of a portable/personal digital assistant (PDA).

17. A method for handwriting recognition in an apparatus (100) that has a touch-sensitive display screen (240) with a handwriting input area (270) capable of detecting hand-made user input, the display screen being included in a user interface to a user, characterised by the steps of:

providing, within said handwriting input area (270), a writing start area (280) capable of switching between a first two-dimensional scope (282) and a second two-dimensional scope (282′

), larger than the first two-dimensional scope;

detecting user input within the writing start area;

handling said user input, when said writing start area has its first two-dimensional scope, as a logical mouse event and in response switching the writing start area to its second two-dimensional scope; and

handling said user input, when said writing start area has its second two-dimensional scope and said user input starts within the writing start area, as a logical pen event and in response interpreting said user input (252) as a symbol (254) from a plurality of predefined symbols.

18. A method as in claim 17, said plurality of predefined symbols including a first symbol set and a second symbol set, and said writing start area (280) comprising a first subarea (282) and a second subarea (284), each being capaple of switching between a first two-dimensional scope (282, 284) and a second two-dimensional scope (282′

, 284′

), larger than the first two-dimensional scope, wherein user input within either of said first subarea and second subarea, when having its respective first two-dimensional scope, is handled as a logical mouse event and causes a switch to its second two-dimensional scope,

wherein user input that starts within said first subarea, when having its second two-dimensional scope, is handled as a logical pen event and causes interpretation of the user input as a symbol from said first symbol set, and

wherein user input that starts within said second subarea, when having its second two-dimensional scope, is handled as a logical pen event and causes interpretation of the user input as a symbol from said second symbol set.

19. A method as in claim 18, said plurality of predefined symbols further comprising at least a third symbol set, and said writing start area (280) further comprising at least a third subarea (286) that functions in a manner which is fully analogous with those of the first and second subareas (282, 284).

20. A method as in claim 18, wherein a switch to the second two-dimensional scope (282′

, 284′

) for either of said first subarea (282) or second subarea (284) causes a switch for the other one of said first subarea (282) or second subarea (284) to its first two-dimensional scope, if not already having it, so that maximum only one of said first and second subareas can have its second two-dimensional scope at any given time.

21. A method as in claim 17, comprising the further step of visually indicating said writing start area (280) on said display screen (240).

22. A method as in claim 17, comprising the further step of adapting a location of said writing start area (280) within said handwriting input area (270) depending on a current cursor position.

23. A method as in claim 17, comprising the further step of adapting a location of said writing start area (280) within said handwriting input area (270) depending on a user setting.

24. A method as in claim 17, said user input including at least one pen stroke, the method comprising the further step of displaying, on said display screen (240), a graphical trace (252) representing said at least one pen stroke prior to the interpretation thereof.

25. A method as in claim 24, comprising the further step of displaying, on said display screen (240), said symbol (254) when it has been interpreted from said at least one pen stroke.

26. A method as in claim 17, wherein said plurality of predefined symbols includes a symbol set selected from the group consisting of:

Latin characters, upper case characters, lower case characters, Arabic numerals, punctuation symbols, Cyrillic characters, Chinese characters, Japanese Kanji symbols, Japanese Hiragana characters and Japanese Katakana characters, and user-defined symbols.