PERMANENT SYNCHRONIZATION SYSTEM FOR HANDWRITING INPUT

• US 20160070462A1
• Filed: 04/24/2014
• Published: 03/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Myscript
• Original Assignee: Myscript
• Inventors: BAUDRY, Edgard, MANCEAU, Denis, MELINAND, Robin, BOEKHOORN, Arnoud, TORNERI, Nicolas
• Granted Patent: US 11,157,165 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/10 Text processing natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30; processing or translation of natural language G06F40/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/171 by use of digital ink
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/987 with the intervention of an operator
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/387 using human interaction, e.g. selection of the best displayed recognition candidate

Abstract

Disclosed is a device for inputting symbols in an entry field. An example of the device includes an interface unit having a touch screen and a module for processing graphics objects. The module may include a detection unit for detecting a start and an end of a current graphics object being input; a storage unit for storing graphics data corresponding to the input graphics object; a recognition unit for generating a list of candidate strings of symbols from the graphics data, each candidate string being associated with a pertinence value; and an insertion unit for inserting into the entry field a string selected by the user from the list, a data group comprising the graphics data, the candidate strings, the pertinence values, and an identifier of the selected string being stored during a predetermined duration.

Claims

1-34. -34. (canceled)

35. An input device suitable for being used by a user to input symbols into an entry field of an application that is executable on said device, the device comprising:

an interface unit having a touch screen, said interface unit enabling graphics objects to be input manually and displayed in an input zone of said screen; and

a graphics object processor module, said processor module comprising, for the purpose of processing each current graphics object;

a detection unit for detecting a start of input and an end of input of said current graphics object in said input zone;

a storage unit suitable, on detecting a start of input of said current graphics object, for storing graphics data corresponding to said current graphics object throughout the time it is being input;

a recognition unit configured to generate from said graphics data candidate strings, each having at least one symbol, each of said candidate strings being associated with a pertinence value representative of the pertinence of said candidate string relative to said graphics data; and

an insertion unit configured to insert into said entry field a string selected from said candidate strings as a function of their pertinence;

wherein the storage means are configured to store in association with said graphics data, said candidate strings and their associated pertinence values, together with an identifier of the selected string, said association forming a first data group, and being configured to conserve said first data group in memory for a first predetermined duration;

wherein the processor module is configured to enable the user to use the interface unit to edit a string being displayed in the entry field, the data group of said edited string being modified in response to said editing by the processor module and stored by the storage means.

36. A device according to claim 35, the interface unit being configured, when the end of input of the current graphics object has been detected and if no subsequent start of input of a graphics object has been detected within a predetermined length of time starting from said detection of the end of input, to shift the display of the current graphics object in the input zone so as to release space in said input zone for inputting a subsequent graphics object.

37. A device according to claim 36, wherein the predetermined length of time is a function of the position of the current graphics object in the input zone.

38. A device according to claim 36, wherein the predetermined length of time is a function of the total length of the trace along the main input axis of the graphics objects being displayed in the input zone.

39. A device according to claim 36, wherein the interface unit is configured, once said shifting has been performed, to display a graphics indicator in the input zone to define a region of the input zone adjacent to the current graphics object;

and

wherein, if the detection unit detects the start of input of a subsequent graphics object in said region, the storage unit is configured to store the graphics data of the subsequent graphics object throughout the time it is being input in association with the graphics data of the first data group.

40. A device according to claim 36, wherein the interface unit is configured, once said shifting has been performed, to display a graphics indicator in the input zone to define a region of the input zone adjacent to the current graphics object;

and

wherein, if the detection unit detects a start of input of a subsequent graphics object outside said region, the storage unit is configured to store the graphics data of the subsequent graphics object throughout the time it is being input in a second data group independent of said first data group.

41. A device according to claim 39, wherein, if the interface unit detects the start of the subsequent graphics object being input outside said region of the input zone, the insertion unit confirms said selected string.

42. A device according to 41, wherein the processor module is configured, after a second predetermined duration measured from said confirmation, to cause the current graphics object to be displayed in block characters, the storage means conserving said first data group in memory during said first predetermined duration.

43. A device according to claim 39, wherein the graphics indicator represents an empty space in the input zone between the current graphics object and an unused portion of the input zone.

44. A device according to claim 35, wherein each said graphics object represents a handwritten symbol.

45. A device according to claim 35, wherein, in order to edit a graphics object, the processor module enables the user to use the touch screen to select said graphics object for editing.

46. A device according to claim 45, wherein said selection is performed by pressing a point of contact against the touch screen on the graphics object to be edited, said selection causing the corresponding string inserted in the entry field to be selected as the active string.

47. An input method performed by an input device suitable for being used by a user to enter symbols into an entry field of an application that can be executed on said device, the device comprising an interface having a touch screen, said interface enabling graphics objects to be input manually and displayed in an input zone of said screen, the method comprising processing of graphics objects, said processing comprising for each current graphics object:

detecting a start and an end of said current graphics object being input in said input zone;

on detecting a start of said current graphics object being input, storing graphics data corresponding to said current graphics object throughout the time it is being input;

generating candidate strings of at least one symbol from said graphics data, each of said candidate strings being associated with a pertinence value representative of the pertinence of said candidate string relative to said graphics data; and

inserting in said entry field a said string as selected from among said candidate strings as a function of its pertinence; and

storing in memory, in association with said graphics data, said candidate strings and their associated pertinence values, together with an identifier of said selected string, said association forming a first data group, and conserving said first data group in memory during a first predetermined duration;

editing a string being displayed in the entry field, the data group of said edited string being modified and stored in response to said editing.

48. A computer program including instructions for executing steps of a configuration method according to claim 47 when said program is executed by a computer.

49. A computer readable data medium storing a computer program including instructions for executing steps of a configuration method according to claim 47.