Automated data entry and display system

• US 4,088,981 A
• Filed: 11/12/1975
• Issued: 05/09/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Citibank NA (Citigroup Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Citibank NA (Citigroup Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gott, Stephen P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Springborn, Harvey E.
• Application Number:
  US05/631,479
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: 340/146.3 ED, 340/146.3 F, 340/146.3 SY, 340/146.3 Z, 340/324 R, 340/172.5, 445/1, 235/61.11 E, 250/568
• US Class Current: 382/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/98 Detection or correction of errors, e.g. by rescanning the pattern or by human intervention; Evaluation of the quality of the acquired patterns

Abstract

The present invention relates to an automated data entry and display system. In this system a hand held photoelectric wand scans a document bearing alpha-numeric characters and reads these characters by generating electrical signals which correspond to the optical characteristics of the scanned information; the generated electrical signals are then input to a character recognition device where they are compared with stored reference characters and recognized; signals corresponding to the scanned alpha-numeric characters together with associated signals indicating acceptability or non-acceptability of each scanned character may then be transmitted to a display device where the acceptable and/or unacceptable scanned characters and designated diagnostic legends are displayed. In the system the electrical signals generated by the wand as a result of the scanning and reading of a given character are electrically identical to the electrical signals generated by a standard keyboard terminal when entering the given character. Thus, the wand is interchangeable in the system as an input device with a standard keyboard terminal and both types of input devices may simultaneously be utilized in the system. The system is capable of effecting automatically the reading, recognizing, displaying and entering for processing, characters of a variety of alpha-numeric fonts.

Claims

1. An automated data entry and display system comprising:

a. a wand having means for photo-electrically reading printed and typed alpha-numeric characters on a surface and for outputting electrical signals corresponding to the photo-electrically read characters;

b. optical character recognition means electrically connected to the wand for receiving and recognizing electrical signals from the wand corresponding to any printed and typed alpha-numeric characters and for generating and transmitting electrical signals corresponding to the received recognized electrical signals;

c. alpha-numeric keyboard electrical input means for transmitting electrical signals corresponding to designated alpha-numeric characters; and

d. display means electrically connected to the alpha-numeric keyboard electrical input means and to the optical character recognition means for receiving electrical signals transmitted from said keyboard means and said optical character recognition means and for displaying for viewing designated symbols in response thereto.

2. An automated data entry and display system as claimed in claim 1, wherein display control keys are mounted on the wand and is electrically connected to the display means, each such key being adapted to generate and transmit to the display means electrical control signals and wherein said display means are adapted to receive said wand key signals and be responsive thereto.

3. An automated data entry and display system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the wand has mounted on it a display device adapted for electrical connection to display control means wherein at least some of the characters displayed by the display means are characters read by the wand.

4. An automated data entry and display system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the wand has located on it a window for previewing characters on a surface which are to be photo-electrically read by the wand.

5. An improved wand having means for photo-electrically reading printed and typed alpha-numeric characters on a surface and for outputting electrical signals corresponding to the photo-electrically read characters, wherein the improvement comprises display means mounted on the wand adapted for electrical connection to display control means wherein at least some of the characters displayed by the display means are characters read by the wand.

6. An automated data entry and display system comprising:

a. plural wands each having means for photo-electrically reading printed and typed alpha-numeric characters on a surface and for outputting electrical signals corresponding to the photo-electrically read characters;

b. means for electrically connecting each of said plural wands simultaneously to optical character recognition means;

c. optical character recognition means electrically connected to each wand by said connecting means for receiving and recognizing electrical signals from each said wand corresponding to any printed and typed alpha-numeric characters of any designated set and for generating and transmitting electrical signals to display means corresponding to the received recognized electrical signals;

d. plural display means electrically connected to the optical character recognition means for receiving electrical signals for displaying for viewing designated symbols in response thereto; and

e. alpha-numeric keyboard electrical input means connected to said display means for transmitting electrical signals to display means corresponding to designated alpha-numeric characters associated with each of said plural display means.