Apparatus and method for controlling and ordering Chinese characters

• US 4,462,703 A
• Filed: 12/22/1981
• Issued: 07/31/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/1979
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hsing C. Lee
• Original Assignee: Hsing C. Lee
• Inventors: Lee, Hsing C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wright, Jr., Ernest T.
• Application Number:
  US06/333,336
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• Field of Search: 400/83, 400/109, 400/110, 400/111, 400/121, 400/124, 400/125, 400/125.1, 400/484
• US Class Current: 400/110
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/01 for special character, e.g. for Chinese characters or barcodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/53 Processing of non-Latin text kana-to-kanji conversion G06F40/129; vowelisation G06F40/232

Abstract

Apparatus and method for controlling and ordering Chinese characters wherein a Chinese character is formed from a set of form-strokes and the strokes which form the characters are divided into four basic stroke subsets. The stroke subsets include a horizontal stroke subset, a vertical stroke subset, a sloping stroke subset and a dot stroke subset along with associated turn and curve strokes. Strokes are further divided into two twin subsets, which are the elements of the Chinese ideograms. Ordering and controlling Chinese characters from the form-strokes permits the design and construction of simplified Chinese word processing, printing and communication devices and retrieval of information from mass storage of Chinese characters.

Claims

1. Apparatus for producing electrical signals corresponding to Chinese characters, said Chinese characters being formed of one or more form-strokes with each individual form-stroke being represented by a unique form-stroke identification element, said apparatus comprising:

first memory means for storing information pertaining to a plurality of individual first form-stroke identification elements corresponding to horizontal line, vertical line, sloping line and dot form-strokes respectively corresponding twin form-stroke identification elements, and respectively corresponding subsequent form-stroke identification elements, corresponding ones of the first form-strokes, said twin form-strokes and said subsequent form-strokes having a predetermined relationship with respect to relative dimension and location within a predetermined character zone, whereby said first horizontal line form-strokes begin at the upper left portion of said predetermined character zone and are higher than said horizontal line twin form-strokes, said first vertical line form strokes extending vertically for a distance greater than one-half of a height dimension of said predetermined character zone, while said vertical line twin form-strokes extend vertically for a distance shorter than one-half of said height dimension, said first sloping line form-strokes extending slopingly downwardly in said predetermined character zone, said first dot form-strokes being selectively arranged above, below and beside said first horizontal and said horizontal twin form-strokes and said respectively corresponding subsequent form-stroke identification elements selectively appearing in a different location within said predetermined character zone than said first form-stroke identification elements;

serial storage means for combining selected ones of said individual form-stroke identification elements, twin form-stroke identification elements and subsequent form-stroke identification elements which correspond to a selected Chinese character into a form-stroke address, said serial storage means including means for generating a unique form-stroke address dependent upon an entry sequence for said form-stroke identification elements, said corresponding twin form-stroke identification elements and said corresponding subsequent form-stroke identification elements, and

second memory means responsive to said form-stroke address for producing a signal corresponding to said selected Chinese character, said signal corresponding to information stored in a memory location identified by said form-stroke address, there being included within said second memory means a large number of memory locations containing information pertaining to a corresponding number of respective Chinese characters.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein there is further provided a plurality of form-stroke and twin form-stroke keys for controlling said first memory means, each of said keys having a symbol thereon representing an associated one of said form-strokes and said twin form-strokes, said first memory means being responsive to actuation of one or more of said form-stroke and twin form-stroke keys for transmitting said information pertaining to said plurality of individual form-stroke and twin form-stroke identification elements to said serial storage means.

3. A method of producing an address code corresponding to a selected Chinese character, the Chinese character being formed of one or more form-strokes, the method comprising the steps of:

defining the form-strokes into a predetermined plurality of form-stroke subsets corresponding to a horizontal form-stroke subset specifying first stroke form-strokes which begin at the upper left of a character zone, a vertical form-stroke subset specifying first stroke form-strokes which begin at the top left of said character zone and move downward, a sloping form-stroke subset specifying first stroke form-strokes which begin at the top of said character zone and to the left of the center thereof, and a dot form-stroke subset specifying form-strokes which are selectively arranged above, below and beside a horizontal form-stroke;

defining a predetermined twin form-stroke subset for each of said plurality of form-stroke subsets, each of said twin form-stroke subsets corresponding respectively to said horizontal vertical, sloping, and dot twin form-strokes having predeterminable relationships with their respectively associated form-strokes selectably with respect to relative dimension and location within said character zone, defining a predetermined subsequent form-stroke subset for each of said plurality of form-stroke subsets, each of said subsequent form-stroke subsets corresponding respectively to said horizontal, vertical, sloping, and dot form-strokes having a predeterminable relationships with their respectively associated form-strokes selectably with respect to relative dimension and location with said character zone;

selecting sequentially ones of said form-strokes, twin form-strokes and subsequent form-strokes corresponding to the selected Chinese character whereby form-stroke information codes corresponding to said sequentially selected ones of said form-strokes, twin form-strokes and subsequent form-strokes are created to form an address code; and

utilizing said address code to access a character information storage device, said address code specifying a location in said character information storage device, said location containing character information pertaining to said selected Chinese characters.

4. A method for selecting a particular Chinese character from a plurality of Chinese characters, the method comprising the steps of, defining a predetermined plurality of form-strokes comprising said particular Chinese character, said form-strokes generally comprising a first horizontal, a first vertical, a first sloping and a dot form-stroke with corresponding twin form-stroke subsets, and corresponding subsequent form-stroke subsets and selectively combining individual form-strokes from said form-stroke, twin form-stroke and subsequent form-stroke subsets to select said particular Chinese character, said individual form-strokes being defined and combined in accordance with their position, scale and relative dimension within a preestablished character zone and said form-strokes consisting of recognizable elements from a standard Chinese character, said first form-strokes and said twin form-strokes including horizontal first stroke form-strokes beginning at a top left portion of said preestablished character zone with no other form-strokes being higher and horizontal twin form-strokes beginning at any point in said preestablished character zone, vertical first stroke form-strokes beginning at a top left portion of said preestablished character zone and extending downward and vertical twin form-strokes beginning at any point in said preestablished character zone, sloping first stroke form-strokes beginning at a point left of center of said preestablished character zone and sloping twin form-strokes beginning at any point in said preestablished character zone and dot form-strokes being selectively arranged above, below and beside said horizontal form-strokes, said subsequent form-stroke subset including horizontal subsequent form-strokes beginning at the left side and extending to the right side of said preestablished character zone and being longer than half of the width of said preestablished character zone, and being longer than half of the width of said preestablished character zone and horizontal subsequent twin form-stroke being shorter than half the width of said preestablished character zone, vertical subsequent form-strokes beginning at the top and extending vertically for a distance greater than one-half of the height dimension of said preestablished character zone and vertical subsequent twin form-strokes extending vertically for a distance less than one-half of said height dimension, sloping subsequent form-strokes extending sloping downwardly from the top of said preestablished character zone and sloping subsequent twin form-strokes beginning at a point other than the top of said preestablished character zone and dot subsequent form-strokes being selectively arranged above, below and beside said horizontal first stroke, subsequent, and twin form-strokes.