Method for encoding ideographic characters

• US 4,505,602 A
• Filed: 09/07/1984
• Issued: 03/19/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wyman S. Wong
• Original Assignee: Wyman S. Wong
• Inventors: Wong, Wyman S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crowder, Clifford D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WIECKING, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US06/649,143
• Time in Patent Office: 193 Days
• Field of Search: 400/110, 400/484, 340/711, 340/751, 364/419, 364/518
• US Class Current: 400/110
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/018 Input/output arrangements for oriental characters

Abstract

This method is for encoding and retrieval of Chinese ideographic characters which have been digitized into a machine-compatible format and stored in an accessible memory device. The storage location of each character is identified by a unique numerical code of base ten generated by the present encoding and retrieval method. Each of the nine basic strokes plus a zero stroke used to write all Chinese characters is assigned an arbitrary numerical equivalent; a unique numerical code for each character is generated by assembling the strokes in the same manner used to write the character and following the commonly-used rules establishing the sequence in which the strokes are written. The basic strokes representing the forms and the stroking sequence rules are combined to form a simulated guide character which serves as a mnemonic symbol to aid the encoding of the Chinese character and also serves to identify this scheme as a simulated character method of encoding ideographic character. Based on this simulated character method, an ideographic character machine can be designed; thus, typing in a set of numeric code of base ten can retrieve its correspondent ideographic character in print-out form.

Claims

1. A method for encoding an ideographic character by transcribing the character into a unique numerical code for machine storage, retrieval and reproduction of the character by a digital data handling means, comprising:

(a) digitizing the character into a uniquely programmed numerical code compatible with said digital data handling means; and

(b) providing a location in a storage means in said digital data handling means, and identifying the location with said uniquely programmed numerical code generated by;

utilizing a group of ten basic, universal forming strokes which can be combined in the writing of any of said characters, each of the strokes having a unique, single digit numerical equivalent code;

duplicating the character by assembling the strokes necessary to form the character in the same manner and sequence as the character is written manually, following known, established rules governing the sequence in which the strokes are made in writing the character; and

providing a reference character to serve as a guide in the assembly of the strokes, said reference character being a simulated ideographic-type character resulting from assembling all the strokes in said group in sequence according to the numerical order of the single-digit numerical code of the strokes and in accordance with the rules governing the sequence in which the strokes are made in writing the character; and

(c) retrieving the digitized character from the storage means by generating the corresponding location numerical code by repeating the sequence of step (b).