Real time handwritten character input system

• US 4,860,372 A
• Filed: 08/19/1986
• Issued: 08/22/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Miura, Masaki, Shojima, Hiroshi, Kuzunuki, Soshiro, Mifune, Toshimi, Mori, Junko
• Primary Examiner(s): Boudreau, Leo H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Daley, Donald J.
• Application Number:
  US06/897,836
• Time in Patent Office: 1,099 Days
• Field of Search: 382/13, 340/707, 340/708, 340/712, 340/726, 340/792, 178/18, 178/19
• US Class Current: 382/189
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04892 Arrangements for controlling cursor position based on codes indicative of cursor displacements from one discrete location to another, e.g. using cursor control keys associated to different directions or using the tab key arrangements for controlling cursor position based on coordinate signals G06F3/038
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/12 Details of acquisition arrangements; Constructional details thereof

Abstract

A plurality of handwritten character input buffers are provided to form a circular buffer by connecting both end character input buffers. The circular buffer is provided with a cursor pointer for indicating the position of the buffer where a recognized character is loaded. Every time a character is recognized, its character code is loaded at the buffer indicated by the content of the cursor pointer and thereafter, the content of the cursor pointer is incremented by 1. At least an input buffer after the buffer indicated by the content of the cursor pointer, where a handwritten character is next written, is cleared. Then, the content of the character input buffer is displayed on a display.

Claims

1. A handwritten character input system for a handwritten character recognizing device, comprising:

character input/display buffer areas to which a plurality of handwritten characters can be inputted and on which recognized characters of said inputted handwritten characters can be displayed;

a first cursor pointer for indicating an input buffer area for a handwritten character to be next inputted, among said character input buffer areas;

a character recognizing unit connected to said buffer areas for recognizing a handwritten character inputted to each of said buffer areas;

a recognized character display area connected to said character recognizing unit for displaying all characters recognized by said character recognizing unit;

a second cursor pointer for indicating a display position for a recognized character to be next displayed, within said recognized character display area; and

process means connected to all of the above constituent elements for recognizing, in response to the start of a new handwritten character input to the input buffer area after the input buffer area indicated by said first cursor pointer, a handwritten character in the input area indicated by said first cursor by means of said character recognizing unit, displaying said recognized character on the display positions of said buffer area and said recognized character display area indicated by said first and second pointers, and renewing the contents of said first and second cursor pointers for said new handwritten characters;

wherein said first cursor pointer has a function of cyclically indicating said buffer area, and said process means clears the display corresponding to the buffer area indicated by the renewed content of said first cursor pointer to thereby enable an endless input of handwritten characters in said buffer areas without the need for periodic operation of an "execution" or "enter" key; and

wherein said process means clears not only the content of the input buffer area indicated by the renewed content of said first cursor pointer but also the content of the input buffer area where a next handwritten character is written.

2. A handwritten character input system according to claim 1, wherein said input buffer area where a next handwritten character is written is reverse-displayed.

3. A handwritten character input system according to claim 1, wherein said input buffer area where a next handwritten character is written is highlight-displayed.

4. A handwritten character input system according to claim 1, wherein said input buffer areas include a first buffer area group and a second buffer area group, and said first cursor pointer is circulated within said second group after the content of said first cursor pointer is renewed to indicate said second buffer area group from said first buffer area group.

5. A handwritten character recognition and display device, comprising:

input-display means, in the form of a laminated flat display panel device having a handwritten character input area and a recognized standard character display area, for inputting handwritten characters and displaying standard characters, said handwritten character input area including a sequence of character buffers into which handwritten characters can be written and on which recognized standard characters corresponding to the inputted handwritten characters can be displayed;

character recognizing means connected to said input-display means for recognizing handwritten characters written into said character buffers and for identifying standard characters corresponding to recognized handwritten characters;

first cursor means for indicating one of said character buffers on said handwritten character input area into which a handwritten character is to be next written;

second cursor means for indicating a display position on said recognized standard character display area where a recognized standard character is to be next displayed; and

process means, connected to said input-display means, said character recognizing means and said first and second cursor means, for;

(a) erasing a handwritten character in a first character buffer indicated by said first cursor means and displaying in that character buffer the corresponding standard character identified by said character recognizing means when a handwritten character is written into the character buffer;

(b) controlling said first cursor means to indicate a second character buffer next in the sequence adjacent said first character buffer;

(c) displaying the standard character in said first character buffer at a first display position of said recognized standard character display area indicated by said cursor means when a handwritten character is being written into said second character buffer so that a standard character is displayed at said recognized standard character display area without the need for periodic operation of an "execution" or "enter" key; and

(d) controlling said second cursor means to indicate a second display position adjacent to said first display position on a said recognized standard character display area; and

(e) erasing any standard character in at least one character buffer displaced from said second character buffer by a predetermined number of character buffers during the writing of a handwritten character in said second character buffer.

6. A handwritten character recognition and display device according to claim 5, wherein said process means erases any standard character in not more than two character buffers displaced from said second character buffer.

7. A handwritten character recognition and display device according to claim 5, wherein said process means erases any standard character in only two character buffers displaced from said second character buffer.

8. A handwritten character recognition and display device according to claim 5, wherein said first cursor means includes means for indicating a character buffer by reverse-display.

9. A handwritten character recognition and display device according to claim 5, wherein said first cursor means includes means for indicating a character buffer by highlighting.

10. A method of handwritten character recognition and display in a system having input-display means, having a handwritten character input area and a recognized standard character display area, for inputting handwritten characters and displaying standard characters, said handwritten character input area including a sequence of character buffers into which handwritten characters can be written and on which recognized standard characters corresponding to the inputted handwritten characters can be displayed;

character recognizing means connected to said input-display means for recognizing handwritten characters written into said character buffers and for identifying standard characters corresponding to recognized handwritten characters;

first cursor means for indicating one of said character buffers on said handwritten character input area into which a handwritten character is to be next written;

second cursor means for indicating a display position on said recognized standard character display area where a recognized standard character is to be next displayed;

the method comprising the steps of;

(a) erasing a handwritten character in a first character buffer indicated by said first cursor means and displaying in that character buffer the corresponding standard character identified by said character recognizing means when a handwritten character is written into the character buffer;

(b) controlling said first cursor means to indicate a second buffer next in the sequence adjacent said first character buffer;

(c) displaying the standard character in said first character buffer at a first display position of said recognized standard character display area indicated by said cursor means when a handwritten character is being written into said second character buffer so that a standard character is displayed at said recognized standard character display area without the need for periodic operation of an "execution" or "enter" key; and

(d) controlling said second cursor means to indicate a second display position adjacent to said first display position on said recognized standard character display area.

11. A method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of:

(e) erasing any standard character in at least one character buffer displaced from said second character buffer by a predetermined number of character buffers during the writing of a handwritten character in said second character buffer.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein said step (e) comprises erasing any standard character in not more than two character buffers.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein said step (e) comprises erasing any standard character in only two character buffers.