Character string input system

• US 5,724,457 A
• Filed: 06/01/1995
• Issued: 03/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rakuten, Inc. (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Fukushima, Toshikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Boudreau, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen, Wenpeng
• Application Number:
  US08/457,834
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 382/309, 382/310, 382/311, 382/185, 382/186, 382/187, 382/188, 382/189, 382/229, 382/231, 382/159, 382/161
• US Class Current: 382/311
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/32 Digital ink

Abstract

A character string input system includes a direct character string buffer 50 storing character coded direct character string, a character string predicting portion 60 generating a predicted character string immediately following character string in the direct character string buffer 50, a predicted character string buffer 70 storing the predicted character string generated by the character string predicting portion, a display control portion 100 and a display portion 110 for displaying the direct character string stored in the direct character string buffer 50 and the predicted character string stored in the predicted character string buffer 70, a selection command input portion 30 for selecting a desired character string among the predicted character strings stored in the predicted character string, and a learning control portion 130 and a learning portion 140 storing hysteresis information which is made reference to upon generation of the character string candidates by the character string predicting portion 60 with use of the hysteresis information.

Claims

1. A character string input system comprising:

direct character string storage means for storing a character coded direct character string;

character string predicting means for generating predicted character strings immediately following the character string stored in said direct character string storage means;

predicted character string storage means for storing predicted character strings generated by said character string predicting means;

display means for displaying said direct character string stored in said direct character string storage means and said predicted character strings stored in said predicted character string storage means;

character string selection means for selecting a desired one of said predicted character strings among said predicted character strings stored in said predicted character string storage means; and

learning means for storing a result of the selection by said character string selection means as hysteresis information to be referenced upon generation of future candidate character strings by said character string predicting means,

wherein said character string predicting means generates words immediately following the character string as respective ones of said predicted character strings on the basis of a simultaneous appearing certainty of the words with respect to a word corresponding to the character string, and

wherein said character string predicting means generates portions of words as the respective ones of the predicted character strings to be concatenated with the character string as single words on the basis of certainty of connection of characters in the character string and characters in the predicted character strings, the certainty of connection being performed on a character by character basis.

2. A character string input system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said hysteresis information stored in said learning means is a character string, in which the direct character string stored in said direct character string storing means and the character string stored in said predicted character string storage means and selected by said character string selection means by a selection command, are combined.

3. A character string input system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said character string selection means is a selection command input means for inputting a selection command selecting an arbitrary character string among predicted character strings stored in said predicted character string storage means.

4. A character string input system as set forth in claim 3, wherein said display means has a first display region displaying the direct character string stored in said direct character string storage means and a second display region displaying predicted character string stored in said predicted character string storage means.

5. A character string input system as set forth in claim 4, wherein said display means displays a character string selected by said character string selection means among candidate character strings stored in said predicted character string storage means at a position immediately following the direct character string displayed in said first display region.

16. A character string input system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said predicted character strings are displayed on said display means in a priority order, with highest priority given to most recent selections of said predicted character strings by said character string selection means that have preambles that match said character string, and

wherein others of said predicted character strings are displayed on an alphabetic basis on said display means after said matched recent selections of said predicted character strings.

6. A character string input system comprising:

handwriting character input means for sampling trace data of handwritten characters;

character recognizing means for recognizing a character of the sampled trace data to derive a corresponding character code;

direct character string storage means for storing a character coded direct character string corresponding to at least one character code received from the character recognition means;

character string predicting means for generating predicted character strings immediately following the character string stored in said direct character string storage means;

predicted character string storage means for storing predicted character strings generated by said character string predicting means;

display means for displaying said direct character string stored in said direct character string storage means and said predicted character strings stored in said predicted character string storage means;

character string selection means for selecting a desired one of said predicted character strings among said predicted character strings stored in said predicted character string storage means; and

learning means for storing a result of the selection by said character string selection means as hysteresis information to be referenced upon generation of future candidate character strings by said character string predicting means,

wherein said character string predicting means generates words immediately following the character string as respective ones of said predicted character strings on the basis of a simultaneous appearing certainty of the words with respect to a word corresponding to the character string, and

wherein said character string predicting means generates portions of words as the respective ones of the predicted character strings to be concatenated with the character string as single words on the basis of certainty of connection of characters in the character string and characters in the predicted character strings, the certainty of connection being performed on a character by character basis.

7. A character string input system as set forth in claim 6 wherein said hysteresis information stored in said learning means is a character string, in which the direct character string stored in said direct character string storing means and the character string stored in said predicted character string storage means and selected by said character string selection means by a selection command, are combined.

8. A character string input system as set forth in claim 6, wherein said character string selection means is a selection command input means for inputting a selection command selecting an arbitrary character string among predicted character strings stored in said predicted character string storage means.

9. A character string input system as set forth in claim 8, wherein said display means has a first display region displaying the direct character string stored in said direct character string storage means and a second display region displaying predicted character string stored in said predicted character string storage means.

10. A character string input system as set forth in claim 9, wherein said display means displays a character string selected by said character string selection means among candidate character string stored in said predicted character string storage means at a position immediately following the direct character string displayed in said first display region.

11. A character string input system as set forth in claim 6, wherein said display means displays the predicted character string stored in said predicted character string storage means at a position immediately following said direct character string stored in said direct character string storage means.

12. A character string input system as set forth in claim 11, wherein said character string selection means is selection command input means for inputting a selection command selecting arbitrary character string among predicted character strings stored in said predicted character string storage means.

17. A character string input system as set forth in claim 6, wherein said predicted character strings are displayed on said display means in a priority order, with highest priority given to most recent selections of said predicted character strings by said character string selection means that have preambles that match said character string, and

wherein others of said predicted character strings are displayed on an alphabetic basis on said display means after said matched most recent selections of said predicted character strings.

13. A character string input system comprising:

handwriting character input means for sampling trace data of handwritten characters;

character recognition means for recognizing a character of the sampled trace data to derive a corresponding character code;

direct character string storage means for storing a character coded direct character string corresponding to at least one character code received from the character recognition means;

character string predicting means for generating predicted character strings immediately following the character string stored in said direct character string storage means;

predicted character string storage means for storing predicted character strings generated by said character string predicting means;

display means for displaying said direct character string stored in said direct character string storage means and said predicted character strings stored in said predicted character string storage means;

character string selection means for selecting a desired one of said predicted character strings among said predicted character strings stored in said predicted character string storage means; and

learning means for storing a result of the selection by said character string selection means as hysteresis information to be referenced upon generation of future candidate character strings by said character string predicting means,

wherein said display means displays one of the predicted character strings stored in said predicted character string storage means at a first region on said display means that immediately follows a second region in which said direct character string is displayed, said one of said predicted character strings and said character string appearing as a concatenated character string on said display means.

14. A character string input system as set forth in claim 13, wherein said character string selection means selects said one of said predicted character strings up to a position immediately before said trace data is input as data to be displayed on the first region of said display means, and

wherein when an additional character of the sampled trace data is recognized by said character recognition means, said display means overwrites the additional character on the display means where a first character of said one of said predicted character strings was previously displayed on said display means.

15. A character string input system as set forth in claim 13, wherein said character string selection means includes selection command input means for inputting a selection command for selecting any one of said predicted character strings that are stored in said predicted character string storage means, and

wherein when an additional character of the sampled trace data is recognized by said character recognition means, said display means overwrites the additional character on the display means where a first character of said one of said predicted character strings was previously displayed on said display means.

18. A character string input system as set forth in claim 15, wherein said display means is operable to display, upon an input from an operator, a next most likely one of said predicted character strings up to a position immediately before said trace data is input together with said character string on said display means as a concatenated character string.