Character string input system for completing an input character string with an incomplete input indicative sign

• US 5,734,749 A
• Filed: 12/27/1994
• Issued: 03/31/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Yamada, Hiroshi, Fukushima, Toshikazu, Muraki, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): JOHNS, ANDREW W
• Application Number:
  US08/364,290
• Time in Patent Office: 1,190 Days
• Field of Search: 382/186, 382/187, 382/189, 382/229, 382/230, 364/419.15, 395/144, 395/149, 395/155, 395/161, 395/326, 395/768, 395/796
• US Class Current: 382/187
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/373 using a special pattern or subpattern alphabet

Abstract

A character string input system includes an input storage portion for temporarily storing input character string with an incomplete input indicative signs. There is also a word dictionary storing words. An incomplete word supplementing portion compares the character string with the word stored in the word dictionary. Also, there is a neglected word supplementing portion for predicting a word to be supplemented at the position of the incomplete input indicative sign representing an omitted word. A supplementing candidature storage portion temporarily stores candidate character strings for the incomplete word supplementing portion and the neglected word supplementing portion. A supplementing control portion controls the incomplete word supplementing portion and the neglected word supplementing portion on the basis of the incomplete input indicative sign, and retrieves the candidate character string corresponding to the position of the incomplete input indicative sign in the character string.

Claims

1. A character string input system comprising:

input storage means for temporarily storing an input character string having an incomplete input indicative sign;

a word dictionary having a plurality of stored words;

incomplete word supplementing means for comparing the character string having the incomplete input indicative sign with the stored words in the word dictionary and for selecting characters in the words corresponding to the incomplete input indicative sign as a candidate character string;

neglected word supplementing means for predicting at least one word to be supplemented corresponding to the position of the incomplete input indicative sign indicating omission of a word as the candidate character string;

supplementing candidature storage means for temporarily storing as a candidature at least one candidate character string of the incomplete word supplementing means and the neglected word supplementing means; and

supplementing control means for controlling said incomplete word supplementing means when the incomplete input indicative sign indicates an incomplete word;

for controlling said neglected word supplementing means when the incomplete input indicative sign indicates omission of a word; and

for retrieving the candidature corresponding to the position of the incomplete input indicative sign in the character string having the incomplete input indicative sign.

2. A character string input system as set forth in claim 1, which further comprises:

character string input means for inputting the character string;

incomplete input indicative sign input means for inputting the incomplete input indicative sign indicative of omission of a word;

example storage means for storing examples of words; and

selection command input means for inputting a command for selection of one of the candidate character strings from the candidature.

3. A character string input system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said input storage means temporarily stores the input character string having the incomplete input indicative sign input by said character string input means and said incomplete input indicative sign input means;

said incomplete word supplementing means compares said input character string having said incomplete input indicative sign with said word dictionary by regarding the incomplete input indicative sign as indicating omission of a part of word as a wild card;

said neglected word supplementing means predicts the at least one word to be supplemented at the position of the incomplete input indicative sign indicating omission of a word based on the examples of the words stored in said example storage means; and

said supplementing control means, when a plurality of candidate character strings are present, controls said selection command input means to select one of the candidate character strings.

4. A character string input system as set forth in claim 1, which further comprises:

character string input means for inputting the character string;

incomplete input indicative sign input means for inputting the incomplete input indicative sign indicative of omission of a character string;

example storage means for storing examples of words; and

selection command input means for inputting a command for selection of one of the one of the candidate character strings from the candidature.

5. A character string input system as set forth in claim 4, wherein said input storage means temporarily stores the input character string having the incomplete input indicative sign input by said character string input means and said incomplete input indicative sign input means;

said incomplete word supplementing means compares said input character string having said incomplete input indicative sign with said word dictionary by regarding the incomplete input indicative sign as a wild card;

said neglected word supplementing means predicts the at least one word to be supplemented corresponding to the position of the incomplete input indicative sign in the character string having the incomplete input indicative sign based on the examples of the words in said example storage means; and

said supplementing control means controls said incomplete word supplementing means and said neglected word supplementing means on the basis of a kind of the incomplete input indicative sign in the input storage means and the command input by said selection command input means to determine the character string corresponding to the position of said incomplete input indicative sign in the character string having the incomplete input indicative sign.

6. A character string input system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said supplementing control means controls said incomplete word supplementing means on the basis of the kind of the incomplete input indicative sign in said input storage means, and when the candidature is not obtained or when control of said neglected word supplementing means is commanded by said selection command input means, said supplementing control means controls said neglected word supplementing means to determine the character string corresponding to the position of the incomplete input indicative sign in said character string having the incomplete input indicative sign.

7. A character string input system comprising:

character handwriting means for obtaining a handwritten character trace data;

handwritten character storage means for storing the trace data;

character recognizing means for performing character recognition of the trace data and for deriving a character code;

direct character string storage means for storing the character string character derived by said character recognizing means;

character string predicting means for generating a candidate character string directly following said character string in said direct character string storage means after completion of recognition by said character recognizing means;

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

display means for displaying a predicted character string region immediately following an input character string region;

display information storage portion for storing information to be displayed on said display means;

overwriting detecting means for detecting overwriting of the handwritten character on the predicted character region; and

display control means for constructing a content of said display information storage means on the basis of the content of the handwritten character storage means, the content of said direct character string storage means, the content of said predicted character string storage means and an overwriting detection signal from said overwriting detecting means, and controlling the content of display of said display means.

8. A character string input system as set forth in claim 7, wherein said display control means

temporarily displays the trace data in said handwritten character storage means on said input character region;

updates the display in said input character region with a character string corresponding to said direct character string storage means, in place of said trace data, when character recognition for said trace data by said character recognizing means is completed;

displays one candidate character string in said predicted character string storage means in said predicted character string region; and

when said overwriting detection signal is received from said overwriting detecting means, fixes the character in said predicted character string up to one immediately preceding the overwriting character as the input character string and erases the characters in said predetermined character string at and subsequent to the overwritten character.

9. A character string input system comprising:

character input means for obtaining an handwritten character trace data;

input character storage means for storing the trace data;

selection command input means for an inputting command for selection and verification;

character recognizing means for performing character recognition of the trace data and for deriving a character code;

direct character string storage means for storing the character string character coded by said character recognizing means;

character string predicting means for generating a candidate character string directly following said character string in said direct character string storage means after completion of recognition by said character recognizing means;

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

display means for displaying a predicted character string region immediately following an input character string region;

display information storage portion for storing information to be displayed on said display means;

overwriting detecting means for detecting overwriting of the handwritten character on the predicted character region; and

display control means for constructing a content of said display information storage means on the basis of the content of the handwritten character storage means, the content of said direct character string storage means, the content of said predicted character string storage means, an overwriting detection signal from said overwriting detecting means and the command from said selection command input means, and controlling the content of display of said display means.

10. A character string input system as set forth in claim 9, wherein said display control means

temporarily displays the trace data in said handwritten character storage means on said input character region;

updates the display in said input character region with a character string corresponding to said direct character string storage means in place of said trace data when character recognition for said trace data by said character recognizing means is completed;

displays one character string in said predicted character string storage means in said predicted character string region;

displays another candidate character string stored in said predicted character string storage means in said predicted character string region in response to the selection command from said selection command input means; and

when said overwriting detection signal is received from said overwriting detecting means, fixes the character in said predicted character string up to one immediately preceding the overwriting character as the input character string and erases the characters in said predetermined character string at and subsequent to the overwritten character.