Unintended results detection in a pen-based computer system

• US 5,768,418 A
• Filed: 11/13/1995
• Issued: 06/16/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Berman, Eric R., Hoiem, Derek E., Mills, Edward L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Boudreau, Leo H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEHTA, BHAVESH M
• Application Number:
  US08/556,637
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: 382/186, 382/187, 382/309-311, 382/313, 382/189, 364/705.03, 364/709.11, 364/709.01, 345/175, 345/179, 345/180-183
• US Class Current: 382/187
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/127 with the intervention of an operator
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1423 the instrument generating sequences of position coordinates corresponding to handwriting preprocessing or recognising digital ink G06V30/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/373 using a special pattern or subpattern alphabet

Abstract

An improved mechanism for converting handwritten input data into text and commands in a computer system is provided. An unintended results detection component is used after the handwritten data has been converted to text and commands. The unintended results detection component determines when the converted text and commands were likely unintended by the computer user. If the unintended results detection component determines that the converted text and commands were likely unintended by the computer user, the unintended results detection component outputs an indication to the user. The user then has the option of accepting or rejecting the interpretation of the system of the handwritten input data.

Claims

1. In a computer system, having a pen input device used by a computer user for inputting handwritten data, a handwritten data recognition component, and an output device, a method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

receiving handwritten data from the pen input device containing at least one handwritten character;

recognizing the received handwritten data by the handwritten data recognition component to produce a recognized svmbol representing the received handwritten data;

automatically analyzing the recognized symbol of the received handwritten data in order to detect potential misrecognition of the received handwritten data by the handwritten data recognition component; and

when the analysis of the recognized symbol determines that the received handwritten data was potentially misrecognized,

outputting an indication on the output device that the received handwritten data was potentially misrecognized by the handwritten data recognition component by displaying the recognized symbol;

when the computer user indicates to accept the recognized symbol, providing the recognized symbol as a recognition of the received handwritten data; and

when the computer user indicates to reject the recognized symbol, inputting from the computer user an intended symbol for the received handwritten data and providing the intended symbol as a recognition of the received handwritten data.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of analyzing the recognized symbol of the received handwritten data in order to detect potential misrecognition includes the step of:

determining that the recognized symbol was not likely unintended by the computer user if the recognized symbol has more than a predetermined number of characters.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of analyzing the recognized symbol of the received handwritten data in order to detect potential misrecognition includes the step of:

determining that the recognized symbol was likely unintended by the computer user if the recognized symbol contains a converted character that is part of a set of characters that are likely misrecognized.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the handwritten data contains a gesture, and wherein the step of analyzing the recognized symbol of the received handwritten data in order to detect potential misrecognition includes the step of:

determining that the recognized symbol was likely unintended by the computer user if the recognized symbol contains a gesture.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of analyzing the recognized symbol of the received handwritten data in order to detect potential misrecognition includes the step of:

determining that the recognized symbol was likely unintended by the computer user if the recognized symbol is unrecognizable.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of analyzing the recognized symbol of the received handwritten data in order to detect potential misrecognition includes the step of:

determining that the recognized symbol was likely unintended by the computer user if the recognized symbol contains a non-alphanumeric character.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the output device is a screen display, wherein the step of outputting an indication includes the step of:

displaying a window on the screen display which contains the recognized symbol.

8. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein the step of displaying the window includes the step of:

displaying a pop-up window with an accept button and a reject button, wherein the user may accept the recognized symbol by activating the accept button and reject the recognized symbol by activating the reject button.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of outputting an indication includes the step of:

outputting audible signals that indicate that the recognized symbol was likely unintended by the computer user.

10. A pen-based computer system for accepting handwritten data, comprising:

a pen input device;

an application program for receiving and displaying recognized symbols, each recognized symbol containing at least one recognized character in a human-readable form;

a control unit in the computer system having a component for receiving handwritten data comprising at least one handwritten character from the pen input device, a component for determining when a recognized symbol is likely unintended by a computer user by examining the recognized symbol, a component for querying the computer user whether to accept the recognized symbol when the recognized symbol was likely unintended by the computer user, a component for soliciting a different handwritten symbol from the computer user when the user does not accept the recognized symbol, and a component for sending the recognized symbol to the application program when the recognized symbol was not likely unintended by the computer user, wherein the application program displays the recognized symbol;

a translation unit in the computer system for converting handwritten data received from the control unit into recognized symbols; and

a processing unit in the computer system for receiving recognized symbols from the control unit and for processing the recognized symbols.

11. In a computer system, the computer system having a pen input device used by a computer user for inputting handwritten data into the computer system, a recognizer program for converting the handwritten data into text and commands, a control program for receiving handwritten data from the pen input device and for invoking the recognizer program, an application program for receiving the converted text and commands, and for displaying the converted text and executing the commands, and a central processing unit for executing the control program, the recognizer program and the application program, a method comprising the steps of:

receiving handwritten data containing at least one handwritten character from a pen input device and supplying the handwritten data to the control program;

converting the handwritten data into converted data containing a converted character that is human-readable by the recognizer program after receiving the handwritten data from the control program;

determining by the control program if the converted data was likely unintended by the computer user by examining the converted character after receiving the converted data from the recognizer program;

when the converted data was likely unintended by the computer user, displaying by the control program a pop-up window to the computer user wherein the computer user can accept or reject the converted data;

when the user accepts the converted data, sending the converted data from the control program to the application program, wherein the application program displays the converted data;

when the user rejects the converted data, discarding the converted data; and

when the converted data was not likely unintended by the computer user, sending the converted data from the control program to the application program, wherein the application program displays the converted data.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein the step of determining by the control program includes the step of:

determining if the converted data has more than a predetermined number of characters.

13. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein the step of determining by the control program includes the step of:

determining that the converted data was likely unintended by the computer user if the converted data contains one character that is part of a set of characters that is likely to be misrecognized.

14. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein the handwritten data includes gestures, and wherein the step of determining by the control program includes the step of:

determining that the converted data was likely unintended by the computer user when the converted data contains a gesture.

15. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein the step of determining by the control program includes the step of:

determining that the converted data was likely unintended by the computer user if the converted character is unrecognizable.

16. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein the step of determining by the control program includes the step of:

determining that the converted data was likely unintended by the computer user if a character is non-alphanumeric.

17. A computer system for accepting handwritten data, the computer system comprising:

a pen input device for receiving handwritten data and supplying the handwritten data to a control program;

a recognizer program for receiving the handwritten data from the control program and for converting the handwritten data into one or more recognized symbols;

a control program for receiving handwritten data containing at least one handwritten character from the pen input device, for sending the received handwritten data to the recognizer program for conversion into one or more recognized symbols containing a converted character in a human-readable form, for receiving the recognized symbols from the recognizer program, for determining if one or more recognized symbols were likely unintended by a computer user by examining the one or more recognized symbols, and for displaying a pop-up window containing the one or more recognized symbols to the computer user wherein the computer user can accept or reject the one or more recognized symbols when the converted data was likely unintended by the computer user, wherein the pop-up window displays the one or more recognized symbols;

means for sending the one or more recognized symbols from the control program to an application program when the computer user accepts the one or more recognized symbols;

means for discarding the one or more recognized symbols when the computer user rejects the one or more recognized symbols; and

an application program for receiving the one or more recognized symbols when the computer user accepts the one or more recognized symbols.

18. In a computer system, a method comprising the steps of:

receiving handwritten data containing at least one handwritten character and supplying the handwritten data to the computer system;

mapping the handwritten data onto pre-stored symbols for recognition;

converting the handwritten data to one or more recognized symbols containing a recognized character in a human-readable form using the mapped, prestored symbols;

determining if the one or more recognized symbols were likely unintended by the computer user by examining the recognized character;

displaying the one or more recognized symbols in an indication when the one or more recognized symbols were likely unintended by the computer user that allows the computer user to either accept or reject the one or more recognized symbols;

when the user accepts the one or more recognized symbols, providing the recognized symbol as a recognition of the received handwritten data; and

when the user rejects the one or more recognized symbols, discarding the one or more recognized symbols.

19. The method as recited in claim 18 wherein the step of determining includes the step of:

determining if the one or more recognized symbols have more than a predetermined number of characters.

20. The method as recited in claim 18 wherein the step of determining includes the step of:

determining that the one or more recognized symbols were likely unintended by the computer user if the one or more recognized symbols contain one character that is part of a set of characters that are likely misrecognized.

21. The method as recited in claim 18 wherein the handwritten data includes gestures, and wherein the step of determining includes the step of:

determining that the one or more recognized symbols were likely unintended by the computer user when the one or more recognized symbols contain a gesture.

22. The method as recited in claim 18 wherein the step of determining includes the step of:

determining that the one or more recognized symbols were likely unintended by the computer user if a recognized character within the one or more recognized symbols is unrecognizable.

23. The method as recited in claim 18 wherein the step of determining includes the step of:

determining that the one or more recognized symbols were likely unintended by the computer user if a character within the one or more recognized symbols is non-alphanumeric.