Online character entry device

• US 6,369,807 B1
• Filed: 06/01/1998
• Issued: 04/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Nakashima, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Jankus, Almis R.
• Application Number:
  US09/088,117
• Time in Patent Office: 1,408 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/179, 382/119, 382/181, 382/187, 382/188-189, 382/178-18, 382/18.03, 382/18.06, 382/18.07, 382/19.01, 382/19.03
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/32 Digital ink

Abstract

An online character entry device which enables a stable specified operation to be implemented without necessity of entry of specific stroke or provision of button switch and with condition that increase of processing amount is not much. There is formed a point from which a pen point does not shift during more than prescribed the time interval within the stroke of the entry character (hereinafter referring to stopping point), and there is provided a first stopping point detecting section for detecting the stopping point within the entry character, and a relevance word retrieval section for retrieving the relevance word using detection result of existence of the stopping point and recognition result concerning entry character, thus executing specified operation (for example, outputting formal name of company from abbreviation entry) prescribed beforehand.

Claims

1. An online character entry device comprising:

a stopping point detecting section which detects a stopping point of an abbreviation entry from which a pen point does not shift during a prescribed time;

a character recognition section which implements character recognition of said abbreviation entry to form a recognition result; and

an abbreviation retrieval section which retrieves a word corresponding to said recognition result when said stopping point is detected.

2. An online character entry device as in claim 1, wherein said stopping point of said abbreviation entry is detected within a stroke of said abbreviation entry.

3. An online character entry device comprising:

a stopping point detecting section which detects a stopping point of an abbreviation entry from which a pen point does not shift during a prescribed time period and measures a stopping time of said pen point;

a character recognition section which implements character recognition of said abbreviation entry to form a recognition result; and

an abbreviation retrieval section which retrieves a word corresponding to said recognition result when said stopping point is detected.

4. An online character entry device as in claim 3, wherein said stopping point of said abbreviation entry is detected within a stroke of said abbreviation entry.

5. An online character entry device comprising:

a character entry unit for receiving an abbreviation entry which includes a row of coordinate points sampled within a prescribed time interval;

a storing unit including;

a stroke storing section for storing said abbreviation entry transferred from said character entry unit, and

a relevance word correspondence storing section for storing a relevance word and a character code which corresponds to said relevance word;

a data processing unit including;

a stopping point detecting section which detects a stopping point from which a pen point does not shift during a prescribed time period of said abbreviation entry stored in said stroke storing section, thereby producing a stopping point detection signal in response to said detected stopping point,

a character recognizing section which implements character recognition of said abbreviation entry stored in said stroke storing section and transforms said abbreviation entry into said character code, and

a relevance word retrieval section which retrieves said relevance word corresponding to said character code of said character recognizing section from said relevance word correspondence storing section; and

an output unit including a display that displays said relevance word and a printer.

6. An online character entry device comprising:

a character entry unit for receiving a stroke pattern which includes a row of coordinate points sampled within a prescribed time interval of an inputted character;

a storing section including;

a stroke storing section, and

a relevance word correspondence storing section for storing a relevance word;

a data processing unit including;

a stopping point detecting section which detects a stopping point from which coordinate points of said row of coordinate points have the same coordinate value within said time interval and calculates a stopping time of said stroke pattern transferred from said character entry unit to produce correction information in response to said detected stopping point,

a stroke eliminating section which eliminates one or more portions of said stroke pattern according to said correction information transferred from said stopping point detecting section and stores the resulting stroke pattern of said elimination in said stroke storing section,

a character recognition section which implements character recognition of said resulting stroke pattern stored in said stroke storing section to produce a recognized pattern; and

a relevance word retrieval section which retrieves a relevance word corresponding to said recognized pattern from said relevance word correspondence storing section; and

an output unit including a display that displays said relevance word and a printer.

7. A character entry method comprising the steps of:

storing a stroke pattern which includes a row of coordinate points sampled within a prescribed time interval;

examining whether coordinate points of said row of coordinate points having the same coordinate value exist continuously within said stroke pattern during said prescribed time period;

setting a stopping point detection signal to ON when said coordinate points having the same coordinate value exist;

setting a stopping point detection signal to OFF when said coordinate points do not exist;

implementing recognition of said stroke pattern via a recognition system wherein a representative stroke obtained due to clustering of directional characteristics and positional characteristics of said stroke pattern is used to produce a recognition result;

retrieving a relevance word corresponding to said recognition result and outputting said relevance word when said stopping point detection signal is ON; and

outputting said recognition result when said stopping point detection signal if OFF.

8. A character entry method comprising the steps of:

obtaining;

a stroke pattern which includes a row of coordinate points sampled within a constant time interval;

examining whether coordinate points of said row of coordinate points having the same coordinate value exist continuously within said stroke pattern during said time interval;

setting correction information to “

no elimination”

when said coordinate points do not exist;

determining a stopping point based on the number of the coordinate points within a stopping time T when said coordinate points exist;

setting correction information to “

stroke elimination”

when said stopping time T is smaller than a predetermined value;

setting correction information to “

character elimination”

when said stopping time T is larger than said predetermined value;

implementing recognition of said stroke pattern when said correction information is “

no elimination”

;

eliminating a portion of said stroke pattern when said correction information is “

stroke elimination”

to produce a stroke eliminated pattern;

implementing recognition of said stroke eliminated pattern; and

retrieving a word corresponding to said stroke eliminated pattern when said stopping point is determined; and

eliminating all of said stroke pattern when said correction information is “

character elimination”

.

9. An online character entry device comprising:

a stopping point detecting section which detects a stopping point of a stroke pattern from which a pen point does not shift during a prescribed time within a stroke of said stroke pattern;

a character change category section which changes from one character category to another character category in response to said detection of said stopping point; and

a retrieval section which retrieves a character from said character change category section that corresponds to said stroke pattern.

10. An online character entry device comprising:

a stopping point detecting section which detects a stopping point of a stroke pattern from which a pen point does not shift during a prescribed time within a stroke of said stroke pattern;

a dictionary change section which changes from one dictionary to another dictionary in response to said detection of said stopping point; and

a retrieval section which retrieves a character from said dictionary change section that corresponds to said stroke pattern.