Information processing method and apparatus with mixing of processing command input strokes and input strokes for patterns

• US 6,408,091 B1
• Filed: 04/24/1996
• Issued: 06/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yoshii, Hiroto, Arai, Tsunekazu, Takasu, Eiji, Sakaguchi, Katsuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANG, JON CARLTON
• Application Number:
  US08/637,156
• Time in Patent Office: 2,246 Days
• Field of Search: 382/187, 382/189, 382/309, 382/310, 382/311
• US Class Current: 382/187
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

The present invention is to discriminate and extract a gesture stroke from a group of input strokes when inputting, in a batch processing, both a character or symbol of strokes to be processed and a gesture of strokes selecting a process to be executed for the character or symbol, and execute a process selected by the gesture stroke for all the strokes but the extracted gesture stroke, so that the character or symbol and the gesture do not need inputting individually at time intervals, thus improving the operability.

Claims

1. An information processing method comprising the steps of:

inputting a plurality of strokes together, the plurality of strokes including a target stroke for a recognition process and at least one stroke matching one of a plurality of predetermined patterns corresponding to respective predetermined processes, wherein the at least one stroke matching one of the plurality of predetermined patterns is intermingled with the target stroke, for which the recognition process has not been executed;

determining, by pattern matching, whether the plurality of input strokes includes the at least one stroke matching one of the plurality of predetermined patterns corresponding to the predetermined processes;

extracting, when said determining step determines that the plurality of input strokes includes the at least one input stroke matching one of the predetermined patterns, the at least one input stroke matching one of the plurality of predetermined patterns, from the plurality of input strokes;

selecting a predetermined process corresponding to the predetermined pattern matching the at least one input stroke extracted in said extracting step;

recognizing the target stroke remaining after said extracting step has extracted the at least one input stroke from the plurality of input strokes; and

executing the selected predetermined process for a result of the recognition in said recognizing step.

2. The method according to claim 1, further including a step of determining a break position between the input strokes, wherein

said step of determining the break position is executed in each unit of said plurality of strokes bordered by two break positions.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said step of determining the break position is executed by detecting stroke input frame information indicating that a stroke input is shifted from one input frame to another.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein said step of determining the break position is executed by detecting a stroke-inputting interval more than a predetermined period of time.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein all said strokes but the extracted one constitute a symbol.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein all said strokes but the extracted one constitute a character.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein said plurality of predetermined patterns have a characteristic not included in said symbol.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the characteristic included in said plurality of predetermined patterns but excluded from said symbol is a stroke input direction.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined process is a conversion process for converting a capital letter into a small letter.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined process is a conversion process for converting the character into a handwriting pattern.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined process is a registration process for registering data of all said strokes but the extracted one.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined process is a conversion process for converting the character into a Kanji pattern.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein said strokes are input with a digitizer.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the result of executing said predetermined process for all said strokes but the extracted one is displayed on a liquid crystal display.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined pattern comprises one stroke.

16. A method according to claim 1, wherein said recognizing step comprises the step of character recognizing the strokes remaining after said extracting step and converting the result into a code, and

wherein said executing step executes the selected predetermined process for the code.

17. An information processing apparatus comprising:

input means for inputting a plurality of strokes together, the plurality of strokes including a target stroke for a recognition process and at least one stroke matching one of a plurality of predetermined patterns corresponding to respective predetermined processes, wherein the at least one stroke matching one of the plurality of predetermined patterns is intermingled with the target stroke, for which the recognition process has not been executed;

determination means for determining, by pattern matching, whether the plurality of input strokes includes the at least one stroke matching one of the plurality of predetermined patterns corresponding to the predetermined processes;

extraction means for extracting, when said determination means determines that the plurality of input strokes includes the at least one input stroke matching one of the predetermined patterns, the at least one input stroke matching one of the plurality of predetermined patterns, from the plurality of input strokes;

process selection means for selecting a predetermined process corresponding to the predetermined pattern matching the at least one input stroke extracted by said extraction means;

recognizing means for recognizing the target stroke remaining after the extraction means has extracted the at least one input stroke from the plurality of input strokes; and

execution means for executing the selected predetermined process for a result of the recognition by said recognizing means.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, further including break-position determination means for determining a break position between the input strokes, wherein

said input means input strokes in each unit of the plurality of strokes bordered by two break positions.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said break-position determination means determines said break position by detecting stroke input frame information indicating that a stroke input is shifted from one input frame to another.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said break-position determination means determines said break position by detecting a stroke-inputting interval more than a predetermined period of time.

21. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein all said strokes but the extracted one constitute a symbol.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein all said strokes but the extracted one constitute a character.

23. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein one of said plurality of predetermined patterns have a characteristic not included in said symbol.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the characteristic included in the one of said plurality of predetermined patterns but excluded from said symbol is a stroke input direction.

25. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said predetermined process is a conversion process for converting a capital letter into a small letter.

26. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said predetermined process is a conversion process for converting the character into a handwriting pattern.

27. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said predetermined process is a registration process for registering data of all said strokes but the extracted one.

28. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said predetermined process is a conversion process for converting the character into a Kanji pattern.

29. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said input means is a digitizer.

30. The apparatus according to claim 17, further including a liquid crystal display on which the result of executing said predetermined process for all said strokes but the extracted one is displayed.

31. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the predetermined pattern comprises one stroke.

32. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said recognizing means comprises means for character recognizing the strokes remaining after extraction by said extraction means and converting the result into a code, and

wherein said execution means executes the selected predetermined process for the code.

33. A readable memory for a computer, said memory containing codes to control the computer to perform a process wherein

a plurality of strokes are input to the computer together, the plurality of strokes including a target stroke for a recognition process and at least one stroke matching one of a plurality of predetermined patterns corresponding to respective predetermined processes, wherein the at least one stroke matching one of the plurality of predetermined patterns is intermingled with the target stroke, for which the recognition process has not been executed;

a determination is made, by pattern matching, whether the plurality of input strokes includes the at least one input stroke matching one of the plurality of predetermined patterns corresponding to the predetermined processes,

when it is determined that the plurality of input strokes includes the at least one input stroke matching one of the predetermined patterns, the at least one input stroke matching one of the predetermined patterns is extracted from the plurality of input strokes,

a predetermined process is selected corresponding to the predetermined pattern matching the at least one input stroke that was extracted,

recognition is performed for the target stroke remaining after extraction of the at least one input stroke from the plurality of input strokes; and

the selected predetermined process is executed for a result of the recognition in said recognition step.

34. The memory according to claim 33, wherein a break position between the input strokes is determined, and

stroke input is performed in each unit of the plurality of strokes bordered by two break positions.

35. The memory according to claim 33, wherein all said strokes but the extracted one constitute a symbol.

36. The memory according to claim 35, wherein all said strokes but the extracted one constitute a character.

37. The memory according to claim 35, wherein one of said plurality of predetermined patterns has a characteristic not included in said symbol.

38. The memory according to claim 37, wherein the characteristic included in the one of said plurality of predetermined patterns but excluded from said symbol is a stroke input direction.

39. The memory according to claim 33, wherein said predetermined process is a conversion process for converting a capital letter into a small letter.

40. The memory according to claim 33, wherein said predetermined process is a conversion process for converting the character into a handwriting pattern.

41. The memory according to claim 33, wherein said predetermined process is a registration process for registering data of all said strokes but the extracted one.

42. The memory according to claim 33, wherein said predetermined process is a conversion process for converting the character into a Kanji pattern.

43. The memory according to claim 33, wherein said strokes are input with a digitizer.

44. The memory according to claim 33, wherein the result of executing said predetermined process for all said strokes but the extracted one is displayed on a liquid crystal display.

45. A memory according to claim 33, wherein the predetermined pattern comprises one stroke.

46. A memory according to claim 33, wherein the recognition comprises character recognizing the strokes remaining after the extraction and converting the result into a code, and

wherein the selected predetermined process is executed for the code.