Handwriting recognition by word separation into silhouette bar codes and other feature extraction

• US 6,917,708 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2001
• Issued: 07/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Chen, Joseph, Woods, Donal J., Goodman, Rodney M., Keaton, Patricia A.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANG, JON CARLTON
• Application Number:
  US09/765,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20010033694A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: 382/229, 382/203, 382/186
• US Class Current: 382/186
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/2264 using word shape

Abstract

A method of automatically recognizing text. The text is divided into whole words which are each recognize. Each whole word is characterized according to its silhouette. The silhouette is characterized by features in the silhouette such as upwardly extending “polls” and downwardly extending “holes”. The silhouette may also be characterized by its first syllable blends. Numbers are assigned to each of the different characteristics, and numbers may also be assigned based on analysis of a database of different kinds of cursive words. Recognition may be automatically carry out prior recognizing system which recognizes in this way.

Claims

1. A method of recognizing handwriting, comprising:

obtaining a sample of handwriting;

segmenting said sample into separate handwritten words; and

attempting to recognize a whole handwritten word without attempting to recognize any individual letter of the whole handwritten word, by categorizing a whole of said handwritten word according to its overall silhouette; and

wherein said categorizing comprises categorizing positions of features in said handwritten word, and categorizing first syllable blends of said handwritten word.

2. A method, comprising:

analyzing a sample of handwriting by analyzing a whole word of said sample at any one time, said analyzing comprising (1) forming information indicative of a silhouette of said whole word,wherein said silhouette information includes prime profiles indicative of specified features, used to form concatenations of said prime profiles which concatenation describe combinations of specified features, (2) analyzing slope sequences of the handwriting, (3) analyzing N-S profiles of the handwriting, and (4) analyzing cavities within said handwriting, and (2) comparing said information with a database of information about other analysis information.

3. A method as in claim 2, wherein said database of information comprises a database of information obtained from a list of possible words.

4. A method as in claim 2, wherein said silhouette information includes information indicative of high parts in the word and low parts in the word, and positions of said high parts and low parts in the word.

5. A method as in claim 4, wherein said silhouette information also includes information about first syllable blends in the word.

6. A method as in claim 4, wherein each of a plurality of silhouette information is provided with a number.

7. A method as in claim 4, wherein each feature is assigned a number.

8. A method comprising:

analyzing a sample of handwriting by analyzing a whole word of said sample at any one time, said analyzing comprising forming information indicative of a silhouette of said whole word, and comparing said information with a database of information about other silhouettes, wherein said silhouette information includes prime profiles indicative of specified features, and concatenated profiles indicative of combinations of specified features; and

wherein said silhouette information includes information about first syllable blends in the word.