Ink display for multi-stroke hand entered characters

• US 6,973,214 B1
• Filed: 07/30/2001
• Issued: 12/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mobigence Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mobigence Incorporated
• Inventors: Shim, Jae H., Chen, Pang C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Au, Amelia M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIM, CHONG R
• Application Number:
  US09/919,071
• Time in Patent Office: 1,590 Days
• Field of Search: 382187-189, 382/309, 382/311, 345/179, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 178/20.01
• US Class Current: 382/186
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/347 Sampling; Contour coding; Stroke extraction

Abstract

System and method for display of ink representing a sequence of one or more handwirtten and hand printed (“hand entered”) alphanumeric characters on a portion of a touch screen that receives and displays hand entered characters. When a character (or word) is hand entered using a stylus with a single stroke, ink for the corresponding character is optionally displayed for a first time interval before conversion and re-display of the character as standard text. When a multi-stroke character (or word), such as “t” or “x” or “4”, is hand entered, a time interval for display of the hand entered version is extended so that the user can supply the additional strokes needed to complete the character, before the character is converted and re-displayed as standard text. Hand printed characters and cursive characters are processed in a similar manner. Overwriting an earlier-entered character with a later (unrelated) character causes the earlier-entered character to be promptly removed from the screen.

Claims

1. A method for display of ink representing handwritten and hand printed characters on a display screen, the method comprising:

receiving a sequence of one or more characters, entered by a user using a stylus to trace the sequence on a screen;

determining if the sequence of one or more characters is part of a continuous cursive word;

when the sequence of one or more characters is part of a continuous cursive word, determining if at least one character in the cursive word is a potential multi-stroke character;

when no character in the cursive word is a potential multi-stroke character, displaying ink representing the cursive word until the stylus is lifted from the screen and for a selected single stroke time interval after the stylus is lifted from the screen;

when at least one character in the cursive word is a potential multi-stroke character, displaying ink representing the cursive word until the stylus is lifted from the screen and for a selected multi-stroke time interval after the stylus is lifted from the screen; and

when the stylus is reapplied to the screen in a correct position relative to at least one character in the cursive word during the multi-stroke time interval, receiving at least one stroke from the stylus and continuing to display the cursive word and the at least one received stroke until the reapplied stylus is lifted from the screen and for a multi-stroke time interval after the reapplied stylus is lifted from the screen.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when said sequence of one or more characters is not part of a continuous cursive word, determining if at least one character in said character sequence is a potential multi-stroke character;

when no character in said character sequence is a potential multi-stroke character, displaying ink representing the one or more characters in said character sequence until said stylus is lifted from said screen and for said single stroke time interval after said stylus is lifted from said screen;

when at least one character in said character sequence is a potential multi-stroke character, displaying ink representing the one or more characters in said character sequence until said stylus is lifted from said screen and for said multi-stroke time interval after said stylus is lifted from said screen; and

when said stylus is reapplied to said screen in a correct position relative to at least one character in said character sequence during said multi-stroke time interval, receiving at least one stroke from said stylus and displaying the one or more characters in said character sequence and the at least one received stroke until said reapplied stylus is lifted from said screen and for said multi-stroke time interval after said reapplied stylus is lifted from said screen.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when said stylus is not reapplied to said screen in a correct position relative to at least one character in said cursive word during said multi-stroke time interval, continuing to display ink representing said cursive word until said stylus is lifted from said screen and for said single stroke time interval after said stylus is lifted from said screen.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising choosing said single stroke time interval length in a range 0–

2 sec.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising choosing said multi-stroke time interval length in a range 0–

2 sec.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising choosing said potential multi-stroke characters to include at least one character from a character set consisting of “

b”

, “

d”

, “

f”

, “

g”

, “

h”

, “

i”

, “

j”

, “

k”

, “

p”

, “

q”

, “

t”

, “

x”

, “

y”

, “

2”

, “

3”

, “

4”

, “

5”

, “

8”

, “

;

”

, “

;

”

, “

?”

, “

!”

, “

*”

, and “

·

”

.

7. A method for display of ink representing handwritten and hand printed characters on a display screen, the method comprising:

receiving a sequence of one or more characters, entered by a user using a stylus to trace the sequence on a screen;

determining if the sequence of one or more characters is part of a continuous cursive word;

when the sequence of one or more characters is part of a continuous cursive word, determining if at least one character in the cursive word is a potential multi-stroke character;

when no character in the cursive word is a potential multi-stroke character, displaying ink representing the cursive word until the stylus is lifted from the screen and for a selected single stroke time interval after the stylus is lifted from the screen;

when at least one character in the cursive word is a potential multi-stroke character, displaying ink representing the cursive word until the stylus is lifted from the screen and for a selected multi-stroke time interval after the stylus is lifted from the screen;

when the stylus is reapplied to the screen in a correct position relative to at least one character in the cursive word during the multi-stroke time interval, receiving at least one stroke from the stylus and determining if the received stroke is a proper modifier stroke;

when the received stroke is a proper modifier stroke, continuing to display the cursive word and the at least one received stroke until the reapplied stylus is lifted from the screen and for a multi-stroke time interval after the reapplied stylus is lifted from the screen; and

when the received stroke is not a proper modified stroke, removing ink representing the character sequence from the screen and continuing to display the received stroke for at least the single stroke time interval after the reapplied stylus is lifted from the screen.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

when said sequence of one or more characters is not part of a continuous cursive word, determining if at least one character in said character sequence is a potential multi-stroke character;

when no character in said character sequence is a potential multi-stroke character, displaying ink representing the one or more characters in said character sequence until said stylus is lifted from said screen and for said single stroke time interval after said stylus is lifted from said screen;

when at least one character in said character sequence is a potential multi-stroke character, displaying ink representing the one or more characters in said character sequence until said stylus is lifted from said screen and for said multi-stroke time interval after said stylus is lifted from said screen; and

when said stylus is reapplied to said screen in a correct position relative to at least one character in said character sequence during said multi-stroke time interval, receiving at least one stroke from said stylus and continuing to display the one or more characters in said character sequence and the at least one received stroke until said reapplied stylus is lifted from said screen and for said multi-stroke time interval after said reapplied stylus is lifted from said screen.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

when said stylus is not reapplied to said screen in a correct position relative to at least one character in said cursive word during said multi-stroke time interval, continuing to display ink representing said cursive word until said stylus is lifted from said screen and for said single stroke time interval after said stylus is lifted from said screen.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising choosing said single stroke time interval length in a range 0–

2 sec.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising choosing said multi-stroke time interval length in a range 0–

2 sec.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising choosing said potential multi-stroke characters to include at least one character from a character set consisting of “

b”

, “

d”

, “

f”

, “

g”

, “

h”

, “

i”

, “

j”

, “

k”

, “

p”

, “

q”

, “

t”

, “

x”

, “

y”

, “

2”

, “

3”

, “

4”

, “

5”

, “

8”

, “

;

”

, “

;

”

, “

?”

, “

!”

, “

*”

, and “

#”

.

13. A system for display of ink representing handwritten and hand printed characters on a display screen, the system comprising:

a screen that receives a sequence of one or more characters, entered by a user using a stylus to trace the sequence on the screen; and

a computer that is programmed;

to determine if the sequence of one or more characters is part of a continuous cursive word;

when the sequence of one or more characters is part of a continuous cursive word, to determine if at least one character in the cursive word is a potential multi-stroke character;

when no character in the cursive word is a potential multi-stroke character, to display ink representing the cursive word until the stylus is lifted from the screen and for a selected single stroke time interval after the stylus is lifted from the screen;

when at least one character in the cursive word is a potential multi-stroke character, to display ink representing the cursive word until the stylus is lifted from the screen and for a selected multi-stroke time interval after the stylus is lifted from the screen; and

when the stylus is reapplied to the screen in a correct position relative to at least one character in the cursive word during the multi-stroke time interval, to receive at least one stroke from the stylus and to continue to display the cursive word and the at least one received stroke until the reapplied stylus is lifted from the screen and for a multi-stroke time interval after the reapplied stylus is lifted from the screen.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said computer is further programmed so that:

when said sequence of one or more characters is not part of a continuous cursive word, to determine if at least one character in said character sequence is a potential multi-stroke character;

when no character in said character sequence is a potential multi-stroke character, to display ink representing the one or more characters in said character sequence until said stylus is lifted from said screen and for said single stroke time interval after said stylus is lifted from said screen;

when at least one character in said character sequence is a potential multi-stroke character, to display ink representing the one or more characters in said character sequence until said stylus is lifted from said screen and for said multi-stroke time interval after said stylus is lifted from said screen; and

when said stylus is reapplied to said screen in a correct position relative to at least one character in said character sequence during said multi-stroke time interval, to receive at least one stroke from said stylus and to display the one or more characters in said character sequence and the at least one received stroke until said reapplied stylus is lifted from said screen and for said multi-stroke time interval after said reapplied stylus is lifted from said screen.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein said computer is further programmed so that:

when said stylus is not reapplied to said screen in a correct position relative to at least one character in said cursive word during said multi-stroke time interval, to continue to display ink representing said cursive word until said stylus is lifted from said screen and for said single stroke time interval after said stylus is lifted from said screen.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein said computer is further programmed to choose said single stroke time interval length in a range 0–

2 sec.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein said computer is further programmed to choose said multi-stroke time interval length in a range 0–

2 sec.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein said computer is further programmed to choose said potential multi-stroke characters to include at least one character from a character set consisting of “

b”

, “

d”

, “

f”

, “

g”

, “

h”

, “

i”

, “

j”

, “

k”

, “

p”

, “

q”

, “

t”

, “

x”

, “

y”

, “

2”

, “

3”

, “

4”

, “

5”

, “

8”

, “

;

”

, “

;

”

, “

?”

, “

!”

, “

*”

, and “

#”

.

19. A system for display of ink representing handwritten and hand printed characters on a display screen, the system comprising:

a screen that receives a sequence of one or more characters, entered by a user using a stylus to trace the sequence on the screen; and

a computer that is programmed;

to determine if the sequence of one or more characters is part of a continuous cursive word;

when the sequence of one or more characters is part of a continuous cursive word, to determine if at least one character in the cursive word is a potential multi-stroke character;

when no character in the cursive word is a potential multi-stroke character, to display ink representing the cursive word until the stylus is lifted from the screen and for a selected single stroke time interval after the stylus is lifted from the screen;

when at least one character in the cursive word is a potential multi-stroke character, to display ink representing the cursive word until the stylus is lifted from the screen and for a selected multi-stroke time interval after the stylus is lifted from the screen; and

when the stylus is reapplied to the screen in a correct position relative to at least one character in the cursive word during the multi-stroke time interval, to receive at least one stroke from the stylus and determining if the received stroke is a proper modifier stroke;

when the received stroke is a proper modifier stroke, to continue to display the cursive word and the at least one received stroke until the reapplied stylus is lifted from the screen and for a multi-stroke time interval after the reapplied stylus is lifted from the screen; and

when the received stroke is not a proper modified stroke, to remove ink representing the character sequence from the screen and to continue to display the received stroke for at least the single stroke time interval after the reapplied stylus is lifted from the screen.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said computer is further programmed so that:

when said sequence of one or more characters is not part of a continuous cursive word, to determine if at least one character said character sequence is a potential multi-stroke character;

when no character in said character sequence is a potential multi-stroke character, to display ink representing the one or more characters in said character sequence until said stylus is lifted from said screen and for said single stroke time interval after said stylus is lifted from said screen;

when at least one character in said character sequence is a potential multi-stroke character, to display ink representing the one or more characters in said character sequence until said stylus is lifted from said screen and for said multi-stroke time interval after said stylus is lifted from said screen; and

when said stylus is reapplied to said screen in a correct position relative to at least one character in said character sequence during said multi-stroke time interval, to receive at least one stroke from said stylus and to display the one or more characters in said character sequence and the at least one received stroke until said reapplied stylus is lifted from said screen and for said multi-stroke time interval after said reapplied stylus is lifted from said screen.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein said computer is further programmed so that:

when said stylus is not reapplied to said screen in a correct position relative to at least one character in said cursive word during said multi-stroke time interval, to continue to display ink representing said cursive word until said stylus is lifted from said screen and for said single stroke time interval after said stylus is lifted from said screen.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein said computer is further programmed to choose said single stroke time interval length in a range 0–

2 sec.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein said computer is further programmed to choose said multi-stroke time interval length in a range 0–

2 sec.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein said computer is further programmed to choose said potential multi-stroke characters to include at least one character from a character set consisting of “

b”

, “

d”

, “

f”

, “

g”

, “

h”

, “

i”

, “

j”

, “

k”

, “

p”

, “

q”

, “

t”

, “

x”

, “

y”

, “

2”

, “

3”

, “

4”

, “

5”

, “

8”

, “

;

”

, “

;

”

, “

?”

, “

!”

, “

*” and

“

#”

.

25. A method for display of ink representing handwritten and hand printed characters on a display screen, the method comprising:

receiving a sequence of one or more characters, entered by a user using a stylus to trace the sequence on a screen;

determining if the sequence of one or more characters is a single character;

when the sequence of one or more characters is a single character, determining if the character is a potential multi-stroke character;

when the character is not a potential multi-stroke character, displaying ink representing the character until the stylus is lifted from the screen and for a selected single stroke time interval after the stylus is lifted from the screen;

when the character is a potential multi-stroke character, displaying ink representing the character until the stylus is lifted from the screen and for a selected multi-stroke time interval after the stylus is lifted from the screen; and

when the stylus is reapplied to the screen in a correct position relative to the character during the multi-stroke time interval, receiving at least one stroke from the stylus and continuing to display the character and the at least one received stroke until the reapplied stylus is lifted from the screen and for a multi-stroke time interval after the reapplied stylus is lifted from the screen.

26. A method for display of ink representing handwritten and hand printed characters on a display screen, the method comprising:

receiving a sequence of one or more characters, entered by a user using a stylus to trace the sequence on a screen;

determining if the sequence of one or more characters is a single character;

when the sequence of one or more characters is a single character, determining if the character is a potential multi-stroke character;

when the character is not a potential multi-stroke character, displaying ink representing the character until the stylus is lifted from the screen and for a selected single stroke time interval after the stylus is lifted from the screen;

when the character is a potential multi-stroke character, displaying ink representing the character until the stylus is lifted from the screen and for a selected multi-stroke time interval after the stylus is lifted from the screen;

when the stylus is reapplied to the screen in a correct position relative to at least one character in the character during the multi-stroke time interval, receiving at least one stroke from the stylus and determining if the received stroke is a proper modifier stroke;

when the received stroke is a proper modifier stroke, continuing to display the character and the at least one received stroke until the reapplied stylus is lifted from the screen and for a multi-stroke time interval after the reapplied stylus is lifted from the screen; and

when the received stroke is not a proper modified stroke, removing ink representing the character sequence from the screen and continuing to display the received stroke for at least the single stroke time interval after the reapplied stylus is lifted from the screen.

27. A system for display of ink representing handwritten and hand printed characters on a display screen, the system comprising:

a screen that receives a sequence of one or more characters, entered by a user using a stylus to trace the sequence on a screen; and

a computer that is programmed;

to determine if the sequence of one or more characters is a single character;

when the sequence of one or more characters is a single character, to determine if the character is a potential multi-stroke character;

when no character is a potential multi-stroke character, to display ink representing the character until the stylus is lifted from the screen and for a selected single stroke time interval after the stylus is lifted from the screen;

when the character is a potential multi-stroke character, displaying ink representing the character until the stylus is lifted from the screen; and

when the stylus is reapplied to the screen in a correct position relative to the character during the multi-stroke time interval, to receive at least one stroke from the stylus and to continue to display the character and the at least one received stroke until the reapplied stylus is lifted from the screen and for a multi-stroke time interval after the reapplied stylus is lifted from the screen.

28. A system for display of ink representing handwritten and hand printed characters on a display screen, the system comprising:

a screen that receives a sequence of one or more characters, entered by a user using a stylus to trace the sequence on a screen; and

a computer that is programmed;

to determine if the sequence of one or more characters is a single character;

when the sequence of one or more characters is a single character, to determine if the character is a potential multi-stroke character;

when the character is not a potential multi-stroke character, to display ink representing the character until the stylus is lifted from the screen and for a selected single stroke time interval after the stylus is lifted from the screen;

when the character is a potential multi-stroke character, to display ink representing the character until the stylus is lifted from the screen and for a selected multi-stroke time interval after the stylus is lifted from the screen;

when the stylus is reapplied to the screen in a correct position relative to at least one character in the character during the multi-stroke time interval, to receive at least one stroke from the stylus and to determine if the received stroke is a proper modifier stroke;

when the received stroke is a proper modifier stroke, to continue to display the character and the at least one received stroke until the reapplied stylus is lifted from the screen and for a multi-stroke time interval after the reapplied stylus is lifted from the screen; and

when the received stroke is not a proper modified stroke, to remove ink representing the character sequence from the screen and to continue to display the received stroke for at least the single stroke time interval after the reapplied stylus is lifted from the screen.