Handwritten keyboardless entry computer system

• US 5,933,526 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 08/03/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: AST Research, Inc. (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sklarew, Ralph
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelley, Christopher S.
• Application Number:
  US08/480,441
• Time in Patent Office: 1,518 Days
• Field of Search: 382/186, 382/187, 382/189, 382/309, 348/161
• US Class Current: 382/189
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 2075/025 two
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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 30/333 Preprocessing; Feature extraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/373 using a special pattern or subpattern alphabet
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/065 Combinations of audio and video presentations, e.g. videotapes, videodiscs, television systems

Abstract

A keyboardless entry computer system includes a transparent input screen that generates positional information when contacted by a stylus, and a display screen mounted physically below the input screen such that a character that is displayed can be seen below the input screen. The system includes a computer that has been programmed to compile the positional information into Strokes, to calculate Stroke characteristics, and then compare the Stroke characteristics with those stored in a database in order to recognize the symbol drawn by the stylus. Key features of the system are: (1) transparent position sensing subsystem; (2) underlying display on which to mimic drawing of sensed positions and to show characters or symbols; (3) means to convert sensed positions first into plotted Points and then into recognized characters or symbols; and (4) means to "learn" to associate sensed input positions with a character or symbol.

Claims

1. An apparatus for entering data into a form, said apparatus comprising:

a display screen for displaying a form including both predetermined text and data entry areas associated with said predetermined text;

a memory for storing said predetermined text and for storing data associated with the form;

hand-held means for use by a user to write or draw a handwritten symbol in said text and data entry areas;

position detecting means, coupled to said display screen, for detecting the position of the hand-held means on or over the display screen and generating locating signals representative of the handwritten symbol;

first means, coupled to the position detecting means and the display screen, for displaying on the display screen an image of the handwritten symbol as it is drawn;

second means, coupled to the display screen, for displaying one of a plurality of predetermined font symbols on the display screen, and for permitting an exemplary handwritten symbol corresponding to the displayed predetermined font symbol to be written or drawn on the display screen by the individual user;

a database, coupled to the display screen, for storing a characteristic of the written or drawn exemplary handwritten symbol,

means, coupled to the database, for storing the characteristic of the written or drawn exemplary handwritten symbol in the database as a characteristic of the corresponding predetermined font symbol; and

a processor, coupled to the position detecting means, including means for comparing a characteristic of a handwritten symbol with the characteristic in the database, the processor for processing said locating signals to identify whether the handwritten symbol matches one of the plurality of predetermined font symbols, and, if the handwritten symbol matches a predetermined font symbol, displaying the matching font symbol and entering the matching font symbol into said memory.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the database is created in a learning mode by an initialization routine in which each of a plurality of predetermined font symbols is displayed on the display screen and the individual user writes or draws an exemplary handwritten symbol corresponding to each predetermined font symbol.

3. An apparatus for entering data into a form, said apparatus comprising:

a display screen for displaying a form including both predetermined text and data entry areas associated with said predetermined text;

a memory for storing said predetermined text and for storing data associated with the form;

hand-held means for use by a user to write or draw a handwritten symbol in said text and data entry areas;

position detecting means, coupled to said display screen, for detecting the position of the hand-held means on or over the display screen and generating locating signals representative of the handwritten symbol;

means, coupled to the position detecting means and the display screen, for displaying on the display screen an image of the handwritten symbol as it is drawn; and

a processor, coupled to the position detecting means, including a database of characteristics of a plurality of predetermined font symbols, and means for comparing a characteristic of a handwritten symbol with the characteristics in the database to identify whether the handwritten symbol matches a predetermined font symbol, and, if the handwritten symbol matches a predetermined font symbol, displaying the matching font symbol and entering the matching font symbol into said memory, and wherein characteristics of the plurality of predetermined font symbols are stored as entries in the database and, depending on the frequency of use of the respective associated handwritten symbols by the user, the order of the entries in the database is swapped or sorted or shuffled so that, when a comparison is made between a characteristic of a handwritten symbol and entries in the database, the comparison is made with the more frequently used database entries first.

4. An apparatus for entering data into a form, said apparatus comprising:

a display screen for displaying predetermined text and data entry areas associated with the form;

a memory for storing said predetermined text and for storing data associated with the form;

hand-held means for use by a user to write or draw a handwritten symbol in said text and data entry areas;

position detecting means, coupled to said display screen, for detecting the position of the hand-held means on or over the display screen and generating locating signals representative of the handwritten symbol;

means, coupled to the position detecting means and the display screen, for displaying on the display screen an image of the handwritten symbol as it is drawn;

means, coupled to the display screen, to define and display an area on the display screen and to assign a function to the defined area, the display of the defined area changing to reverse video and the function being carried out if the position detecting means detects that the hand-held means is in a position on or over the defined area on the display screen; and

a processor, coupled to the position detecting means, for processing said locating signals to identify whether the handwritten symbol matches one of a plurality of predetermined font symbols, and, if the handwritten symbol matches a predetermined font symbol, displaying the matching font symbol and entering the matching font symbol into said memory.

5. A portable, self-contained apparatus for processing commands that is usable while standing or walking, said apparatus comprising:

a memory;

a power supply for supplying power to the apparatus;

a display screen for displaying handwritten and computer-generated text;

a hand-held means for use by a user to write or draw a handwritten symbol at an arbitrary location on the display screen;

a digitizing means for detecting the position of the hand-held means on or over the display screen and digitizing the handwritten symbol to generate signals representative of the handwritten symbol;

means, coupled to the digitizing means and the display screen, for displaying on the display screen an image of the handwritten symbol as it is drawn on the display screen;

means, coupled to the display screen, to define and display an area on the display screen and to assign a function to the defined area, the display of the defined area changing to reverse video and the function being carried out if the digitizing means detects that hand-held means is in a position on or over the defined area on the display screen; and

,

a processor, coupled to the digitizing means, for identifying whether the handwritten symbol matches one of a plurality of predetermined command symbols, and, if the handwritten symbol matches a predetermined command symbol, executing a command based upon the identity of the handwritten symbol to perform an operation on a portion of the text displayed on the display screen, said portion of text being identified by the location of the handwritten symbol.