Handwritten keyboardless-entry computer system

Claim 2

An input/output or I/O device for providing input signals to a utilization device that are representative of a graphical character produced by a user and for receiving output signals from the utilization device and providing a visual representation of the output signals, said I/O device comprising: (a) a display means for providing a visual display of a graphical character in response to output signals provided by the utilization device; (b) an input screen means for producing a train of input signals as a graphical character or symbol is sketched by a user, said input screen means comprising a translucent input screen having top and bottom surfaces, said bottom surface being disposed with respect to said display surface such that the visual display produced by said display means is visible from said top surface of said input screen; and (c) means for determining the identity of said graphical character and providing output signals representative thereof to said display means.

Claim 3

An I/O device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said display means comprises a display surface on which the graphical character is produced; and said input screen means bottom surface is disposed in close proximity above said display surface such that the visual display produced by said display means is visible from the top side of said input screen.

Claim 4

An I/O device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said input screen means includes a substantially flat plate, and wherein said input screen top surface is the top surface of said plate.

Claim 5

An I/O device as claimed in claim 3 and further including an indicating means operated by a user for cooperating with said input screen top surface such that said input screen means generates said train of input signals when said indicating means is in a predetermined position with respect to said plate top surface.

Claim 6

An I/O device as claimed in claim 4 wherein said input screen means generates an input signal when said indicating means is in contact with said input screen top surface.

Claim 7

An I/O device as claimed in claim 5 wherein: (a) said plate has electrical characteristics such that the voltage at any Point thereon varies in a known manner with the distance from the location at which a voltage is applied thereto; (b) said input screen means further includes means for selectively sequentially applying a voltage along one Cartesian axis of said plate and then along the other Cartesian axis of said plate; and (c) said indicating means is elongate and has a tip at one end thereof and includes a voltage detecting means that provides a signal representative of the voltage present where said tip contacts said input screen plate.

Claim 8

An I/O device as claimed in claim 5 wherein: (a) said plate has electrical characteristics such that the voltage at any Point thereon varies in a known manner with the distance from the location at which a voltage is applied thereto; (b) said input screen means further includes means for selectively sequentially sampling at an origin thereon the voltage along one Cartesian axis of said plate and then along the other Cartesian axis of said plate; and (c) said indicating means is elongate with a tip at one end thereof and includes a means for applying a known voltage to said tip; said sampling means detecting the voltages at said origin when said tip contacts said input screen plate and provides a signal representative of the detected voltages.

Claim 9

An I/O device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said display screen has a display area on which graphic symbols can be generated and a key input area by which command signals for the utilization device can be generated when contact is made with the corresponding area thereabove on said input screen. 9. A handwriting character recognition apparatus comprising: (a) a display means having a display surface for providing a visual display of graphical characters in response to a plurality of display signals; (b) a writing surface means for receiving graphical characters handwritten by a user, said writing surface means being disposed in close proximity with respect to said display means and comprised of a substantially translucent surface which has positional coordinates associated therewith; (c) an indicating means operated by a user in connection with said writing surface means for producing writing signals in cooperation with said writing surface means; (d) position detecting means for converting said writing signals into locating signals representative of the positional coordinates of said indicating means with respect to said writing surface; (e) a processing means for receiving and storing said locating signals as they are produced and for generating said display signals such that said display means can graphically display the graphical character after it has been produced by said indicating means; said processing means being comprised of a character recognition means for comparing said produced locating signals representative of a graphical character with a plurality of stored database signals for identifying said graphical character.

Claim 10

A handwriting character recognition apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein said writing surface means includes a substantially flat plate which produces a signal when said indicating means is in contact therewith.

Claim 11

A handwriting character recognition apparatus as claimed in claim 9 and further including means for converting said positional coordinates into relational coordinates.

Claim 12

A handwriting character recognition apparatus as claimed in claim 11 and further including means for dividing up a stream of locating signals into sections representative of a Stroke; and means for calculating Stroke characteristics which can be compared with Stroke characteristics of the database signals.

Claim 13

A handwriting character recognition apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein said processing means further includes means for updating said stored database signals with said produced locating signals when no correct graphical character is identified.

Claim 16

Apparatus for recognizing Handwritten Symbols and displaying Handwritten and Font Symbols on a screen comprising: (a) A visual display screen having the graphic capability to display Font Symbols and execute predetermined commands; (b) Hand-held means to write or draw Handwritten Symbols on or over said screen; (c) Means to display a true representation of the Handwritten Symbols on said screen as they are created; (d) Digitizing means to sense the position of said hand-held means and to convert the same into a series of electrical signals defining the position, size and shape of each Handwritten Symbol; (e) Means to compare predetermined characteristics of each digitized Handwritten Symbol with a database of predetermined characteristics of Font Symbols to assess the identity of each Font Symbol; (f) Means to convert the Handwritten Symbol to a predetermined Font Symbol or a command and to display the Font Symbol on the screen in close proximity to the screen area in which the Handwritten Symbol was originally entered or to execute the command, as the case may be.

Claim 17

Apparatus for recognizing Handwritten Symbols and displaying Handwritten and Font Symbols on a screen comprising: (a) A visual display screen having the graphic capability to display Font Symbols and execute predetermined commands; (b) Hand-held means to write or draw Handwritten Symbols on or over said screen; (c) Means to display a true representation of the Handwritten Symbols on said screen as they are created; (d) Digitizing means to sense the position of said hand-held means and to convert the same into a series of electrical signals defining the position, size and shape of each Handwritten Symbol; (e) Means to compare predetermined characteristics of each digitized Handwritten Symbol with a database of predetermined characteristics of Font Symbols to assess the identity of each Font Symbol; (f) Means to convert the Handwritten Symbol to a predetermined Font Symbol or a command and to display the Font Symbol on the screen in close proximity to the screen area in which the Handwritten Symbol was originally entered or to execute the command, as the case may be.

Claim 18

Apparatus as set forth in Claim 15, including means to display predetermined fonts of symbols in the form of text or forms on said screen, whereby the Handwritten Symbols can be used to Input information to complete a form or to edit a predetermined text.

Claim 19

Apparatus as set forth in Claim 15, wherein said apparatus comprises a portable unit having dimensions up to about 400mm by 40mm by 100mm, a weight of up to about 7 kilograms and is adapted to include a self-contained power supply.

Claim 20

Apparatus as set forth in Claim 15, including means to display predetermined symbols in a font and command-representing symbols on said screen, to permit handwritten symbols representing each predetermined symbol to be manually defined on the screen and means to identify the manually defined symbol with the corresponding predetermined symbol in said database.

Claim 21

Apparatus as set forth in Claim 18, including means to modify said database when a Handwritten Symbol causes an erroneous Font Symbol to be displayed on the screen or command to be performed, as the case may be.

Claim 22

Apparatus as set forth in Claim 16, including means to create a window of empty space on said screen upon a predetermined command for entering Handwritten Symbols in said window.

Claim 23

Apparatus as set forth in Claim 15, including areas on said screen sensitive to touch to cause predetermined functions to be performed.

Claim 24

Apparatus as set forth in Claim 15, wherein said screen is substantially flat and adapted to be used in a substantially horizontal position.

Claim 25

Apparatus as set forth in Claim 15, including Softkeys on said screen and means to execute operational commands in response to touching any of said Softkeys.

Claim 26

A microprocessor-based process for recognition, translation and display of Handwritten Symbols and execution of commands comprising the steps of: (a) Creating a personalized database for each individual user of the process by having the user initially input a Handwritten Symbol for each character corresponding with a font to be displayed or command to be executed; (b) Determining a unique set of characteristics to characterize each such symbol and storing it in the database; (c) Writing or drawing Handwritten Symbols on a computer screen with a stylus; (d) Digitizing each Handwritten Symbol to identify the x,y coordinates of a multiplicity of Points defining the Symbol; (e) Processing the digitized characteristics of each Handwritten Symbol to determine the predetermined characteristics of the Symbol; (f) Search the database to find a "hit", a perfect or the closest correspondence to the characteristics; (g) Displaying the Font Symbol or performing the command most closely associated with the "hit" characteristics.

Claim 27

A microprocessor-based process for recognition, translation and display of Handwritten Symbols and execution of commands comprising the steps of: (a) Creating a personalized database for each individual user of the process by having the user initially input a Handwritten Symbol for each character corresponding with a font to be displayed or command to be executed; (b) Determining a unique set of characteristics to characterize each such symbol and storing it in the database; (c) Writing or drawing Handwritten Symbols on a computer screen with a stylus; (d) Digitizing each Handwritten Symbol to identify the x,y coordinates of a multiplicity of Points defining the Symbol; (e) Processing the digitized characteristics of each Handwritten Symbol to determine the predetermined characteristics of the Symbol; (f) Search the database to find a "hit", a perfect or the closest correspondence to the characteristics; (g) Displaying the Font Symbol or performing the command most closely associated with the "hit" characteristics.

Claim 28

A process as set forth in Claim 24, including the additional steps of: (a) Determining if the Font Symbol displayed or command performed is an error; and (b) If there is an error, re-inputting a Handwritten Symbol for the desired Font Symbol or command to modify the database.

Claim 29

A process as set forth in Claim 24, including the additional step of: (a) Substantially contemporaneously displaying the Handwritten Symbol on the screen as it is being written or drawn.

Claim 30

A process as set forth in Claim 24, wherein steps (b) and (c) involve a determination of the (i) length, (ii) average slope, (iii) centroid height above base line, (iv) curvature (rate of change in slope) and (v) comparison of the location of the centroid of each Stroke with the centroid of the Handwritten Symbol.

Claim 31

A process as set forth in Claim 27, wherein step (f) comprises: (a) Determining the value of each of the five characteristics; (b) Subtracting the database value of the characteristic from the newly-measured value; (c) Scaling the absolute values of each measurement to make each of the five measurements reasonably equivalent to the others; (d) Adding all five values; (e) If a predetermined threshold is exceeded, discarding the comparison and creating an error message; and (f) Searching the database to find a numerical "hit", or, if not feasible, the closest numerical match between the database value and the newly inputted value.

Claim 32

A process as set forth in Claim 24, wherein the error rate is 5010 or less.

Claim 33

A process as set forth in Claim 28, wherein the program for step (f) requires less than 6K of machine memory.

Claim 34

A process as set forth in Claim 24, wherein said Handwritten Symbols include Editing Symbols and said process includes recognition of the Editing Symbols drawn on the screen and executing the Editing Functions represented.

Claim 35

A process as set forth in Claim 24, in which text in Font Symbol format is displayed on the screen, and including the steps of: (a) Creating a window on the screen proximate to, but not overlying, an area of said text to be edited; (b) Inputting and displaying said Handwritten Symbols in said window; (c) Displaying the Font Symbols corresponding to said Handwritten Symbols in close proximity to said Handwritten Symbols;

Claim 36

A process as set forth in claim 24, including the steps of: (a) Creating one or more Softkeys on said screen to cause the computer to perform operational functions; and (b) Touching one or more of said Softkeys to execute the corresponding functions.

Claim 37

A process as set forth in Claim 24, including the steps of determining the x,y coordinates of from about 4 to 8 Points per mm and from about 100 to 200 points per second in characterizing said Handwritten Symbols.