System for encoding a collection of ideographic characters

An apparatus for encoding a collection of characters, each characters composed of one or more strokes written in a predetermined writing sequence to make the character, said apparatus comprising:

• first means for storing a plurality of strings of code numbers, each string representing a character in the collection, wherein the strokes that make up the characters of the collection are classified into a plurality of groups of one or more strokes, each group corresponding to a predetermined code number, each number in a string representing one of the strokes of the appropriate group, wherein for all the characters in the collection, the order of the code numbers in the string is the same as said predetermined writing sequence of strokes so that the string always begins with the code number for the first stroke of the predetermined writing sequence and follows said sequence without interruption until the end of the string wherein for at least some characters in the collection, the strings representing such characters contain few code numbers than the number of strokes in such characters, so that said at least some characters are uniquely identifiable before entry of all of the strokes of such characters;
• second means for storing the shapes of the characters in the collection;
• display means for displaying the shapes of the characters in the second storing means;
• means for enabling an operator to enter code numbers;
• and
• controlling means for comparing the string of code numbers entered by the operator as they are entered to the strings in the first storing means and for causing the display means to display the shape of a character from the second storing means when the code numbers entered by the entering means uniquely identify said character.