Method and apparatus for analyzing character strings

A method of analyzing an uncorrected character string generated by an input device, comprising the steps of:

• dividing the uncorrected character string into at least one set of uncorrected character string fragments by use of at least one predetermined submethod;
• successively selecting at least one correct character string from a predetermined list of correct character strings as at least one current correct character string,
• comparing, for each current correct character string and each set of uncorrected character string fragments, a predetermined set of correct character string fragments to the corresponding set of uncorrected character string fragments to generate an error value for each predetermined set of correct character string fragments, wherein each predetermined set of correct character string fragments is generated by one predetermined submethod;
• selecting, for each current correct character string, a lowest error value from the generated error values as a corresponding total value for the current correct character string;
• storing at least one current correct character string and the corresponding total value to a storage means;
• and
• transferring the contents of the storage device to an appropriate output device upon reaching an end of the list of correct character strings, wherein the corrected and uncorrected character strings are divided into no more than a predetermined number character string fragments.

A method of analyzing an uncorrected character string generated by an input device, comprising the steps of:

• dividing the uncorrected character string into at least one set of uncorrected character string fragments by use of at least one predetermined submethod;
• successively selecting at least one correct character string from a predetermined list of correct character strings as at least one current correct character string,
• comparing, for each current correct character string and each set of uncorrected character string fragments, a predetermined set of correct character string fragments to the corresponding set of uncorrected character string fragments to generate an error value for each predetermined set of correct character string fragments, wherein each predetermined set of correct character string fragments is generated by one predetermined submethod;
• selecting, for each current correct character string, a lowest error value from the generated error values as a corresponding total value for the current correct character string;
• storing at least one current correct character string and the corresponding total value to a storage means;
• and
• transferring the contents of the storage device to an appropriate output device upon reaching an end of the list of correct character strings, wherein duplicate characters are added to a character string until a specified number of characters comprise the character string.

A method of analyzing an uncorrected character string generated by an input device, comprising the steps of:

• dividing the uncorrected character string into at least one set of uncorrected character string fragments by use of at least one predetermined submethod;
• successively selecting at least one correct character string from a predetermined list of correct character strings as at least one current character string,
• comparing, for each current correct character string and each set of uncorrected character string fragments, a predetermined set of correct character string fragments to the corresponding set of uncorrected character string fragments to generate an error value for each predetermined set of correct character string fragments, wherein each predetermined set of correct character string fragments is generated by one predetermined submethod;
• selecting, for each current correct character string, a lowest error value from the generated error values as a corresponding total values for the current correct character string;
• storing at least one current correct character string and the corresponding total value to a storage means;
• and
• transferring the contents of the storage device to an appropriate output device upon reaching an end of the list of correct character strings, wherein one predetermined submethod comprises the steps of:
• generating a first character string fragment by including all the characters of the character string up to but excluding a first consonant;
• generating a next character string fragment by including the consonant and all subsequent characters of the character string up to but excluding a next consonant;
• and
• repeating the next character string fragment generating step until the first of all the characters being included in a character string fragment and a predetermined number of character string fragments being generated occurs.

A method of analyzing an uncorrected character string generated by an input device, comprising the steps of:

• dividing the uncorrected character string into at least one set of uncorrected character string fragments by use of at least one predetermined submethod;
• successively selecting at least one correct character string from a predetermined list of correct character strings as at least one current correct character string,
• comparing, for each current correct character string and each set of uncorrected character string fragments, a predetermined set of correct character string fragments to the corresponding set of uncorrected character string fragments to generate an error value for each predetermined set of correct character string fragments, wherein each predetermined set of correct character string fragments is generated by one predetermined submethod;
• selecting, for each current correct character string, a lowest error value from the generated error values as a corresponding total value for the current correct character string;
• storing at least one current correct character string and the corresponding total value to a storage means;
• and
• transferring the contents of the storage device to an appropriate output device upon reaching an end of the list of correct character strings, wherein one predetermined submethod comprises the steps of:
• generating a first character string fragment by including all the characters of the character string up to but excluding a first vowel;
• generating a next character string fragment by including the vowel and all subsequent characters up to but excluding a next vowel;
• and
• repeating the next character string fragment generating step until the first of all the characters being included in a character string fragment and a predetermined number of character string fragments being generated occurs.

A method of analyzing an uncorrected character string generated by an input device, comprising the steps of:

• dividing the uncorrected character string into at least one set of uncorrected character string fragments by use of at least one predetermined submethod;
• successively selecting at least one correct character string from a predetermined list of correct character strings as at least one current correct character string,
• comparing, for each current correct character string and each set of uncorrected character string fragments, a predetermined set of correct character string fragments to the corresponding set of uncorrected character string fragments to generate an error value for each predetermined set of correct character string fragments, wherein each predetermined set of correct character string fragments is generated by one predetermined submethod;
• selecting, for each current correct character string, a lowest error value from the generated error value as a corresponding total value for the current correct character string;
• storing at least one current correct character string and the corresponding total value to a storage means;
• and
• transferring the contents of the storage device to an appropriate output device upon reaching an end of the list of correct character strings, wherein one predetermined submethod comprises the steps of:
• generating a first character string fragment by including all the characters of the string up to a first vowel-consonant combination;
• including the vowel in the current fragment;
• generating a next character string fragment by including the consonant in the next fragment and all subsequent characters up to a next vowel-consonant combination;
• and
• repeating the including and next character string fragment generates steps until the first of all the character string of the characters string being included in a character string fragment and a predetermined number of character string fragments being generated occurs.

A method of analyzing an uncorrected character string generated by an input device, comprising the steps of:

• dividing the uncorrected character string into at least one set of uncorrected character string fragments by use of at least one predetermined submethod;
• successively selecting at least one correct character string from a predetermined list of correct character strings as at least one current correct character string,
• comparing, for each current correct character string and each set of uncorrected character string fragments, a predetermined set of correct character string fragments to the corresponding set of uncorrected character string fragments to generate an error value for each predetermined sep of correct character string fragments, wherein each predetermined set of correct character string fragments is generated by one predetermined submethod;
• selecting, for each current correct character string, a lowest error value from the generated error values as a corresponding total value for the current correct character string;
• storing at least one current correct character string and the corresponding total value to a storage means;
• and
• transferring the contents of the storage device to an appropriate output device upon reaching an end of the list of correct character strings, wherein one predetermined submethod comprises the steps of:
• generating a first character strings fragment by including all the characters of the string up to a first consonant-vowel combination;
• including the consonant in the current fragment;
• generating a next character string fragment by including the vowel in the next fragment and all subsequent characters up to a next consonant-vowel combination;
• and
• repeating the including and next character string fragment generating steps until the first of all the characters of the character string being included in a character string fragment and a predetermined number of character string fragments being generated occurs.

A method of analyzing an uncorrected character string generated by an input device, comprising the steps of:

• dividing the uncorrected character string into at least one set of uncorrected character string fragments by use of at least one predetermined submethod;
• successively selecting at least one correct character string from a predetermined list of correct character strings as at least one current correct character string,
• comparing, for each current correct character string and each set of uncorrected character string fragments, a predetermined set of correct character string fragments to the corresponding set of uncorrected character string fragments to generate an error value for each predetermined set of correct character string fragments, wherein each predetermined set of correct character string fragments is generated by one predetermined submethod;
• selecting, for each current correct character string, a lowest error value from the generated error values as a corresponding total value for the current correct character string;
• storing at least one current correct character string and the corresponding total value to a storage means;
• and
• transferring the contents of the storage device to an appropriate output device upon reaching an end of the list of correct character strings, wherein one predetermined submethod comprises the steps of:
• generating a first digraph character by including a first character and a next character of the character string;
• generating a next digraph character by including the next character and a next plus one character of the character string;
• and
• repeating the next digraph character generating step until all the characters of the character string are in at least one digraph character.

A method of analyzing an uncorrected character string generated by an input device, comprising the steps of:

• dividing the uncorrected character string into at least one set of uncorrected character string fragments by use of at least one predetermined submethod;
• successively selecting at least one correct character string from a predetermined list of correct character string as at least one current correct character string,
• comparing, for each current correct character string and each set of uncorrected character string fragments, a predetermined set of correct character string fragments to the corresponding set of uncorrected character string fragments to generate an error value for each predetermined set of correct character string fragments, wherein each predetermined set of correct character string fragments is generated by one predetermined submethod;
• selecting, for each current correct character string, a lowest error value from the generated error values as a corresponding total value for the current correct character string;
• storing at least one current correct character string and the corresponding total value to a storage means;
• and
• transferring the contents of the storage device to an appropriate output device upon reaching an end of the list of correct character strings, wherein one predetermined submethod comprises the steps of:
• of eliminating duplicate characters from the character strings and;
• reordering the characters of each of the character strings in alphabetical order.

A method of analyzing an uncorrected character string generated by an input device, comprising the steps of:

• dividing the uncorrected character string into at least one set of uncorrected character string fragments by use of at least one predetermined submethod;
• successively selecting at least one correct character string from a predetermined list of correct character strings as at least one current correct character string,
• comparing, for each current correct character string and each set of uncorrected character string fragments, a predetermined set of correct character string fragments to the corresponding set of uncorrected character string fragments to generate an error value for each predetermined set of correct character string fragments, wherein each predetermined set of correct character string fragments is generated by one predetermined submethod;
• selecting, for each current correct character string, a lowest error value from the generated error values as a corresponding total value for the current correct character string;
• storing at least one current correct character string and the corresponding total value to a storage means;
• and
• transferring the contents of the storage device to an appropriate output device upon reaching an end of the list of correct character strings;
• and further comprising the steps of:
• selecting another predetermined submethod to preselect most probable correct character strings;
• performing the comparison and selection steps on the list of predetermined correct character strings, using the selected submethod to determine the most probable correct character strings;
• storing the most probable correct character strings as a new list of predetermined correct character strings;
• and
• using the new list in place of the original list for remaining submethods.

A method of analyzing an uncorrected character string generated by an input device, comprising the steps of:

• dividing the uncorrected character string into at least one set of uncorrected character string fragments by use of at least one predetermined submethod;
• successively selecting at least one correct character string from a predetermined list of correct character strings as at least one current correct character string,
• comparing, for each current correct character string and each set of uncorrected character string fragments, a predetermined set of correct character string fragments to the corresponding set of uncorrected character string fragments to generate an error value for each predetermined set of correct character string fragments, wherein each predetermined set of correct character string fragments is generated by one predetermined submethod;
• selecting, for each current correct character string, a lowest error value from the generated error values as a corresponding total value for the current correct character string;
• storing at least one current correct character string and the corresponding total value to a storage means;
• and
• transferring the contents of the storage device to an appropriate output device upon reaching an end of the list of correct character strings, wherein the step of comparing the sets of correct and uncorrect character string fragments comprises the steps of:
• loading all of the correct character string fragments into a first input data plane of a processor plane of 1-bit parallel processors;
• loading all of the uncorrected character string fragments into a second input data plane of the processor plane;
• outputting results from at least one logical combination of corresponding locations on the first and second input data planes to an output data plane of the processor plane;
• and
• parallely summing the results of the output data plane for each logical combination.

A method of analyzing an uncorrected character string, comprising the steps of:

• scanning a hand-completed form with a scanner;
• outputting signals from the scanner to an optical character recognition system;
• converting the scanner signals to an uncorrected string of character data;
• storing the uncorrected character string in a memory;
• dividing the uncorrected character string into at least one set of uncorrected character string fragments by use of at least one predetermined submethod;
• successively selecting at least one correct character string from a predetermined list of correct character strings as at least one current correct character string,
• comparing, for each current correct character string and each set of uncorrected character string fragments, a predetermined set of correct character string fragments to the corresponding set of uncorrected character string fragments to generate an error value for each predetermined set of correct character string fragments, wherein each predetermined set of correct character string fragments is generated by one predetermined submethod;
• selecting, for each current correct character string, a lowest error value from the generated error values as a corresponding total value for the current correct character string;
• storing at least one current correct character string and the corresponding total value to a storage means;
• transferring the contents of the storage device to an appropriate output device upon reaching an end of the list of correct character strings.