Text recognizer and method using non-cumulative character scoring in a forward search

A method of recognition of handwritten input comprising:

• segmenting the handwritten input into strokes in a preprocessing module, to provide stroke vectors;
• delivering one or more out-of-range messages based on the number of provided stroke vectors;
• creating a first hypothetical character string in a search module;
• creating a first character hypothesis in a search module, the first character hypothesis being a first data set comprising a first character, a first start vector and a first end vector, wherein the first character is a member of the first hypothetical character string;
• requesting, from the search module to a character recognition module, a non-cumulative score for the first character hypothesis, where the score represents a likelihood of the first character being present in the handwritten input at a position starting at the start vector and ending at the end vector;
• delivering upon request from the character recognition module to the search module multiple Darallel non-cumulative scores for the first character hypothesis;
• and
• selectively maintaining the first hypothetical character string dependent on the scores.

A handwriting recognizer comprising:

• a digitizer having a surface for receipt of handwritten input, and having an output;
• a preprocessor coupled to the output of the digitizer, the preprocessor segmenting the handwritten input into strokes to provide stroke vectors, the processor further delivering an out-of-range message based on the number of provided stroke vectors;
• a character recognizer coupled to the preprocessor and operative on the stroke vectors, the character recognizer having an input receiving scoring requests and an output providing non-cumulative scores;
• and
• a forward search module coupled to the input and the output of the recognizer, the forward search module adapted to deliver multiple non-cumulative scores to the recognizer to enable the recognizer to form multiple parallel hypotheses regarding the identity of the input ink.

A method of recognition of handwritten input comprising:

• (a) segmenting the handwritten input into strokes in a character recognition module, to provide stroke vectors;
• (b) creating a first hypothetical character string in a search module;
• (c) creating a first character hypothesis in the search module, the first character hypothesis being a first data set comprising a first character, a selectable start vector and a selectable end vector, wherein the first character is a member of the first hypothetical character string;
• (d) requesting, from the search module to the character recognition module, a score for the first character hypothesis, where the score represents a likelihood of the first character being present in the handwritten input at a position starting at the start vector and ending at the end vector, the request from the search module optionally enabling multiple parallel non-cumulative scores to be delivered from the recognition module;
• (e) delivering from the character recognition module to the search module a score for the selected first character hypothesis;
• (f) repeating steps (c), (d) and (e) for further character hypotheses, including hypotheses corresponding to data sets comprising the first character, the selectable start vector and alternative end vectors;
• (g) selectively maintaining the first hypothetical character string dependent on the score;
• and
• (h) delivering an out-of-range message based on the number of provided stroke vectors and preventing the return of the score if an out-of-range message is delivered.