Methods and systems for slant compensation in handwriting and signature recognition

A computer-implemented method comprising program instructions stored on a storage medium and executed by a processor for recognizing a signature, comprising:

• first program instructions executable for altering the signature using a predetermined tilt factor, wherein the predetermined tilt factor is defined as a linear function in which a horizontal offset between a tilt angle of the signature and a reference tilt of a known signature varies with vertical distance from a signature baseline;
• second program instructions executable for comparing the altered signature to one or more known signatures to determine if the altered signature matches one of the one or more known signatures, wherein if the altered signature does not match one of the one or more known signatures, the method further comprises:
• third program instructions executable for altering the signature using a different predetermined tilt factor;
• and
• fourth program instructions executable for comparing the different altered signature to the one or more known signatures to determine if the different altered signature matches one of the one or more known signatures.

A computer-implemented method comprising program instructions stored on a storage medium and executed by a processor for normalizing handwriting, comprising:

• first program instructions executable for identifying a vertical element of the handwriting;
• second program instructions executable for determining a tilt angle of the vertical element, wherein the tilt angle is defined by a line that is approximately parallel to the vertical element;
• third program instructions executable for determining a tilt factor, wherein the tilt factor is defined as a linear function in which a horizontal offset between the tilt angle and a reference tilt of a known signature of varies with vertical distance from a signature baseline;
• and
• fourth program instructions executable for altering the handwriting using the tilt factor.