"SYMBOL DEFINITION APPARATUS" — BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION — This invention relates to symbol definition apparatus- This invention has particular but not exclusive application to the input of Chinese or Japanese characters into electronic storage, retrieval and transmittal apparatus, and for illustrative purposes reference will be made to such application. However, it is to be understood that this invention could be used in other applications, such as defining mathematical and other symbols as computer inputs. The Chinese written language is a symbolic language, rather than an alphabetic language, and contains many thousands of symbols, each of which may represent a word. Chinese characters are all formed from unique combinations of eight uniquely-shaped basic elements or

"strokes" . Each stroke type is characterized by its size and direction, and over fifty strokes may be used to form the most complex characters, although most characters can be defined with between six and twenty-one strokes. Each character has a particular stroke count number associated with it, although the official stroke count number can vary from the actual stroke count number in a small number of cases.

In order to promote uniformity of character shape for different writers, as well as enhancing ease of writing and fluency, strokes are added to form a character in a particular order which is defined for that character, although the actual stroke order is not apparent in the completed character. Characters include one or more of a group of two hundred and fourteen basic characters called "radicals" which are used with additional strokes to form characters with meanings or sounds related to that of the contained radical. Radicals are also characters.

Because of the necessity to define such a large number of characters for writing in Chinese, the adoption of

mechanised writing of Chinese has been slow. For instance, typical Chinese typesetting machine has one thousand, two hundred keys, compared to approximately one hundred for an alphanumeric typesetter, and consequently is much more costl and difficult to use. It is also unable to type-set many of the rarer characters.

A further problem confronting users and students of the Chinese language is the difficulty of finding the exact shap and meaning of a character using a dictionary. The primary access mode for a Chinese dictionary is by reference to the official number of strokes for that character. A user must then search the section of the dictionary devoted to characters with that official stroke count number, using the logical radical contained within the character to further sub-divide the search category. Hitherto, it has been impossible to utilise a progressive search strategy of the type which facilitates a search for a word in an alphanumeri dictionary.

~ DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART —

Word processing using Chinese characters presents a similar problem, as hitherto it has been very inconvenient t define the desired characters for input to the word processo using a keyboard. Some Chinese word processors utilise digitizing pads for their inputs, and the operators must dra the characters one at a time on the pad. Digitizing pads ar expensive and require considerable digital processing for relating the scanned image on the digitizing pad to the character which was intended.

Many current economical Chinese word-processing computers require an operator to mentally break a character up into a phoneme or series of phonemes selected from thirty seven phonemes which are displayed on a keyboard overlay. Th phoneme series is entered through the keyboard, and software

displays on the display screen all characters to which that series of phonemes may apply. Unfortunately, because a great many characters do sound the same,the operator must often select the desired character from a large number of characters displayed. This limits the number of characters which can be used to, maybe, 500 or 1,000. In addition, while the form of Chinese characters is uniform throughout the Chinese-speaking world, the pronunciation may vary because of regional dialects, rendering the system unreliable for users other than speakers of dialects such as Mandarin for which suitable phonetic software is available.

— DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION —

The present invention aims to alleviate the above disadvantages a.nd to provide symbol definition apparatus which will be reliable and efficient in use. Other objects and advantages of this invention will hereinafter become apparent.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, this invention in one aspect resides broadly in character definition apparatus for an electronic information processing apparatus, said character definition apparatus including:- character sub-element entry means for the electronic information processing apparatus; character sub-element data storage means; and character identification means for identifying characters according to the sub-element content thereof.

The character may be any desired character or symbol, including a pattern or a logo. Preferably, however, the character is a Chinese writing character, and the sub- elements are the strokes from which a Chinese character is formed. Of course, if desired, the character may be a symbol according to another language such as Japanese, or a scientific symbol such as a component of a mathematical

equation.

The character identification means may include any desired identification criteria. It is preferred, however, that the character identification means include stroke size and stroke shape data, and may also include the stroke order in which strokes are added to form a character. The character sub-element entry means may be adapted for the provision of stroke order data by the sequential entry of stroke size and shape data or by other stroke order definition means.

The character identification means may also include apparatus for identifying characters according to their stroke count number. The stroke count number may be entered through stroke count entry means such as a numeric keypad, and may be utilised as the complete character identification means for characters having a unique stroke count, or as par of an identification strategy including stroke order data, i which case the desired character may be identifiable using less stroke order data than is necessary without the use of stroke count data. The character identification means may include provision for designating selected character strokes as unknown strokes or "wildcards" such that characters which are imperfectly known may be entered.

The character sub-element entry means may include moveable digitizing means such as a "mouse" or a digitizing pad, and the digitizing means may be used for the selection of sub-elements or characters displayed on display means suc as a video screen, or for defining the shapes of the strokes or the characters. It is preferred, however, that the character sub-element entry means include a plurality of entry means such as keyboard keys, and that each character stroke be associated with a respective entry means whereby selected character strokes may be input through the characte sub-element entry means in a manner analogous to typing the letters of an alphabetic word.

The keyboard keys may be arranged in any desired configuration, such as a double-arc configuration adapted fo convenient simultaneous engagement with the tips of the fingers. Preferably, however, the keyboard keys are arrange in a pair of key groups of adjacent keys disposed remote fro one another whereby each key group may be conveniently operated by the fingertips of a hand. Supplementary data entry keys may be disposed about and between the key groups, and may include data entry keys for the entry of alphanumeric data, numeric keys for entering numbers such as stroke counts, and control keys for controlling the display or the functions of the information processing apparatus.

The electronic information processing apparatus may take any desired form. For instance, it may be in the form of, or programmed for a word processor or the like, or may be adapted for providing information relating to characters entered into the processing apparatus for educational purposes, or for reference purposes such as a dictionary. Suitably, the processing apparatus may be formed as a compact portable "electronic dictionary" such that a user may be provided with a convenient source of reference data, or as an aid to teaching.

In another aspect of this invention, computer processing apparatus is disclosed for assembling text in Chinese language characters, said computer processing apparatus including:- a memory comprising:-

(a) stroke data storage elements which store data relevant to the character stroke content and character stroke order of respective Chinese characters, and

(b) complementary graphic data storage elements which store data relevant to the graphic representation of each said Chinese character; a keyboard having a plurality of Chinese character stroke entry keys corresponding to respective ones of

fundamental Chinese character strokes; a searching program which is initiated through entering search criteria based on the fundamental Chinese character strokes and character stroke order for the desired Chinese character through said keyboard, said searching program being adapted for searching said stroke data storage elements according to said search criteria and for retrieving from the corresponding graphic data storage elements the or each Chinese character representation which meet said search criteria, and a visual display unit for displaying and compiling selected ones of the retrieved characters and assembling text in Chinese language characters.

In a further aspect, this invention resides in a method of entering Chinese characters into an electronic processing apparatus, said method including:- providing character definition apparatus having Chinese character stroke entry means for the electronic information processing apparatus, character stroke data storage means an character identification means for identifying characters according to the character stroke content and order thereof; and operating said character stroke entry means for entry of the character strokes forming a character in the stroke order defined by standard practice.

The method may further include subdividing the characte set into character data segments according to character stroke count number and using an entered stroke count number for access to the desired one of said character data segments, whereby the proportion of the total character set which must be searched by the entry of character stroke content and order may be minimised, and whereby the number of character strokes which must be entered before a unique character definition is achieved may be minimised.

In order that this invention may be more easily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein:-

— BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS ~

FIG. 1 is a diagram of the stroke number allocations made to the eight basic character strokes from which Chinese characters are formed; FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electronic processing apparatus according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of the keyboard of the electronic processing apparatus in the word-processing mode; FIG. 4 is a diagram of the keyboard shown in*FIG. 3 in the character search mode. FIG. 5 shows a further data-entry keyboard;

FIG. 6 shows a series of screen displays for a computer programmed according to the invention, each of the eigh screen displays showing the selections of characters fo each of the eight available strokes as the first stroke of characters, and

FIG. 7 shows further detail of the displays of FIG. 6.

— DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS ~

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the eight basic character strokes 10 through 18 which are used in the formation of Chinese characters have been allocated arbitrary stroke numbers one to eight respectively. These stroke numbers are utilised by the electronic processing apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 2 as numerical reference codes for storage and retrieval of character data. The electronic processing apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 2 has a central processing unit 21 to which are connected a

keyboard 22, a program storage unit 23 and a character storage unit 24. A visual display unit 25 for displaying the retrieved characters and a printer 26 for printing the characters are also connected to the central processing unit 21.

The character information stored in the character storage unit 24 includes the stroke numbers one through eight allocated to the various strokes along with stroke order data, such as the storage sequence of the stroke numbers within the character information, together with the stroke count number for that character.

The keyboard 30 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 has eight stroke entry keys 31 to 38 corresponding to the basic character strokes 10 to 17 respectively. The stroke entry keys 31 to 34 are grouped in a left-hand key group 40, while the stroke entry keys 35 to 38 are grouped in a right-hand key group 41. Function key groups 42 and 43 are disposed to the left of the left-hand key group 40 and to the right of the right-hand key group 41 respectively, while a back-space key 44, a "wildcard" key 45 and a pair of up-down arrow keys 46 and 47 occupy the space between the key groups 40 and 41.

An upper key row 50 includes keys for standard word- processing symbols, as well as the Chinese dollar symbol 51 and the Chinese character equivalent to "note well" 52. A standard numeric keypad assembly 53 is included at the extreme right-hand side of the keyboard 30.

The keyboard 30 is adapted for operation in two modes - a word-processing mode in which all keys other than the stroke entry keys 31 to 38 and the function keys 44 and 45 are active, and a search mode in which only the stroke entry keys 31 to 38, the function keys 42, 43, 44, and 45, the "alternate" key 54, the "enter" key 55, the "less than or equal to" key 56 and the "delete" key 57 are active. In the latter mode, the arrow keys 46 and 47 become "stroke count keys".

The keyboard is placed in the search mode by pressing any one of the stroke entry keys 31 to 38, and shifts to the word-processing mode after the "enter" key 55 is pressed.

When the search mode is initiated, the processing unit 21 flags all characters in the character storage unit 24. In the search mode, pressing one of the stroke entry keys 31 to 38 will initiate a search of the character storage unit 24 which will unflag all characters which do not begin with that stroke. When a second operation of one of the stroke entry keys 31 to 38 is made, a search is initiated of all remaining flagged characters, and characters not containing the two character strokes in the same order as they were entered are unflagged. Further character strokes may be defined by further entries via the stroke entry keys 31 to 38, and each time a new character stroke is defined, the remaining flagged characters which do not include the stroke in the entered order are unflagged.

The process may continue until only one character remains flagged, and this character may then be displayed on the visual display unit 25 for acceptance or rejection by the operator. Alternatively, the processing unit may be programmed to display all flagged characters when only a small number remain. The operator may then select the correct character by pressing the appropriate one of the keys in the function key groups 40 and 41.

If the wildcard key 45 is pressed, no unflagging occurs, but the processing unit advances to search the next stroke in each flagged character upon the next operation of one of the stroke entry keys 31 to 38. If a stroke count key 46 or 47 is pressed, numeric keys followed by the enter key 55 may be pressed to enter the stroke count of the desired character. All characters not having this stroke count are then unflagged. If the "less than or equal to" key 56 is pressed after the numeric sequence instead of the "enter" key 55, all characters having

a greater stroke count than the entered number are unflagged. Depending on the number of characters having a particular stroke count, entering the stroke count may reduce the necessity for entering strokes substantially. For instance, only one character has fifty-two strokes. Using the stroke count option in this case reduces the keystrokes required to uniquely define the character from fifty-two to three.

The keyboard shown in FIG. 5 has a layout similar to that of one of the standard English-language keyboards, and is configured such that it may be utilised accordingly. In addition, selected keys are marked with Chinese characters, and the four arrow keys, the "Home" key, the "End" key, the "PgUp" key and the "PgDn" key are marked with the eight basi character strokes. Other keys are marked with radicals whic are frequently used in the formation of Chinese characters.

If a stroke key is pressed, a two-part window appears o the screen, as shown in FIG. 6. The stroke is displayed in simplified form in the left-hand portion of the window, and the most common five characters which ^' begin with that stroke appear in the right-hand portion of the window, with the mos common character central and highlighted. If this character is the required one, it may be selected and attached to a stored text string by pressing the "Enter" key. If one of the other four displayed characters is the desired one, it may be selected by pressing the appropriate arrow key to highlight it before pressing the "Enter" key. Should none o the characters be the desired one, a further stroke key is pressed, and the five most common characters with this strok content are then displayed for selection. The stroke key history is constantly displayed in the left-hand window portion. Should a wrong stroke key be pressed, it may be removed with the backstroke key before the correct one is pressed.

If a radical key is pressed before pressing a stroke key, characters based on the radical and incorporating that

stroke will be shown in the right-hand window portion, and may be selected as detailed above. Chinese characters often contain repeated radicals, and such characters may be selected by pressing a radical key a number of times. Chinese text also often contains repeated characters, and these may be produced by pressing the "Enter" key a number of times.

It will of course be realised that while the above has been given by way of illustrative example of this invention, all such and other modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as is defined in the appended claims.