handwriting recognition, handwriting recognition,

PRE-COMPUTER AGE WRITING WAS NEVER INTENDED TO BE USED FOR REAL-TIME COMPUTER INTERPRETATION. COMPUTING POWER CAN LEVERAGE A MORE SIMPLE, "STATIONARY" FORM OF PEN INPUT THAT IS QUICKER AND MORE VERSATILE THAN INK ON PAPER OR SMALL KEYS.

- UNIVERSAL COMPUTER SCRIPT-

UCS IS NOT A COMPLETELY NEW WRITING SYSTEM. IT IS JUST A SIMPLIFIED WESTERN CURSIVE VERSION DESIGNED EXCLUSIVELY FOR USE IN THE DIGITAL AGE FOR QUICK, RELIABLE INTERPRETATION. ALTHOUGH UCS IS FASTER AND MAY NOT LOOK EXACTLY LIKE CURIVE, IT MAKES SENSE AND IS STILL PERCEIVED AS WRITING FAMILIAR OLD LETTERS AND NUMBERS. WHEN ONE THINKS IN CURSIVE, UCS FEELS LIKE CURSIVE.

- Simplicity, stroke matching and specific recognition geometry are the secrets to Universal Computer Script (UCS). These three combined features allow highly reliable output at fast writing speed. So reliable that a student taking notes on a spiral notebook would be at a distinct disadvantage if his neighbor owned a tablet computer that provided UCS which can be accurately written with bookprint-neatness at a rate substantially faster than is possible with a pen on paper.

- The UCS stroke system has been arranged to emulate a simplified version of cursive. UCS, therefore, still retains the essence of old world writing. The little time it takes to learn it, is worth the future benefit of producing portable, quick, 100% neat written material.

- With UCS, which is a true "stationary" recognition-writing system, one no longer must settle for primitive, paper-style writing, graffiti or tapping tiny keys. It is more simple, neat, faster and easier to input. UCS maximizes recognition and assists the brain in creating an illusion that ones hand is writing cursive ("The Completion Effect").

UCS is simply a derivative form of English. It is a more efficient system of writing made possible with the latest speed advances in compact computer tecnhnology. The speed, accuracy and smoothness at which UCS can be written and its close compatibility with the cursive/print system cannot be understood through observation of the UCS strokes alone. It must be written to be understood.

Why convert writing into a universal form for inline computer interpretation? What are the benefits of learning UCS?

- It is easier to write than pen on paper writing.

- It is faster to write than pen on paper writing.

- It is neater than pen on paper writing.

- It is far more accurate to interprete than pen on paper writing.

- It will outperform a mini (virtual or physical) keyboard.

Is it truly compatible with English and not difficult to learn?

Yes. Every primary stroke pattern of UCS follows a similar, if not exact, pattern to that of the cursive writing system. It may not be evident by appearance, but when one begins to use the system, its direct connection to cursive becomes clear.

UCS IS NOT MEANT TO BE VIEWED DIRECTLY, BUT "FELT" OR "PERCEIVED".

Using stroke patterns similar, but more simple to those found in cursive, UCS is meant to be written "in place" within a very restricted space. It incorporates a gesture method similar to the keyboard shift key in which to change the output of a given character. The modification of character types with stroke commands, allows simplification of the overall symbol system, minimizes the number of required writing symbols and provides each stroke the widest possible range.

THE 26 "PRIMIRY" UCS STROKES BELOW HAVE BEEN MATCHED WITH THE 26 CURSIVE LOWERCASE CHARACTERS TO GIVE THE FEEL OF WESTERN CURSIVE. MANY HUNDREDS OF POSSIBLE COMBINATIONS EXIST, BUT EXTREMELY FEW HAVE THE RIGHT FEEL AND 100% CROSS
COMPATIBILITY WITH THE CURSIVE WRITING SYSTEM.

More details of the UCS system.

INTRODUCTION: To comprehend UCS, one must first know the reasoning behind it. Unraveling the system was quite complex and not all is discussed here but, the final result is a simple, electronic writing system that maintains compatibily with western cursive. UCS is geared toward maximizing the efficiency and neatness of handwriting. It uses computer recognition power as a form of leverage. UCS minimizes the potential of errors occuring from both the writers' end and symbol recognition end. It provides a competitive option to keyboards and a means to take notes faster than pen on paper.

The computer offers a new writing method that would be beyond the comprehension of a pre-computer era writers' imagination. It allows increased simplicity, writing speed, neatness and greatly reduces the space required to write. This new method is "stationary" or "in place" writing. Stationary writing, however, is not just writing old world letters and numbers one over the other. It is a new form of writing which requires its own style and has special characteristics. Stationary UCS is a communication tool used to instruct the computer. Through smooth pen movements it "tells" the software to output certain characters, matriculate or obey simple gesture commands. The trick is to blend the style and characteristics of the new with the old, and come up with a faster, easier-to-write system that still maintains compatibility with familiar cursive and numbers so it is still writable for a "normal" individual.

The UCS stroke system is mathematical in nature and not alterable, much like the musical scale. Some rules (described below) were, therefore, necessary in order to establish with certainty, which primary UCS stroke pattern should ultimately represent what letter.

Rule(1) - The most often used UCS strokes are to be the most simple.
(Vowels the most simple, double consonants moderately simple and single consonants the least simple OR those strokes most difficult to quickly write twice in a row. Most punctuation and special characters are less used and, thereore, most complex. Number strokes are also least complex and identical to 10 of the 26 UCS primaries. Numbers are distinguished singley, by a simple "change last to a number" gesture or multiplely, by an "all are numbers ahead" gesture.)

Rule(2) - To maintain consistancy, all UCS vowel strokes must start at the top.

Rule(3) - Compatibility trumps efficiency. If there is a choice between efficiency and compatibility, compatibility wins.

Rule(4) - Writing coherency must be maintained. If a stroke does not flow well with one or more other strokes, even though cursive compatibility is acceptable and it correctly fits within the simplicity hierarchy, it still cannot represent the targeted letter. Some UCS stroke combinations are like tongue twisters and difficult to quicky write together. These problem combinations are handled by representing letters that rarely or never appear side by side in the English language such as ''q'' and ''k'' or ''j'' and ''n''.

Once the rules were worked out, it was a matter of phyically testing every possible compatible combination of the 26 primary universal strokes. (About 1000 different stroke arrangements) The final UCS lowercase arrangement is the culmination of that long testing process.
So ... If such questions are asked, for example: Why isn't the 's' shaped UCS stroke used for the letter ''s''? OR Why isn't the 'j' shaped stroke used for the letter ''j''? OR Why is the 'c' shape used to represent the letter ''a'', you, the reader will understand that a very precise reasoning process went into the positioning of each UCS stroke. You will be able to comprehend that:

- When a ''g'' is quickly written, it DOES look like an ''s'' AND

- The ''j'', being a single consonant, cannot possibly be allowed to be more simple than the much often used ''s'' and in fact, the back side of a cursive ''s'' DOES look like a ''j'' AND

- The ''a'', being a vowel, must be less complex than the consonant ''c'' and actually, the top starting curvature of the cursive ''a'' is identical to the ''c''.

The examples above are just three branches of the large UCS decision making tree.

The UCS stroke patterns are not only simple for the sake of increasing writing speed but their geometrical shapes allow the establishment of precise, non-fuzzy boundaries between all "neighboring" strokes, which maximizes the recognition capabilities of the UCS software. When both the stroke and recognition systems are combined, a new, electronic writing system is created that is practical, fast, low-error, quick to master and extremely compact. It will outperform in speed and convenience, old-style paper writing, Graffiti and most sub-standard keyboards.

THE UCS PREMISE:

___The symbol systems used today and in the past were created to be pressed, chiseled or written and then viewed on the mediums of mud tablets, stone or paper. It was naturally, by visual means that the shapes of all symbols were determined. The symbol one writes, is the symbol one sees and all characters were necessarily different looking. It will be shown, however, that this is not, nor should it be the case for the new medium of the digitized computer screen or tablet.

___Computerized writing, introduced just a few decades ago, has understandably clung to the ancient principle of visually definitive symbols, but the requirement that recognition strokes be identitifable only through sight is a gross misunderstanding of the true purpose and capabilities of this new technolgy. The output on a small computer screen may be more compact and neater today using typical symbol recognition, but the process actually takes more time to perform than just writing standard print or cursive on a piece of paper. We have made a significant technological step forward but have taken an even greater step backward by decreasing efficiency. To counter the regressive nature of Old World writing and allow computerized writing to take its rightful place as a progressive form of text input, a new approach can and must be taken. Harnessing the power of the computer to rapidly translate a simpler, but compatible, intermediary form of writing is the answer. Efficiency can then be boosted past that of ink on paper and a small keyboard.

___The key feature of an intermediary, digital writing system is that it does not require direct readability, only direct writability. UCS is a true, intermediary symbol system. It can be difficult to decipher on paper if written longhand, but visual differentiation of symbols by the writer is not important for "recognition" writing. Only the particular path which a stroke takes in real time is relevant, and it is the software's purpose to analyzes that stroke path. Low readability translates into lower precision required to write a specific symbol and still have it identified correctly. To promote imprecision, UCS strokes follow a few simple geometric rules. A specially designed recognition program, then uses those rules to determine stroke identity. This new recognition method establishes tight, mathematically definable boundaries for each symbol.

ENGLISH COMPATIBILITY:

___A special character set and recognition program may be interesting in theory but are of little value if an average individual cannot quickly pick up and master the system. Language compatability is of critical importance. The underlying relationship between the new, computer-interpreted strokes and Old World letters must be strictly maintained. Only 26, very specific stroke patterns exist which fit within the UCS "primary" system and they must be arranged for lowercase English. To provide the necessary 100% cross-compatability, every conceivable arrangement was tested to determine how to best position each stroke so not one would "feel" uncomfortable or out of place for an English writer. Even though UCS is a "stationary" writing system it can be organized to simulate the "feel" of left-to-right cursive. (More on how this is achieved in the "Completion Effect" section.) UCS is very different "looking" than standard print or cursive, but it is not the appearance that counts in stationary writing. It is the "feel" and that is why UCS works. UCS captures essence. It is an evolutionary step beyond cursive. The faster one writes, the more similar to cursive it feels.

SURPASSING PAPER WRITING:

___New efficiency possibilities open up when sight is no longer the driving force behind character input. Inline software senses pen/screen intersection points and stroke direction. This non-visual type of analysis allows the use of more simple symbols. If the derivative form of a standard symbol falls within the correct geometry it can then be classified as a definitve UCS character and used to improve writing efficieny. Inline analysis also allows opposites, that would appear indistinguishable on paper. This promotes simplicity and again, helps improve efficieny. Additionally, each inline stroke may be written in the same spot (stationary writing) which adds another degree of efficiency. And finally, one last step can be taken toward maximizing efficiency by introducing a simplicity heirarchy. Whenever it was possible to do so, symbols used more often in English are more simple in Universal Computer Script. As in speech where the spoken vowels are the shortest and the most clipped sounds, the written UCS vowels are the easiest and quickest symbols to write. As each efficiency feature is added, overall efficiency increases and UCS writing efficiency surpasses that of paper writing.

WRITING PRACTICALITY:

___Computer leveraged script practicality requires that the relative number of user mistakes at normal writing speed be minimal and the writing of the new system feels so similar to its standard counterpart that the transition to it is painless. Reducing error requires a symbol system that does not create software confusion between similar symbols and one which allows for poor penmanship. A painless learning transition requires that 100% of the new strokes either match or create the same "feel" as the familiar standard letter. Without complete language compatibility there can be little utility. UCS successfully accomplishes both the problem of practicality and error reduction. The probability of making mistakes is reduced to a minimum and the 100% English compataility issue is resolved. UCS has been thoroughly tested and is targeted directly at the Western European (Latin), phonetic, lowercase alphabet and accompaning numbers and punctuation.

WRITING COHERENCY:

___A practical phonetic written language must also be coherent. Coherency is similar to the concept of fonts where each symbol fits within a matching style. Examples of non-coherency, would be the mixing of cursive symbols with print, caps with lower case or left slanting symbols with right slanting symbols. Any system of writng may, in some sense, be learned but its fluid writability is the factor that establishes it as a coherent language. UCS is coherent and 100% English compatit takes into consideration the absolute necessity of (1) matching in feel every USC stroke pattern with an English (Latin) counterpart; (2) creating a smooth, flowing transition between symbols and (3) maintaining a consistant symbol slant. The UCS lowercase set excludes all stroke patterns with odd angles, high complexity or reverse curves and reverse loops.

UCS STROKES:

___Universal Computer Script is composed of three stroke types: Primary, secondary and tertiary. The 26 primaries are the only group of simple stroke patterns existing where each stroke flows within a common stationary writing style. The secondaries are single stroked symbols but do not have a common style. The tertiaries are double stroked characters produced by adding a single modifier stroke after writing a primary or a secondary stroke. The primary UCS strokes represent the latin lowercase alphabet and numbers. The secondary strokes and the tertiaries represent gestures, controls, punctuation symbols and a few common non-English, Western symbols.

THE COMPLETION EFFECT:

___It can be proved experimentally that when a stroke pattern falls within an appropriate stroke path for a particular symbol, ones brain and hand will both quickly and willingly accept it as the targeted standard symbol even though it, visually, may appear incomplete or unfamiliar. If the stroke is shorter, ones brain will automatitically fill in the missing pieces and it will still feel as though the entire familiar letter has been written. This phenomenon is called "completion". When advantage is taken of the "completion" effect, and the UCS symbols are English aligned, the UCS writing system becomes 100% English coherent. Within a few weeks of practice, an individual who has been brought up within the Western European writing system, will be writing UCS fluently, accurately and with comfort.

RECOGNITION / STROKE INTEGRATION:

___The special configuration of UCS stroke patterns combined with its integrated, boundary based recognition program create a computer leveraged script system which allows high writing speed with the highest possible recognition potential. The key to superior recognition at higher writing speeds is in the coordination of the strokes with the recognition program. The UCS stroke formula allows absolute identification of the borderlines which separate neighboring symbols. The boundaries, fit tightly along side one another like pieces in a puzzle. There are no gaps in recognition or overlaps between symbols. The effect is to maximize the range of recognition and eliminate software confusion when attempting to differentiate between two similar symbols.

tags- handwriting recognition, cursive recognition, new writing system, natural handwriting, graffiti, short strokes, new alphabet Back To Top

The next generation writing system.

TRANSCENDING PAPER, GRAFFITI AND THE MINI KEYBOARD

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GIVING TABLETS, SMARTPHONES, HYBRIDS, ULTRA COMPACTS & HANDHELDS AN EDGE OVER PEN-ON-PAPER STYLE WRITING

UCS is a fast, accurate stroke recognition system with wide character ranges, geared toward minimizing the probability for producing both user and software errors. (patent pending) It must be emphasized that UCS is a new writing system designed only for computer interpretation; not for paper. There is a great difference between paper and computerized writing and it is time that recognition technology gravitated away from slow, "paper emulating" handwriting recognition toward the faster, computerized style of writing and recognition. It is faster, low error and makes vastly more sense for the coming generations of computer savy students who will be favoring tablet type computers over laptops and desktops.

<<< UCS still feels much like cursive but can be used on all compact computer types that have a digitized screen to outperform natural writing, graffiti and a cramped keyboard. Because UCS uses many truncated symbols, it is a writing system of feel rather than appearance. (The trick of UCS is that ones brain automatically fills in the missing pieces of a shortened letter and it is still felt as though the entire letter has been written.)

- UCS provides cursive compatibility through extensive stroke placement testing and a little perceptual manipulation as explained above.

- UCS increases writing speed through general stroke simplicity, stroke smoothness, use of a simplicity hierarchy and spatial independence ("in place" or "stationary" writing).

- UCS generates neatness through specialized "boundary specific" recognition software. UCS stroke ranges are more similar to the tightly fitting pieces of a puzzle or physical keyboard keys than true letters. Although some strokes are quite familiar, they were not chosen because of similarities to English. UCS strokes follow several geometric progressions of universal "patterns". Each has a definitive range and boundaries. This critical UCS "boundary" feature offers minimal complexity, faster than standard writing speed and maximum recognition potential. Recognition is absolute with no gaps or overlapping areas between any two UCS strokes.