Patent Document ID: 3988715
Application ID: 05625618
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method for discriminating among n&gt;2 genre character-sets within an alpha-numeric character field scanned by a character recognition machine adapted to scan characters in an alpha-numeric character field, and adapted to output along each of respective n&gt;2 output lines associated n&gt;2 genre character-set characters, each of which most nearly match a character scanned as a respective genre character-set character for all characters scanned in said character field, comprising the steps of: storing in each of n&gt;2 storage means connected to said n&gt;2 output lines, a conditional probability that a certain respective genre character-set character was inferred by the character recognition machine given that the other genre character-set characters were scanned; accessing said n&gt;2 storage means to yield respective n&gt;2 conditional probabilities that each respective genre character-set character inferred was misread by the character recognition machine; multiplying all of the respective n&gt;2 conditional probabilities separately for each of the genre character-sets inferred by the character recognition machine along the aforesaid n&gt;2 output lines so as to develop respective n&gt;2 total conditional probabilities; and comparing in a comparator the magnitudes of each of the n&gt;2 total conditional probabilities so as to correlate the correct one of the genre character-set characters inferred by the character recognition machine with the greatest magnitude total conditional probability.