Patent Document ID: 6137863
Application ID: 08763382
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method of recognizing an identifier entered by a user, the identifier including a first plurality of predetermined characters, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing a recognized identifier based on the entered identifier, the recognized identifier comprising a second plurality of predetermined characters; b) providing a plurality of reference identifiers, each one of the plurality of reference identifiers comprising a different plurality of predetermined characters; c) obtaining from a stored data structure, for each character position in at least one of the reference identifiers and each character position in the recognized identifier, a previously determined probability that a character in the at least one reference identifier is recognized as a character found in the corresponding character position in the recognized identifier, each probability in the stored data structure representing a quantification of a tendency of one predetermined character to be recognized as one of the predetermined character and another predetermined character, wherein the obtained probabilities are arranged as at least one confusion matrix, and wherein the step of obtaining includes the step of selecting among the at least one confusion matrix; d) determining an identifier recognition probability based on the obtained probabilities; e) repeating steps c) and d) for every reference identifier in the plurality of reference identifiers, each one of the plurality of reference identifiers being associated with a corresponding identifier recognition probability; and f) selecting the reference identifier most likely matching the entered identifier based on the plurality of obtained recognition probabilities.