The present invention is a method for recognizing non-English alpha characters
that contain diacritics. An image analysis separates the character into its constituent
components. The one or more diacritic components are then distinguished and isolated
from the base portion of the character. Optical recognition is performed separately
on the base portion. The diacritic is recognized through a special image analysis
and pattern recognition algorithms. The image analysis extracts geometric information
from the one or more diacritic components. The extracted information is used as
input for the pattern recognition algorithms. The output is a code that corresponds
to a particular diacritic. The recognized base portion and diacritic are combined
and a check is performed for acceptable combinations in a chosen language. By separately
recognizing the base portion and diacritic, the character sets used by the recognizer
can be narrowed, resulting in greater recognition.
