PERFORMANCE
OF
COMPLETED
PROJECTS
STATUS REPORT
NUMBER 1
NIST SPECIAL PUBLICATION 950-1
Economic Assessment Office
Advanced Technology Program
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899
William F. Long
Business Performance Research Associates, Inc.
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
March 1999
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Executive Summary
Introduction
CHAPTER 1 - Overview of Completed Projects
Characteristics
of the Projects
Timeline of Expected ATP Project
Activities and Impacts
Gains in Technical Knowledge
Dissemination of New Knowledge
Commercialization of the New Technology
Broad-Based Economic Benefits
CHAPTER 2 - Biotechnology
Aastrom
Biosciences, Inc.
Aphios Corporation
Molecular Simulations, Inc.
Thermo Trilogy Corporation
Tissue Engineering, Inc.
CHAPTER 3 - Chemicals and Chemical Processing
BioTraces,
Inc.
CHAPTER 4 - Discrete Manufacturing
Auto
Body Consortium (Joint Venture)
HelpMate Robotics, Inc.
PreAmp Consortium (Joint Venture)
Saginaw Machine Systems, Inc.
CHAPTER 5 - Electronics
Accuwave
Corporation
AstroPower, Inc.
Cree Research, Inc.
Cynosure, Inc.
Diamond Semiconductor Group, LLC
FSI International, Inc.
Galileo Corporation
Hampshire Instruments, Inc. (Joint Venture)
Illinois Superconductor Corporation
Light Age, Inc.
Lucent Technologies, Inc.
Multi-Film Venture (Joint Venture)
Nonvolatile Electronics, Inc.
Spire Corporation
Thomas Electronics, Inc.
CHAPTER 6 - Energy and Environment
American
Superconductor Corporation
Armstrong World Industries, Inc.
E.I. duPont de Nemours & Company
Michigan Molecular Institute
CHAPTER 7 - Information, Computers, and Communications
Communication Intelligence
Corporation (CIC) #1
Communication Intelligence Corporation (CIC) #2
Engineering Animation, Inc.
ETOM Technologies, Inc.
Mathematical Technologies, Inc.
Torrent Systems, Inc.
CHAPTER 8 - Materials
AlliedSignal, Inc.
Geltech Incorporated
IBM Corporation
APPENDICES
Appendix
A: Development of New Knowledge and Early Commercial Products
and Processes
Appendix
B: Terminated Projects
END NOTES
End Notes
Click here
for PDF version of report.
Return to Main Page.
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Communication Intelligence
Corporation (CIC) #2
Chinese Character-Recognition Methods for Computer Data Entry
| China is the world's most
populous country, and in the last decade its economy has begun
to mushroom. Because modern economies rely heavily on computers,
the potential market for computers in China has grown along
with its economy. |
Accessing China's
Giant Computer Market Potential
A major technical problem, however,
impedes the widespread use of computers in China: the Chinese language
is ideographic, using symbols to form characters representing things
or ideas rather than letters to form words. Written Chinese employs
thousands of symbols, as opposed to the 26 letters used in written
English. Some keyboard methods exist for entering Chinese characters
into a computer, but they are laborious. This technical barrier
means that the large potential Chinese market is not readily accessible
to U.S. computer businesses.
A screenful of Chinese characters,
with one in the process of being composed. They were entered into
the computer after being written on a pad using a stylus.
This ATP project enabled Communication
Intelligence Corporation (CIC), a small California company, to develop
a stylus-and-tablet method for writing Chinese directly into a computer.
CIC is a spin-off from SRI International (formerly Stanford Research
Institute) and was founded in 1984 to commercialize English handwriting
recognition technology. In its first ATP project, CIC developed
technology for a digitized stylus-and-pad system that can be used
to enter cursive handwriting in English into a computer. In this
second ATP project, CIC applied several techniques from its earlier
work: using a tablet and stylus to record pen strokes, getting tablet
sensory data into the computer and using algorithms to convert graphics
signals to digital form. In addition, the company created a way
to recognize handwritten Chinese characters.
A System That Recognizes
Nonalphabetic Writing
For the foundation of its system, CIC
developed a high-quality database of about 750,000 characters penned
by 2,800 Chinese writers. It also developed an algorithm that recognizes
6,763 Guojia Biaozhun characters, the standard set of characters
determined by the Chinese government to be used by schools, publishers
and other institutions. The technology can be applied to personal
computers in the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China,
Taiwan and countries such as Japan and Korea, where Chinese characters
are part of the written language.
The technology will also be useful
in applications for other languages that use nonalphabetic writing.
Most important is Japanese, which uses symbols to represent the
syllables of words and employs two different syllable sets - hiragana
(made with more-flowing strokes) and katakana (made with more-angular
strokes). Application to handwritten Japanese is also complicated
by the interspersion of Chinese characters and English words in
Japanese writing.
Entering the Chinese
Market
The company has entered into a joint
venture, which is called CICC and has 50 employees, with the Ministry
of Electronic Industries of Jiangsu (the coastal province that includes
Shanghai). Under the agreement, CIC will perform system integration
services and market its pen-based business computer systems (incorporating
the ATP-funded technology) to Chinese business and government users.
The goal of the venture is to develop and market a "Chinese computer"
designed specifically to meet Chinese business requirements.
Part of the agreement specifies that
the company will package U.S. hardware and office automation software
as part of the Chinese computer. To implement this agreement, CIC
is in discussions with several major U.S. computer companies about
installing the CIC character-recognition software in their products
before selling them in the Chinese market.
The sale of its products in the Chinese
market will open a huge opportunity for CIC, as well as many other
U.S. sellers of personal computer hardware and software in China.
For a country with a population of about one billion (few of whom
now use computers), the potential market is vast. But solving the
technical barrier to entering data in Chinese was a necessary step
in actualizing the market and making it accessible to U.S. producers
of computers and computer products.
ATP Accelerates Technology
Development
CIC officials say the company was able
to accomplish this technology development 18 to 24 months sooner
than it could have without the ATP funds. Moreover, the ATP award
helped the company develop licensing agreements and secure a joint-venture
partner.
PROJECT:
To develop a Chinese character-recognition system to be used
in place of a keyboard for computer entry of information in
Chinese, opening Chinese markets to U.S. computer products.
Duration: 12/20/1993 - 3/19/1996
ATP number: 93-01-0211
FUNDING (in thousands)::
| ATP |
$1,480 |
62% |
| Company |
911
|
38% |
| Total |
$2,391 |
|
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
CIC fulfilled its goals by developing a recognition system for
Chinese characters. The company's progress is indicated by the
fact that it:
- collected a high-quality database
of about 750,000 Chinese characters penned by 2,800 Chinese
writers;
- developed a recognition algorithm
that supports 6,763 Guojia Biaozhun characters, the standard
set of characters determined by the Chinese government to
be used by printers, schools and so forth;
- entered into a joint venture
with the Ministry of Electronic Industries of Jiangsu Province,
China, to perform system integration services and to market
the company's pen-based business computer systems to Chinese
businesses and government agencies;
- released the first major product
version of its character-recognition software in September
1997; and
- entered into discussions with
several major U.S. computer companies about incorporating
the CIC character recognition technology into their computers
for sale in China.
COMMERCIALIZATION STATUS:
Commercialization is in progress. CIC recently closed its
first major deal with a Chinese company to incorporate the
ATP-funded technology into its products. CIC is also in discussions
with major U.S. computer companies to incorporate the technology
into their products for China.
OUTLOOK:
Benefits from this project are expected to accrue to U.S. companies
through U.S. leadership in China's computer market, the development
of computer standards in China based on U.S. technology and
large direct sales of U.S. computer components into China's
markets.
COMPANY:
Communication Intelligence Corporation (CIC)
275 Shoreline Drive, Suite 520
Redwood Shores, CA 94065-1413
Contact: Russ Davis
Phone: (650) 802-7757
Number of employees:
66 at project start, 93 at the end of 1997 |
Return to Top of Page
Date created: March
1999
Last updated:
April 12, 2005
|
