10. In an apparatus for identifying patterns by means of a pattern registration means and a data processing means, wherein each pattern comprises at least one unknown stroke generated by relative sequential movement between a pattern-forming means and a pattern-accommodating means of said pattern registration means, said pattern registration means being operative to generate first signal information represented by first signals, said first signal information being representative of stroke information about said unknown stroke, said data processing means being provided with prestored second signal information represented by second signals, said second signal information including templates corresponding to template strokes, said data processing means being operative to generate third signals representing third signal information in response to said first signals and said second signals, said third signal information comprising identity labels for use in developing coded information which identifies said patterns, the improvement comprising: means for storing said second signal information defining templates wherein at least one of said templates is a confusion group template, each said confusion group template being derived from information about at least two of said template strokes; means for generating distance metric values representative of closeness of stroke shape between said first signal information and said second signal information for at least each one of said confusion group templates; and means for determining from said distance metric values which of said confusion group templates or which of said stroke templates yields the least of said distance metric values to obtain an identity label for said unknown stroke by ignoring decision criteria for distinguishing between selected template strokes whenever said selected template strokes are included in a common one of said confusion group templates.
10. In an apparatus for identifying patterns by means of a pattern registration means and a data processing means, wherein each pattern comprises at least one unknown stroke generated by relative sequential movement between a pattern-forming means and a pattern-accommodating means of said pattern registration means, said pattern registration means being operative to generate first signal information represented by first signals, said first signal information being representative of stroke information about said unknown stroke, said data processing means being provided with prestored second signal information represented by second signals, said second signal information including templates corresponding to template strokes, said data processing means being operative to generate third signals representing third signal information in response to said first signals and said second signals, said third signal information comprising identity labels for use in developing coded information which identifies said patterns, the improvement comprising: means for storing said second signal information defining templates wherein at least one of said templates is a confusion group template, each said confusion group template being derived from information about at least two of said template strokes; means for generating distance metric values representative of closeness of stroke shape between said first signal information and said second signal information for at least each one of said confusion group templates; and means for determining from said distance metric values which of said confusion group templates or which of said stroke templates yields the least of said distance metric values to obtain an identity label for said unknown stroke by ignoring decision criteria for distinguishing between selected template strokes whenever said selected template strokes are included in a common one of said confusion group templates. 15. In the apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said first signal information and said second signal information specify relative position along a stroke describing stroke shape, further including: means for calculating metric distance between corresponding first signal information and second signal information to obtain a set of difference values; means for dividing each one of said difference values by a permissible deviation value corresponding to each location of first signal information along a stroke to obtain a set of resultant values; and means for summing all said resultant values to obtain said distance metric value.