Abstract: A data processing system and method manages the recognition of text characters in a plurality of document images. The documents are predefined forms having a plurality of fields in which text characters are to be recognized. A form definition data set is used to specify various characteristics of the fields on the form such as their locations. A data capture priority value is specified in the form definition data set for at least some of the fields. This priority is used to manage the workload of the character recognition process. When a large number of document form images have been received by the system, they can limit the backlog volume and maintain a desired throughput for character recognizing the forms by reducing the number of fields which are character recognized on each form. By using the data capture priority value for each field, the character recognition processor can be controlled to omit processing or perform faster, lower-quality processing of low priority fields.

Abstract: Document form templates are grouped into groups of related form templates. The number of times a particular template is used by the system is counted for each group during a forms processing interval. Then when processing submitted forms, the method scans in a plurality of them in an aggregated submission. Forms recognition processing starts for a first form. The method begins searching for a form template to match the first form, starting with the most frequent group. If recognition of the first form is successful with the most frequent primary form template, then the method searches the group for the remaining submitted forms. If recognition of the first form is not successful with the most frequent group, then the method tries to match the first form with a template in the second most frequently processed primary group.

Abstract: A bypass apparatus in a computer system is disclosed. The computer system includes a central storage facility for storing various instructions to be executed, an instruction register for storing an instruction being executed, and an instruction buffer, interconnected between the central storage facility and the instruction register, for temporarily storing the next instructions to be executed following execution of the instruction stored in the instruction register. A bypass path interconnects the central storage facility directly to the instruction register for bypassing the instruction buffer when certain special instructions being held in the instruction register are being executed, such as an EXECUTE instruction. Consequently, the contents of the instruction buffer are not lost or destroyed as a result of execution of the special instruction.