Abstract: A borderless table detection engine and associated method for identifying borderless tables appearing in data extracted from a fixed format document. Due to the lack of visible borders, reliable automated detection of a borderless table is difficult. The borderless table detection engine uses whitespace, rather than content, to detect borderless table candidates. Applying heuristic analysis, the borderless table detection engine discards borderless table candidates with a layout that lacks sufficient characteristics of a table and is unlikely to be a valid borderless table.

Abstract: A borderless table detection engine and associated method for identifying borderless tables appearing in data extracted from a fixed format document. Due to the lack of visible borders, reliable automated detection of a borderless table is difficult. The borderless table detection engine uses whitespace, rather than content, to detect borderless table candidates. Applying heuristic analysis, the borderless table detection engine discards borderless table candidates with a layout that lacks sufficient characteristics of a table and is unlikely to be a valid borderless table.

Abstract: A pattern matching engine and associated method for detecting one or more of headers, footers, watermarks, page numbering, page colors, and page borders appearing in a fixed format document. The pattern matching engine performs pattern matching across pages of the fixed format document to identify repeating patterns. Using heuristic analysis, repeating patterns meeting selected criteria are classified as headers, footers, or watermarks. Filtering removes repeating patterns unlikely to represent headers, footers, or watermarks. The information produced by the pattern matching engine allows the repeating elements to be properly reconstructed as flowable elements when converting a fixed format document into a flow format document.