Abstract: An addressee recognizing apparatus recognizes the addressee of matter to be delivered. A database stores a description format including at least a described position, the number of character lines, and the length of each character line in a sender area on the matter to be delivered. When a scanner obtains an image, a plurality of addressee candidate areas are obtained from the image. The apparatus determines whether the description format for each of the extracted candidates matches the description format for the sender area stored in the database. If the description format for the candidate is determined to match the description format for the sender area, the candidate is prohibited from being recognized as the addressee area.

Abstract: Character recognition apparatus includes field storage means provided for storing field data indicating specified fields on entry sheets, image scanner provided for reading images appearing on the top side and back-transfer images on the entry sheets, back-transfer image processing means provided for processing back-transfer images in the specified fields read by the image scanner in reference to the field storage means and character recognition means provided for executing character recognitions for the images processed by the back-transfer image processing means.

Abstract: In word recognition using the character recognition result, recognition processing is performed for an input character string that corresponds to a word to be recognized, a probability at which characteristics obtained as the result of character recognition are generated by conditioning characters of words contained in a word dictionary that stores in advance candidates of words to be recognized. The thus obtained probability is divided by a probability at which characteristics obtained as the result of character recognition are generated, and each of the division results obtained relevant to the characters of the words contained in the word dictionary is multiplied relevant to all the characters. The recognition results of the above words are obtained based on the multiplication results.

Abstract: An international mail determination unit determines whether or not the postal matter of interest is foreign mail, on the basis of the collation results of the seal description information collation unit, address format collation unit, address word collation unit, delivery area code format collation unit, and country name identification word collation unit (or some of these units). When the international mail determination unit determines that the postal matter of interest is foreign mail, the country name determination unit determines a country as a destination of that postal matter on the basis of the collation results of the above five collation units (or some of these units).

Abstract: In word recognition using the character recognition result, recognition processing is performed for an input character string that corresponds to a word to be recognized, a probability at which characteristics obtained as the result of character recognition are generated by conditioning characters of words contained in a word dictionary that stores in advance candidates of words to be recognized. The thus obtained probability is divided by a probability at which characteristics obtained as the result of character recognition are generated, and each of the division results obtained relevant to the characters of the words contained in the word dictionary is multiplied relevant to all the characters. The recognition results of the above words are obtained based on the multiplication results.