Abstract: An image inspection apparatus that compares a reference image with an inspection image obtained by scanning a printed medium on which the reference image has been printed, to determine whether the printed medium is acceptable is provided. The image inspection apparatus includes a first inspecting unit that compares the reference image exclusive of an edge in the reference image with the inspection image exclusive of an edge in the inspection image to perform inspection; a line-image detecting unit that detects a line image that contains the edge from each of the reference image and the inspection image; a second inspecting unit that compares the line image detected from the reference image with the line image detected from the inspection image to perform inspection; and a determining unit that determines whether the printed medium is acceptable based on results of these inspections.

Abstract: A method for searching for an input symbol string, includes receiving (B) an input symbol string, proceeding (C) in a trie data structure to a calculation point indicated by the next symbol, calculating (D) distances at the calculation point, selecting (E) repeatedly the next branch to follow (C) to the next calculation point to repeat the calculation (D). After the calculation (G), selecting the symbol string having the shortest distance to the input symbol string on the basis of the performed calculations. To minimize the number of calculations, not only the distances are calculated (D) at the calculation points, but also the smallest possible length difference corresponding to each distance, and on the basis of each distance and corresponding length difference a reference value is calculated, and the branch is selected (E) in such a manner that next the routine proceeds from the calculation point producing the lowest reference value.

Abstract: Processing for a time-series analysis of keywords comprises clustering or classifying pieces of document data, each of which is description of a phenomenon in a natural language, on the basis of frequencies of occurrence of keywords in the pieces of document data, individual keywords being also clustered or classified by clustering or classifying the pieces of document data, and performing a time-series analysis of frequencies of occurrence of pieces of document data containing individual keywords in clusters or classes into which the pieces of document data are clustered or classified or a time-series analysis of frequencies of occurrence of pieces of document data containing clusters or classes into which the individual keywords are clustered or classified. Frequency distribution showing variation of the frequencies of occurrence of the pieces of document data is acquired by the time-series analysis.

Abstract: A method for determining a candidate lesion region in a digital ultrasound medical image of anatomical tissue. The method includes the steps of: accessing the digital ultrasound medical image of anatomical tissue; applying an anisotropic diffusion filter to the ultrasound image to generate a filtered ultrasound image; performing a normalized cut operation on the filtered ultrasound image to partition the filtered ultrasound image into a plurality of regions; and selecting, from the plurality of regions, at least one region as a candidate lesion region.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus which is capable of efficiently performing color/monochrome determination of characters as a print object. A printer driver determines whether a character as the print object is a character which is necessary to be drawn or a character which is not necessary to be drawn. Then, when the character as the print object is determined to be a character which is not necessary to be drawn, the printer driver determines that the character as the print object is in monochrome.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for challenge/response animation. In one implementation, a request for protected content may be received from a client, and the protected content may comprise data. A challenge phrase comprising a plurality of characters may be determined, and a computer processor may divide the challenge phrase into at least two character subsets selected from the characters comprising the challenge phrase. Each of the at least two character subsets may include less than all of the characters comprising the challenge phrase. The at least two character subsets may be sent to the client in response to the request; and an answer to the challenge phrase may be received from the client in response to the at least two character subsets. Access to the protected content may be limited based on whether the answer correctly solves the challenge phrase.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus including computer program products for using extracted image text are provided. In one implementation, a computer-implemented method is provided. The method includes receiving an input of one or more image search terms and identifying keywords from the received one or more image search terms. The method also includes searching a collection of keywords including keywords extracted from image text, retrieving an image associated with extracted image text corresponding to one or more of the image search terms, and presenting the image.

Abstract: A system and method for creating one of a plurality of test decks to qualify and test forms processing systems, including preparing a handprint snippet data base containing labeled handprint image snippets representing a unique hand, preparing a form description file and a data content file, selecting handprint snippets from the handprint snippet data base to formulate a form using the data content file, creating a form image using the selected snippets according to the form description file and printing the form image.

Abstract: A method of centerline determination for a tubular tissue in a medical image data set defined in a data space, comprising receiving at least one start point and one end point inside a tubular tissue volume; automatically determining a path between said points that remains inside said volume; automatically segmenting said tubular tissue using said path; and automatically determining a centerline for said tubular tissue from said segmentation, wherein said receiving, said determining a path and said segmenting, said determining a centerline are all performed on a same data space of said medical image data set.

Abstract: A method for processing data of a scanned book having a plurality of pages is disclosed. The method includes obtaining page image data from a page. The method further includes segmenting and recognizing the page image data to obtain locations of rectangular boxes corresponding to the respective characters and text codes for the respective characters. The method also includes obtaining respective aggregated character line information for each line of characters. The method further includes adjusting the rectangular boxes in accordance with the obtained aggregated character line information.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for character string recognition may be provided that enables prevention of a decrease in recognition accuracy for a character string even when distortion of an image appears in a direction perpendicular to a medium transfer direction.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) system providing recognition of characters that are partly hidden by crossing outs due to for example an imprint of a stamp, handwritten signatures, etc. The method establishes a set of template images of certainly recognized characters from the image of the text being processed by the OCR system, wherein the effect of the crossed out section is modelled into the template images before comparing these images with the image of a visually impaired crossed out character. The modelled template image having the highest similarity with the visually impaired crossed out character is the correct identification for the visually impaired character instance.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a receiver that receives an image including at least a character image; a path calculator that calculates separation paths, which are segments for separating the character images in the image received by the receiver; a feature amount calculator that calculates feature amounts of the separation paths in a plurality of directions calculated by the path calculator; a selector that determines a separation direction of the image and a state of the character image and selects a separation path among the separation paths in the plurality of directions; a separator that separates the image into a plurality of partial images; and a recursive processing determining unit that determines whether or not to perform recursive processing, wherein the path calculator calculates the separation paths, which are the segments for separating the character image in the image separated by the separator.

Abstract: To handle static text and logos in stabilized images without destabilizing the static text and logos, a method of handling overlay subpictures in stabilized images includes separating an existing overlay subpicture from an input image to generate a separated overlay subpicture and a separated input image. The separated input image is stabilized to form a stabilized image. The separated overlay subpicture is then merged with the stabilized image to obtain an output image.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus segments Western and hieroglyphic portions of textual lines. The apparatus includes an input component that receives an input image having at least one textual line. The apparatus also includes an inter-character break identifier component that identifies candidate inter-character breaks along a textual line and an inter-character break classifier component. The inter-character break classifier component classifies each of the candidate inter-character breaks as an actual break, a non-break or an indeterminate break based at least in part on the geometrical properties of each respective candidate inter-character break and the bounding boxes adjacent thereto. A character recognition component recognizes the candidate characters based at least in part on a feature set extracted from each respective candidate character that can be histogram features, Gabor features or any other feature set applicable to character recognition.

Abstract: A feature point calculating section binarizes the image data to obtain a centroid of a consecutive component in which pixels are connected as a feature point, reverses the image data, obtains a centroid as a feature point from the reversed image data similarly, and adds them as a feature point of the image data. A features calculating section calculates a predetermined invariant based on the feature point containing the feature point obtained from the reversed image data, and calculates a hash value based on the predetermined invariant. A vote process section retrieves a hash table based on the calculated hash value, votes for a document of an index stored in association with the hash value, and accumulatively adds the vote. A similarity determination process section compares the number of votes calculated by the vote process section with a predetermined threshold value to determine a similarity.

Abstract: Processing for a time-series analysis of keywords comprises clustering or classifying pieces of document data, each of which is description of a phenomenon in a natural language, on the basis of frequencies of occurrence of keywords in the pieces of document data, individual keywords being also clustered or classified by clustering or classifying the pieces of document data, and performing a time-series analysis of frequencies of occurrence of pieces of document data containing individual keywords in clusters or classes into which the pieces of document data are clustered or classified or a time-series analysis of frequencies of occurrence of pieces of document data containing clusters or classes into which the individual keywords are clustered or classified. Frequency distribution showing variation of the frequencies of occurrence of the pieces of document data is acquired by the time-series analysis.

Abstract: A system for processing text captured from rendered documents is described. The system receives a sequence of one or more words optically or acoustically captured from a rendered document by a user. The system identifies among words of the sequence a word with which an action has been associated. The system then performs the associated action with respect to the user.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for automatically identifying character segments for character recognition is provided. The method involves receiving a plurality of words and a ground truth corresponding to each word of the plurality of words. The plurality of words may be received in a cursive script. Each word of the plurality of words is segmented into one or more character segments based on the ground truth corresponding to each word. Thereafter, the segmentation of each word is refined by iteratively re-segmenting each word based on one or more similar character segments.

Abstract: A character recognition device includes image input unit that receives an image, character region detection unit that detects a character region in the image, character region separation unit that separates the character region on a character-by-character basis, character recognition unit that performs character-by-character recognition on the characters present in separated regions and outputs one or more character recognition result candidates for each character, first character string transition data creation unit that receives the candidates, calculates weights for transitions to the candidates and creates first character string transition data based on a set of the candidates and the weights, and WFST processing unit that sequentially performs state transitions based on the first character string transition data, accumulates weights in each state transition and calculates a cumulative weight for each state transition, and outputs one or more state transition results based on the cumulative weight.

Abstract: A connected text data system for efficiently and accurately translating connected text. The connected text data system includes inputting or receiving connected text, transmitting the connected text to a text iterator, scanning the connected text, identifying a plurality of words in the connected text comprising a coordinate logic to help parse connected text matches into separated text by invalidating words with overlapping coordinates, and translating the connected text to separated text by adding a space between each of the plurality of words.

Abstract: A system for identifying digital content related to a portion of a block of text receives, automatically or via input by a user, an indication of one or more words included in the block of text. The system searches a database of digital content based on the one or more words and retrieves from the database one or more digital content items or identifiers of digital content items that are related to the one or more words. The system provides the retrieved digital content items or identifiers to the user, and receives a selection of one or more of the provided items or identifiers from the user. The system associates for display or replay the one or more selected digital content items with the one or more words in the block of text. Other embodiments of the system are also disclosed.

Abstract: There is provided an apparatus including a model based topic segmentation section that when segments a text using a topic model representing semantic coherence, a parameter estimation section that estimates a control parameter used in segmenting the text based on detection of a change point of word distribution in the text, using the result of segmentation by the model based topic segmentation unit as training data, and a change point detection topic segmentation section that segments the text, based on detection of the change point of word distribution in the text, using the parameter estimated by the parameter estimation section.

Abstract: A method of compensating for distortion in text recognition is provided, which includes extracting a text region from an image; estimating the form of an upper end of the extracted text region; estimating the form of a lower end of the extracted text region; estimating the form of left and right sides of the extracted text region; estimating a diagram constituted in the form of the estimated upper end, lower end, left and right sides, and including a minimum area of the text region; and transforming the text region constituting the estimated diagram into a rectangular diagram using an affine transform.

Abstract: A graphics or image rendering system, such as a map image rendering system, receives image data from an image database in the form of vector data that defines various image objects, such as roads, geographical boundaries, etc., and textures defining text strings to be displayed on the image to provide, for example, labels for the image objects. The imaging rendering system renders the images such that the individual characters of the text strings are placed on the image following a multi-segmented or curved line.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are provided which may be implemented to in various electronic devices to evaluate displayable digital images based on certain test criterion. The displayable images may represent web content and/or the like, and the test criterion may include or relate to desired user experience and/or other like content accessibility measures.

Abstract: A method for identifying words in a textual image undergoing optical character recognition includes receiving a bitmap of an input image which includes textual lines that have been segmented by a plurality of chop lines. The chop lines are each associated with a confidence level reflecting a degree to which the respective chop line properly segments the textual line into individual characters. One or more words are identified in one of the textual lines based at least in part on the textual lines and a first subset of the plurality of chop lines which have a chop line confidence level above a first threshold value. If the first word is not associated with a sufficiently high word confidence level, at least a second word in the textual line is identified based at least in part on a second subset of the plurality of chop lines which have a confidence level above a second threshold value lower than the first threshold value.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and a system for image identification and identification result output, which determines a location coordinate with respect to an image and a rotating angle based on at least one direction of the image according to features of the image. The image is compared to a plurality of sample images stored in a database according to the rotating angle so as to obtain at least one identification result. By means of the method and the system of the present invention, identification can be achieved with respect to various rotating angles and distances so as to improve the identification rate.

Abstract: Systems and methods for character recognition by performing lateral view-based analysis on the character data and generating a feature vector based on the lateral view-based analysis.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system for image identification and identification result output, wherein a feature image under identification acquired from an image is compared with a plurality of sample images respectively stored in a database so as to obtain a plurality of similarity indexes associated with the plurality of sample images respectively. Each similarity index represents similarity between the feature image and the corresponding sample image. Thereafter, the plurality of similarity indexes are sorted and then a least one of comparison results is output. The present invention is further capable of being used for identifying identification marks with respect to a carrier. By sorting the similarity index with respect to each feature forming the identification marks, it is capable of outputting many sets of combinations corresponding to the identification marks so as to improve speed for targeting suspected carrier and enhance the identification efficiency.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus segments Western and hieroglyphic portions of textual lines. The apparatus includes an input component that receives an input image having at least one textual line. The apparatus also includes an inter-character break identifier component that identifies candidate inter-character breaks along a textual line and an inter-character break classifier component. The inter-character break classifier component classifies each of the candidate inter-character breaks as an actual break, a non-break or an indeterminate break based at least in part on the geometrical properties of each respective candidate inter-character break and the bounding boxes adjacent thereto. A character recognition component recognizes the candidate characters based at least in part on a feature set extracted from each respective candidate character that can be histogram features, Gabor features or any other feature set applicable to character recognition.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for font reproduction in electronic documents are provided. The method includes: receiving an image of a printed document; extracting pairs of consecutive characters from the image of the printed document; storing the extracted pairs as images of the characters; and reproducing the printed document as an electronic document with text of overlapping extracted character pair images. Extracting pairs of consecutive characters includes extracting adjacent horizontal characters, extracting spaced horizontal characters, and extracting spaced vertical characters. Reproducing the printed document as an electronic document includes reproducing the spacing between words and between lines using the spaced horizontal characters and the spaced vertical characters as anchors in the reproduced document.

Abstract: A skewed image data detecting and correcting device includes a skew angle detecting module, and an image rotating correction module. A skewed image data detecting and correcting method includes the following steps. Firstly, a binary digitizing operation is performed to obtain a binary image data. The binary image data is rotated by multiple different rotating angles, thereby obtaining multiple rotated binary image data. The pixel numbers of all horizontal rows of the rotated binary image data are totalized, thereby obtaining multiple horizontal pixel number distribution curves. A high-pass filtering procedure is performed to filter off low-frequency noise, thereby obtaining multiple high-frequency signal curves. The square sums of respective high-frequency signal curves are calculated, thereby obtaining multiple index values.

Abstract: A printing apparatus, including a user input unit which receives a first user command to initiate a printing operation, a display unit which displays information relating to the printing operation, a printing unit which performs printing with respect to printing data, and a controller which controls the display unit to display reference information of the printing data before the printing, and which controls the printing unit to perform the printing according to a second user command.

Abstract: A multi-level data encoding system is provided that is operable on a computer. The encoding system includes a data input device adapted to input a data set and store the data set in a database. The system further includes an encoder adapted to encode the data set and separate the encoded data set into two files, wherein each character of the data set comprises a unique electronic footprint. Additionally, the system includes a data field adapted to organize the encoded data set for proper decoding, a master file comprising one file of the encoded data set and an overlay file comprising the other file of the encoded data set. The system also includes a decoder adapted to align the overlay file onto the master file to decode the encoded data set.

Abstract: Line segmentation in an OCR process is performed to detect the positions of words within an input textual line image by extracting features from the input to locate breaks and then classifying the breaks into one of two break classes which include inter-word breaks and inter-character breaks. An output including the bounding boxes of the detected words and a probability that a given break belongs to the identified class can then be provided to downstream OCR or other components for post-processing. Advantageously, by reducing line segmentation to the extraction of features, including the position of each break and the number of break features, and break classification, the task of line segmentation is made less complex but with no loss of generality.

Abstract: A visualization program, method and apparatus for determining reading order of content in a structured document. The method includes generating, for each of a plurality of elements, a directed segment; storing, in the reading order, the generated directed segments of the elements into a storage device; reading from the storage device; linking together the directed segments for the elements in accordance with the reading order; and displaying the linked directed segments overlaid on the structured document which is displayed on the screen. A computer implemented program and an apparatus for carrying out the above method are also provided.

Abstract: Systems and methods providing automated extraction of information contained in video data and uses thereof are described. In particular, systems and associated methods are described that provide techniques for extracting data embedded in video, for example measurement-value pairs of medical videos, for use in a variety of applications, for example video indexing, searching and decision support applications.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention relate to a method, system and computer program product for detecting and recognizing text in the images captured by cameras and scanners. First, a series of image-processing techniques is applied to detect text regions in the image. Subsequently, the detected text regions pass through different processing stages that reduce blurring and the negative effects of variable lighting. This results in the creation of multiple images that are versions of the same text region. Some of these multiple versions are sent to a character-recognition system. The resulting texts from each of the versions of the image sent to the character-recognition system are then combined to a single result, wherein the single result is detected text.

Abstract: An image processing device is provided which generates an easily reusable electronic document from an input image in which different page sizes are mixed. The image processing device generates a plurality of pieces of display information from a plurality of document images, and, depending on the size and the direction of each of the images, converts the pieces of display information into electronic documents. That is, the plurality of pieces of display information are divided into a plurality of groups, depending on the size and the direction of each of the images, and the display information included in each of the groups is converted into a separate electronic document. Further, sequence information based on the input order of the plurality of document images is stored on an electronic document.

Abstract: A novel and useful method of using Incremental Connected Components to segment and isolate individual characters in a gray-scale or color image. For each pixel intensity of pixels in the image, a plurality of pixel groups are created comprising contiguous pixels of intensity equal to or less than the current pixel intensity. The pixel groups are then input to a character classifier which returns an identified character and a confidence value. Non-overlapping pixel groups (i.e. segmentation) of identified characters having the highest confidence values are then selected.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and an apparatus for recognizing a character and efficiently removing a misrecognized character. The method includes detecting character regions including at least one character in an input image, converting the input image into a binary image, discriminating the characters from a non-character, re-classifying the character region including a number of characters equal to or less than a threshold into a non-character region, and outputting only the characters present in the character region.

Abstract: A first aspect of the invention relates to a method for creating a binary mask image from an a inputted digital image of a scanned document, comprising the steps of creating a binarized image by binarizing the inputted digital image, detecting first text regions representing light text on a dark background, and inverting the first text regions, such that the inverted first text regions are interpretable in the same way as dark text on a light background. A second aspect of the invention relates to a method for comparing in a binary image a first pixel blob with a second pixel blob to determine whether they represent matching symbols, comprising the steps of detecting a line in one blob not present in the other and/or determining if one of the blobs represents an italicized symbol where the other does not.

Abstract: A method comprises extracting a local identifier (130, 730a, 730b) from an image (100, 500, 700), the image (100, 500, 700) also having positional data (120) relating to the location at which the image (100, 500, 700) was captured; and associating the extracted local identifier (130, 730a, 730b) with the corresponding positional data (120) to allow for associating the extracted local identifier with a digital map (300, 600, 800).

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for character string recognition for correctly recognizing a character string placed on a medium, even in a recognition process system in which a plurality of formats are handled. An image processing area is set on a medium. The image processing area is divided in a placement direction of character strings so as to make up a plurality of segments. An image data projection in a direction of character strings is calculated for each segment. The number of character string lines for each segment is calculated according to the image data projection. The number of character string lines is determined for the image processing area as a whole, according to the number of character string lines for each segment, and it is judged whether or not the character strings are predetermined character strings.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system for confirming uncertainly recognized words as reported by an Optical Character Recognition process by using spelling alternatives as search arguments for an Internet search engine. The measured number of hits for each spelling alternative is used to provide a confirmation measure for the most probable spelling alternative. Whenever the confirmation measure is inconclusive, a plurality of search strategies are used to reach a measured result comprising zero hits except for one spelling alternative that is used as the correct alternative.

Abstract: An image forming device includes a main body casing, a cover configured to be openable and closable with respect to the main body casing, a sensing unit configured to sense an opening-closing operation of the cover, a forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet, a detecting unit configured to perform a detecting operation to detect a deviation of an image forming position of the image to be formed by the forming unit, an accepting unit configured to accept a print request, and a control unit configured to control the detecting unit to perform the detecting operation in response to the print request being accepted when the sensing unit senses an opening-closing operation of the cover after execution of a previous detecting operation, and thereafter to control the forming unit to form the image in the image forming position corrected to cancel the deviation detected in the detecting operation.

Abstract: An image processing system and a mask preparation method able to prepare a mask by simple processing and a program executed in such an image processing system are provided. To extract the edges of the image, strings of pixels corresponding to the contours of an object are extracted from the edge extracted image, and border lines for the masking are acquired based on an approximation line thereof.

Abstract: An optical character recognition process characterizes text lines in a textual image by their base-line, mean-line and x-height. The base-line for at least one text line in the image is determined by finding a parametric curve that maximizes a first fitness function that depends on the values of pixels through which the parametric curve passes and pixels below the parametric curve. The base-line corresponds to the parametric curve for which the first fitness function is maximized. The first fitness function is designed so that it increases with increasing lightless or brightness of pixels immediately below the parametric curve while also increasing with decreasing lightness of pixels through which the parametric curve passes. The mean-line is determined by incrementally shifting the base-line upward by predetermined amounts (e.g., a single pixel) until a second fitness function for the shifted base-line is maximized. The second fitness function is essentially the inverse of the first fitness function.

Abstract: A method for segmenting a small feature in a multidimensional digital array of intensity values in a data processor computes an edge metric along each ray of a plurality of multidimensional rays originating at a local intensity extreme (local maximum or minimum). A multidimensional point corresponding to a maximum edge metric on each said ray is identified as a ray edge point. Every point on each ray from the local extreme to the ray edge point is labeled as part of the small object. Further points on the feature are grown by labeling an unlabeled point if the unlabeled point is adjacent to a labeled point, and the unlabeled point has a more extreme intensity than the labeled point, and the unlabeled point is closer than the labeled point to the local extreme. The resulting segmentation is quick, and identifies boundaries of small features analogous to boundaries identified by human analysts, and does not require statistical parameterizations or thresholds manually determined by a user.