Abstract: Methods are provided for use with a computing device and an image scanning device. One method includes performing a scan to produce a preview scanned image, selecting a portion of the preview scanned image for final scanning, and scanning the selected portion of the preview scanned image to produce a final scanned image. Performing the scan to produce the preview scanned image may include performing an autocrop process and a deskew process before displaying the preview scanned image to the user. Once the preview scanned image is displayed, then the user may decide to selectively rotate the preview scanned image, for example, about an anchor point that was used in the deskew process. The user may also select a portion of interest within the image. Once the user is satisfied with the user selected rotation, if any, and the user selected portion of interest, then a final scan will be performed. As part of the final scan process, the method includes calculating an effective portion of the preview scanned image.

Abstract: A method analyzes an image to be scanned and analyzes at least part of the image pixel-by-pixel. During or after a preview scan, a characteristic is assigned to a plurality of pixels in the image and pixels are grouped according to similar characteristics. A representation of a least one of the characteristics corresponding to a group of pixels is communicated to the scanner. For example, the pixels may be analyzed to determining if the pixel is black or white. The pixels may also be analyzed to determining if a pixel is on an edge between black and white. Black pixels that are adjacent each other can be grouped together, and white pixels that are adjacent each other can also be grouped together. A region of an image with a relatively high number of black and white groups can be characterized as black and white text only. That characterization can then be used to properly set a scanner, for example, without user intervention, so that the final scan of the image can be done at 300 dpi with a low bit depth.

Abstract: Methods are provided for use with a computing device and an image scanning device. One method includes performing a scan to produce a preview scanned image, selecting a portion of the preview scanned image for final scanning, and scanning the selected portion of the preview scanned image to produce a final scanned image. Performing the scan to produce the preview scanned image may include performing an autocrop process and a deskew process before displaying the preview scanned image to the user. Once the preview scanned image is displayed, then the user may decide to selectively rotate the preview scanned image, for example, about an anchor point that was used in the deskew process. The user may also select a portion of interest within the image. Once the user is satisfied with the user selected rotation, if any, and the user selected portion of interest, then a final scan will be performed. As part of the final scan process, the method includes calculating an effective portion of the preview scanned image.

Abstract: A system and method is described for automatically determining in a scanned document image the presence of unwanted extraneous information caused by an extraneous device and scanner background information. Once the presence of this information is determined, the system and method of the present invention can compute, for instance, skew and crop statistics. From this, the image can be automatically deskewed and cropped appropriately without the background and extraneous information. The system and method accomplishes this by first determining the presence of unwanted extraneous and background information and then appropriately processing the document image. The extraneous information is ignored during deskew and crop computations. Also, the scanner background and the extraneous information are prevented from being included in the final digital representation of the image.

Abstract: A region of the original image is selected and the thus-selected region is then subjected to an example image editing operation called “crop” in which the selected region remains, and the area outside of the selected region is removed. After the “crop” or editing operation has been performed, the window containing the original image is also maintained and may be viewed concurrently with the edited image. The window containing the original image is preferably automatically minimized, but may subsequently be restored to full size. If subsequent comparison by the user of both the original and “cropped” images side-by-side show an unwanted result, the “crop” operation may then be repeated on the image in the original image window.