Abstract: The present invention encompasses a self-orthogonal character recognition engine for executing an iterative method employing a database of predetermined character strings. The method receives a digital representation of a character string. It then generates a proposed result string by applying to the captured digital image a predetermined recognition routine including one or more recognition subroutines. Each recognition subroutine employs an initial parameter setting. Next, if the proposed result string does not match any of the predetermined character strings in the database, the initial parameter setting of a recognition subroutine is changed to a next setting. The recognition process is then repeated using the next parameter setting to generate and test a next result string. The process can be repeated iteratively until a result string is verified or the process times out.

Abstract: Human and machine readability of pre-printed forms that have been completed with user data is impeded where the user data overlaps zone descriptions, constraint boxes or other markings of the pre-printed form. A “form fracturing” methodology is described that includes processing the composite-image data so as to attach one or more shared pixels to a non-diagonally adjacent data pixel. The remaining form pixels can be removed, resulting in at least a useful approximation and often a complete recovery of the user data. Where blank-form data is not available, a “virtual dropout” technique allows for recovering user data from a pre-printed form using limited speckle size and configurations, constraining gray-scale value, or a combination of the two. The disclosed methodologies are conveniently implemented in software on any digital processor.