Abstract: A replay control method of controlling reply means for replaying video content executed by a computer, the method includes: accepting one or more keywords; retrieving, from pieces of correspondence information each containing fraction part information specifying a piece of video content and a fraction part in the piece of video content, and a word string expressed in the fraction part, each piece of correspondence information whose word string contains at least one of the accepted one or more keywords; and making the replay means replay the fraction part specified by each retrieved piece of correspondence information.

Abstract: A character area extracting device includes a reflective and non-reflective area separation unit separating image data into reflective and non-reflective areas, and binarizing the image data by changing a first threshold value when it is inappropriate; a reflective area binarizing unit separating the reflective area into character and background areas, and binarizing it by changing a second threshold value when it is inappropriate; a non-reflective area binarizing unit separating the non-reflective area into the character and background areas, and binarizing it by changing a third threshold value when it is inappropriate; a reflective and non-reflective area separation evaluation unit; and a line extracting unit connecting the character areas of the reflective and non-reflective areas and extracting positional information of the connected character areas in the image data.

Abstract: A document recognizing apparatus includes a display control unit which displays a document data including a character string related to a character string selected by a user, and an area that includes at least a character string of the document data.

Abstract: A logical structure analyzing apparatus includes an extracting unit that extracts word candidates from a form, a first generating unit that classifies each of the word candidates into a group of heading candidates or a group of data candidates to generate, based on positions of the word candidates on the form, first candidates sets each including one heading candidate and one data candidate identifiable by the heading candidate, and a second generating unit that combines the first candidate sets to generate second candidate sets that each include plural heading candidates that differ and one data candidate. The apparatus also includes a removing unit that, based on positions of the heading candidates and the data word candidate in each second candidate set, removes from among the second candidates sets, a determined set including a data item and headings identifying the data item, and an output unit that outputs the determined set.

Abstract: A set of straight lines that associate a top parallel geodesic projection positioned at an upper end with a bottom parallel geodesic projection positioned at a lower end, among sets of parallel geodesic projections, is extracted as a set of ruled-line candidate projections as a search target of a set of ruled line projections. A deviation of neighborhood, which is a distance between a cross ratio vector of the ruled-line candidate projection and a cross ratio vector of a neighboring line obtained by shifting the ruled-line candidate projection by a predetermined interval, is calculated for each ruled-line candidate projection. A set of straight lines having the smallest sum total of deviations of neighborhood, in the set of straight lines, which do not intersect with each other, among the sets of ruled-line projection candidates is extracted as a set of ruled line projections by continuous dynamic programming.

Abstract: Upon receiving, for example, document data including a character string from outside, a character recognition device detects a line from a line-touching character-string image in which at least one character (such as number, alphabet letter, kana character, and Chinese character) touches (or overlaps) a line in the document data, tentatively removes the line, and estimates a character region. The character recognition device extracts a line-touching character image from the line-touching character-string image (original image) based on the estimated character region. The character recognition device creates a line-added reference character image by adding a quasi-line to a reference character image stored in advance.

Abstract: A form processing apparatus extracts layout information and character information from a form document. A candidate extracting unit extracts word candidates from the character information. A frequency digitizing unit calculates emission probability of a word candidate from each element. A relation digitizing unit calculates transition probability that relationship between word candidates is established. An evaluating unit calculates an evaluation value indicative of a probability of appearance of word candidates in respective logical elements. A determining unit determines the element and a word candidate thereof as the element and a character string thereof in the form document, based on the evaluation value.

Abstract: A ruled line extracting apparatus, a ruled line extracting program and a ruled line extracting method re-extract a ruled line by changing the predetermined requirements to be met by ruled line s when a ruled line candidate extracted according to the requirements shows a low reliability.

Abstract: A layout analysis program, a layout analysis apparatus, layout analysis method and a medium can highly accurately extract a text block from an image if the image is a color image.

Abstract: This method includes: extracting a feature vector for an input character from a reading result of the input character; calculating distances between the feature vector for the input character and vectors including average vectors stored in a system dictionary storing, for each character, the average vector and distribution information, and feature vectors stored in a user dictionary; extracting the top N character codes in an ascending order of the calculated distances; obtaining second distribution information for the character codes, which are included the user dictionary and in the top N character codes; calculating, for each of the top N character codes, a second distance with the feature vector for the input character, by using, for the character codes, which are included in the user dictionary and in the top N character codes, the second distribution information; and identifying a character code whose second distance is shortest.

Abstract: A document type identifying apparatus includes in advance a database storing therein keywords used as keys that identify document types in association with each document type. The document type identifying apparatus aligns word strings written on a document and generates partial keyword strings for each keyword by using the keywords stored in the database. The partial keyword strings are to be checked for matching with the word strings written on the document. Then, the document type identifying apparatus checks matching of the grouped and aligned word strings with the partial keyword strings and obtains, for each keyword, each number of matched words with the highest matching rates between the grouped word strings that are successfully matched and the partial keyword strings. Then, each number of matched words is used to calculate each evaluation value to determine the document type.

Abstract: A document layout analysis program capable of extracting an appropriate set of text blocks from a given document image even in the case where the document layout is so complicated that conventional extraction methods with a single extraction condition would not work well. A plurality of different extraction conditions are stored in an extraction condition memory for use in extracting text blocks from a given document image. In accordance with those extraction conditions, a text block extractor extracts a plurality of sets of text blocks from the document image. A text block consolidator produces a consolidated set of text blocks by performing character recognition on each extracted text block, evaluating validity of each text block based on a result of the character recognition, and selecting most valid text blocks from among the plurality of sets of text blocks.

Abstract: A dictionary creating apparatus registers probability distributions each including an average vector and a covariance matrix, in a dictionary. The dictionary creating apparatus organizes plural distribution profiles of character categories having similar feature vectors into one typical distribution profile, and registers the typical distribution profile and the character categories to be organized, associated with each other, in the dictionary, without registering eigenvalues and eigenvectors of all character categories, associated with each other, in the dictionary.

Abstract: A character recognition method and device including extracting a character pattern based on information of an input character image and information about a structure of a character category and comparing the extracted character pattern with the character category corresponding to the character pattern to calculate the similarity, where the character category is representative of a character to be output after recognition of the input character image. The method and device include outputting as a recognition result of the input character image the character category with a maximum similarity obtained by the calculation or information of characters which are candidates of the character category whose similarities have been calculated.

Abstract: A program causes a computer to function as a document recognition apparatus, having an extraction unit for extracting connected components of pixels from an input image, a generation unit for generating a reference element that is connected components of pixels extracted by the extraction unit and combined elements obtained by combining the reference element and connected components of pixels adjacent to the reference element as an element to be estimated, a calculation unit for calculating a degree of certainty that indicates how much the element to be estimated generated by the generation unit seems to be a character, and a determination unit for identifying elements that seem to be characters among the elements to be estimated based on the degree of certainty calculated by the calculation unit.

Abstract: A character recognition apparatus includes a division mechanism for dividing a diagram into a plurality of parts, a candidate character string acquisition mechanism for combining the plurality of parts of the diagram, and a character string selection mechanism for selecting one character string. The candidate character string acquisition mechanism includes at least one of first mechanism for duplicating a character line that touches adjacent characters and then including a duplicated character line as an element of a candidate character string, and second mechanism for including a candidate character string in which the touching character line between the adjacent characters has been removed, and a candidate character string in which the touching character line is contained, in the plurality of candidate character strings.

Abstract: An area extraction method including obtaining a character lattice showing a connection relation between unit areas, which are obtained by separating a character string pattern in an image into patterns each recognized as corresponding to a single character, judging whether or not all combinations of each of the unit areas in the obtained character lattice and each of the unit areas in a regular lattice defining a regular connection relation between the unit areas are likely to be established, generating a path coupling between nodes corresponding to the combination of the unit areas which is determined as likely to be established, determining an optimum path from the generated paths based on a degree of coincidence with the regular lattice or the character lattice, and extracting from an image the unit areas in the character lattice corresponding to the determined optimum path.

Abstract: A method for assisting in the creation of a logical structure model, which stores, from an image in which character strings associated respectively with a plurality of logical elements constituting a logical structure are described, the logical elements, character strings associated with the logical elements, and the logical structure, wherein character strings in an input image and the logical structure among the character strings in the input image are extracted, a logical element is selected among the plurality of logical elements according to the degrees of similarity between the extracted character strings and the character string associated respectively with the plurality of logical elements stored in the logical structure model, a character string associated with the selected logical element and a character string in the input image associated with the logical element based on the logical structure among the extracted character strings in the input image are extracted.

Abstract: A document recognizing apparatus includes a display control unit which displays a document data including a character string related to a character string selected by a user, and an area that includes at least a character string of the document data.

Abstract: The form data extracting apparatus, even input form does not have a logical structure stored in the generic logical structure DB, by using logical elements in the existing logical structure and a registered form obtained on the basis of (a) the logical structure, (b) pieces of position information of the logical elements, and (c) a relation between the logical elements. A logical element and a logical structure are extracted from the input form, and the extracted logical structure can be defined as a new registered form or a new logical structure.