Abstract: A method for distinguishing photocopied or laser-printed documents from original documents produced by offset printing, handwriting, or typewriting. A document is scanned at low-resolution and at high-resolution to produce a low-resolution and a high-resolution matrix representation of the presence or absence of ink or toner at discrete locations on the surface of the document. Printed regions detected at low-resolution are used to mask regions of the high-resolution matrix representation from the analysis. The remaining unmasked regions of the high-resolution matrix representation are analyzed to detect discrete microdots uniformly distributed within those regions. The presence of microdots on the surface of the document indicates that the document was produced as a photocopied or a laser-printed duplicate.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus including: an image acquiring element for acquiring a target image; an identification information recognizing element for recognizing identification information corresponding to a specific image pattern from the target image acquired by the image acquiring element; and an activating element for activating selectively from among a plurality of previously stored processes a specific process corresponding to the identification information recognized by the identification information recognizing element so as to start execution of the specific process.

Abstract: In a reduction process, data in portion buffers are selectively sampled at different sampling rates proportional to their assigned weights. For instance, portions assigned highest weights could be sampled at a reference rate corresponding to the repetition frequency of the originally received frames, portions assigned lowest weights could be sampled at {fraction (1/10)}th the reference rate, and portions assigned weights intermediate the lowest and highest ones could be sampled at rates less than the reference rate but more than {fraction (1/10)}th the reference rate. Accordingly, sampled portions assigned less than highest weights, but containing data representing objects in motion, could be subject to reproduction with less clarity than sampled portions assigned highest weight.

Abstract: An object is to enable designation of character frames and recognition of characters even where a document does not have any page mark or reference mark nor does a scanner have a function for detecting an edge of the document. Also, to enable identification processing of a bitmap image in an accerelated manner by comparing bitmap images on the basis of a circumscribed rectangle, which is formed solely from horizontal line segments that are recognizable at high-speed.

Abstract: In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a user-enclosed region extraction device allows users to store, in a digital format, only selected portions of a document image. The user can enclose any text or printed material within a user drawn mark. A connected component analyzer analyzes the document in a bitmap format which allows the device to detect potential user-enclosed regions regardless of the content of the document image. A bi-connected component module allows the user to enclose a region with a mark that can be of any shape. The user drawn enclosure can cross lines of text or graphics on the document paper. A detection analyses filter uses a number of heuristics to eliminate small characters and graphics that may resemble a user drawn mark. The user can save space on the computer storage medium by extracting the user-enclosed region from the document image using a extraction module.

Abstract: An image read by an image reader is rendered into binary data and then is stored in a document reading memory. In accordance with the color information provided to the document by a color marker which is stored in the document reading memory, a document image subjected to image processing is displayed on a color LCD. The user can check the color LCD before printing by a printer, such that photocopying by mistake and the like can be prevented.

Abstract: A system and method for accurately recognizing the font of text in an image generates a bitmap of the text character represented by a font in the image and compares that bitmap to the bitmaps of characters stored in a memory. Statistics are gathered on the best matching fonts over the characters in a quantity sufficient to ascertain the most commonly occurring font. The most commonly occurring font is then selected from all fonts in the memory to represent the original image.

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.

Abstract: A management information extraction apparatus learns the structure of ruled lines of a document and the position of user-specified management information such as a title, etc. during a form learning process, and stores them in a layout dictionary. During the operation, the structure of the ruled lines extracted from an image of an input document is matched with that of the document in the layout dictionary. Then, position information in the layout dictionary is referred to, and the management information is extracted from the input document.

Abstract: A method for generating a mask for a desired portion within a digital image including selecting a region containing a boundary of the desired portion, the region being at least partially bounded by an inner outline and an outer outline, the inner outline lying inside of or on the boundary and the outer outline lying outside of or on the boundary, detecting edges which lie within the region using an automated edge detector, and generating a mask based on the region and the edges. A system for carrying out the method is also described and claimed.

Abstract: An automatic text inputting method and a system inputs text from multiple pages such as in a book by automatically turning pages, optically converting text image on each page into character data and determining an end of a specified unit of text. For example, the specified unit of text includes an article in a magazine and a chapter in a book. Additionally, in a selected group of text, a representative word is also automatically selected.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of profile guided printing of a paper document facilitates back channel interaction from a reader for contemporaneous upgrading of the profile in response to document content. The document is printed to include tokens representative of the reader and its content. While being read, the document is redacted by the subscriber in a predetermined manner representing desired changes in the document, or responses to publisher inquiries. The document can be scanned in a smart recycling bin to identify the reader and the desired changes. The reader profile is adjusted by the publisher into an upgraded reader profile upon identification of the reader redactions. Alternatively, a smart wand is used to detect the document and contents and is controlled by the user to indicate changes to the contents. The wand can store the user's and document's identification, and the desired changes and can be downloaded for updating the profile.

Abstract: Image data representing a text-containing original image read by a scanner or the like is subjected to area partitioning processing and character recognition processing so as to be converted to icons and displayed (S11-S15). The icons include icons representing text and bitmap images, etc. When any icon is designated by a mouse (S17), image data that has undergone the area partitioning processing and character recognition processing and that corresponds to this icon is displayed (S21-S22).

Abstract: It is an object of the invention to correctly recognize a delimiter of character trains included in image information. Namely, an object of the invention is to correctly recognize and extract not only an image divided every column by lateral rules but also an image which is not divided every column by lateral rules on a column unit basis. For this purpose, according to the invention, attributes regarding whether a table image extracted from the image information is a table without lateral rule or not are discriminated in accordance with characteristics of line images which are extracted from the image information. In accordance with the attributes, whether line delimiter information is added every line image extracted or not is determined, so that the character trains included in the table image which is not divided every unit column by the lateral rules can be divided every column and recognized.

Abstract: An image processor which receives an image and assigns position of an arbitrary pixel in the image. An image block is extracted from the received image, and start and end positions of a designated area of the received image are acquired. A designated image block in the extracted image block is designated for processing in accordance with the start and end positions of the designated area of the received image.

Abstract: A family register document is divided into a plurality of regions, and the type of family register document is identified on the basis of the features of the divided regions. The division result is checked on the basis of stored format information of the family register document corresponding to the identified type. In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, after a family register document is divided into a plurality of regions, characters present in the divided regions are recognized. The recognition result is compared with stored character information, and the type of family register document is identified based on a result of this comparison. According to another embodiment of the invention, ruled lines included in a family register document are extracted, and the type of family register document is identified based on features of the extracted ruled lines. The extraction result is checked based on format information of the family register document corresponding to the identified type.

Abstract: Additive information for restoring the contour of image is generated and embedded in the image data. The format of the additive information is determined beforehand. When a hard copy is produced, the additive information is extracted from received image data. The additive information is for example very small characteristic points of a density different from the density assigned for image data and arranged inside the contour. The image data are restored according to the extracted additive information. The additive information can be generated for example from the code information for generating patterns such as control points data of outline font. For a half-tone image, a plurality of density bands are assigned to the additive information. A read error is detected by comparing the restored image with the received image data.

Abstract: A printer converts print data in page description language into coded band data as a set of objects such as run-length data, trapezoid data and the like, in band units. Processing time to generate raster data from the coded band data is predicted, and the predicted time is used for determining whether or not the raster-data generation takes time longer than time for transmitting data to a printer engine. If it is determined that the raster-data generation time is longer than the data transmission time, raster data is generated from coded band data, and compressed and stored as preparation for printing. At this time, preparatory compression is performed to predict time for expanding the compressed data, for determining whether or not time for expansion is longer than data transmission time. If the expansion time is longer than the data trasnmission time, a coding method is changed, and the preparatory compression is performed again.

Abstract: A method for block selection on a image of a table, the table including rows and columns defined by visible and non-visible grid lines and containing table cells, includes identifying super-cells that include one or more table cells, wherein super-cells are identified according to traced white areas surrounding table cells and bounded by visible grid lines, determining whether vertical and horizontal grid lines bounding each table cell are visible or non-visible, and determining whether vertical and horizontal grid lines bounding each super-cell are visible or non-visible.

Abstract: A ruled line deleting method which accurately deletes a ruled line existing adjacent to a border of an area for filling characters in an image obtained from a ruled form without increasing a probability of occurrence of an erroneous deletion of a character. A scanning area is defined on the image of the ruled form based on each border of the character area. Black runs are extracted from the scanning area, each of the black runs having a length greater than a predetermined length. The black pixels corresponding to the extracted black runs are changed to white pixels in the image of the ruled form.

Abstract: Document image data entered from a scanner are separated into a plurality of areas by an area separation unit. Attributes are assigned to respective ones of the plurality of partial areas obtained in the area separation unit. For instance, a character area in the main body of text and a character area in a table are examples of area attributes. Each of these attributes is assigned a degree of priority in advance. A character recognition/orientation discrimination unit detects character orientation in each of the plurality of partial areas and discriminates document orientation. The orientation of the document image data is determined based upon the document orientation of each partial area discriminated by the character recognition/orientation discrimination unit and the degree of priority of the attribute assigned to each partial area.

Abstract: A first feature parameter calculating circuit outputs, as a variable of a first feature parameter, a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of signal levels of pixels calculated in a local block having a target pixel at a center. A second feature parameter calculating circuit determines sums of differences in signal level in the local block, along a direction in which the pixels are arranged, and outputs, as a variable of a second feature parameter, a minimum value of the sums. A third feature parameter calculating circuit binarizes the pixels in the local block, and counts the number of succeedingly arranged pixels having equal density, for example, along a main scanning direction, and calculates a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of the numbers counted. In the same manner, a difference is also calculated along a sub scanning direction, and larger of two differences is outputted as a variable of a third feature parameter.

Abstract: An attaching unit attaches an additional-information packet to a collection of main information, wherein the additional-information packet comprises sensory information corresponding to sensory impressions of a human being that has processed the collection of main information, the sensory impressions being with respect to circumstances under which the collection of main information has been processed.

Abstract: A method for designating an object image to be extracted is simplified. Positions of contour designation points are designated by employing an operation input apparatus so that a contour region of an initial region containing a desirable subjective object image is designated. A central processing circuit firstly subdivides the basic image into a plurality of division regions which are like in color, in units of pixel groups. Subsequently, the central processing circuit calculates distances between pixels within the division region and pixels within the contour region, and also calculates positions of pixels with respect to the initial region, and then determines factor values for the respective pixels on the basis of distance values indicative of the distance and the position.

Abstract: An improved system and method is provided for automatically tracking check transactions and generating an expenditure statement thereof using printed bank checks having a plurality of graphic icons disposed thereon. The customer marks the icon which describes the particular expense for which the check payment is being made. The payor bank or a check processing center scans each check to determine which icon(s) have been marked for each particular check transaction. Recorded expenditures are then automatically recorded in a cumulative transaction record. Periodically, this information is organized into a detailed expenditure statement that can be provided to the bank customer.

Abstract: In marker edition mode, characters such as a character line is read in a closed area on a document marked with a marker. Then, the image data is analyzed to decide image processing means for marker edition such as coloring. A rectangular area including the image is recognized as image processing area. Even if the image is included partially in the closed area marked with a marker, a rectangular area including the image wholly can be specified as image processing area.

Abstract: It is an object to provide an image processing apparatus which can obtain an image reproduction that accurately corresponds to an original color when an ordinary color original is read and which can obtain an accurate marker edition result when a marker original is read. When a color scanning mode to read the color image is selected, an original ground removal by a prescan is not performed. When a marker edition scanning mode to read the marker original is selected, the original ground removal is executed. Thus, a color reproduction which accurately corresponds to the original is executed in the color scanning mode. In the marker edition scanning mode, the color recognition of the marker color is accurately performed without being influenced by the ground color.

Abstract: A method and device for securely duplicating sensitive documents. A marking element is entered on the original document to identify its confidential nature, as well as an encoded rules elements which defines duplication restrictions of the document. For each duplication request (101) for a sensitive document (102), the document is digitized (103) to determine the presence of a marking element (104) and to find the duplication restrictions, i.e., the encoded rules elements (106). Duplication may be performed (110) depending on the restrictions defined in the rules elements (106) and after an authorization check (108). A duplication may be obtained by requesting the computerized original of the document from the document issuer. In addition to the selective control of reproduction of documents the method and device is particularly suitable for preventing the duplication of documents for fraudulent purposes, multiple duplication of selected documents, and for copyright administration.

Abstract: Described is an image processing system which is operative to automatically determine a quadrilateral object such as a character frame, page mark, or position correction mark only with a mouse click. A field is automatically specified by displaying a scanned image of a form including a black frame on a display, clicking within a character frame at the left end for each recognition field, and clicking within a character frame at the right end of the same field. In this case, a field position/size determination program scans the image in the vertical and horizontal directions from the two clicked points to detect the inner wall of the black frame, and produces a histogram by establishing rectangles between two character frames to automatically detect the number of character frames in the field and the thickness of the black line between the character frames.

Abstract: Additive information for restoring the contour of image is generated and embedded in the image data. The format of the additive information is determined beforehand. When a hard copy is produced, the additive information is extracted from received image data. The additive information is for example very small characteristic points of a density different from the density assigned for image data and arranged inside the contour. The image data are restored according to the extracted additive information. The additive information can be generated for example from the code information for generating patterns such as control points data of outline font. For a half-tone image, a plurality of density bands are assigned to the additive information. A read error is detected by comparing the restored image with the received image data.

Abstract: A processor based method for recognizing, capturing and storing tabular data receives digital-computer data representing a document either as a pixel-format document-image, or as formatted text. Within the digital computer, either form of the digital-computer data is processed to locate tabular data present therein. After a table has been located, tabular data is extracted from cells present in either form of the digital-computer data. The extracted tabular data is stored into a database present on the digital computer.

Abstract: An improved system and method is provided for automatically tracking check transactions and generating an expenditure statement thereof using printed bank checks having a plurality of graphic icons disposed thereon. The customer marks the icon which describes the particular expense for which the check payment is being made. The payor bank or a check processing center scans each check to determine which icon(s) have been marked for each particular check transaction. Recorded expenditures are then automatically recorded in a cumulative transaction record. Periodically, this information is organized into a detailed expenditure statement that can be provided to the bank customer.

Abstract: The invention relates to an image sequence coding method in which images are segmented and coded with respect to their contours and textures. The texture coding step is carried out by means of a new technique relying on a wavelet decomposition of the images, called quincunx bidimensional wavelet transform and adapted to a region-based coding scheme, for applications allowing to reach very low bit rates while keeping a good image quality.

Abstract: An efficient system and method for reliably identifying guidelines, ruled lines, and the like, in images of text, and distinguishing those portions of such lines which touch or intersect character strokes in the image. The system provides for removal of guideline segments between character strokes without deleting character strokes. The system operates effectively on both machine printed and hand formed text. An image of text has most characters separated for more effective subsequent OCR processing, despite the presence of guidelines connecting the characters.

Abstract: A character data input method for an information processing system. Image information on a form which has only a format and on which no data is recorded is read from an input unit for inputting image information. A plurality of input areas in which data is recorded is prescribed by utilizing this image information. Image information on the same form on which data is recorded is thereafter read from the input unit. The format and data are discriminated from image information on the form on which data is recorded based on the recognized character pattern and border pattern of the format and the information prescribing the data input areas to recognize a character pattern in each data input area.

Abstract: A document to be processed is scanned into a machine readable image. The image is segmented into a plurality of fields. Predetermined characteristics are measured for each field and the set of characteristics is correlated with a predetermined set of characteristics derived from a reference image. The fields with the highest degree of correlation to the characteristics from the reference document are selected for further processing, e.g., optical character recognition.

Abstract: An attaching unit attaches an additional-information packet to a collection of main information, wherein the additional-information packet comprises sensory information corresponding to sensory impressions of a human being that has processed the collection of main information, the sensory impressions being with respect to circumstances under which the collection of main information has been processed.

Abstract: The present invention is a system for providing information on the structure of a document page so as to complement the textual information provided in an optical character recognition system. The system employs a method that can be used to produce a file editable in a native word-processing environment from input data including the content and characteristics of regions of at least one page forming the document. The method includes the steps of: (a) identifying sections within the page; (b) identifying captions; (c) determining boundaries of at least one column on the page, and optionally (d) resizing at least one element of the page of the document so that all pages of the document are of a common size.

Abstract: An information processing methodology gives rise to an application program interface which includes an automated digitizing unit, such as a scanner, which inputs information from a diversity of hard copy documents and stores information from the hard copy documents into a memory as stored document information. Portions of the stored document information are selected in accordance with content instructions which designate portions of the stored document information required by a particular application program. The selected stored document information is then placed into the transmission format required by a particular application program in accordance with transmission format instructions. After the information has been transmission formatted, the information is transmitted to the application program. In one operational mode, the interface interactively prompts the user to identify, on a display, portions of the hard copy documents containing information used in application programs or for storage.

Abstract: A system for logically segmenting document elements from a document includes an input port for inputting a signal representing the document image, a computer having a document structural model, a document white region extraction system that extracts major white regions separating document elements in the input document image, and a string translation device that generates matching one-dimensional data string that corresponds to the extracted major white regions in a document image, a comparison device that selects the optimum path through a finite state machine representing acceptable column layouts for the source document, and a columnar layout identification device that identifies the column layout defined by the optimum path. Then, the identified column of document elements may be processed to logically tag or extract document elements.

Abstract: An electronic filing apparatus includes a reading unit which reads an image of a document, a storage unit which stores the read image, a display unit which displays the stored image, and a printing unit which prints the displayed image on a recording sheet. The apparatus further includes a line setting unit which sets a partition line within the displayed image in accordance with input data when the displayed image is greater in size than the recording sheet, a generating unit which generates split images by splitting the displayed image in accordance with the partition line to make each of the split images smaller in size than the recording sheet, and a print control unit which controls the printing unit to print each of the generated split images on the recording sheet.

Abstract: A forms creation and processing system which identifies and locates the active areas of a form using forms landmarks. The present invention eliminates the need to place predefined registration marks onto a machine readable form. The active areas of a form are those which may contain a user created mark, such as a checkbox or a signature box. A form is preanalyzed at the same time that the active areas are being described. The aim of the preanalysis is to find a set of graphic shapes, i.e. landmarks, that can be found on the form independent of their location or orientation in the image. Examples of such landmarks include paragraphs of text, heavy black lines and gray scale areas. The analysis looks at the geometric distribution and regularities of the connected components to choose a set of landmarks. The landmarks and active areas on the form are stored in a forms control file.

Abstract: An improved system and method is provided for automatically tracking check transactions and generating an expenditure statement thereof using printed bank checks having a plurality of graphic icons disposed thereon. The customer marks the icon which describes the particular expense for which the check payment is being made. The payor bank or a check processing center scans each check to determine which icon(s) have been marked for each particular check transaction. Recorded expenditures are then automatically recorded in a cumulative transaction record. Periodically, this information is organized into a detailed expenditure statement that can be provided to the bank customer.

Abstract: A processor based method for recognizing, capturing and storing tabular data receives digital-computer data representing a document either as a pixel-format document-image, or as formatted text. Within the digital computer, either form of the digital-computer data is processed to locate tabular data present therein. After a table has been located, tabular data is extracted from cells present in either form of the digital-computer data. The extracted tabular data is stored into a database present on the digital computer.

Abstract: A method for retrieving user-supplied information from a scanned version of a completed document is described. The method includes the steps of obtaining a first image of the document having information printed thereon in its blank format before other information has been added to it by the user. A second image of the document is obtained after information has been added to it by the user. The two images are aligned, and for each pixel in the first image which corresponds to information on the document, those pixels are deleted from the second image to create an image which corresponds to subtraction of the first image from the second image. Finally, a step is performed to electronically restore the information added by the user which was deleted during the subtraction operation.

Abstract: A novel method for scanning multiple images in a single scanning process is disclosed. The process utilizes at least a frame holder, which contains a front frame section and a back frame section that are glued together at their top edges and are separable at least at their bottom to allow a sheet of scanning material to be placed therebetween. Each of the front and back frame sections contains a cluster of matching orientation holes on their right and left sides with a predetermined pattern to allow a computer program to achieve scan area recognition and orientation. During the scanning process, the at least one frame holder containing the image is scanned, wherein the sides of the frame holder are detected as black signals and the orientation holes are detected as white signals. Then a computer program is used to perform a previewing recognition process by detecting and carving out a scanning area corresponding to each frame holder based on the black signals and the white signals of the frame holder.

Abstract: A communication system is composed of an OCR-FAX apparatus for reading contents of an order written in an optical character recognition (OCR) document sheet and performing an optical character recognition for the contents and an OCR center apparatus for receiving pieces of character recognized data obtained in the OCR-FAX apparatus and transmitting pieces of format information of the OCR document sheet to the OCR-FAX apparatus. A basic program of an OCR recognition program is stored in advance in a ROM region of an IC card. A subordinate program of the OCR recognition program and a piece of OCR document sheet identifying information are temporarily stored in a SRAM region of the IC card and are transferred to an EEPROM region of the IC card. The format information are temporarily stored in the SRAM region and are transferred to a format information storing unit.

Abstract: The present invention provides an improved method for targeting in a computer system. A block of data is identified by analyzing strokes of writing to determine if a current stroke is to be associated with an existing block of data or with a new block of data. Displacement in the X direction and Y direction between a prior stroke and a current stroke is generated and analyzed to determine if a new block of data has been created. After a block of data has been identified, the bounds of the smallest rectangle that contains all of the strokes in the block are determined. The area overlap between the bounded rectangle and every object or field touched by the rectangle is calculated. If a preselected threshold percentage of the bounded rectangle overlaps a single field or object, that field or object is identified as the target.

Abstract: An apparatus and method is provided for detecting and sorting a document containing an address change request from a group of documents. The apparatus includes a document transport for conveying the document along a selected path of movement. An image scanner positioned along the selected path is provided for reading an image of the document or of a selected area on the document. The image scanner provides density levels corresponding to discrete areas on the document. An image processor determines a set of density levels corresponding to a test line passing through the selected area on the document. Density level transitions are detected along the selected line when two adjacent areas on the document have substantially different density levels. If a sufficient number of density level transitions are detected along the selected line, the document is sorted from the group of documents.

Abstract: A catalogue card and a document card are used for a file system. The document card indicates a predetermined document. The catalogue card indicates a catalogue of the document. Since the catalogue of the document is input to the file system via the catalogue card instead of a keyboard, a user who is not used to operating a keyboard can easily input the catalogue and manage the document.