Abstract: According to one embodiment, a reading system includes a processing device. The processing device includes an extractor, a line thinner, a setter, and an identifier. The extractor extracts a partial image from an input image. A character of a segment display is imaged in the partial image. The segment display includes a plurality of segments. The line thinner thins a cluster of pixels representing a character in the partial image. The setter sets, in the partial image, a plurality of determination regions corresponding respectively to the plurality of segments. The identifier detects a number of pixels included in the thinned cluster for each of the plurality of determination regions, and identifies the character based on a detection result.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for identifying asides within a document, and detecting a display order of contents based of the identified asides. In a document, an “aside” represents a content region of the document that is distinct from the main content regions, and may be visually distinguishable from the main content region. In an example, a document is received, where the document lacks identification of asides. The document is analyzed to identify asides within the document. A display order of contents within the document is then determined, based on the identified asides. For example, in the display order, the asides are ordered between two segments of the main content and/or at a beginning or an end of the main content, but may not be ordered to be embedded in between a segment of the main content. The document is displayed in accordance with the display order.

Abstract: A method can include receiving a string of characters. The method can include determining one or more possible word boundaries for words in the string of characters based at least partially on a segmentation process. The method can also include determining, for each character in the string of characters, an amount of time between entry of each character on an input device. The method can include determining, based at least partially on the amount of time and the one or more possible word boundaries, one or more actual word boundaries for the words in the string of characters. The method can also include outputting one or more determined words in the string of characters based at least partially on the one or more actual word boundaries.

Abstract: Described herein is a computer implemented method. The method includes including accessing data describing a set of original elements, wherein each original element has an original bounding box, processing the set of original elements to identify a set of pre-existing element overlaps, accessing data describing a set of updated elements; and identifying a first undesirable collision. Identifying the first undesirable collision includes determining that a first current element overlap exists and determining that the first current element overlap is an introduced overlap. Determining that the first current element overlap is an introduced overlap includes determining that there is no pre-existing overlap in respect of a first original element that corresponds to the first updated element overlapping a second original element that corresponds to the second updated element.

Abstract: Embodiments are disclosed for automatic enhancement of paragraph justification. A method includes receiving a selection of at least one paragraph, determining a plurality of penalty values for at least one typographic feature by varying a typographic feature value, the penalty values indicating a deviation from an optimal layout of the at least one paragraph, determining at least one optimal penalty value for the at least one typographic feature, the at least one optimal penalty value corresponding to at least one optimal typographic feature value of the at least one typographic feature, determining a priority for each of the at least one typographic feature based on a plurality of justification rules and the at least one optimal penalty value, and updating the at least one typographic feature of the at least one paragraph based on the priority and the at least one optimal typographic feature value.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes circuitry to determine a type of a document based on a determination result of a character area and a non-character area in an input image of the document; select a model to be used in top-bottom determination from a plurality of models based on the type of the document; reduce the input image, to generate a reduced image; and cut out a part of the input image as a partial image. The circuitry outputs a top-bottom determination result of the input image using the selected model and one of the reduced image and the partial image corresponding to the model.

Abstract: Disclosed are a reading support apparatus which can detect a user input (touch and/or drag) conducted on a real book by using one camera, and a user input detection method using the same. The reading support apparatus sets a finger and/or nail on a target surface image captured through one camera to touch recognition reference, detects, as a user input, a user's touch or drag conducted on the surface of the real book by comparing the finger and/or nail included in the target surface image to the touch recognition reference, and provides an action corresponding to the user input.

Abstract: An image processing system accesses an image of a completed form document. The image of the form document includes one or more features, such as form text, at particular locations within the image. The image processing system accesses a template of the form document and computes a rotation and zoom of the image of the form document relative to the template of the form document based on the locations of the features within the image of the form document relative to the locations of the corresponding features within the template of the form document. The image processing system performs a rotation operation and a zoom operation on the image of the form document, and extracts data entered into fields of the modified image of the form document. The extracted data can be then accessed or stored for subsequent use.

Abstract: Where the recognition of small characters (e.g., text, numbers or symbols) expressed in substantially large images is desired, the recognition process may be facilitated by identifying a signature or a pattern of marked identifiers (e.g., bar codes) within the image, and determining where such characters are typically located in relation to the signature or pattern of identifiers. Because the recognition of characters within images typically occupies a substantial amount of a computer's processing capacity, focusing a recognition technique on portions where such characters are frequently located within an image that includes the signature or pattern, and not on the entire image, the time required in order to process an image in order to recognize such characters may be markedly reduced.

Abstract: A method for creating a binary mask image from an inputted digital image of a scanned document, including 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 method for comparing in a binary image a first pixel blob with a second pixel blob to determine whether they represent matching symbols, including 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: Provided is a method of detecting important information from a moving picture. The method includes: detecting first candidate areas that are presumed to include important information in a plurality of moving picture frames by using stop edge information, which is edge information overlapped at a same position throughout the plurality of moving picture frames, from among edge information in at least two received moving picture frames; determining second candidate areas by performing grouping on the stop edge information according to a position of the stop edge information in the first candidate areas; analyzing the second candidate areas determined in the at least two moving picture frames; and detecting important information areas from each of the at least two moving picture frames based on the analysis.

Abstract: Systems and methods may include utilizing a structured light pattern that may be, among other things, decoded in the three directions (e.g., vertical, horizontal, and diagonal). In one example, the method may include detecting a first feature of a target image in a return image, designating a feature type of the first feature, and an index with the letter, wherein the index is associated with the pattern slide. The method may also include calculating a horizontal position in the pattern slide of the first feature, calculating a vertical position in the pattern slide of the first feature, and calculating a depth of the first feature.

Abstract: A method embodiment herein begins by capturing a source image. The source image is segmented into first planes. The first planes can each comprise a mask plane and foreground plane combination. The binary images in the first planes are structurally analyzed to identify different regions of text, tables, handwriting, line art, equations, etc., using a document model that has information of size, shape, and spatial arrangement of possible regions. Then, the method extracts (crops out) these regions from the foreground plane to create second mask/foreground plane pairs. Thus, the method creates “second” planes from the first planes, so that a separate second plane is created for each of the regions. Next, tags are associated with each of the second planes (to create tagged mask/foreground plane pairs) and the second planes and associated tags are combined into a mixed raster content (MRC) document.

Abstract: Conversion of text-based images to vector graphics (VG) is disclosed. The text-based images may include images of equations, custom typefaces, or other types of text that may not be included in a font selection of an optical character recognition (OCR) device or an application stored on a viewing device. A textual image may be converted from a raster graphics (RG) image to a VG image, which may enable resizing and alignment of the VG image with body text. In some aspects, the server may determine a body size of a reference character in the VG image. The server may determine a baseline of the VG image that may be used to align the image with the body text.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for processing one or more images, e.g., images representing pages including text, to detect and in some instances correct the orientation of the page. In some embodiments the methods and apparatus for processing image data comprise generating a histogram of foreground pixel counts corresponding to a current line of text of the image being processed with the foreground pixel counts corresponding to different rows of pixels corresponding to the current line of text and identifying based on statistical analysis of the generated histogram whether the current page of text is oriented in an inverted or non-inverted position. In some embodiments analysis is performed on multiple lines of text with cumulative statistics being used in to determine the orientation of the page. In some embodiments, a page whose orientation is determined to be upside down is re-oriented to be right-side up.

Abstract: A computer implemented system and method for composing a formatted text input to improve legibility, readability and/or print economy while preserving the format of the text input and satisfying any user selected aesthetic constraints. An information measure (IM) is assigned to each character in a language unit. Multiple different IMs are assigned to each character and combined to form a combined IM (CIM) for each character indicating the predictability of that character to differentiate the language unit from other language units. The process is repeated for at least a plurality of language units and typically until all the text input has been analyzed and information measures assigned to all of the characters.

Abstract: A device includes a character-data rotating section that rotates a regular-position character by a predetermined angle with respect to a reference point that is the center point of the background area of the regular-position character by using regular-position character data having a rotation angle of 0° and a center-point matching processing section that horizontally and/or vertically enlarges the background area of the rotated character data to cause the center point of the rotated character and the center point of BMP data to match each other even with respect to rotated character data. Thus, when multiple pieces of character data are arranged so that the center points thereof lie on a reference line, not only are the center points of the characters aligned along the reference line, but also bottom portions of the characters aligned with respect to the reference line.

Abstract: A communication terminal includes a transceiver and a controller. The transceiver receives electronic messages from another communication terminal. The controller responds to receipt of each of the messages by examining content of the message according to at least one defined rule and to control sound characteristics of an alert tune that is played through a speaker responsive to the examined message content. The controller may attempt to match text from the message to a stored list of words and/or phrases, and to control the sound characteristics of the alert tune in response to an outcome of the matching.

Abstract: A set of ordered characters is received in association with information specifying the locations of the characters within the image of the document. Language-conditional character probabilities for each character are determined based on a set of language models and the ordering of the characters. Neighbor characters associated with a target character are identified based on the locations of the characters. Language-conditional character probabilities associated with the neighbor characters and language-conditional character probabilities associated with the target character are combined to generate a local language-conditional likelihood associated with the target character, the local language-conditional likelihood representing a concordance of the target character to a language model.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, the image processing apparatus includes a printing control unit, an image reading unit, an extracting unit, a difference image extracting unit, and a determination unit. The printing control unit controls printing of a plurality of pages on one sheet of paper according to a print setting information which indicates a printing form, and printing of a code indicating the print setting information on the paper. The image reading unit read the paper. The extracting unit extracts the code from the read image. The difference image extracting unit extracts a difference image between the printed image and the read image.

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: An image processing apparatus includes an acquiring unit, a specifying unit, a search unit and a difference extracting unit. The acquiring unit acquires a first image and a second image. The specifying unit specifies one or more image areas included in the first image. The search unit searches the second image for an image area corresponding to each of the one or more image areas specified by the specifying unit. The difference extracting unit extracts a difference between the corresponding image area obtained by the search unit and each of the one or more image areas specified by the specifying unit.

Abstract: The present invention discloses methods of archiving and optimizing lectures, presentations and other captured video for playback, particularly for blind and low vision individuals. A digital imaging device captures a preselected field of view that is subject to periodic change such as a whiteboard in a classroom. A sequence of frames is captured. Frames associated with additions or erasures to the whiteboard are identified. The Cartesian coordinates of the regions of these alterations within the frame are identified. When the presentation is played back, the regions that are altered are enlarged or masked to assist the low vision user. In another embodiment of the invention, the timing of the alterations segments the recorded audio into chapters so that the blind user can skip forward and backward to different sections of the presentation.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for extracting information from digital documents, including physical documents that have been converted to digital documents. For example, some embodiments are configured to extract information from a field in a digital document by identifying a block of tokens before (i.e., a prior block) and a block of tokens after (i.e., a post block) the field from which the information is to be extracted, where both the prior block and post block are known to be associated with the field type of the field (e.g., name, address, phone number, etc.).

Abstract: A system for processing a visual capture operation as described. The system receives an indication of a visual capture operation performed from a rendered document. The indication specifies both a text sequence capture As part of the capture operation and a supplemental marking captured as part of the capture operation. The system determines an action to perform in response to receiving the indication, based both upon the text sequence specified in the indication and the supplemental markings specified by the indication.

Abstract: A system for duplicate text recognition includes a first means for dividing an electronic text into a plurality of phrase segments; a second means for converting each of the phrase segments into a unique and fixed-length bit string; a third means for storing a plurality of groups of the bit strings, each group of bit strings (string group) including a plurality of bit strings respectively corresponding to the phrase segments in a particular electronic text; and a fourth means for determining whether a predefined similarity between any two string groups in the third means reaches a first threshold, and for determining the two electronic texts corresponding to the two string groups are duplicate texts if the predefined similarity between the two string groups reaches the first threshold.

Abstract: To shift an image in order to prevent the image from overlapping with a finishing position, the amount of shift for preventing the overlap may be increased and a desired result of layout may not be obtained. In addition, if the image is not shifted in order to obtain the desired result of layout, the image may overlap with the finishing position and toner or the like may come off. When it is determined that a position where the finishing process is to be executed overlaps with a content data placement area, an avoidance area where printing is not performed is placed at a position in which the position where the finishing process is to be executed overlaps with the content data placement area without changing the position and size of the content data placement area.

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: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, are described for rendering a mosaic from digital images using information about location and orientation of an image capturing device, and further about optics settings for the image capturing device when the digital images were captured. In one aspect, methods include generating respective virtual image sheets for frames captured from different camera locations and different camera orientations. Generating the virtual image sheets includes projecting texture maps of the captured frames over wire frames corresponding to optics settings of the camera. The methods further include positioning the generated virtual image sheets at locations and orientations within a viewing space that correspond to the different camera locations and the different orientations. The methods also include rendering the positioned virtual image sheets into a mosaic viewed from a reference point of the viewing space.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for presenting image data to include a graphic element. In one embodiment a method includes acquiring image data from a display buffer of a device, analyzing the image data to identify active and passive regions of the image data and ranking passive regions to determine a confidence measure for each passive region. The method may further include modifying the image data for display on the device to include a graphic element, wherein the graphic element is presented in a passive region based on the ranking.

Abstract: An apparatus, method, and system for processing character data is provided, which selects a format of the character data to be used for generating print data. When a user instruction for printing character data according to character command data specifying the output of the character data is received, the format of the character data is selected based on the character command data.

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 system and method, which enable precise and automatic identification of characters, perform and calibrate data verification to ensure data reliability. The system can process these identified characters, such as override adverse conditions, adjusting and correcting unclear characters and their images.

Abstract: A computer implemented system, plug-in application and method for composing a formatted text input to improve legibility, readability and/or print economy while preserving the format of the text input and satisfying any user selected aesthetic constraints. This is accomplished by reading in blocks of text input having defined characters including letters and punctuation in a given input format. A language unit such as a lexical or sub-lexical unit, a subset of punctuation or another defined unit for a particular language is examined and an information measure (IM) is assigned to each character in the language unit indicating the predictability of that character to differentiate the language unit from other language units. Typically, multiple different IMs are assigned to each character and combined to form a combined IM (CIM).

Abstract: A system and a method are disclosed for generating video. Object information is received. A path of motion of the object relative to a reference point is generated. A series of images and ground for a reference frame are generated from the ground truth and the generated path. A system and a method are disclosed for generating an image. Object information is received. Image data and ground truth may be generated using position, the image description, the camera characteristics, and image distortion parameters. A positional relationship between the document and a reference point is determined. An image of the document and ground truth are generated from the object information and the positional relationship and in response to user specified environment of the document.

Abstract: A method for entering secure data at an input device includes displaying a graphical input region having input elements, such as a number keypad, and receiving selections of the input elements via a display selection device, such as a mouse or touch screen. An attribute of the displayed graphical input region is changed so that inputs by the display selection device change for the same data input. Examples include changing the position, size and/or layout of the input elements and/or graphical input region. The graphical input elements may instead be provided with two characters so that typing one character results in input of the corresponding character, and then changing the association of the characters on the displayed input elements.

Abstract: The present invention relates to systems and methods for identifying captions associated with images in media material. A captioner includes a selector module and a caption identifier module. The selector module identifies text-blocks potentially associated with images in the media material. The caption identifier module identifies which text-blocks are captions associated with images in the media material, based on the textual and proximity features of the text-block and the images. The captioner may also include a caption feedback module to modify the determining of the caption identifier module.

Abstract: A system and method for character recognition with document orientation determination is shown. The method is a detection of simple page orientation based on a limited version of character recognition. The method includes binairizing an input image which has a plurality of alphanumeric characters with a first orientation. The method continues with extracting the connected components and determining a second orientation where the second orientation is based on a 90° turn clockwise or counterclockwise or, in the alternative, no turn from the first orientation. The second orientation will result in a 180° variance from the proper orientation or it will be the proper orientation. The method continues with implementing a limited version of optical character recognition for an analysis of a character and determining if that second orientation is upside down, based at least in part on the analysis. This method generally uses the character “i” for analysis.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: an imaging information calculation unit acquiring a first image and higher-resolution second images, and calculating coordinate positions of the second images to the first image and differences in imaging direction between second cameras and a first camera; an eyepoint conversion unit generating eyepoint conversion images obtained by converting the second images based on the differences in imaging direction so that eyepoints of the second cameras coincide with an eyepoint of the first camera and matching the first image with the eyepoint conversion images to calculate phase deviations of the eyepoint conversion images from the first image; and an image synthesizing unit extracting high-frequency images, having frequency components higher than or equal to a predetermined frequency band, from the second images, and pasting the high-frequency images at the coordinate positions in correspondence with the first image to eliminate the phase deviations to generate a synthesize

Abstract: An image deskew system and techniques are used in the context of optical character recognition. An image is obtained of an original set of characters in an original linear (horizontal) orientation. An acquired set of characters, which is skewed relative to the original linear orientation by a rotation angle, is represented by pixels of the image. The rotation angle is estimated, and a confidence value may be associated with the estimation, to determine whether to deskew the image. In connection with rotation angle estimation, an edge detection filter is applied to the acquired set of characters to produce an edge map, which is input to a linear hough transform filter to produce a set of output lines in parametric form. The output lines are assigned scores, and based on the scores, at least one output line is determined to be a dominant line with a slope approximating the rotation angle.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus that can be connected to an image-forming apparatus, a method, and a program used for the information processing apparatus are disclosed. The information processing apparatus comprises a control unit for controlling print-setting information set for document data to be printed, a recognition unit for recognizing information about a first function specified by the print-setting information by translating the print-setting information controlled by the control unit, an obtaining unit for obtaining information about a second function of the image-forming apparatus connected to the information processing apparatus, a determination unit for determining whether or not the image-forming apparatus can perform the first function recognized by the recognition unit based on the second-function information obtained by the obtaining unit, and a modification unit for modifying the print-setting information controlled by the control unit based on the determination result.

Abstract: A number of regions and partitions may be created based on input handwritten atoms and a grammar parsing framework. Productions for tabular structures may be added to the grammar parsing framework to produce an extended grammar parsing framework. Each of the regions may be searched for a tabular structure. Upon finding a tabular structure, a type of tabular structure may be determined. Configuration partitions may be created, based on the added productions, and added to the created partitions. A set of configuration regions may be created based on the configuration partitions and added to the created regions. The productions for tabular structures and productions of the grammar parsing framework may be applied, as rewriting rules, to the atoms to produce possible recognition results. A best recognition result may be determined and displayed. A mechanism for correcting misrecognition errors, which may occur while recognizing tabular structures, may be provided.

Abstract: A method and system generates fine-grained fingerprints for identifying content in a rendered document. It includes applying image-based techniques to identify patterns in a document rendered by an electronic document rendering system, irrespective of a file format in which the rendered document was electronically created. The applying of the image-based technique includes identifying candidate keypoints at locations in a local image neighborhood of the document, and combining the locations of the candidate keypoints to form a fine-grained fingerprint identifying patterns representing content in the document.

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 computer readable recording medium bearing a printer driver program for controlling a print device, which is installed in a print job data processing apparatus constituting a printing system together with the printing device, the printer driver program comprising computer executable instructions of; receiving a print job data from an application program which has a print command; analyzing the received print job data from the application program to identify respective objects included in the page description language data; calculating a position where each object is arranged on a printable area designated depending on output paper size; and modifying the object to allow the object to be accommodated within the printable area, thereby accomplishing a correct print operation such that a print region designated by a user is accommodated to a predetermined output paper size without depending on a function of an application.

Abstract: A first area extracting unit extracts a first document area from document image data by dividing the document image data in units of a document area. A language determining unit determines a type of a language used in the document image data. A second area extracting unit extracts a second document area by dividing or combining the first document area based on a rule corresponding to the type of the language determined by the language determining unit.

Abstract: A method for identifying a predefined graphic symbol having a plurality of graphical characters. The method comprises the following steps: a) receiving a digital image having a plurality of pixels depicting a scene, b) identifying a plurality of first groups of contiguous pixels in the proximity of one another, members of each one the first group having a first common pixel defining property, and c) identifying at least one of the plurality of first groups as one of the plurality of graphical characters, thereby detecting the predefined graphic symbol in the digital image.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided which includes: an image acquisition section (110) which reads an original and acquires an original image; a specific-pattern storage section (141) which stores a specific pattern which expresses, using a dot pattern, apparatus identification information for identifying an apparatus that prints the original image on a sheet of recording paper; an extraction section (132) which extracts an actual image area except a blank area in the original image, and base on the extracted actual image area, extracts a specific area corresponding to an area for printing the specific pattern; and a print section (150) which prints the specific pattern within the actual image area, using a yellow toner.

Abstract: A system and a method are disclosed for generating video. Object information is received. A path of motion of the object relative to a reference point is generated. A series of images and ground for a reference frame are generated from the ground truth and the generated path. A system and a method are disclosed for generating an image. Object information is received. Image data and ground truth may be generated using position, the image description, the camera characteristics, and image distortion parameters. A positional relationship between the document and a reference point is determined. An image of the document and ground truth are generated from the object information and the positional relationship and in response to user specified environment of the document.