System and method to automatically discriminate between a signature and a barcode

• US 20060071081A1
• Filed: 10/05/2004
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Ynjiun
• Granted Patent: US 7,293,712 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/462.450
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06028 using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0004 Hybrid readers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10 by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1413 1D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/22 by selection of a specific region containing or referencing a pattern; Locating or processing of specific regions to guide the detection or recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/413 Classification of content, e.g. text, photographs or tables
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/30 Writer recognition; Reading and verifying signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/41 with means for the generation of identity documents
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/26 using a biometric sensor integrated in the pass
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

The invention features a system and method for automatically discriminating between different types of data, such as a barcode and a signature, with an image reader. In brief overview of one embodiment, the automatic discrimination feature of the present image reader allows a human operator to aim a hand-held image reader at a target containing a dataform, a signature, or another data type and actuate the trigger on the image reader. An autodriscrimination module in the image reader in one embodiment analyzes image data representative of the target and determines whether the target contains a dataform, a signature, or another type of data. If the target contains a dataform, the image reader decodes the dataform and outputs decoded dataform data, such as the alphanumeric sequence encoded by a barcode. If the target contains a signature, the image reader captures or stores a representation of the signature.

Claims

1. A method for automatically discriminating between a dataform and a signature, the method comprising:

collecting image data from an object with an image reader;

analyzing the image data to automatically discriminate between a dataform and a signature; and

outputting processed image data.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein outputting processed image data comprises outputting decoded barcode data.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein outputting processed image data comprises outputting signature data.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein analyzing the image data to automatically discriminate between a barcode and a signature comprises:

attempting to decode the image data as dataform data; and

testing the image data for characteristics indicative of a signature, if the attempt to decode the image data as dataform data fails.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein the attempt to decode the image data as dataform data comprises an attempt to decode the image data as a one dimensional bar code.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein the one dimensional bar code is a UPC bar code.

7. The method according to claim 4 wherein testing the image data for characteristics indicative of a signature includes at least testing the image data for the presence of curved elements.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein analyzing the image data and outputting processed image data comprise:

attempting to decode the image data as dataform data;

testing the image data for characteristics indicative of a signature;

outputting decoded dataform data if the attempt to decode the image data as dataform data is successful; and

outputting signature data if the test for characteristics indicative of a signature is successful.

9. A method for automatically discriminating between a barcode and a signature, the method comprising:

aiming a hand-held image reader at an object including a target;

actuating a trigger on the hand-held image reader;

collecting image data including at least the target;

analyzing the image data to automatically discriminate between a barcode and a signature; and

outputting processed image data.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein outputting processed image data comprises outputting decoded barcode data.

11. The method according to claim 9 wherein outputting processed image data comprises outputting signature data.

12. The method according to claim 9 wherein analyzing the image data to automatically discriminate between a barcode and a signature comprises:

attempting to decode the image data as dataform data; and

testing the image data for characteristics indicative of a signature, if the attempt to decode the image data as dataform data fails.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein the attempt to decode the image data as dataform data comprises an attempt to decode the image data as a one dimensional bar code.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein the one dimensional bar code is a UPC bar code.

15. The method according to claim 12 wherein testing the image data for characteristics indicative of a signature includes at least testing the image data for the presence of curved elements.

16. The method according to claim 9 wherein analyzing the image data and outputting processed image data comprise:

attempting to decode the image data as dataform data;

testing the image data for characteristics indicative of a signature;

outputting decoded dataform data if the attempt to decode the image data as dataform data is successful; and

outputting signature data if the test for characteristics indicative of a signature is successful.

17. An image reader that automatically discriminates between a barcode and a signature, the image reader comprising:

an image collection module configured to collect image data representative of a target;

an autodiscrimination module in communication with the image collection module, the autodiscrimination module configured to automatically discriminate between a signature and a dataform; and

an I/O module in communication with at least the autodiscrimination module.

18. The image reader according to claim 17 wherein said autodiscrimination module comprises:

a dataform decoder module; and

an image processing and analysis module configured to perform a texture analysis of the image data and configured to classify the image data in response to the texture analysis.

19. The image reader according to claim 18 wherein the texture analysis includes testing the image data for characteristics indicative of a signature.

20. The image reader according to claim 19 wherein testing the image data for characteristics indicative of a signature includes at least testing the image data for the presence of curved elements.

21. The image reader according to claim 18 wherein the image processing and analysis module is configured to respond to a failure of the dataform decoder module to decode the image data.

22. The image reader according to claim 18 wherein the dataform decoder module is configured to execute a one dimensional barcode decoding algorithm.

23. The image reader according to claim 22 wherein the one dimensional barcode decoding algorithm is configured to decode at least UPC barcodes.

24. The image reader according to claim 17 further comprising:

a housing configured to be hand held and oriented by a human operator, the housing enclosing the autodiscrimination module, the image collection module, and the output module; and

a trigger configured to be actuated to initiate the operation of the autodiscrimination module and the image collection module.

25. The image reader according to claim 17 further comprising a housing configured to be attached to a surface, the housing enclosing the autodiscrimination module, the image collection module, and the output module, the housing when attached to the surface designed to orient the image collection module towards objects containing targets to be imaged by the image collection module.

26. The image reader according to claim 17 wherein the autodiscrimination module, the image collection module and the output module are implemented in a combination of hardware and software.

27. A method for automatically capturing a signature on a signature bearing item, the method comprising:

collecting image data from an object with an image collecting device, the image data representing a signature or a barcode;

analyzing the image data to determine whether the image data represents a signature; and

capturing the signature contained in the signature image data if the analysis of the image data indicates that the signature is present in the image data.

28. A method for automatically capturing a signature on a signature bearing item, the method comprising:

capturing a first image with an image reader, the first image including a representation of a dataform;

decoding and processing the dataform; and

capturing a second image, the second image including a representation of a signature, the capturing of the second image performed in response to at least the decoding and processing of the dataform.

29. The method according to claim 28 wherein capturing the first image occurs in response to a first actuation of a trigger on the image reader and wherein capturing the second image occurs in response to at least a second actuation of the trigger.

30. An image reader that captures an image of a dataform and a signature, the image reader comprising:

an image collection module configured to collect image data representative of a target, the image data including representations of a dataform and a signature;

a dataform decode module in communication with the image collection module, the dataform decode module configured to decode the dataform in the image data; and

a signature data processing module, the signature data processing module in communication with the image collection module, the signature data processing module configured to store a copy of the image data including the dataform and the signature.

31. An image reader that captures an image of a dataform and a signature, the image reader comprising:

an image collection module configured to collect image data representative of a target, the image data including representations of a dataform and a signature;

a dataform decode module in communication with the image collection module, the dataform decode module configured to decode the dataform in the image data; and

an image processing and analysis module in communication with the image collection module, the image processing and analysis module configured to determine the location of the signature in the image data by at least analyzing the image data for characteristics indicative of a signature.

32. The image reader according to claim 31 wherein determining the location of the signature in the image data includes analyzing a plurality of regions of the image data for characteristics indicative of a signature.

33. The image reader according to claim 31 wherein the image processing and analysis module comprises an image modification module that generates modified image data in which a portion of the image data not including the signature has been deleted.

34. A method for automatically identifying a signature, the method comprising:

collecting image data from an object with an image collecting device;

analyzing the image data to automatically determine whether a signature is contained in the image data;

outputting a first response if the signature is present in the image data; and

outputting a second response if the signature is absent from the image data.