Converting Text

• US 20080170785A1
• Filed: 01/15/2007
• Published: 07/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kofman, Igor, Nickolov, Radoslav P., Lascaux, Vincent, Simmons, Alex J., Baer, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,155,444 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1456 based on user interactions

Abstract

Converting text may be provided. A user selectable element may be used to select a text. The selected text may include a first text within an electronic document and a second text within an image. The second text within the image may be converted to character information by receiving the image. The image may have image character information and an image type. An aspect of the received image may be adjusted based on the image type. Optical character recognition may be performed on the adjusted image to extract character information. The character information may include characters and corresponding location information for the characters. The extracted character information may be evaluated to improve the recognition quality of the extracted character information as compared to the image character information.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium which stores a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for converting text, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

converting a first text within an image located in an electronic document to character information; and

selecting with a user selectable element, a selection text comprising the first text within the image and a second text located within the electronic document.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising highlighting the first text when movement of a pointing device is temporarily paused over the converted first text.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein highlighting the converted first text when movement of a pointing device is temporarily paused over the converted first text comprises highlighting the converted first text when movement of a pointing device is temporarily paused over the converted first text comprising providing an indication that the highlighted text is selectable.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein selecting the user selectable element within the electronic document, comprises clicking and dragging a pointing device over the user selectable element.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein selecting the user selectable element within the electronic document comprises selecting a bounding box, the bounding box being returned from an optical character recognition process.

6. A method for converting text, the method comprising:

receiving an image having image character information and an image type;

adjusting an aspect of the received image based on the image type;

performing optical character recognition on the adjusted image to extract character information comprising characters and corresponding location information for the characters on the adjusted image; and

evaluating the extracted character information to improve the recognition quality of the extracted character information as compared to the image character information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein adjusting the aspect of the received image based on the image type comprises adjusting the aspect of the received image based on the image type comprising one of the following:

a screen clipping and a camera image.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein adjusting the aspect of the received image based on the image type comprises adjusting the aspect of the received image based on the image type comprising padding the received image to create a boundary around the received image.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein adjusting the aspect of the received image based on the image type comprises adjusting the aspect of the received image based on the image type comprising removing at least one proofing mark from the received image.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein adjusting the aspect of the received image based on the image type comprises adjusting the aspect of the received image based on the image type comprising adjusting the aspect based on a resolution of the received image.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein adjusting the aspect of the received image based on the image type comprises adjusting the aspect of the received image based on the image type comprising performing a light adjustment on the received image.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein adjusting the aspect of the received image based on the image type comprises adjusting the aspect of the received image based on the image type comprising adjusting the aspect based on a text scale, wherein the text scale is based on a pixel size of the received image.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein evaluating the extracted character information to improve the recognition quality of the extracted character information as compared to the image character information comprises evaluating the extracted character information to improve the recognition quality of the extracted character information as compared to the image character information comprising using an environmental element of the adjusted image to determine the extracted character of the adjusted image.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein evaluating the extracted character information to improve the recognition quality of the extracted character information as compared to the image character information comprises assigning a confidence level to the extracted character, the confidence level being a measure of accuracy.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein assigning a confidence level to the extracted character, the confidence level being a measure of accuracy comprises determining if the extracted characters match a word in a dictionary.

16. A system for converting text, the system comprising:

a memory storage; and

a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operative to;

select, with a user selectable element, a selection text comprising a first text within an electronic document and a second text within an image located in the electronic document; and

convert, in response to selecting the selection text, the second text within the image to character information, wherein the processing unit being operative to convert further comprises the processing unit being operative to;

receive the image having an image type;

adjust an aspect of the received image based on the image type;

perform optical character recognition on the adjusted image to extract character information comprising characters and corresponding location information for the characters on the adjusted image; and

evaluate the extracted character information to improve the recognition quality of the extracted character information as compared to the second text; and

paste the selected text into another electronic document.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processing unit being operative to evaluate the extracted character information to improve the recognition quality of the extracted word information as compared to received character information further comprises the processing unit being operative to assign a confidence level to the extracted word and interpret the confidence level to determine if the extracted word matches a dictionary word.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the processing unit being operative to adjust the aspect of the received image based on the image type further comprises the processing unit being operative to adjust the aspect of the received image based on the image type comprising padding the received image to create a boundary around the received image.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the processing unit being operative to adjust the aspect of the received image based on the image type further comprises the processing unit being operative to remove at least one proofing mark from the received image.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the processing unit being operative to adjust the aspect of the received image based on the image type further comprises the processing unit being operative to perform a light adjustment on the received image.