Generation of randomly structured forms

• US 20080205742A1
• Filed: 02/26/2007
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Open Text Corporation
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Lund, Christopher D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,840,890 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/141
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/28 Determining representative reference patterns, e.g. by averaging or distorting; Generating dictionaries
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1914 Determining representative reference patterns, e.g. averaging or distorting patterns; Generating dictionaries, e.g. user dictionaries
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/412 Layout analysis of documents structured with printed lines or input boxes, e.g. business forms or tables

Abstract

A computer system and method for generating a plurality of unique, randomly structured forms, such as invoices, that may be populated with data to produce test forms for testing automatic document processing systems. The forms may have major blocks such as a header, a body and a footer, and the major blocks may have randomly selected sizes. For each block, the locations of data fields and the ordering of the data fields within the block are defined randomly, the data locations within the fields and the data formats are randomly defined, and a blank image and an XML file of the randomly structured form are produced. The forms generated may be populated with data for the testing document processing system.

Claims

1. A method of generating a randomly structured form for testing an automatic document processing system comprising:

determining randomly sizes of major portions of the form;

defining randomly for each of the major portions data fields and an ordering of the data fields within such each major portion;

generating a blank image of the form; and

generating a layout data file for said blank image that provides information on locations of data fields on the form within said major portions and the formatting data in said data fields.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said major portions of the form comprise a header, a footer and a body, and wherein said determining comprises selecting size ranges for said header, footer and body.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said defining comprises selecting the data fields for each major portion and the locations of the data fields within each said major portion to be consistent with a size selected for said major portion.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said defining further comprises defining the orientations of the major portions on the blank image of the form.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said defining said body portion comprises defining static fields containing non-changing information within one or more of said major portions.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein defining said body portion comprises randomly defining a plurality of columns for predetermined different types of data, and providing a column heading for each column, said column heading identifying the type of data in said each column.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said generating a blank image further comprises generating random static decorative elements of the form, said static decorative elements comprising one or more of lines, data field labels, data field shading and a logo.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating a layout data file comprises creating a file defining where data are located within data fields, and defining the formats of the data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said layout data file comprises an electronic file that defines data field locations within said major portions, said data field locations being defined relative to a reference location.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing said randomly structured form to a system for populating the form with data.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said method is performed by a programmed computer.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said form is a semi-structured form having a type selected from one of an invoice, a purchase order, and a credit application.

13. A computer readable medium embodying program instructions for controlling the operation of a computer to perform a method of generating a randomly structured form for testing an automatic document processing system, the method comprising:

determining randomly sizes of major portions of the form;

defining randomly for each of the major portions data fields and an ordering of the data fields within such each major portion;

generating a blank image of the form; and

generating a layout data file for said blank image providing information on the locations of data fields on the form and formatting data in said data fields.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein said defining comprises selecting the data fields for each major portion and the locations of the data fields within each said major portion to be consistent with a size selected for said major portion.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein said defining further comprises defining the orientations of the major portions on the blank image of the form.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein said major portions comprise a header, a footer and a body, and wherein said defining comprises defining said body portion by randomly defining a plurality of columns for predetermined different types of data, and providing a column heading for each column that identifies the type of data in said each column.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein generating said blank image comprises generating an image template and an electronic file that defines data field locations within said major portions relative to a reference location.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein said generating a layout data file comprises creating a file defining where data are located within data fields, and defining the formats of the data.

19. A computer system embodying instructions for controlling the operation of the computer to generate a randomly structured form for testing an automatic document processing system, the computer system operating to:

determine randomly sizes of major portions of the form;

define randomly for each of the major portions data fields and an ordering of the data fields within such each major portion;

generate a blank image of the form; and

generate a layout data file for said blank image providing information on locations of data fields on the form and the formatting data in said data fields.

20. The computer system of claim 19, wherein said computer system comprises an output device for outputting said blank image of the form and said layout data file.