Automatic review of variable imaging jobs

• US 20080267512A1
• Filed: 04/26/2007
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Austin, Paul R., Rose, Philip C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,390,836 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/02 using printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/025 Simulating output on another printing arrangement, e.g. proof output matching two or more picture signal generators or two or more picture reproducers H04N1/6052

Abstract

A VI production system and method for automatic review of variable imaging job output includes a VI interpreter includes raster image processing for producing electronic output document images based on a variable imaging job included in a VI job stream. A proofing process includes obtaining sample document images from the output document images, and for each obtained sample document image, performing a review procedure. The review procedure includes comparing the obtained sample document image to a corresponding expected document image selected from the expected database to determine differences between the obtained sample document image and the corresponding expected document image. Based on at least one difference being determined, the differences are resolved by displaying the obtained sample document image on the user interface, indicating in the displayed sample document image each of the differences, and performing a difference procedure based on an operator input.

Claims

1. A method for automatic review of a variable imaging job output, the method comprising:

maintaining at least one expected document image, the at least one expected document image based on an expected output of the variable imaging job;

obtaining a plurality of sample output document images from the output of the variable imaging job output; and

for each obtained sample document image, performing a proofing procedure, the proofing procedure comprising;

comparing the obtained sample document image to a corresponding expected document image selected from the at least one expected document image to determine differences between the obtained sample document image and the corresponding expected document image; and

based on at least one difference being determined, resolving the at least one difference, the resolving comprising;

displaying the obtained sample document image;

indicating in the displayed sample document image each of the at least one differences; and

performing a difference procedure based on a received operator response.

2. The method set forth in claim 1, the difference procedure comprising performing a corrective procedure selected from a list of corrective procedures, the list of corrective procedures including:

ignoring the at least one difference for the variable imaging job;

ignoring the at least one difference for the variable imaging job and future variable imaging jobs;

performing an OCR process on the at least one difference; and

comparing a region of the sample output document image corresponding to the at least one difference to an operator specified area of the expected document image.

3. The method set forth in claim 2, the OCR process including:

computing an OCR output for the region of the sample output document image corresponding to the at least one difference to at least one of a constant and a text database entry.

4. The method set forth in claim 2, the step of ignoring the at least one difference for the variable imaging job and future variable imaging jobs including:

obtaining a stored operator response requesting future ignoring of the at least one difference.

5. The method set forth in claim 4, the step of ignoring the at least one difference for the variable imaging job and future variable imaging jobs including:

storing the operator response requesting future ignoring of the at least one difference.

6. The method set forth in claim 1, the method further comprising:

maintaining an after-image database, the after-image database containing a plurality of after-images, each after-image corresponding to an intended image in an image region of a corresponding output document image; and

maintaining control data associated with each after-image, the control data defining the location and size of the image region of the corresponding output document image.

7. The method set forth in claim 6, the proofing procedure further comprising:

for each after-image associated with the obtained sample document image, locating the corresponding image region in the obtained sample document image based on the control data; and

comparing the located corresponding image region to the after-image.

8. The method set forth in claim 7, the proofing procedure further comprising:

resizing the after-image to match the size of the located corresponding image region prior to the step of comparing.

9. A method for automatic review of a variable imaging job output, the method comprising:

maintaining at least one expected document image, the at least one expected document image based on an expected output of the variable imaging job;

determining a set of source database query conditions representing all possible types of output document images in the variable imaging job output;

selecting a plurality of sample output document images from the output of the variable imaging job output;

determining if the selected plurality of sample output documents cover the full set of source database query conditions;

based on results of the step of determining if the selected plurality of sample output documents cover the full set of source database query conditions, if the full set of source database query conditions is not covered, adding additional sample output document images from the output of the variable imaging job output to the selected plurality of sample output document images to cover the full set of source database query conditions; and

for each selected sample document image, performing a proofing procedure, the proofing procedure comprising;

comparing the obtained sample document image to a corresponding expected document image selected from the at least one expected document image to determine differences between the obtained sample document image and the corresponding expected document image; and

based on at least one difference being determined, resolving the at least one difference.

10. The method set forth in claim 9, the method further comprising:

determining if the set of source database query conditions contains query conditions that cannot be covered by queries to the source database;

based on determining that at least one query condition exists that cannot be covered by queries to the source database, adding at least one test sample to the source database to cover the query conditions that cannot be covered by queries to the source database.

11. The method set forth in claim 10, the method further comprising:

determining if the set of source database query conditions contains query conditions that cannot be covered by queries to the source database or queries to any possible test sample addition to the source database;

based on determining that at least one query condition exists that cannot be covered by queries to the source database or queries to any possible test sample addition to the source database, removing the at least one query condition that cannot be covered by queries to the source database or queries to any possible test sample addition to the source database.

12. A VI production system, comprising:

a VI interpreter system for a received a VI job stream, the VI interpreter system including;

a raster image processor configured to produce electronic output document images based on a variable imaging job included in the received VI job stream;

a user interface for receiving instructions from an operator of the VI interpreter and for displaying messages and images to the operator;

an expected database for storing at least one expected document image;

a proofing system configured to perform a proofing process, the proofing process including;

obtaining a plurality of sample document images from the output document images; and

for each obtained sample document image, performing a review procedure, the review procedure comprising;

comparing the obtained sample document image to a corresponding expected document image selected from the at least one stored expected document image to determine differences between the obtained sample document image and the corresponding expected document image; and

based on at least one difference being determined, resolving the at least one difference, the resolving comprising;

 

displaying the obtained sample document image on the user interface;

 

indicating in the displayed sample document image each of the at least one differences; and

 

performing a difference procedure based on a received operator response; and

a finishing system configured to produce a final product based on the electronic output document images.

13. The system set forth in claim 12, wherein the proofing process further includes:

ignoring the at least one difference for the variable imaging job;

ignoring the at least one difference for the variable imaging job and future variable imaging jobs;

performing an OCR process on the at least one difference; and

comparing a region of the sample output document image corresponding to the at least one difference to an operator specified area of the expected document image.

14. The system set forth in claim 13, the OCR process including:

computing an OCR output for the region of the sample output document image corresponding to the at least one difference to at least one of a constant and a text database entry.

15. The system set forth in claim 12, the system further comprising:

an after-image database, the after-image database containing a plurality of after-images, each after-image corresponding to an intended image in an image region of a corresponding output document image; and

control data associated with each after-image, the control data defining the location and size of the image region of the corresponding output document image.

16. The system set forth in claim 15, the proofing process further includes:

for each after-image associated with the obtained sample document image, locating the corresponding image region in the obtained sample document image based on the control data; and

comparing the located corresponding image region to the after-image.

17. The system set forth in claim 16, the proofing process further including:

resizing the after-image to match the size of the located corresponding image region prior to the step of comparing.

18. The system set forth in claim 15, further comprising:

a source database;

an after-image database for storing at least one after-image;

wherein the proofing process further includes;

determining a set of source database query conditions representing all possible types of output document images in the electronic output document images based;

determining if the selected plurality of sample output documents cover the full set of source database query conditions; and

based on results of the step of determining if the selected plurality of sample output documents cover the full set of source database query conditions, if the full set of source database query conditions is not covered, adding additional sample output document images from the electronic output document images to the selected plurality of sample output document images to cover the full set of source database query conditions.

19. The system set forth in claim 18, the proofing process further including:

determining if the set of source database query conditions contains query conditions that cannot be covered by queries to the source database;

based on determining that at least one query condition exists that cannot be covered by queries to the source database, adding at least one test sample to the source database to cover the query conditions that cannot be covered by queries to the source database.

20. The system set forth in claim 19, the proofing process further including:

determining if the set of source database query conditions contains query conditions that cannot be covered by queries to the source database or queries to any possible test sample addition to the source database;

based on determining that at least one query condition exists that cannot be covered by queries to the source database or queries to any possible test sample addition to the source database, removing the at least one query condition that cannot be covered by queries to the source database or queries to any possible test sample addition to the source database.