Form Data Extraction Without Customization

• US 20080285792A1
• Filed: 09/27/2006
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Charactell Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Charactell Incorporated
• Inventors: Comay, Ofer
• Granted Patent: US 8,660,294 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1456 based on user interactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/414 Extracting the geometrical structure, e.g. layout tree; Block segmentation, e.g. bounding boxes for graphics or text

Abstract

A form processing method for extracting data items from a form previously digitized in the form of a digital image, the method comprising prompting a user to indicate a location of one or more physical fields each physical field relating to a data item of specific type; receiving one or more indications provided by the user on the location of the physical fields; and identifying content and location of the data items of the physical fields using related data formats.

Claims

1. A form processing method for extracting data items from a form previously digitized in the form of a digital image, the method comprising:

prompting a user to indicate a location of one or more physical fields each physical field relating to a data item of specific type;

receiving one or more indications provided by the user on the location of the physical fields;

identifying content of the data items of the physical fields using related data formats.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the locations of said one or more physical fields;

using the locations of said one or more physical fields establishing a template comprising instructions where to find data items of same specific type on forms with a similar layout.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

matching another digital image of another form with the template; and

upon determining a match automatically extracting data items using the template instructions.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indication provided by the user on the location of the physical field comprises a single click by a pointing device on or in the vicinity of the data item in the image.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indication provided by the user on the location of the physical field comprises touching a touch screen on which the image is displayed on or in the vicinity of the data item in the image.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising transferring the data item to a target application.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said one or more physical fields are arranged in a table form.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the step of receiving one or more indications comprises receiving indications on the location of items on a first row of the table, the method further comprising automatically extracting data items located in columns below the indicated items of the first row of the table.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:

using the locations of the data items of the first row of the table establishing a template comprising instructions where to find data items of same specific type in columns of the table in forms with a similar layout.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

matching another digital image of another form with the template; and

upon determining a match automatically extracting data items from the table using the template instructions.

11. A form processing system for extracting data items from a form, the system comprising:

a scanner for scanning the form into a digital image;

a display device for displaying the digital image a pointing device;

a processing unit for prompting a user to indicate a location of one or more physical fields each physical field relating to a data item of specific type, for receiving one or more indications provided by the user using the pointing device on the location of the physical fields on the image displayed on the display device, and identifying content and location of the data items of the physical fields using related data formats.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the display device and the pointing device are integrated in a touch screen display device.