Bar code reader
First Claim
1. A method of automatically detecting a bar code or the like on a document from an image of the document, said bar code being disposed at an unknown position on the document and said image being represented by a pixel array, comprising the steps of;
- automatically locating a candidate bar code within a portion of said pixel array;
defining a baseline of said candidate bar code; and
decoding said bar code in the direction of said baseline.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for finding and reading a bar code, arbitrarily located on a document, working from an electronic image of the document represented by a pixel array such as generated by a document scanner. A one-dimensional texture analysis is performed in the scanning direction by defining a pattern of test segments and searching for characteristic ranges of transistions within those test segments. If a horizontal test segment pattern fails to locate a bar code region, a test segment pattern skewed with respect to the horizontal is applied. If test patterns skewed with respect to the horizontal fail to locate a bar code region, then a state-transition analysis is applied in the direction perpendicular to the scan direction and in directions skewed with respect to that perpendicular to search for a terminal symbol characterizing the bar code.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. A method of automatically detecting a bar code or the like on a document from an image of the document, said bar code being disposed at an unknown position on the document and said image being represented by a pixel array, comprising the steps of;
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automatically locating a candidate bar code within a portion of said pixel array; defining a baseline of said candidate bar code; and decoding said bar code in the direction of said baseline. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of systematically detecting a bar code or the like on a document from an image of the document, said image being represented by a pixel array addressed in a predetermined addressing direction and said bar code being disposed at an unknown position on said document and in an unknown orientation within a predetermined angular range with respect to said addressing direction, said method comprising the steps of:
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defining a first pattern of segments within said pixel array extending substantially in said predetermined addressing direction; counting the number of transitions of said pixel array within each of said segments of said pattern; comparing said numbers with predetermined ranges of transition numbers characteristic of bar codes, whereby said first pattern of segments overlies a candidate bar code if the corresponding numbers of transitions fall within said predetermined characteristic ranges; if said first pattern of segments fails to locate a candidate bar code, defining a second pattern of segments skewed with respect to said predetermined direction at an angle within said predetermined angular range; performing said counting and comparing steps with respect to said second pattern and if said second pattern of segments fails to locate a candidate bar code, defining further patterns of segments at successively greater angles of skew within said predetermined angular range, and performing said counting and comparing steps with respect to said further patterns of segments so as to locate a candidate bar code.
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Specification