Mail address reading apparatus and mail sorting apparatus

• US 6,327,373 B1
• Filed: 02/18/1999
• Issued: 12/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Yura, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NAKHJAVAN, SHERVIN K
• Application Number:
  US09/251,747
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/101, 382/102, 382/312, 382/317, 382/321, 382/323, 209/535, 209/536, 209/546, 209/547, 209/552, 209/554, 209/606, 209/612, 209/613, 209/900
• US Class Current: 382/101
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/268 Lexical context

Abstract

In a mail address reading apparatus, when a probable candidate for a zip code is not obtained at the zip code reading step, without performing more detailed recognition of the zip code, a step for determining a destination line with honorific characters as an addressee name line is performed so as to read an addressee name from the determined line. Subsequently, an address is read from a destination address line adjacent to the addressee name line at the destination determination step.

Claims

1. A mail address reading apparatus comprising:

first reading means for reading a zip code recorded on a mail item to obtain at least one zip code candidate;

second reading means for reading an addressee name recorded on the mail item, the second reading means including;

destination line detecting means for detecting a recorded character line;

recognizing means for recognizing a last character of the character line or characters with a period at a beginning of the character line detected by the destination line detecting means; and

determining means for, when the last character recognized by the recognizing means is an honorific character following the addressee name or when the characters recognized by the recognizing means is an honorific word positioned in front of the addressee name, determining the character line as an addressee name line;

third reading means for reading a destination address including a town name and a street number recorded on the mail item in a same direction as that of the addressee name line determined by the second reading means; and

control means for determining a destination based on the zip code, the addressee name and the destination address read by the first to third reading means.

2. The mail address reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means include means for, when the zip code candidate is not obtained by the first reading means, performing a process for reading an addressee name by said second reading means without performing detailed recognition of the zip code.

3. The mail address reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means include:

means for determining a town name based from the zip code read by the first reading means; and

an address verifying section for checking whether the destination address coincides with an address of the addressee name read by the second reading means in a postal district represented by the town name and determining the address of the addressee as a destination.

4. A mail sorting apparatus comprising:

first reading means for reading an address image of a mail item;

destination detecting means for detecting a destination from the address image read by the first reading means; and

sorting means for sorting the mail item based on the destination detected by the destination detecting means,

the destination detecting means including;

second reading means for reading a zip code recorded on the mail item to obtain at least a zip code candidate;

third reading means for reading an addressee name recorded on the mail item, the third reading means including;

destination line detecting means for detecting a recorded character line;

recognizing means for recognizing a last character of the character line or characters with a period at a beginning of the character line detected by the destination line detecting means; and

determining means for, when the last character recognized by the recognizing means is an honorific character following the addressee name or when the characters recognized by the recognizing means is an honorific word positioned in front of the addressee name, determining the character line as an addressee name line;

fourth reading means for reading a destination address including a town name and a street number recorded on the mail item in a same direction as that of the addressee name line determined by the third reading means; and

control means for determining a destination based on the zip code, the addressee name and the destination address read by the second to fourth reading means.

5. The mail sorting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control means include means for, when the zip code candidate is not obtained by the second reading means, performing a process for reading an addressee name without performing detailed recognition of the zip code.

6. The mail sorting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control means include:

means for determining a town name based from the zip code read by the first reading means; and

an address verifying section for checking whether the destination address coincides with an address of the addressee name read by the third reading means in a postal district represented by the town name and determining the address of the addressee as a destination, when the destination address is detected to be coincidence with the address of the addressee name.

7. A mail address reading apparatus comprising:

first reading means for reading an in-frame zip code recorded in zip code frames on a mail item to obtain at least a candidate of the in-frame zip code;

second reading means for reading an out-of-frame zip code recorded in a destination line to obtain at least a candidate of the out-of-frame zip code, when no in-frame zip code is read by the first reading means;

third reading means for reading an addressee name recorded on the mail item, when at least one of the candidates for the in-frame zip code and the out-of-frame zip code out is obtained;

means for verifying whether a single solution of a destination is obtained with reference to information on the addressee name read by the third reading means and at least one of the candidates for the in-frame and out-of-frame zip codes;

fourth reading means for reading a destination address including a town name and a street number recorded on the mail item, when the candidate for the out-of-frame zip code is not obtained and when a single solution of a destination is not obtained; and

means for determining a destination based on the destination address read by the fourth reading means.

8. The mail address reading apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the third reading means include means for cutting out and recognizing individual characters of a destination line and means for storing a result of recognition.