Business form handling method and system for carrying out the same

• US 6,625,313 B1
• Filed: 08/31/1999
• Issued: 09/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi-Omron Terminal Solutions Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Morita, Masahiro, Itou, Tadahiro, Teramoto, Masato
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta, Bhavesh M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, KANJIBHAI B
• Application Number:
  US09/386,301
• Time in Patent Office: 1,484 Days
• Field of Search: 382/181, 382/190, 382/135, 382/139, 382/137, 382/176, 382/187, 382/305, 707/7
• US Class Current: 382/181
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• 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 business form handling system includes an image reading device for reading a business form and a terminal apparatus installed at the window for discriminatively deciding whether a read image corresponds to a first species of business form by referencing form species identifying definition information stored previously in a file. When the read image corresponds to the first species of business form, the terminal apparatus cuts an image from a field corresponding to a format inherent to the first species of business form to thereby recognize contents of statement from the cut image and executes processing in accordance with result of the recognition. Unless the read image corresponds to the first species of business form, the terminal apparatus decides discriminatively whether the read image corresponds to a second species of business form by referencing the form species identifying definition information. When the correspondence is found, the terminal apparatus cuts an image from a field corresponding to a format inherent to the second species of business form to thereby recognize contents of statement from the cut image.

Claims

1. A method of handling business forms by reading contents set forth on processing-subjected business forms by an image reading device, recognizing the contents set forth on the business forms from images as read, and performing processing in accordance with the contents set forth on the business forms, comprising the steps of:

reading by an image reading device business forms of plural species which differ from one another in respect to a field of the image to be cut;

determining whether or not the read image is relevant to a business form of a first species by referencing form species identifying definition information stored previously in a file; and

cutting an image from a field corresponding to a format inherent to said business form of the first species when said read image is relevant to said business form of the first species, to thereby recognize the-contents of statement from said cut image,

whereas when said read image is not related to said business form of the first species,

determining whether or not the read image is relevant to a business form of a second species by referencing the form species identifying definition information stored previously in the file; and

cutting an image from a field corresponding to a format inherent to said business form of the second species when said read image is relevant to said business form of the second species, to thereby recognize the contents of statement from said cut image; and

when said read image is not related to said business form of the first species and second species, determining whether or not the read image is relevant to a business form of a next species of a plurality of species in a predetermined priority order by referencing the form species identifying definition information stored previously in the file; and

cutting an image from a field corresponding to a format inherent to said business form of the next species when said read image is relevant to said business form of the second species, to thereby recognize the contents of statement from said cut image.

2. A method of handling business forms by reading contents set forth on a processing-subjected business form by an image reading device, recognizing the contents set forth on the business form from an image as read and performing processing in accordance with the contents set forth on the business form, comprising the steps of:

recognizing whether or not a processing-subjected business form is an identifier-affixed business form which is affixed with an identifier at a predetermined position among those of plural species; and

cutting an image conforming to a format of said identifier-affixed business form when said processing-subjected business form is the identifier-affixed business form to thereby recognize contents of said cut image,

whereas when said processing-subjected business form, is not the identifier-affixed business form,

recognizing whether or not said processing-subjected business form is a barcode-affixed business form, and cutting an image conforming to a format of said barcode-affixed business form when said processing-subjected business form is the barcode-affixed business form, to thereby recognize contents of said cut image,

while when said processing-subjected business form is not the barcode-affixed business form,

recognizing whether or not the processing-subjected business form is an MICR business form having MICR (Magnetic Ink Character Recognition)-oriented characters recorded thereon; and

cutting an image conforming to a format of said MICR business form when said processing-subjected business form is the MICR business form, to thereby recognize contents of said cut image; and

unless said processing-subjected business form is recognized as any one of said identifier-affixed business forms, said barcode-affixed business form and said MICR business form,

inputting identification information of said processing-subjected business form through an input unit; and

cutting an image of a field conforming to a business-form format which corresponds to said identification information inputted, to thereby recognize the contents set forth from the cut image; and

performing relevant jobs processing for said processing-subjected business form in accordance with result of the recognition validated for said processing-subjected business form.

3. A business form handling system for reading contents set forth on a processing-subjected business form by an image reading device, recognizing the contents set forth on the processing-subjected business form from an image as read, comprising:

a business form definition information file in which definition information for identifying business forms of plural species is registered previously;

a business form species identifying module for determining which of said plural species said processing-subjected business form belongs to through a processing for matching a read image of said processing-subjected business form read by said image reading device with said definition information; and

a character recognition processing module for cutting an image of a field set previously as a subject for recognition in the business form definition information for said determined species, to thereby perform character recognition for an image set as a subject for a character recognition in said cut image,

wherein said business-form species identification module references said business-form definition information file, to thereby

recognize whether or not the processing-subjected business form is affixed with an identifier at a predetermined position, for thereby identifying species of said processing-subjected business form as an identifier-affixed species when said processing-subjected business form is affixed with the identifier,

unless said processing-subjected business form is the identifier-affixed business form,

recognize whether or not said processing-subjected business form is affixed with a barcode, for thereby identifying species of said processing-subjected business form as a barcode-affixed species when the barcode is affixed to said processing-subjected business form,

unless said processing-subjected business form is the barcode-affixed business form,

recognize whether or not said processing-subjected business form is an MICR business form having MICR-oriented data recorded thereon, for thereby identifying species of said processing-subjected business form as the MICR form species; and

when said processing-subjected business form is recognized to be none of said identifier-affixed business form, said barcode-affixed business form nor said MICR business form,

input identification information indicating a species of said processing-subjected business form, for thereby identifying the species of said processing-subjected business form.

4. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

an input control unit for inputting an image of a processing-subjected business form to thereby perform a control for correcting skewness of said image;

a business form identifying module for fetching business-form format definition information stored in a file designed for storing formats of business forms to compare said definition information with the image undergone the correction of skewness by said input control unit, for thereby identifying species of said business form;

a recognition module for recognizing said image on the basis of a result of the identification performed by said business form identifying module; and

a display control unit for performing a control for displaying result of the recognition performed by said recognition module on an external display unit,

wherein said identification module references said business-form format definition information, to thereby

recognize whether or not the processing-subjected business form is affixed with an identifier at a predetermined position, for thereby identifying species of said processing-subjected business form as an identifier-affixed species when said processing-subjected business form is affixed with the identifier,

unless said processing-subjected business form is the identifier-affixed business form,

recognize whether or not said processing-subjected business form is affixed with a barcode, for thereby identifying species of said processing-subjected business form as a barcode-affixed species when the barcode is affixed to said processing-subjected business form,

unless said processing-subjected business form is the barcode-affixed business form,

recognize whether or not said processing-subjected business form is an MICR business form having MICR-oriented data recorded thereon, for thereby identifying species of said processing-subjected business form as the MICR form species; and

when said processing-subjected business form is recognized to be none of said identifier-affixed business form, said barcode-affixed business form nor said MICR business form,

input identification information indicating species of said processing-subjected business form, for thereby identifying the species of said processing-subjected business form.

5. A method of handling business forms by reading contents set forth on a processing-subjected business form by an image reading device, recognizing the contents set forth on the business form from an image as read and performing processing in accordance with the contents set forth on the business form, comprising the steps of:

determining whether or not a processing-subjected business form is an identifier-affixed business form which is affixed with an identifier at a predetermined position among those of plural species;

cutting an image conforming to a format of the identifier-affixed business form when the processing-subjected business form is the identifier-affixed business form to thereby recognized contents of the cut image,

whereas when the processing-subjected business form is the identifier-affixed business form,

determining whether or not the processing-subjected business form is a business form affixed with identifying information capable of identifying a specie of the business form,

when the processing-subjected business form is a business form affixed with identifying information capable of identifying a specie of the business form, cutting an image conforming to a format of the business form affixed with identifying information and recognizing contents of the cut image, and

performing relevant jobs processing for the processing-subjected business form in accordance with result of the recognition validated for the processing subjected business form.

6. A method of recognizing business forms, comprising the steps of:

reading an image of a business format;

determining whether or not the business form thus read is a prescribed-type business form;

when it is determined that the business form thus read is a prescribed-type business form, cutting and recognizing an image of a predetermined portion corresponding to the prescribed-type business form;

when it is determined that the business form thus read is not a prescribed-type business form, determining the business form thus read as a non-prescribed-type business form and determining whether or not the non-prescribed-type business form conforms to a condition registered in advance; and

when the non-prescribed-type business form conforms to the condition registered in advance, cutting and recognizing an image of a predetermined portion corresponding to the non-prescribed-type business form in accordance with the condition; and

when the non-prescribed-type business form does not conform to the condition registered in advance, determining the non-prescribed-type business form as a business form not to be recognized.

7. A method of recognizing business forms according to claim 6, wherein the prescribed-type business form contains an identifier at a predetermined position thereof, and the non-prescribed-type business form contains a barcode or MICR (magnetic ink character recognition)-oriented characters or segment information or a character string of a header.