Scanning system for imaging and storing the images of test answer sheets having open-ended questions

• US 6,684,052 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2002
• Issued: 01/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Harcourt Assessment Incorporated (Pearson plc)
• Original Assignee: Harcourt Assessment Incorporated (Pearson plc)
• Inventors: Gonzalez, Jose, Kucinski, Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): Hughes, S. Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harris, Chandra L.
• Application Number:
  US10/113,035
• Publication Number:
  US 20020110798A1
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 434/359, 434/353, 434/358, 434/355, 382/312, 382/321, 382/318, 382/311, 382/317
• US Class Current: 434/359
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0032 Apparatus for automatic testing and analysing marked record carriers, used for examinations of the multiple choice answer type teaching apparatus working with questions and answers G09B7/00

Abstract

An imaging system includes two sets of cameras: a first set for capturing optical mark or optical character recognition data and a second set for capturing visual images. Full visual images of pages containing answers to open-ended questions are retained and are retrievable by a reader such that an area of interest wherein the answer is expected is displayed, but the remaining area is also available for viewing. The system permits the alignment of a page based upon edge detection if the page contains only an open-ended answer, obviating the need for timing tracks. Hardware and software elements cooperate to store the image temporarily in a server having a response time commensurate with the scanner. The image is then processed with the use of high-performance index imaging for optical storage and retrieval, and then routed to a long-term storage device.

Claims

1. A scanner for imaging a plurality of answer pages comprising:

mark imaging means for capturing a location of an optical mark on each answer page;

visual imaging means for capturing a full visual image of each page;

means for sequentially moving the plurality of answer pages between the mark imaging means and the visual imaging means;

means for displaying at least a portion of the full visual image to an operator in real time, for performing a check on scanning quality;

means for selecting a frequency of the real-time displaying of images, for permitting the scanning quality check to be performed on every nth page, n selectable by the operator;

means for determining whether any of the pages contains an answer to an open-ended question; and

means for storing the full visual image of the page if the page contains an answer to an open-ended question.

2. The scanner recited in claim 1, wherein the mark imaging means comprises an infrared-filtered camera for capturing a pencil mark and the visual imaging means comprises a camera substantially unfiltered for infrared wavelengths.

3. The scanner recited in claim 1, wherein the visual image storing means comprises a temporary storage server having a response time sufficiently fast to keep pace with the visual imaging means.

4. The scanner recited in claim 3, further comprising means for transferring the visual image from the temporary storage server to a processing server having software means resident therein for performing a high-performance image indexing on the visual image.

5. The scanner recited in claim 4, further comprising means for transferring the indexed visual image from the processing server to a long-term optical storage system.

6. The scanner recited in claim 5, wherein the processing server further has software means resident therein for retrieving a desired visual image from the long-term storage system.

7. The scanner recited in claim 1, further comprising;

means for detecting a position of an edge of each answer page; and

software means for aligning the answer page visual image based upon the detected edge position.

8. A scanner for imaging a plurality of answer pages comprising:

mark imaging means for capturing a location of an optical mark on each answer page, the mark imaging means comprising a first infrared-filtered camera positioned on a first side of the page and a second infrared-filtered camera positioned on a second side of the page for capturing a pencil mark on both sides of the page;

visual imaging means for capturing a full visual image of the page, the visual imaging means comprising a first unfiltered camera positioned on the first side of the page and a second unfiltered camera positioned on the second side of the page, the first and the second unfiltered camera substantially unfiltered for infrared wavelengths, for scanning a visual image on born sides of the page;

means for sequentially moving the plurality of answer pages between the mark imaging means and the visual imaging means;

means for displaying at least a portion of the full visual image to an operator in real time, for performing a check on scanning quality;

means for selecting a frequency of the real-time displaying of images, for permitting the scanning quality check to be performed on every nth page, n selectable by the operator;

means for determining whether the page contains an answer to an open-ended question; and

means for storing the full visual image of the page if the page contains an answer to an open-ended question.

9. The scanner recited in claim 8, wherein the visual image storing means comprises a temporary storage server having a response time sufficiently fast to keep pace with the visual image scanning means.

10. The scanner recited in claim 9, further comprising means for transferring the visual image from the temporary storage server to a processing server having software means resident therein for performing a high-performance image indexing on the visual image.

11. The scanner recited in claim 10, further comprising means for transferring the indexed visual image from the processing sewer to a long-term optical storage system.

12. The scanner recited in claim 11, wherein the processing server further has software means resident therein for retrieving a desired visual image from the long-term storage system.

13. The scanner recited in claim 8, further comprising:

means for detecting a position of an edge of each page; and

software means for aligning the answer page visual image based upon the detected edge position.