Segmenting a document into regions associated with a data type, and assigning pipelines to process such regions

• US 6,880,122 B1
• Filed: 05/13/1999
• Issued: 04/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Simske, Steven J, Dawe, Julie T, Lee, Jeffrey P
• Primary Examiner(s): Paula, Cesar B
• Application Number:
  US09/311,254
• Time in Patent Office: 2,161 Days
• Field of Search: 715/500, 715517-521, 382/176, 382/180, 707/500, 707517-521
• US Class Current: 715/209
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1444 Selective acquisition, locating or processing of specific regions, e.g. highlighted text, fiducial marks or predetermined fields

Abstract

Disclosed is a selective document processing system and method. The selective document processing system includes a digital document analyzer configured to determine a number of regions on a digital document and a data type for each of the regions, the data type for each region being one of a number of predefined data types. The system also includes a first user interface to display the analyzed digital document and to allow the user to perform various functions relative to the displayed digital document including selecting desired regions, deleting regions, etc. The system also includes a selection interface activated from the first user interface for identifying at least one of the predefined data types that are displayed on the first user interface and that are further processed in predetermined processing pipelines.

Claims

1. A system for controlling document region analysis, comprising:

a digital document analyzer configured to determine a number of regions on a digital document and a data type for each of the regions, the date type for each region being one of a number of predefined data types;

a selection interface for selecting at least one of the predefined data types for further processing;

a processing pipeline identifier configured to identify at least one processing pipeline to process each of the regions comprising one of the predefined data types selected in the selection interface, wherein for each respective one of the regions, the processing pipeline identifier identifies a processing pipeline from a plurality of processing pipelines to process the respective one of the regions based upon the predefined data type of the respective one of the regions, and based upon a predetermined destination application; and

the processing pipeline identifier being further configured to combine the regions processed by the at least one processing pipeline and to provide the combined regions processed by the at least one processing pipeline to the predetermined destination application.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the selection interface further comprises a number of toggle mechanisms associated with each of the predefined data types for selecting and deselecting the predefined data types.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the selection interface further comprises a graphical user interface having a selection indicator for each of the data types.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a default selection configuration for each of the data types.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface that displays the digital document, wherein only ones of the regions comprising one of the predefined data types selected in the selection interface appear in the displayed version of the digital document.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the user interface further comprises at least one graphical component that facilitates a selection of ones of the regions appearing in the displayed version of the digital document to be applied to a processing pipeline.

7. A system for controlling document region analysis, comprising:

analyzing means for analyzing a digital document to determine a number of regions thereon and a data type for each of the regions, the data type for each region being one of a number of predefined data types;

selection means for selecting at least one of the predefined data types for further processing;

pipeline identifier means for identifying at least one processing pipeline to process each of the regions comprising one of the predefined data types selected in the selection means, wherein for each respective one of the regions, the pipeline identifier means identifies a processing pipeline from a plurality of processing pipelines to process the respective one of the regions based upon the predefined data type of the respective one of the regions, and based upon a predetermined destination application; and

the pipeline identifier means further comprising means for combining the regions processed by the at least one processing pipeline and for providing the combined regions processed by the at least one processing pipeline to the predetermined destination application.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the selection means further comprises means for selecting and deselecting the predefined data types.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the selection means further comprises a graphical user interface having a selection indicator for each of the data types.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising a default selection configuration for each of the data types.

11. The system of claim 7, further comprising user interface means for displaying the digital document, wherein only ones of the regions that comprise one of the predefined data types selected using the selection means appear in the displayed digital document.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the user interface means further comprises means for selecting ones of the regions appearing in the displayed version of the digital document to be applied to a processing pipeline.

13. A method for controlling document region analysis, comprising the steps of:

analyzing a digital document to determine a number of regions thereon and a data type for each of the regions, the data type for each region being one of a number of predefined data types;

selecting at least one of the predefined data types for further processing; and

identifying at least one processing pipeline to process each of the regions comprising one of the predefined data types selected, wherein for each respective one of the regions, a processing pipeline is identified from a plurality of processing pipelines to process the respective one of the regions based upon the predefined data type of the respective one of the regions, and based upon a predetermined destination application;

combining the regions processed by the at least one processing pipeline; and

providing the combined regions processed by the at least one processing to the predetermined destination application.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of deselecting at least one of the predefined data types.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising displaying a graphical user interface having a selection indicator for each of the data types.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising identifying a default selection configuration for each of the data types.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of displaying the digital document in a user interface, wherein only ones of the regions that comprise a selected at least one of the predefined data types appear in the digital document displayed in the user interface.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of selecting ones of the regions appearing in the displayed version of the digital document to be applied to a processing pipeline.