Systems and methods for automated template creation using scanned input

• US 6,978,046 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2002
• Issued: 12/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 6, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Farrell, Michael E., Robinson, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alavi, Amir
• Application Number:
  US10/063,220
• Publication Number:
  US 20040202367A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,362 Days
• Field of Search: 382/161, 382/162, 382/164, 382/173, 382/176, 382/202, 382/209, 382/284, 382/305, 382/317, 382/318, 707/3, 707/503, 707/506, 707/510, 707/515, 707/517, 707/528, 707/530, 358/505, 358/515, 715/517, 715/522, 715/528
• US Class Current: 382/209
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]

Abstract

An automated document template creation method comprises: inputing data of an existing document that contains a visual design to input an image; decomposing the image into at least one object using at least one image processing technique; determining at least one design attribute of the object; and synthesizing a document template containing the design attribute. An automated document template creation system comprises: an input device that receives data of an existing document containing a representative visual design to obtain an image; an image processor that decomposes the image into at least one object and determines at least one design attribute of the object; and a template creator that synthesizes a document template containing the design attribute. The systems and methods allow a scan/preparation user at a makeready station to generate additional and/or replacement pages for an existing document that are visually coherent with the predetermined visual design of the document.

Claims

1. An automated document template creation method, comprising:

inputting data of an existing document that contains a visual design to input an image;

decomposing the image into at least one object using at least one image processing technique;

determining at least one design attribute of the at least one object; and

synthesizing a document template that contains the at least one design attribute.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein inputting data of the existing document comprises scanning the existing document.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein decomposing the image into at least one object comprises using an image segmentation technique.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein decomposing the image into at least one object comprises using an image classification technique, the at least one object being categorized by a location and a type.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein synthesizing a document further comprises:

determining whether the at least one object warrants further decomposition based on categorization by the location and the type; and

partitioning the at least one object into at least one subobject in response to further decomposition being determined.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining at least one design attribute of the at least object further includes determining at least one design subattribute of the at least one subobject.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein decomposing the image into at least one object comprises using an optical character recognition technique.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein synthesizing a document further comprises:

merging the location with information that is based on the at least one design attribute; and

building a template based on the at least one object.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein decomposing the image into at least one object comprises decomposing the image into at least one spatial characteristic.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein decomposing the image into at least one spatial characteristic comprises decomposing the image into at least one of text regions, pictorials and line art.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein decomposing the image into at least one object further comprises decomposing the image into at least one color theme.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining at least one design attribute of the at least one object comprises using an optical character recognition technique.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein determining at least one design attribute of the at least one object comprises determining a page layout.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein determining at least one design attribute of the at least one object comprises determining font information that includes at least one of font type, font size, paragraph spacing, line spacing, and justification.

15. An automated document template creation system, comprising:

an input device that receives data of an existing document containing a representative visual design to obtain an image;

an image processor that decomposes the image into at least one object and determines at least one design attribute of the at least one object; and

a template creator that synthesizes a document template containing the at least one design attribute.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the input device comprises a scanner that scans the existing document.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising a data storage device that stores the document template.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the template creator synthesizes the document by merging the location with information that is based on the at least one design attribute.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the image processor categorizes the at least one object by a location and a type, further determines whether the at least one object warrants definition into at least one subobject based on categorization by the location and the type, and successively partitions the at least one object into the at least one subobject.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one design attribute includes at least one of font type, font size, paragraph spacing, line spacing, and justification.