Method and apparatus for organizing scanned images

• US 7,190,480 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2002
• Issued: 03/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/1999
• 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: Brown, Donald Michael, Sturgeon, Derrill L., Barker, John C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams; Kimberly
• Assistant Examiner(s): Baker; Charlotte M.
• Application Number:
  US10/208,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20020186424A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,687 Days
• Field of Search: 358/474, 358/1.16, 358/1.17, 358/1.18, 358/403, 358/404, 358/406, 358/448, 358/444, 358/1.9, 358/296, 358/300, 358/437, 358/450, 358/468, 714/746, 399/43, 399/81, 399/367, 382/305, 382/312, 382/317, 382/318, 382/319
• US Class Current: 358/1.17
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00002 Diagnosis, testing or measuring; Detecting, analysing or monitoring not otherwise provided for error detection, error correction or monitoring in digital computers or digital computer components G06F11/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00013 Reading apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00037 Detecting, i.e. determining the occurrence of a predetermined state H04N1/00031 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0005 in service, i.e. during normal operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00063 using at least a part of the apparatus itself, e.g. self-testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00076 locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00408 Display of information to the user, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00485 providing a hardcopy output to the user, e.g. print out
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32358 using picture signal storage, e.g. at transmitter H04N1/17 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32464 Changing the arrangement of pages or documents, e.g. for producing pages to be bound
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3288 Storage of two or more complete document pages or image frames

Abstract

A system is provided for scanning batch-type documents containing indicia on either a single side or on two sides of each document sheet. Misfeeds through a scanning device are identified by comparison of an anticipated number of pages with an actual number of scanned pages. Similar misfeeds may be identified by comparison of first and second series of pages in two-sided documents. Automatic collating of scanned pages is then performed where desired. The automatic collating may be based upon simple interleaving of pages, or upon recognition of page identifiers, such as page numbers in common or anticipated regions of the page. The scanning, analysis and collating operations may be followed by other processing steps, including transmission of facsimiles, printing, copying, and so forth.

Claims

1. A system for processing scanned data comprising:

a scanning circuit configured to detect discrete regions of a plurality of document pages in a batch job and to generate scan data representative thereof;

a memory circuit coupled to the scanning circuit for storing the scan data in separately identifiable pages, the pages being stored initially in a first order;

a comparison circuit coupled to the memory circuit and configured to compare a count of the number of scanned pages of the batch job to a predefined number;

an input circuit to input user-defined input data, and wherein the predefined number is programmable via the input circuit; and

an output circuit coupled to the comparison circuit and configured to generate a user alert when the count of the number of scanned pages differs from the predefined number.

2. The system of claim 1, further including a collator coupled to the memory and responsive to stored page identifiers to reorder the stored page data for output in an order that is different from the first order.

3. A programmable scanning device comprising:

a scanner configured to scan a plurality of document pages in a batch job including discrete regions of said pages being scanned to generate scan data representative of the scanned document pages and of associated page identifier data detected at said discrete regions;

a memory coupled to the scanning circuit to store the scan data and detected page identifier data in separately identifiable pages, the pages being stored initially in a first order;

a comparator coupled to the memory and configured to compare a count of the number of pages of the batch job being scanned by the scanner to a predefined count of pages intended to be scanned;

an output circuit coupled to the comparator and configured to generate a user alert when the count of the number of scanned pages differs from the predefined count;

a collator coupled to the memory and programmably responsive to stored page identifiers to reorder the stored page data for output in a second order different from the first order.

4. The programmable scanning device of claim 3, further comprising an input circuit to input user-defined input data, and wherein the predefined count is programmable via the input circuit.

5. The programmable scanning device of claim 3, wherein character recognition analysis of said stored scan data corresponding to said discrete regions is effected to identify the page identifiers associated with the respective pages.

6. The programmable scanning device of claim 5, wherein for each page of stored scan data, said character recognition analysis is carried out in sequence at locations corresponding to one or more predetermined discrete regions at which a page identifier may be located.

7. The programmable scanning device of claim 3, coupled to a display for receiving and displaying the reordered stored page data.

8. A programmable scanning device comprising:

a scanner configured to scan a plurality of document pages in a batch job including discrete regions of said pages being scanned to generate scan data representative of the scanned document pages and of associated page identifier data detected at said discrete regions;

a memory coupled to the scanning circuit to store the scan data and detected page identifier data in separately identifiable pages, the pages being stored initially in a first order;

a comparator coupled to the memory and configured to compare the number of pages of the batch job being scanned by the scanner to a user-definable count;

an output circuit coupled to the comparator and configured to generate a user alert when the number of scanned pages differs from the user-definable count;

a collator coupled to the memory and responsive to stored page identifiers to reorder the stored page data for output in a second order different from the first order;

wherein operation of said scanner and collator are controllable by program code stored in said memory, and wherein said memory also stores program code to effect character recognition analysis of said stored scan data corresponding to said discrete regions to identify the page identifiers associated with the respective pages for use by said collator to reorder the stored page data.

9. The programmable scanning device of claim 8, wherein for each page of stored scan data, said character recognition analysis is carried out in sequence at locations corresponding to one or more predetermined discrete regions at which a page identifier may be located.

10. The programmable scanning device of claim 8, coupled to a display for receiving and displaying the reordered stored page data stored in said memory.

11. The programmable scanning device of claim 8, wherein the second order is based on interleaving odd and even numbered pages of the batch job.