Optical reader for classifying an image

• US 7,413,127 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2006
• Issued: 08/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Longacre, Andrew Jr., Ehrhart, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US11/592,636
• Publication Number:
  US 20070051814A1
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 23546201-46247, 235/472.01, 235/472.02, 235/472.03, 235/470, 235/454
• US Class Current: 235/462.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisions for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10861 sensing of data fields affixed to objects or articles, e.g. coded labels postal sorting B07C3/14, conveying articles B65G47/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1413 1D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/142 using hand-held instruments; Constructional details of the instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/40 Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40062 Discrimination between different image types, e.g. two-tone, continuous tone

Abstract

An optical reader that is configured for classifying an image. The optical reader includes an image analysis component that is configured for classifying the image by evaluating a result of attempting to locate and process a portion of the image as graphical symbol, and configured for classifying the image as an image including a graphic symbol if and when attempting to locate and process a portion of the image as graphical symbol is successful, and configured for classifying the image as an image excluding a graphic symbol if and when attempting to locate and process a portion of the image as graphical symbol is unsuccessful.

Claims

1. An optical reader that is configured for classifying an image, comprising:

a color imaging assembly that is configured for obtaining a representation of an image in a digital format; and

an image analysis component that is

configured for classifying the image by evaluating a result of attempting to locate and process a portion of the image as graphical symbol, and

configured for classifying said image as an image including a graphic symbol if attempting to locate and process a portion of the image as graphical symbol is successful, and

configured for classifying said image as an image excluding a graphic symbol if attempting to locate and process a portion of the image as graphical symbol is unsuccessful.

2. The optical reader of claim 1, wherein classifying by attempting to locate and process a portion of the image as graphical symbol includes searching for high energy regions in the image.

3. The optical reader of claim 2, wherein high energy regions include black-white transitions.

4. The optical reader of claim 1, wherein attempting to locate and process a portion of the image as graphical symbol includes attempting to decode said portion of the image as a bar code symbol.

5. The optical reader of claim 4, wherein if said bar code symbol represents a menu, then if attempting to decode said bar code symbol is successful, then a menu that corresponds to a result of decoding of said bar code symbol is executed.

6. The optical reader of claim 4, wherein if said bar code symbol represents data, then if attempting to decode said bar code symbol is successful, then data that corresponds to a result of decoding said bar code symbol is output to a display.

7. The optical reader of claim 4, wherein if attempting to decode said bar code symbol is unsuccessful, then attempting to process a portion of the image as a graphical symbol further includes attempting to process said portion of said image as an optical character recognition (OCR) symbol.

8. The optical reader of claim 7, wherein if attempting to process said portion of said image as an optical character recognition symbol is successful, then a representation of said processed optical character recognition symbol is stored into a memory.

9. The optical reader of claim 7, wherein if attempting to process said portion of said image as an optical character recognition symbol is unsuccessful, then attempting to process a portion of the image as a graphical symbol further includes attempting to recognize said portion of said image as text.

10. The optical reader of claim 9, wherein attempting to recognize said portion of said image as text is successful, then said portion of said image is cropped and stored.

11. The optical reader of claim 10, wherein said portion of said image is further compressed after being cropped and before being stored.

12. The optical reader of claim 9, wherein attempting to recognize said portion of said image as text is unsuccessful, then attempting to process a portion of said image as a graphical symbol further includes attempting to recognize said portion of said image as a signature.

13. The optical reader of claim 12, wherein if attempting to recognize said portion of said image as a signature is successful, then said portion of said image is cropped and stored.

14. The optical reader of claim 12, wherein said portion of said image is further compressed after being cropped and before being stored.

15. The optical reader of claim 12, wherein if attempting to recognize said portion of said image as a signature is unsuccessful, then said image is classified as excluding a graphical symbol.

16. The optical reader of claim 13, wherein attempting to process a portion of the image as a graphical symbol further includes attempting to verify said signature.

17. The optical reader of claim 1 wherein attempting to process a portion of the image as graphical symbol is unsuccessful, then said image is classified as an image excluding a graphic symbol.

18. The optical reader of claim 1 wherein attempting to locate and process a portion of the image as graphical symbol is successful if at least one of attempting to decode a bar code symbol, attempting to process a OCR symbol, attempting to recognize text and attempting to recognize a signature, are successful.

19. The optical reader of claim 16 wherein said image is associated with another image that is subsequently captured.

20. A method for employing an optical reader to classify an image, the method comprising the steps of:

providing an optical reader;

configuring the optical reader to obtain a representation of an image in a digital format;

configuring the optical reader to classify the image by attempting to locate and process a portion of the image as graphical symbol; and

wherein

if attempting to locate and process a portion of the image as graphical symbol is successful, then classifying the image as an image including a graphic symbol; and

wherein

if attempting to locate and process a portion of the image as graphical symbol is unsuccessful, then classifying the image as an image excluding a graphic symbol.