Systems and methods for routing facsimiles based on content

• US 8,279,465 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2007
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tungsten Automation Corp.
• Original Assignee: Kofax Incorporated
• Inventors: Couchman, Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): Cordero, Marivelisse Santiago
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cato, Miya J
• Application Number:
  US11/743,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20080273220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,981 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/412 Layout analysis of documents structured with printed lines or input boxes, e.g. business forms or tables
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/413 Classification of content, e.g. text, photographs or tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00095 Systems or arrangements for the transmission of the picture signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00355 Mark-sheet input sensing record carriers G06K7/00; character recognition G06V30/10; document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0036 Alphanumeric symbols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00374 on the same page as at least a part of the image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00968 by scanning marks on a sheet mark-sheet input means H04N1/00355; sensing record carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/323 for tracing or tracking, e.g. forensic tracing of unauthorized copies

Abstract

A method for routing a facsimile according to one embodiment of the present invention includes analyzing text of a facsimile for at least one of a meaning and a context of the text; and routing the facsimile to one or more destinations based on the analysis. A method for routing a facsimile according to another embodiment of the present invention includes analyzing a pattern of light and dark areas of a facsimile; correlating the pattern to one or more forms; and routing the facsimile to one or more destinations based on the correlation. Additional systems and methods are also presented.

Claims

1. A method for routing a facsimile, comprising:

receiving or generating text of a facsimile in a computer-readable format;

performing text analysis and fax analysis by parallel processing;

wherein the text analysis comprises;

analyzing portions of the text of the facsimile for at least one of a meaning and a context of the text to determine one or more other destinations, and

determining one or more keywords in the text, wherein none of the one or more determined keywords contains any destination information selected from a group consisting of a physical address, an email address, a fax number, and a name of a desired recipient; and

wherein the fax analysis comprises;

analyzing a pattern of light and dark areas of a facsimile in the computer-readable format without optical character recognition;

correlating the pattern to one or more forms without optical character recognition;

routing the facsimile to one or more destinations based on the text analysis and the fax analysis.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein more than one keyword is determined by the text analysis, wherein at least two of the keywords are not adjacent in the facsimile text.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the text analysis includes comparing one or more keywords in the text to at least one other element in the text.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the element includes one or more of a word, a symbol, a keyword, and a graphic element, wherein none of the one or more keywords contains any destination information selected from a group consisting of a physical address, an email address, a fax number, and a name of a desired recipient.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the text analysis includes determining a keyword in the text, wherein the keyword does not contain any destination information selected from a group consisting of a physical address, an

email address, a fax number, and a name of a desired recipient;

and analyzing other words in the text for determining a context of the keyword.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the text analysis includes determining the position of one or more keywords in the text to ascertain a relevance of the one or more keywords to the facsimile as a whole.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the text analysis includes classifying the text as a specific document type.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the text analysis includes classifying at least one of the keywords in the text as a specific word type.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the text is generated by converting the facsimile to a computer-readable format, wherein more than one keyword is determined by the text analysis, wherein at least two of the keywords are not adjacent in the facsimile text, and further comprising initiating a business process based on the text analysis;

sending a confirmation back to an original sender of the facsimile when at least one of the business process is initiated and the business process is completed; and

notifying the original sender of a problem with the business process.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the text is generated by converting a source to text in a different human language other than a human language of the source.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the form relates to a certain document type.

12. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the fax analysis determines one or more document features of the pattern.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the correlating includes comparing at least one of the document features to features of the one or more forms.

14. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the correlating includes determining the position of one or more of the document features within the pattern.

15. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the correlating includes comparing at least one of the document features to other features of the pattern.

25. A computer program product encoded on a non-transitory computer readable medium having computer code stored thereon which when executed by a processor causes the process to perform the method of claim 1.

16. A method for routing a facsimile, comprising:

converting a facsimile to a computer-readable document;

identifying one or more keywords in the document, wherein none of the one or more keywords contains any destination information selected from a group consisting of a physical address, an email address, a fax number, and a name of a desired recipient;

analyzing the document by determining a combination of at least two of the following;

a relation of one or more symbols in the document to the one or more keywords,

a relation of one or more keywords in the document to the one or more other keywords,

a relation of graphic elements to the one or more keywords,

a classification of the text of the document as a specific document type,

a significance of text of the one or more keywords;

determining a facsimile destination based on the analysis; and

routing the facsimile to the facsimile destination based on the determination;

wherein the facsimile destination is a destination other than one associated with an intended recipient of the facsimile and one associated with an original sender of the facsimile.

17. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein multiple facsimile destinations are determined;

wherein the facsimile is routed to the multiple destinations, wherein at least one destination is determined using text that does not contain a

name, a physical address, an email address, and a fax number associated with the one destination.

18. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein the computer-readable document or facsimile is also routed to the facsimile destination based on the determination, and further comprising also routing a copy of the computer-readable document or facsimile to an intended recipient.

26. A computer program product encoded on a non-transitory computer readable medium having computer code stored thereon which when executed by a processor causes the process to perform the method of claim 16.

19. A method for routing a facsimile, comprising:

obtaining a pattern of light and dark areas of a computer-readable version of a facsimile;

determining one or more document features from the pattern;

determining a facsimile destination based on a combination of at least two of the following operations;

comparing the one or more document features of one or more forms, said forms relating to one or more of a certain document type;

determining the position of one or more of the document features within the pattern;

comparing at least one of the document features to other features of the pattern; and

routing the facsimile to the facsimile destination based on the determination of the destination, with the proviso that the routing is performed without results of optical character recognition.

27. A computer program product encoded on a non-transitory computer readable medium having computer code stored thereon which when executed by a processor causes the process to perform the method of claim 19.

20. A system for routing a facsimile, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor in communication with the memory, the processor being configured for;

converting a facsimile to a computer-readable document;

identifying one or more keywords in the document;

analyzing the document by determining a combination of at least two of the following;

a relation of one or more words in the document to the one or more keywords,

a relation of one or more symbols in the document to the one or more keywords,

a relation of the one or more keywords in the document to the one or more other keywords,

a relation of graphic elements to the one or more keywords,

a position of one or more keywords in the document,

a classification of the text of the document as a specific document type,

a classification of one or more keywords in the document as a specific word type based at least in part on an analysis of other words in the text, and

a significance of text of the one or more keywords;

determining a facsimile destination based on the analysis; and

routing the facsimile to the facsimile destination based on the determination,

wherein the facsimile destination is determined using text that does not contain a name, a physical address, an email address, and a fax number associated with the facsimile destination, and

wherein the facsimile destination is a destination other than one associated with an intended recipient of the facsimile and one associated with an original sender of the facsimile.

21. A system as recited in claim 20, wherein multiple facsimile destinations are determined;

wherein the facsimile is routed to the multiple destinations, wherein a second of the multiple destinations is associated with an intended recipient, wherein the intended recipient is identified by recognizing at least one of a name, an email address and contact information of the intended recipient in the computer-readable document.

22. A system as recited in claim 20, wherein the computer-readable document or facsimile is also routed to the facsimile destination based on the determination, and further comprising also routing a copy of the computer-readable document or facsimile to an intended recipient identified on the facsimile.

23. A system as recited in claim 22, wherein multiple facsimile destinations are determined, wherein the facsimile is routed to the multiple destinations.

24. A system for routing a facsimile, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor in communication with the memory, the processor being configured for;

obtaining a pattern of light and dark areas of a facsimile;

determining one or more document features from the pattern;

determining a facsimile destination based on a combination of at least two of the following operations, with the proviso that the determining a facsimile destination is performed without results of optical character recognition;

comparing the one or more document features of one or more forms, said forms relating to one or more of a certain document type;

determining the position of one or more of the document features within the pattern;

comparing at least one of the document features to other features of the pattern; and

routing the facsimile to the facsimile destination based on the determination of the destination.