Recognizing text at multiple orientations

• US 8,660,356 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2012
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Fisher, Maurice D.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAWAN, SHEELA C
• Application Number:
  US13/459,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20130177201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 382/181, 382/171, 382/176, 382/180, 382/224, 382/254, 382/256, 382/257, 382/276, 382/282, 382/283, 382/289, 382/292, 382/297, 382/312, 382/317, 358/1.9, 358/1.11, 358/462, 358/2.01, 358/2.28, 358/1.1, 358/3.02, 358/3.1, 358/3.27, 715/200, 715/201, 715/234, 715/243, 715/255, 715/762, 715/273, 715/781, 715/221, 345/168, 345/467, 345/551, 345/620, 345/685, 345/471, 345/589
• US Class Current: 382/181
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1463 Orientation detection or correction, e.g. rotation of multiples of 90 degrees

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatus, including software tangibly stored on a computer readable medium, involve identifying text in an electronic document. An electronic document that includes an image object is received. In a first region of the image object, a first set of text characters having a first orientation are recognized. In a second region of the image object, a second set of text characters having a second orientation are recognized. The electronic document is modified to include a first text object identifying the first set of text characters and a second text object identifying the second set of text characters. Each identification of text characters includes a set of values that each represent an individual text character recognized in the corresponding region.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

recognizing, in a first region of an image, a first plurality of text characters having a first orientation in the image;

recognizing, in a second region of the image, a second plurality of text characters having a second orientation in the image; and

generating an electronic document that includes;

a first text object identifying the recognized first plurality of text characters; and

a second text object identifying the recognized second plurality of text characters.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the electronic document that includes the first text object and the second text object includes modifying an existing electronic document to include the first text object and the second text object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the existing electronic document includes the image, and the method further includes accessing the image in the existing electronic document before recognizing the first plurality of text characters or the second plurality of text characters.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein recognizing the first plurality of text characters includes determining the first orientation, and recognizing the second plurality of text characters includes determining the second orientation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first text object further includes data indicating the first orientation, and the second text object further includes data indicating the second orientation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first orientation is perpendicular to the second orientation.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein recognizing the first plurality of text characters includes recognizing text that runs horizontally on a page, and recognizing the second plurality of text characters includes recognizing text that runs vertically on the page.

8. A computer program product, encoded on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

recognizing, in a first region of an image, a first plurality of text characters having a first orientation in the image;

recognizing, in a second region of the image, a second plurality of text characters having a second orientation in the image; and

generating an electronic document that includes;

a first text object identifying the recognized first plurality of text characters; and

a second text object identifying the recognized second plurality of text characters.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein generating the electronic document that includes the first text object and the second text object includes modifying an existing electronic document to include the first text object and the second text object.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the existing electronic document includes the image, and the operations further include accessing the image in the existing electronic document before recognizing the first plurality of text characters or the second plurality of text characters.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein recognizing the first plurality of text characters includes determining the first orientation, and recognizing the second plurality of text characters includes determining the second orientation.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the first text object further includes data indicating the first orientation, and the second text object further includes data indicating the second orientation.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the first orientation is perpendicular to the second orientation.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein recognizing the first plurality of text characters includes recognizing text that runs horizontally on a page, and recognizing the second plurality of text characters includes recognizing text that runs vertically on the page.

15. A system comprising:

a memory; and

one or more processors configured to perform operations in accordance with instructions stored on the memory, the operations including;

recognizing, in a first region of an image, a first plurality of text characters having a first orientation in the image;

recognizing, in a second region of the image, a second plurality of text characters having a second orientation in the image; and

generating an electronic document that includes;

a first text object identifying the recognized first plurality of text characters; and

a second text object identifying the recognized second plurality of text characters.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a display device, the operations further including displaying the electronic document on the display device.

17. The system of claim 15, the operations further including storing the electronic document in the memory.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein generating the electronic document that includes the first text object and the second text object comprises modifying an existing electronic document to include the first text object and the second text object.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the first orientation is perpendicular to the second orientation.