Machine-readable form configuration and system and method for interpreting at least one user mark

• US 9,349,064 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2013
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intralot, Inc. (Intralot SA)
• Original Assignee: Intralot Sa-Integrated Lottery Systems and Services
• Inventors: Diamandis, Argiris, Pnevmatikakis, Aristodemos
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Viet
• Assistant Examiner(s): EDWARDS, JAMES A
• Application Number:
  US14/072,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20140055622A1
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/225 based on a marking or identifier characterising the area
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/066 with answer indicating cards, blocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a machine-readable form configuration (and associated method). Another embodiment of the present invention relates to a system for interpreting at least one user mark (and associated methods). In one example, a plurality of user marks may be interpreted. In another example, the machine-readable form may be a lottery play slip, survey, test, or the like. In another example, the system may interpret user mark(s) made on a lottery play slip, survey, test or the like. In another example, the system may interpret user mark(s) made on a paper or the like having non-planar distortion(s).

Claims

1. An unused machine-readable form, comprising:

a plurality of user marking cells, wherein each user marking cell is bounded by a non-blind color border, wherein the non-blind color border is configured to be visible to;

i) a user who desires to use the unused machine-readable form,

ii) a camera which takes at least one digital image of a used machine-readable form,

wherein the used machine-readable form is the unused machine-readable form which has been marked by the user;

wherein the non-blind color border is visible to the camera so that at least the following processing operations can be performed with the at least one digital image of the used machine-readable form to determine at least one user marking cell having a user marking;

1) identifying, by a computer processor, a plurality of user marking detected cells in the at least one digital image by identifying the non-blind color border for each user marking detected cell;

2) calculating, by the computer processor, for each user marking detected cell of the plurality of user marking detected cells, a center by utilizing morphological image processing;

3) repeating, by the computer processor, for each user marking detected cell of a group of user marking detected cells from the plurality of user marking detected cells, the following operations;

a) utilizing an intrinsic camera parameters model to project coordinates of the center from an image plane of the at least one digital image of the used machine-readable form to a form plane of a digital representation of the unused machine-readable form to obtain a projected center,

b) displacing the projected center according to at least one displacement of at least one already associated neighboring projected center of at least one other user marking detected cell to obtain a displaced projected center,

c) associating the displaced projected center of such user marking detected cell with a first ideal cell center of a first user marking cell in the form plane of the digital representation of the unused machine-readable form to obtain a first planar position of a first user marking detected cell having a first detected center, wherein the first planar position corresponds to a first associated user marking cell of the digital representation of the unused machine-readable form, and

d) estimating a first displacement vector for the first planar position of the first associated user marking cell;

4) repeating, by the computer processor, for each non-associated planar position of a plurality of non-associated planar positions corresponding to a plurality of non-associated user marking cells in the form plane of the digital representation of the unused machine-readable form, the following operations;

a) estimating a second displacement vector for a non-associated planar position of a non-associated user marking cell based on interpolating displacement vectors of planar positions of neighboring associated user marking cells,

b) projecting a second ideal cell center of the second planar position of the non-associated user marking cell to the image plane of the at least one digital image of the used machine-readable form based on the second displacement vector to determine a second detected center of a second user marking detected cell; and

5) for each detected center on the image plane of the at least one digital image of the used machine-readable form;

a) estimating, by the computer processor, a local white level for an interior area surrounded by the non-blind color border of a respective user marking detected cell to obtain a local white level estimate,

b) performing, by the computer processor, a binarization of the interior area based on the local white level estimate and a pre-determined threshold value, and

c) determining, by the computer processor, one of;

 

1) active pixels which form an evidence of a presence of the user marking in the respective user marking detected cell, or

 

2) an absence of the active pixels; and

d) outputting, by the computer processor, a result identifying the presence or the absence of the user marking in the respective user marking detected cell.

2. The unused machine-readable form of claim 1, wherein the identifying the non-blind color border of the plurality of user marking detected cells is based on:

a) performing, by the computer processor, a binarization of the at least one digital image of the used machine-readable form to obtain at least one binary image of the used machine-readable form; and

b) subjecting, by the computer processor, the at least one binary image of the used machine-readable form to horizontal and vertical filtering on a pixel-by-pixel basis.

3. The unused machine-readable form of claim 1,

wherein the unused machine-readable form further comprising:

a plurality of fiducial marks, wherein each fiducial mark has a measurable characteristic whose value, being detected by the camera, does not change under at least one non-planar form distortion to which the used machine-readable form has been subjected;

wherein the plurality of fiducial marks are configured to be utilized, by the computer processor, to validate the at least one digital image as being a valid digital image prior to the identifying, by the computer processor, the plurality of user marking detected cells.

4. The unused machine-readable form of claim 3, wherein at least one fiducial mark has a hollow shape and wherein the measurable characteristic of the at least one fiducial mark is a ratio of a first area of the at least one fiducial mark over a second area of an interior hollow portion of the at least one fiducial mark.

5. The unused machine-readable form of claim 3, wherein the first user marking detected cell is a user marking detected cell which is located closest to at least one fiducial mark.

6. The unused machine-readable form of claim 1, wherein the determining of the active pixels which form the evidence of the presence of the user marking in the respective user marking detected cell is further based on:

comparing, by the computer processor, a degree of brightness similarity between the interior area and at least a portion of an external are located outside of the non-blind color border of the respective user marking detected cell.

7. The unused machine-readable form of claim 1, wherein the used machine-readable form is a topmost form in a stack of used machine-readable forms being placed under the camera.

8. The unused machine-readable form of claim 1, wherein the plurality of user marking cells are positioned on the unused machine-readable form in:

i) a grid pattern, and

ii) a non-grid pattern.

9. The unused machine-readable form of claim 7, wherein the identifying the plurality of user marking detected cells in the at least one digital image, further comprising:

automatically detecting, by the computer processor, the topmost form based on the plurality of user marking detected cells.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the used machine-readable form is a topmost form in a stack of used machine-readable forms being placed under the camera.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the identifying the plurality of user marking detected cells in the at least one digital image, further comprising:

automatically detecting the topmost form based on the plurality of user marking detected cells.

10. A method, comprising:

providing an unused machine-readable form, comprising;

a plurality of user marking cells, wherein each user marking cell is bounded by a non-blind color border, wherein the non-blind color border is configured to be visible to;

i) a user who desires to use the unused machine-readable form,

ii) a camera which takes at least one digital image of a used machine-readable form,

wherein the used machine-readable form is the unused machine-readable form which has been marked by the user;

determining, based on the non-blind color border being visible to the camera, by a computer processor, at least one user marking cell having a user marking, by;

1) identifying, by the computer processor, a plurality of user marking detected cells in the at least one digital image by identifying the non-blind color border for each user marking detected cell;

2) calculating, by the computer processor, for each user marking detected cell of the plurality of user marking detected cells, a center by utilizing morphological image processing;

3) repeating, by the computer processor, for each user marking detected cell of a group of user marking detected cells from the plurality of user marking detected cells, the following operations;

a) utilizing an intrinsic camera parameters model to project coordinates of the center from an image plane of the at least one digital image of the used machine-readable form to a form plane of a digital representation of the unused machine-readable form to obtain a projected center,

b) displacing the projected center according to at least one displacement of at least one already associated neighboring projected center of at least one other user marking detected cell to obtain a displaced projected center,

c) associating the displaced projected center of such user marking detected cell with a first ideal cell center of a first user marking cell in the form plane of the digital representation of the unused machine-readable form to obtain a first planar position of a first user marking detected cell having a first detected center, wherein the first planar position corresponds to a first associated user marking cell of the digital representation of the unused machine-readable form, and

d) estimating a first displacement vector for the first planar position of the first associated user marking cell;

4) repeating, by the computer processor, for each non-associated planar position of a plurality of non-associated planar positions corresponding to a plurality of non-associated user marking cells in the form plane of the digital representation of the unused machine-readable form, the following operations;

a) estimating a second displacement vector for a non-associated planar position of a non-associated user marking cell based on interpolating displacement vectors of planar positions of neighboring associated user marking cells,

b) projecting a second ideal cell center of the second planar position of the non-associated user marking cell to the image plane of the at least one digital image of the used machine-readable form based on the second displacement vector to determine a second detected center of a second user marking detected cell; and

5) for each detected center on the image plane of the at least one digital image of the used machine-readable form;

a) estimating, by the computer processor, a local white level for an interior area surrounded by the non-blind color border of a respective user marking detected cell to obtain a local white level estimate,

b) performing, by the computer processor, a binarization of the interior area based on the local white level estimate and a pre-determined threshold value, and

c) determining, by the computer processor, one of;

1) active pixels which form an evidence of a presence of the user marking in the respective user marking detected cell, or

2) an absence of the active pixels; and

d) outputting, by the computer processor, a result identifying the presence or the absence of the user marking in the respective user marking detected cell.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the identifying the non-blind color border of the plurality of user marking detected cells is based on:

a) performing, by the computer processor, a binarization of the at least one digital image of the used machine-readable form to obtain at least one binary image of the used machine-readable form; and

b) subjecting, by the computer processor, the at least one binary image of the used machine-readable form to horizontal and vertical filtering on a pixel-by-pixel basis.

12. The method of claim 10,

wherein the unused machine-readable form further comprising:

a plurality of fiducial marks, wherein each fiducial mark has a measurable characteristic whose value, being detected by the camera, does not change under at least one non-planar form distortion to which the used machine-readable form has been subjected;

wherein the plurality of fiducial marks are configured to be utilized, by the computer processor, to validate the at least one digital image as being a valid digital image prior to the identifying, by the computer processor, the plurality of user marking detected cells.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one fiducial mark has a hollow shape and wherein the measurable characteristic of the at least one fiducial mark is a ratio of a first area of the at least one fiducial mark over a second area of an interior hollow portion of the at least one fiducial mark.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the first user marking detected cell is a user marking detected cell which is located closest to at least one fiducial mark.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining of the active pixels which form the evidence of the presence of the user marking in the respective user marking detected cell is further based on:

comparing, by the computer processor, a degree of brightness similarity between the interior area and at least a portion of an external are located outside of the non-blind color border of the respective user marking detected cell.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the used machine-readable form is a topmost form in a stack of used machine-readable forms being placed under the camera.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of user marking cells are positioned on the unused machine-readable form in:

i) a grid pattern, and

ii) a non-grid pattern.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the method further comprising:

automatically detecting, by the computer processor, the topmost form based on the plurality of user marking detected cells.

19. A specifically programmed machine-readable form interpreting system, comprising:

at least one specialized computer machine, comprising;

a non-transient memory, electronically storing particular computer executable program code; and

at least one computer processor which, when executing the particular program code, becomes a specifically programmed computer processor of the specifically programmed machine-readable form interpreting system that is configured to at least perform the following operations;

detecting an unused machine-readable form, comprising;

a plurality of user marking cells, wherein each user marking cell is bounded by a non-blind color border, wherein the non-blind color border is configured to be visible to;

i) a user who desires to use the unused machine-readable form,

ii) a camera which takes at least one digital image of a used machine-readable form,

wherein the used machine-readable form is the unused machine-readable form which has been marked by the user;

determining, based on the non-blind color border being visible to the camera, at least one user marking cell having a user marking, by;

1) identifying a plurality of user marking detected cells in the at least one digital image by identifying the non-blind color border for each user marking detected cell;

2) calculating, for each user marking detected cell of the plurality of user marking detected cells, a center by utilizing morphological image processing;

3) repeating, for each user marking detected cell of a group of user marking detected cells from the plurality of user marking detected cells, the following operations;

a) utilizing an intrinsic camera parameters model to project coordinates of the center from an image plane of the at least one digital image of the used machine-readable form to a form plane of a digital representation of the unused machine-readable form to obtain a projected center,

b) displacing the projected center according to at least one displacement of at least one already associated neighboring projected center of at least one other user marking detected cell to obtain a displaced projected center,

c) associating the displaced projected center of such user marking detected cell with a first ideal cell center of a first user marking cell in the form plane of the digital representation of the unused machine-readable form to obtain a first planar position of a first user marking detected cell having a first detected center, wherein the first planar position corresponds to a first associated user marking cell of the digital representation of the unused machine-readable form, and

d) estimating a first displacement vector for the first planar position of the first associated user marking cell;

4) repeating, for each non-associated planar position of a plurality of non-associated planar positions corresponding to a plurality of non-associated user marking cells in the form plane of the digital representation of the unused machine-readable form, the following operations;

a) estimating a second displacement vector for a non-associated planar position of a non-associated user marking cell based on interpolating displacement vectors of planar positions of neighboring associated user marking cells,

b) projecting a second ideal cell center of the second planar position of the non-associated user marking cell to the image plane of the at least one digital image of the used machine-readable form based on the second displacement vector to determine a second detected center of a second user marking detected cell; and

5) for each detected center on the image plane of the at least one digital image of the used machine-readable form;

a) estimating a local white level for an interior area surrounded by the non-blind color border of a respective user marking detected cell to obtain a local white level estimate,

b) performing a binarization of the interior area based on the local white level estimate and a pre-determined threshold value, and

c) determining one of;

1) active pixels which form an evidence of a presence of the user marking in the respective user marking detected cell, or

2) an absence of the active pixels; and

d) outputting a result identifying the presence or the absence of the user marking in the respective user marking detected cell.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the identifying the non-blind color border of the plurality of user marking detected cells is based on:

a) performing a binarization of the at least one digital image of the used machine-readable form to obtain at least one binary image of the used machine-readable form; and

b) subjecting the at least one binary image of the used machine-readable form to horizontal and vertical filtering on a pixel-by-pixel basis.

21. The method of claim 19,

wherein the unused machine-readable form further comprising:

a plurality of fiducial marks, wherein each fiducial mark has a measurable characteristic whose value, being detected by the camera, does not change under at least one non-planar form distortion to which the used machine-readable form has been subjected;

wherein the plurality of fiducial marks are configured to be utilized, by the computer processor, to validate the at least one digital image as being a valid digital image prior to the identifying, by the computer processor, the plurality of user marking detected cells.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein at least one fiducial mark has a hollow shape and wherein the measurable characteristic of the at least one fiducial mark is a ratio of a first area of the at least one fiducial mark over a second area of an interior hollow portion of the at least one fiducial mark.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the first user marking detected cell is a user marking detected cell which is located closest to at least one fiducial mark.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the determining of the active pixels which form the evidence of the presence of the user marking in the respective user marking detected cell is further based on:

comparing, by the computer processor, a degree of brightness similarity between the interior area and at least a portion of an external are located outside of the non-blind color border of the respective user marking detected cell.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein the plurality of user marking cells are positioned on the unused machine-readable form in:

i) a grid pattern, and

ii) a non-grid pattern.