Systems and methods for note recognition

• US 9,378,426 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2015
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Biller, Gabriel A., Clover, Kristopher W., Henry, Masuma W., June, Stephen M., Linzie, Brian L., Lorentz, Robert D., Mahli, David M., Moore, Richard J., Moran, Cristin E., Nakayama, Tasuku, Pearson, Scott D., Powell, Dennard J., Ronning, Olen, Somasundaram, Guruprasad, Stankiewicz, Brian J., Wolk, Diane R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Koziol, Stephen R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Azima, Shaghayegh
• Application Number:
  US14/724,358
• Publication Number:
  US 20150262023A1
• Time in Patent Office: 397 Days
• Field of Search: 382/103
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/225 based on a marking or identifier characterising the area
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/63 Scene text, e.g. street names
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/224 of printed characters having additional code marks or containing code marks
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/40 Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition

Abstract

At least some aspects of the present disclosure feature systems and methods for note recognition. The note recognition system includes a sensor, a note recognition module, and a note extraction module. The sensor is configured to capture a visual representation of a scene having one or more notes. The note recognition module is coupled to the sensor. The note recognition module is configured to receive the captured visual representation and determine a general boundary of a note from the captured visual representation. The note extraction module is configured to extract content of the note from the captured visual representation based on the determined general boundary of the note.

Claims

1. A method of collecting content of notes, comprising:

capturing, by a sensor of a computing device, a visual representation of a scene having a first physical note and a second physical note, each of the physical notes comprising a separate physical object having a predefined boundary and recognizable content thereon, the first physical note comprising a mark;

processing, by a processing unit of the computing device, image data associated with the visual representation of the scene to identify the mark of the first physical note from the visual representation;

identifying based at least in part on the identified mark, by the processing unit, a predefined boundary of the first physical note from the visual representation;

extracting based at least in part on the predefined boundary of the first physical note, by the processing unit, first recognizable content from within the predefined boundary of the first physical note;

associating the first recognizable content with a first digital note representative of the first physical note;

identifying based at least in part on the identified mark, by the processing unit, a predefined boundary of the second physical note from the visual representation;

extracting, by the processing unit, second recognizable content from within the predefined boundary of the second physical note;

and associating the second recognizable content with a second digital note representative of the respective physical note.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying step comprises identifying the predefined boundary of the first physical note based upon the identified mark and a known shape of the first physical note.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying step comprises identifying the predefined boundary of the first physical note based upon the identified mark and a known relative position of the mark on the first physical note.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mark comprises at least one of a barcode, a color block, a color code, a color, a shape, a pattern, a fiduciary mark, a trademark logo, a dot, and a hole.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mark comprises a symbol.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

identifying the symbol by the processing unit; and

authenticating, by the processing unit, based on the symbol.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises a mobile computing device.

12. The note recognition device of claim 7, wherein the mark comprises a symbol.

13. The note recognition device of claim 12, wherein the note recognition module is further configured to identify the symbol.

14. The note recognition device of claim 13, further comprising:

a note authentication module implemented on the computing device and configured to authenticate the first physical note based on the symbol.

15. The note recognition device of claim 14,

wherein the note extraction module is further configured to extract the first recognizable content if the first physical note is authenticated.

8. A note recognition device, comprising:

a computing device,

a sensor configured to capture a visual representation of a scene having a first physical note and a second physical note, each of the physical notes having a predefined boundary and recognizable content thereon, the first physical note comprising a mark,

a note recognition module implemented on the computing device and coupled to the sensor, the note recognition module configured to process the captured visual representation, identify the mark of the first physical note from the captured visual representation, and identify, based at least in part on the identified mark, a predefined boundary of the first physical note from the visual representation, and

a note extraction module implemented on the computing device and configured to extract first recognizable content of the first physical note from the captured visual representation from within the predefined boundary of the first physical note.

9. The note recognition device of claim 8, wherein the note recognition module is further configured to identify the predefined boundary of the first physical note based upon the identified mark and a known shape of the first physical note.

10. The note recognition device of claim 8, wherein the note recognition module is further configured to identify the predefined boundary of the first physical note based upon the identified mark and a known relative position of the mark on the first physical note.

11. The note recognition device of claim 8, wherein the mark comprises at least one of a barcode, a color block, a color code, a color, a shape, a pattern, a fiduciary mark, a trademark logo, a dot, and a hole.

16. The note recognition device of claim 8, wherein the note recognition device comprises a mobile computing device.