Digital image manipulation

• US 9,684,825 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2015
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Goyal, Ankur
• Primary Examiner(s): MARIAM, DANIEL G
• Application Number:
  US14/685,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20160307034A1
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 382181, 382224, 382309, 382310
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• 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 30/416 Extracting the logical structure, e.g. chapters, sections or page numbers; Identifying elements of the document, e.g. authors

Abstract

Techniques for assigning context to a digitally captured image, and for manipulating recognized data fields within such image. In an exemplary embodiment, a context of an image may be assigned based on, e.g., user input or pattern recognition. Based on the assigned context, recognized data fields within the image may be manipulated according to context-specific processing. In an aspect, processing specific to a sales receipt context may automatically manipulate certain data, e.g., calculate updated sales tax and subtotals based on user-designated fields, and display the automatically calculated data in an output receipt. Fields not designated by the user may be selectively concealed in the output receipt for privacy. Further aspects disclose processing techniques specific to other contexts such as restaurant menu, store shelf, and fillable form contexts.

Claims

1. An apparatus for generating an output image from a digital image, the apparatus comprising:

a context assignment block configured to assign a context to the digital image, the context selected from a plurality of predetermined contexts;

a field recognition block configured to digitally recognize one or more data fields in the digital image;

a user designation block configured to receive input from the user designating at least one of the one or more recognized data fields for manipulation;

a data manipulation block configured to manipulate at least one of the one or more recognized data fields based on the at least one user-designated data field and the assigned context of the digital image, the at least one manipulated data field occupying at least one position in the digital image; and

a post-processing block configured to generate the output image by replacing the at least one occupied position in the digital image with the at least one manipulated data field.

2. A method comprising:

assigning a context to the digital image, the context selected from a plurality of predetermined contexts;

digitally recognizing one or more data fields in the digital image;

receiving input from the user designating at least one of the one or more recognized data fields for manipulation;

manipulating at least one of the one or more recognized data fields based on the at least one user-designated data field and the assigned context of the digital image, the at least one manipulated data field occupying at least one position in the digital image; and

generating the output image by replacing the at least one occupied position in the digital image with the at least one manipulated data field.

3. The method of claim 2, the assigning the context to the digital image comprising assigning the context to the digital image based on user specification of the context.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising recognizing at least one data field in the digital image as corresponding to a data field specific to the assigned context.

5. The method of claim 2, the receiving the input from the user comprising receiving a designation that data field is to be displayed in the output image.

6. The method of claim 2, the receiving the input from the user comprising receiving a designation that a corresponding data field is to be obscured in the output image.

7. The method of claim 2, the manipulating comprising obscuring the at least one user-designated field in the output image.

8. A computing device including a processor and a memory holding instructions executable by the processor to:

assign a context to the digital image, the context selected from a plurality of predetermined contexts;

digitally recognize one or more data fields in the digital image;

receive input from the user designating at least one of the one or more recognized data fields for manipulation;

manipulate at least one of the one or more recognized data fields based on the at least one user-designated data field and the assigned context of the digital image, the at least one manipulated data field occupying at least one position in the digital image; and

generate the output image by replacing the at least one occupied position in the digital image with the at least one manipulated data field.

9. The device of claim 8, the instructions being executable by the processor to assign the context to the digital image based on user specification of the context.

10. The device of claim 8, the instructions being executable by the processor to assign the context to the digital image by applying pattern recognition techniques, said techniques comprising correlating text data recognized in the digital image with a plurality of predetermined context-specific templates.

11. The device of claim 8, the instructions being executable by the processor to recognize at least one data field in the digital image as corresponding to a data field specific to the assigned context.

12. The device of claim 11, the plurality of predetermined contexts comprising a receipt context, the one or more recognized data fields in the digital image comprising a subtotal field, a sales tax field, and a total field.

13. The device of claim 8, the input received from the user comprising a designation that a data field is to be displayed in the output image.

14. The device of claim 8, the input received from the user comprising a designation that a corresponding data field is to be obscured in the output image.

15. The device of claim 8, the instructions being executable by the processor to manipulate the at least one user-designated data field by obscuring the at least one user-designated field in the output image.

16. The device of claim 8, the instructions being executable by the processor to manipulate the at least one user-designated field by calculating the value of a total price field based on numerical price values corresponding to the at least one user-designated field.

17. The device of claim 16, the instructions being executable by the processor to calculate the value of the total price field by adding said numerical price values to obtain a subtotal, computing a sales tax based on the sub-total, and determining the value of the total price field as the sum of the sales tax and the subtotal.

18. The device of claim 8, the instructions being executable by the processor to superimpose at least one additional data field generated from the at least one user-designated field on the output image.

19. The device of claim 8, the instructions being executable by the processor to generate the output image as a digital image file.

20. The device of claim 8, the instructions being executable by the processor to assign a location context to the digital image based on a geocoding of the digital image.