Method and apparatus for generating a summary from a document image

• US 20040034835A1
• Filed: 10/19/2001
• Published: 02/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Taylor, Alex S., Kuruoglu, Ercan E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,712,028 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/530
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes

Abstract

A summary of a captured document image is produced on the basis of detected handwritten annotations made to a document prior to image capture. The scanned (or otherwise captured) image is processed to detect annotations made to the document prior to scanning. The detected annotations can be used to identify features, or text, for use to summarize that document. Additionally, or alternatively, the detected annotations in one document can be used to identify features, or text, for use to summarize a different document. The summary may be displayed in expandable detail levels.

Claims

1. An apparatus for generating a summary of a document, comprising:

an image capture device for capturing an image of a document;

a processing device for detecting annotations made to the document prior to image capture; and

a summary generator for generating a summary of a document based on the detected annotations.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the summary generator is operative to generate a summary of the same document as that on which the annotations are detected.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the summary generator is operative to generate a summary of a different document as that on which the annotations are detected.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image capture device is operative to capture an image of a second document to be summarized based on the detected annotations from the first document.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing device is operative to identify an image region associated with a detected annotation.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the image region represents a sentence in the document image to provide context for the identified annotation.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the summary generator is operative to generate a summary comprising portions which are selectively expandable to increase the information in that portion of the summary.

8. A method of generating a summary of a document, comprising:

capturing an image of a document;

detecting annotations made to the document prior to image capture; and

using the detected annotations in the generation of a summary of a document.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the document summarized is same document as that on which the annotations are detected.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein the document summarized is a different document from that on which the annotations are detected.

11. A method according to claim 10, further comprising capturing an image of a second document to be summarized based on the detected annotations from the first document.

12. A method according to claim 8, wherein said detection comprises identifying an image region associated with a detected annotation.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the image region represents a sentence in the document image to provide context for the identified annotation.

14. A method according to claim 8, further comprising generating a summary comprising portions which are selectively expandable to increase the information in that portion of the summary.