Using OCR to enter graphics as text into a clipboard
First Claim
1. A computer system including a processor, a display screen coupled to a user input device, a memory and an operating system with a graphical user interface responsive to the user input device, the system being characterized by apparatus for transferring information comprising:
- source information transfer software, which in response to a user action on said input device identifying a user selected source of textual data information of character images on the display screen, always stores said textual data information as a bit image of each character image into a first predetermined location of the computer system memory; and
optical character recognition logic which, without user activation and irrespective of whether or not character codes for the user selected source of the textual information is already stored in the computer system, always automatically generates a character code for each character image identified in said textual data stored in said first predetermined location by said information transfer software; and
character information transfer software which automatically places the character codes as they are generated into a second predetermined location of the computer memory where said textual data information is rendered available as the generated character codes to a destination application program by being inserted into a user defined screen location operated by the destination application program.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A computer system is provided for transferring graphical textual information into an application program. The arrangement comprises an information transfer means, activated in response to a user action on an input device of the computer system, for identifying on the computer display screen a user selected source of textual information, and transferring said textual information as a bit image into a first predetermined location of the computer memory. The arrangement using optical character recognition logic (OCR) coupled to the information transfer means, for generating a character code for each character image identified in the image stored in the first memory location. The generated character codes are stored by said information transfer means into a second predetermined location of the computer memory. The source information is available to this second location to be inserted into a destination application program by being pasted into a user defined screen location.
106 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A computer system including a processor, a display screen coupled to a user input device, a memory and an operating system with a graphical user interface responsive to the user input device, the system being characterized by apparatus for transferring information comprising:
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source information transfer software, which in response to a user action on said input device identifying a user selected source of textual data information of character images on the display screen, always stores said textual data information as a bit image of each character image into a first predetermined location of the computer system memory; and
optical character recognition logic which, without user activation and irrespective of whether or not character codes for the user selected source of the textual information is already stored in the computer system, always automatically generates a character code for each character image identified in said textual data stored in said first predetermined location by said information transfer software; and
character information transfer software which automatically places the character codes as they are generated into a second predetermined location of the computer memory where said textual data information is rendered available as the generated character codes to a destination application program by being inserted into a user defined screen location operated by the destination application program. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of transferring information into an application program of a computer system including at least a processor, a display screen coupled to a user input device, a memory and an operating system with a graphical user interface responsive to the user input device, wherein the method comprises the following steps:
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a) identifying data in a portion of the display screen selected by a user action on the input device, and in response to said user action storing in a first predefined location of the memory a bit image of the data in said selected portion of the screen;
b) automatically generating an ASCII coded representation of a character sequence from detected character images of the data in response to said computer system'"'"'s detection of the bit image in the first predefined location of memory, and storing said ASCII coded representation of a character sequence into a second predetermined location of the computer memory; and
c) inserting said ASCII coded representation of a character sequence into a destination application program by said user selecting a location of the display screen by a user action on the input device, said location being operated by said destination application program. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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16. A computer program on a computer readable medium for a computer system which includes a processor, a display screen coupled to a user input device, a memory and an operating system with a graphical user interface responsive to the user input device, the computer program being characterized by:
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information transfer software, activated in response to a user action on said input device, for identifying a user selected source of textual data information in character image form, and transferring all said textual data information from said selected source as a bit image of each character image into a first predetermined location of the computer system memory; and
optical character recognition logic software for automatically generating, irrespective of whether or not character codes for the user selected source of textual data information is already stored in the computer system, a character code for each character image identified in the image stored in said first predetermined location in response to the placement of the bit information into the first predetermined location by said information transfer software, said generated character codes being stored then by said information transfer software into a second predetermined location of the computer memory where said textual data information is rendered available as character codes to a destination application program. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A computer program on a computer usable media for transferring information into an application program of a computer system including at least a processor, a display screen coupled to a user input device, a memory and an operating system with a graphical user interface responsive to the user input device, the computer program comprising:
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a) source information transfer software, for storing a portion of the screen as a bit image into a first predefined storage location when activated by a user action on said input drive selecting that portion of the display screen;
b) optical character recognition software for automatically generating an ASCII coded representation of a character sequence from detected character images in response to said computer system'"'"'s detection of the bit image in the first predefined location of memory irrespective of whether or not character codes of the character images are already stored in a storage location of the computer system, and storing said ASCII coded representation of a character sequence into a second predetermined storage location of the computer memory; and
c) insertion software for inserting said ASCII coded representation of a character sequence into a destination application program upon the user selecting, with a user action on the input device, a location of the display screen being operated by a destination application program. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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Specification