Document scanner, system and method

• US 6,782,144 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2001
• Issued: 08/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Multiscan Corporation
• Original Assignee: Multiscan Corporation
• Inventors: Pucci, Jorge Pablo, Bellavita, Jorge Luis
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Timothy M.
• Application Number:
  US09/804,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20020141660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,261 Days
• Field of Search: 382/112, 382/135, 382/137-140, 382/173, 382/175-179, 382/182-183, 382/185-187, 382/218, 382/275, 382/282-283, 382/291-292, 382/296, 382/309-311, 358/1-15, 358/453, 358/462, 358/463, 715/530-531
• US Class Current: 382/310
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1444 Selective acquisition, locating or processing of specific regions, e.g. highlighted text, fiducial marks or predetermined fields

Abstract

The document scanner system and method operates in conjunction with a document imprinted with data in a plurality of data image fields and a plurality of form documents adapted to have data imprinted thereon. The system output to a communications port is a delimited string of decoded characters. The method scans to obtain positional information of data fields or accepts topological form input by the operator. The operator identifies data descriptors, e.g. field size, data type, etc. The system and method scans the document imprinted with data and captures an image thereof. The scanned input document image is compared with the stored forms (particularly the stored data field descriptors, e.g., positional information, and data type). The system selects a stored form, extracts the data from each field, decodes or calculates the data, and validates the data and stores the decoded/calculated data in the output sequence.

Claims

1. A method for scanning a document imprinted with data, locating the data and deciphering the data and outputting the data as a delimited string of decoded or calculated characters to a computer system via a common computer communications link, the method comprising:

one of (a) scanning a form document that is adapted to have imprinted thereon data in at least one data image field and obtaining positional information for said at least one data image field on said form document or (b) inputting a topological description for said at least one data image field for said form document, said topological description including positional information for said at least one data field;

identifying and storing data field descriptors for said at least one data field, said data field descriptors including said positional information and data field size information, data type information, the presence or absence of data validation parameters, the presence or absence of data error reporting and data correction, and data output destination information relative to said delimited string of decoded characters;

with respect to other form documents, repeating the steps of scanning said other form documents or inputting topological descriptions of said other form documents and repeating the steps of identifying and storing said data field descriptors for each said form;

scanning said document imprinted with data and capturing an image thereof as a scanned image;

comparing said scanned image with said stored data descriptors for said forms, and utilizing positional, data field size and data type information, selecting one form corresponding to said scanned image;

extracting data from said scanned image and decoding, calculating, or validating said data with a corresponding routine, based upon said data field descriptors and storing the decoded data;

reporting and correcting errors in the presence of said data error reporting and correction descriptor;

outputting said decoded data as said delimited string of decoded characters based upon said data output destination information.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 including the steps of displaying data that does not pass the validating step in the extracting, decoding and validating process and accepting an operator input with corrected data.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein said document bearing imprinted data includes a plurality imprinted data in a plurality of data fields, the method including repeating said step of identifying and storing data field descriptors for each data field of said plurality of data fields and the step of outputting includes outputting a plurality of decoded and validated data corresponding to said plurality of data into said delimited string of decoded characters.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein said data type includes data types including printed letters, printed numbers, optical marks, optical tick marks, optical cross-out marks, handwritten characters, bar codes and special optical characters and the step of decoding includes ascertaining whether the extracted data matches a stored data type character set.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein the step of extracting data from said scanned image includes extracting field images from said scanned image, said field image containing data images and the step extracting includes the steps of deskewing and attenuating smudges in said data fields by noise reduction techniques.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein all the steps are carried out in a single machine.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said document bearing imprinted data includes a plurality imprinted data in a plurality of data fields, the method including repeating said step of identifying and storing data field descriptors for each data field of said plurality of data fields and the step of outputting includes outputting a plurality of decoded and validated data corresponding to said plurality of data into said delimited string of decoded characters.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said data type includes data types including printed letters, printed numbers, optical marks, optical tick marks, optical cross-out marks, handwritten characters, bar codes and special optical characters and the step of decoding includes ascertaining whether the extracted data matches a stored data type character set.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of extracting data from said scanned image includes extracting field images from said scanned image, said field image containing data images and the step extracting includes the steps of deskewing and attenuating smudges in said data fields by noise reduction techniques.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein all the steps are carried out in a single machine.

11. A unitary, stand-alone system for scanning, extracting and decoding a document imprinted with data, based upon a plurality of form documents, each form document having at least one data image field therein, the system outputting the data as a delimited string of decoded or calculated characters to a further computer system via a common computer communications link, the system comprising:

a scanner for scanning said document imprinted with data and capturing an image thereof as a scanned image and for scanning said form document;

a form input system, coupled to said scanner, having means for obtaining positional information for said at least one data image field on some form documents of said plurality of form documents and means for inputting a topological description for said at least one data image field for other forms of said plurality of form documents, said topological description including positional information for said at least one data field;

means for identifying and storing data field descriptors for said at least one data field for each form document, said data field descriptors including said positional information and data field size information, data type information, the presence or absence of data validation parameters, the presence or absence of data error reporting and data correction, and data output destination information relative to said delimited string of decoded or calculated characters;

selection system for selecting one form of said plurality of form documents corresponding to said scanned image based upon a comparison of said scanned image with said stored data descriptors for said forms, and utilizing positional, data field size and data type information;

data extractor for obtaining data from said scanned image;

data decoder for decoding the scanned data, said data decoder having a data validator to ascertain data validity in the presence of data validation parameters;

data correction routine to correct errors in the decoded data in the presence of said data error reporting and correction descriptor;

compiler for outputting said decoded data as said delimited string of decoded characters based upon said data output destination information.

12. A system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the system includes an operator interface including a display system and a data and command input system, said means for identifying coupled to said operator interface, and said operator interface providing some data field descriptors such as data type information, data field size information, and data validation parameters.

13. A system as claimed in claim 12 wherein said data correction routine is coupled to said operator interface, said data correction routine displaying data errors on said display and said operator interface adapted to accept operator input via said data and command input system to correct said scanned and decoded data.

14. A system as claimed in claim 13 including a deskewing system to reposition said scanned data from said document and a noise reduction system to diminish the adverse affects of smudges on said document imprinted with data.

15. A system as claimed in claim 11 wherein said data correction routine is coupled to said operator interface, said data correction routine displaying data errors on said display and said operator interface adapted to accept operator input via said data and command input system to correct said scanned and decoded data.

16. A system as claimed in claim 11 including a deskewing system to reposition said scanned data from said document and a noise reduction system to diminish the adverse affects of smudges on said document imprinted with data.