Method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium for identifying character coordinates

• US 7,418,141 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2003
• Issued: 08/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Megatrends Incorporated
• Original Assignee: American Megatrends Incorporated
• Inventors: Seshadri, Ramkumar, Ayanam, Varadachari Sudan, Messer, Jason Andrew, Dharmapuri, Srinivasan S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta; Bhavesh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Akhavannik; Hadi
• Application Number:
  US10/403,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20040190773A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,975 Days
• Field of Search: 382/292, 382/165, 382/201
• US Class Current: 382/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/62 Text, e.g. of license plates, overlay texts or captions on TV images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and computer-readable mediums for recognizing or identifying the location of characters within a computer image or display are provided. These methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable mediums make use of dynamic link libraries (“DLLs”) and application program interfaces (“APIs”) to locate, indicate the state of, and return the coordinates of specified characters or text within an image or display. The returned state and coordinates of the characters may also be used in conjunction with automated testing programs to assist the programs in delivering precise instructions to computer programs being tested. Further, the methods and computer-readable mediums make use of one or more operating system independent video and input/output redirection devices that allow remote control of a computer system from any network-connected location. By using such redirection devices in conjunction with an automated testing program utilizing character coordinates, software components may be precisely and efficiently tested from virtually anywhere in the world.

Claims

1. A method for recognizing the coordinates of one or more characters within a display generated on a first computer wherein the character coordinates are used for testing a computer program executing on the first computer wherein the computer program is tested from a second computer, the method comprising:

receiving the display of the first computer at the second computer, the display of the first computer transmitted to the second computer by an operating system independent video and input/output redirection device associated with the first computer;

receiving a search string identifying the characters and a request to locate the characters within the display;

generating a binary representation of the display and the search string;

in response to the request, locating the characters of the search string within the display and returning the location of the characters within the display and an indicator as to whether the characters are highlighted; and

utilizing the indicator and the coordinates of the characters in an automated test program executing on the second computer to test the computer program executing on the first computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a binary representation of the display comprises:

designating a range for a color value of one or more pixels within the display;

determining whether the color value for each pixel within the display is within the range;

in response to the color value for a pixel being within the range, setting a value in the binary representation corresponding to the pixel, to a first value; and

in response to the color value for a pixel being outside the range, setting a value in the binary representation corresponding to the pixel, to a second value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a binary representation of the search string comprises:

determining the text code for each character within the search string;

based on the text code for each character, determining a vector value for each character; and

based on the vector value for each character, generating a binary representation of each character and thereby generating a binary representation of the search string.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating an inverse of the binary representation of the search string;

finding the inverse of the binary representation of the search string within the display; and

in response to finding the inverse, returning a corresponding value indicating the search string is highlighted within the display.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising in response to finding the inverse, utilizing the coordinates to read and return the characters next to the highlighted search string.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the location is expressed using one or more pixel coordinates.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first computer and the second computer are physically located at two different locations and wherein the first computer and the second computer are connected via a communications network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer program executing on the first computer comprises an operating system program.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer program executing on the remote computer comprises a basic input/output system program.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer program executing on the remote computer comprises an application program.

11. A computer-controlled apparatus capable of performing the method of claim 1.

12. A computer-readable medium comprising computer executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of claim 1.

13. A method for locating one or more characters within a display generated on a first computer wherein the character locations are used for testing a computer program executing on the first computer wherein the computer program is tested from a second computer using an automated test program, the method comprising:

receiving the display of the first computer at the second computer;

generating a binary representation of the display;

receiving a search string identifying the characters and a request to locate the characters within the display;

generating one or more binary representations of the characters to create a binary representation of the search string;

comparing the binary representations of the characters with the binary representation of the display to identify the location of the binary representation of the characters within the display;

in response to the request, returning the location of the binary representation of the characters within the display; and

from a local computer, utilizing the location of the binary representation of the characters to navigate in the computer program executing on the first computer.

14. A method for recognizing a location of one or more characters within an image, comprising:

receiving a search string identifying the characters and a request to locate the characters within the image;

generating a binary representation of the image and the search string, wherein generating a binary representation of the image comprises;

designating a range for a color value of one or more pixels within the image,

determining whether the color value for each pixel within the image is within the range,

in response to the color value for a pixel being within the range, setting a value in the binary representation corresponding to the pixel, to a first value, and

in response to the color value for a pixel being outside the range, setting a value in the binary representation corresponding to the pixel, to a second value;

generating a binary representation of the search string, wherein generating a binary representation of the search string comprises;

determining a text code for each character within the search string,

based on the text code for each character, determining a vector value for each character, and

based on the vector value for each character, generating a binary representation of each character and thereby generating a binary representation of the search string;

in response to the request, locating the characters of the search string within the binary representation of the image;

returning the location of the characters within the binary representation of the image;

generating an inverse of the binary representation of the search string; and

finding the inverse of the binary representation of the search string within the image;

in response to finding the inverse, returning a corresponding value indicating the search string is highlighted within the image; and

in response to finding the binary representation of the search string, returning a corresponding value indicating the search string is unselected within the image.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising in response to finding the inverse, reading and returning the location of the characters next to the highlighted search string.

16. A method for recognizing the coordinates of one or more characters within a display generated on a first computer wherein the character coordinates are used for testing a computer program executing on the first computer wherein the computer program is tested from a second computer, the method comprising:

receiving the display of the first computer at the second computer;

receiving a search string identifying the characters and a request to locate the characters within the display;

generating a binary representation of the display, wherein generating a binary representation of the display comprises;

designating a range for a color value of one or more pixels within the display,

determining whether the color value for each pixel within the display is within the range,

in response to the color value for a pixel being within the range, setting a value in the binary representation corresponding to the pixel, to a first value, and

in response to the color value for a pixel being outside the range, setting a value in the binary representation corresponding to the pixel, to a second value;

generating a binary representation of the search string, wherein generating a binary representation of the search string comprises;

determining the text code for each character within the search string,

based on the text code for each character, determining a vector value for each character, and

based on the vector value for each character, generating a binary representation of each character and thereby generating a binary representation of the search string;

in response to the request, locating the characters of the search string within the display and returning the location of the characters within the display and an indicator as to whether the characters are highlighted;

utilizing the indicator and the coordinates of the characters in an automated test program executing on the second computer to test the computer program executing on the first computer;

generating an inverse of the binary representation of the search string;

finding the inverse of the binary representation of the search string within the display; and

in response to finding the inverse, returning a corresponding value indicating the search string is highlighted within the display.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising in response to finding the inverse, utilizing the coordinates to read and return the characters next to the highlighted search string.