Systems, methods, and computer readable media for extracting data from portable document format (PDF) files

• US 9,418,315 B1
• Filed: 03/14/2016
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Banker's Toolbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sageworks Incorporated
• Inventors: Keogh, Timothy Francis, Hamilton, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Koziol, Stephen R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Azima, Shaghayegh
• Application Number:
  US15/069,913
• Time in Patent Office: 155 Days
• Field of Search: 382/190
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5846 using extracted text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/213 Feature extraction, e.g. by transforming the feature space; Summarisation; Mappings, e.g. subspace methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/225 based on a marking or identifier characterising the area
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/412 Layout analysis of documents structured with printed lines or input boxes, e.g. business forms or tables

Abstract

According to one method, the method occurs at a data file analyzer. The method includes identifying at least one document identifier associated with a first document in a portable document format (PDF) file. The method further includes determining, using the at least one document identifier, a reference point identifier for identifying a reference point in the first document, an offset value for indicating a location of a first detection area in the first document, and size information for indicating a size of the first detection area in the first document. The method also includes identifying, using a reference point identifier, the reference point in the first document. The method further includes identifying, using the offset value and the size information, the first detection area in the first document and extracting, by processing binary data of the PDF file, data within the first detection area of the first document.

Claims

1. A method for extracting data from a portable document format (PDF) file, the method comprising:

identifying at least one document identifier associated with a first document in a portable document format (PDF) file;

determining, using the at least one document identifier, a reference point identifier in the first document, an offset value for indicating a location of a first detection area in the first document, and size information for indicating a size of the first detection area in the first document,

identifying, using the reference point identifier, the reference point in the first document;

identifying, using the offset value and the size information, the first detection area in the first document; and

extracting, by processing binary data of the PDF file, data within the first detection area of the first document.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein extracting the data is performed without using optical character recognition (OCR).

3. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying at least one document identifier includes searching the first document for the at least one document identifier in predetermined or dynamic locations.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein extracting the data within the detection area of the first document includes using a PDF file reader application programming interface (API) for identifying and interpreting binary data of the PDF file.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one document identifier includes a form identifier, a publication year, a document vendor, or a PDF producer application identifier associated with the PDF file.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the PDF file includes a second document associated with one or more detection areas for data extraction.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the reference point identifier includes a predetermined character string or a predetermined location in the first document.

8. The method of claim 1 comprising:

storing the data in a data structure based on the at least one document identifier.

9. The method of claim 1 comprising:

analyzing the data for invalid information; and

notifying a user about the invalid information.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the first document includes a financial statement, a financial report, semi-contained content, tabular data, a tax form, an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 1040, an IRS Form 8825, an IRS Form 1099, an IRS Form 1098, an IRS Form W-2, an IRS Form W-4, or an IRS Form 1065.

11. A system for extracting data from a portable document format (PDF) file, the system comprising:

a data file analyzer comprising;

at least one processor; and

a memory,

wherein the data file analyzer is configured to identify at least one document identifier associated with a first document in a portable document format (PDF) file, to determine, using the at least one document identifier, a reference point identifier for identifying a reference point in the first document, an offset value for indicating a location of a first detection area in the first document, and size information for indicating a size of the first detection area in the first document, to identify, using the reference point identifier, the reference point in the first document, to identify, using the offset value and the size information, the first detection area in the first document, and to extract, by processing binary data of the PDF file, data within the first detection area of the first document.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein extracting the data is performed without using optical character recognition (OCR).

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the data file analyzer is configured to search the first document for the at least one document identifier in predetermined or dynamic locations.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the data file analyzer is configured to extract the data within the detection area of the first document by using a PDF file reader application programming interface (API) for identifying and interpreting binary data of the PDF file.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the at least one document identifier includes a form identifier, a publication year, a document vendor, or a PDF producer application identifier associated with the PDF file.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the PDF file includes a second document associated with one or more detection areas for data extraction.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the reference point identifier includes a predetermined character string or a predetermined location in the first document.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein the data file analyzer is configured to store the data in a data structure based on the at least one document identifier.

19. The system of claim 11 wherein the data file analyzer is configured to analyze the data for invalid information and to notify a user about the invalid information.

20. The system of claim 11 wherein the first document includes a financial statement, a financial report, semi-contained content, tabular data, a tax form, an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 1040, an IRS Form 8825, an IRS Form 1099, an IRS Form 1098, an IRS Form W-2, an IRS Form W-4, or an IRS Form 1065.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that when executed by at least one processor of a computer cause the computer to perform steps comprising:

identifying at least one document identifier associated with a first document in a portable document format (PDF) file;

determining, using the at least one document identifier, a reference point identifier for identifying a reference point in the first document, an offset value for indicating a location of a first detection area in the first document, and size information for indicating a size of the first detection area in the first document,

identifying, using the reference point identifier, the reference point in the first document;

identifying, using the offset value and the size information, the first detection area in the first document; and

extracting, by processing binary data of the PDF file, data within the first detection area of the first document.