Extracting user data from a scanned image of a pre-printed form
US6330357A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 7, 2000 |
| Grant date | Dec 11, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 7, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06V30/10
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Human and machine readability of pre-printed forms that have been completed with user data is impeded where the user data overlaps zone descriptions, constraint boxes or other markings of the pre-printed form. A "form fracturing" methodology is described that includes processing the composite-image data so as to attach one or more shared pixels to a non-diagonally adjacent data pixel. The remaining form pixels can be removed, resulting in at least a useful approximation and often a complete recovery of the user data. Where blank-form data is not available, a "virtual dropout" technique allows for recovering user data from a pre-printed form using limited speckle size and configurations, constraining gray-scale value, or a combination of the two. The disclosed methodologies are conveniently implemented in software on any digital processor.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.