Patent · US Expired

Form search apparatus and method

US6970601B1 · kind B1 · utility

14Cited by
8References
6Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 15, 2000
Grant dateNov 29, 2005
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 15, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06V30/414
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Forms such as business forms used in banks and post offices are automatically classified using a form search apparatus and method. The method of classifying forms comprises extracting features from the image data of the input form and comparing the extracted features with stored features of a set of template forms corresponding to a set of known classifications of forms. The comparing step compares extracted features which comprise attributes of tables contained in the template forms and the input form respectively. The attributes of tables may be the number of tables in the form, or the number of cells comprising the tables. An approximate matching step is used to reduce the number of candidate template forms.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.