Document processing system

Claim 2

A document processing system for processing documents having data printed thereon including pre-­printed markings visible to the eye and machine-readable characters comprising: means for scanning a document for capturing the color image of the document being processed; means for selecting the color of the pre-printed markings; means connected to said scanning means for reducing the contrast between the pre-printed markings and the background surrounding a machine-readable character based upon the color of the pre-printed markings, such that the pre-printed markings and the background are not distinguishable with respect to light reflected from the document thereby generating a filtered image of the document; and optical character recognition means for receiving said filtered image of the document representing character information only for identifying the characters appearing on the document from said filtered image.

Claim 3

The document processing system of Claim 1 and further including: display means for displaying the captured image of the document including the pre-printed markings.

Claim 4

The document processing system of Claim 2 wherein said display means includes means for displaying the color image of the document.

Claim 5

The document processing system of Claim 2 wherein said display means includes means for displaying a monochrome image of the document.

Claim 6

The document processing system of Claim 1 wherein said contrast reducing means includes: means for subtracting a percentage of the hue that is complementary to the hue of the pre-printed markings from the background surrounding a character, such that the background color is detected as the color of the pre-­printed markings.

Claim 7

A document processing system for processing documents having data printed thereon including pre-­printed markings visible to the eye and machine-readable characters comprising: means for scanning a document for capturing the color image of the document being processed; means connected to said scanning means for detecting and modifying the color of the pre-printed markings, such that the pre-printed markings and the background are not distinguishable with respect to light reflected from the document, thereby generating a filtered image of the document; said means for detecting and modifying the color of the pre-printed markings comprising: a. input means for receiving input color signals which represent a colored image, from said scanning means and for converting said image into a plurality of pixel portions, each pixel having a discrete location; b. digital conversion means for converting the input color signal at each pixel into three digital coordinate values, said first coordinate value representing an approximation of luminance, said second and third coordinate values representing chromaticity; c. sampling means for selectively sampling one or more of said pixels representing a color value for which detection and modification is desired; d. means for storing said second and third chromaticity coordinate values as a function of said luminance coordinate values for each pixel sampled by said sampling means, said means defining a three-dimensional curve in color space when said coordinate values are stored in a memory means, said luminous coordinate defining the longitudinal path of said curve while said second and third chromaticity values define the LOCI of said curve at each level of luminance sampled; e. function generator means for defining a three-­dimensional color sub-space around said color curve, said function means defining a weighted value for each pixel having color coordinate values that fall within said three-dimensional color sub-spaces; f. comparator means for sequentially sampling each pixel in said image and comparing the color coordinate values of said pixel with the color coordinate values of the color sub-space defined by said function generator means; and g. means responsive to said comparator means to combine a second color signal with said input signal for each pixel having color coordinate values falling within said defined color sub­space; and optical character recognition means for receiving said filtered image of the document representing character information only and for identifying the characters appearing on the document from said filtered image.

Claim 8

A document processing system for processing documents having data printed thereon including pre-­printed markings visible to the eye and machine-readable characters comprising: means for scanning a document for capturing the color image of the document being processed; means connected to said scanning means for detecting and modifying the color of the pre-printed markings, such that the pre-printed markings and the background are not distinguishable with respect to light reflected from the document, thereby generating a filtered image of the document; said means for detecting and modifying the color of the pre-printed markings comprising: a. input means for receiving input color signals which represent a colored image, from said scanning means and for converting said image into a plurality of pixel portions, each pixel having a discrete location; b. digital conversion means for converting the input color signal at each pixel into three digital coordinate values, said first coordinate value representing an approximation of luminance, said second and third coordinate values representing chromaticity; c. sampling means for selectively sampling one or more of said pixels representing a color value for which detection and modification is desired; d. means for storing said second and third chromaticity coordinate values as a function of said luminance coordinate values for each pixel sampled by said sampling means, said means defining a three-dimensional curve in color space when said coordinate values are stored in a memory means, said luminous coordinate defining the longitudinal path of said curve while said second and third chromaticity values define the LOCI of said curve at each level of luminance sampled; e. function generator means for defining a three-­dimensional color sub-space around said color curve, said function means defining a weighted value for each pixel having color coordinate values that fall within said three-dimensional color sub-spaces; f. comparator means for sequentially sampling each pixel in said image and comparing the color coordinate values of said pixel with the color coordinate values of the color sub-space defined by said function generator means; and g. means responsive to said comparator means to combine a second color signal with said input signal for each pixel having color coordinate values falling within said defined color sub­space; and optical character recognition means for receiving said filtered image of the document representing character information only and for identifying the characters appearing on the document from said filtered image.

Claim 9

The document processing system of Claim 6 and further including: display means for displaying the captured image of the document including the pre-printed markings.

Claim 10

The document processing system of Claim 7 wherein said display means includes means for displaying the color image of the document.

Claim 11

The document processing system of Claim 7 wherein said display means includes means for displaying a monochrome image of the document.

Claim 14

The method for processing documents of Claim 10 and further including the step of: displaying the image of the document including the pre-printed markings at a visual display.

Claim 15

The method for processing documents of Claim 10 wherein the step of electronically filtering the image of the document includes the step of subtracting a percentage of the complimentary hue to the hue of the pre-printed markings from the background surrounding a character.