Patent US3014792A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent EP0805410A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0805410A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Formless forms and paper web
Assignee: Xerox Corp
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Filing: 1997-05-01
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2017-05-01
Abstract
Abstract A processor is provided (410-430) with first and second document images. The first image represents an instance of a reference document to which instance a mark has been added. The second image is selected from among a collection of document images and represents the reference document without the mark. The processor automatically extracts (450) from the first document image a set of pixels representing the mark. This is done by performing a reference-based mark extraction technique in which the second document image serves as a reference image and in which substantially the entirety of the first document image is compared with substantially the entirety of the second document image. Also, the processor is provided (440) with information about a set of active elements of the reference document. The reference document has at least one such active element and each active element is associated with at least one action. The processor interprets (460) the extracted set of pixels representing the mark by determining whether the mark indicates any of the active elements of the reference document. If the mark indicates an active element, the processor facilitates (470) the action with which the indicated active element is associated.
Inventors
- 👤 Todd A. Cass
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 03:34
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F40/00; G06F40/10; G06F40/166; G06F40/174; G06V; G06V30/00; G06V30/10; G06V30/14; G06V30/1444
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
233 words
A method carried out in a data processing system, comprising: providing a first document image comprising digital image data including a first plurality of pixels, the first document image representing an instance of a reference document to which instance a mark has been added, the reference document having a plurality of elements; providing a second document image comprising digital image data including a second plurality of pixels, the second document image being selected from among a plurality of document images and representing the reference document without the mark; automatically extracting from the first document image a set of pixels representing the mark by performing a reference-based mark extraction technique wherein the second document image serves as a reference image and wherein substantially the entirety of the first document image is compared with substantially the entirety of the second document image; providing information about a set of active elements of the reference document, each active element being one element among the plurality of elements of the reference document, the reference document having at least one such active element, each active element being associated with at least one action; interpreting the extracted set of pixels representing the mark by determining whether any of the active elements of the reference document is indicated by the mark; and if an active element is indicated by the mark, facilitating the action with which such active element is associated.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
51 words
The method of claim 1 wherein, in the extracting step, the reference-based mark extraction technique includes a step of: computing a robust difference of the first and second images via an image processing operation carried out without recognition of any symbolic content in either of the first or second document images.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
76 words
The method of claim 2 wherein the step of computing a robust difference comprises: determining a collection of pixels common to both the first and second images by matching pixels of the first image with pixels of the second image according to a matching criterion; and eliminating as between the first and second images the pixels of the collection thus determined, thereby determining a set of discrepancy pixels including a set of pixels representing the mark.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein, in the extracting step, the reference-based mark extraction technique includes the steps of: registering the first and second images with one another; and computing a robust difference of the registered first and second images.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 4 wherein the step of computing a robust difference comprises the steps of: finding common elements as between the images; and eliminating the found common elements to locate a discrepancy between the first and second document images.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
275 words
A method carried out in a data processing system, comprising: providing a first document image comprising digital image data including a first plurality of pixels, the first document image representing an instance of a reference document to which instance a mark has been added, the reference document having a plurality of elements; generating an image-based index from the first document image without recognition of any symbolic content of the first document image; selecting a second document image from among a plurality of document images according to the generated index, the second document image comprising digital image data including a second plurality of pixels, the second document image representing the reference document without the mark; providing the second document image; automatically extracting from the first document image a set of pixels representing the mark by performing a reference-based mark extraction technique wherein the second document image serves as a reference image and wherein substantially the entirety of the first document image is compared with substantially the entirety of the second document image by computing a robust difference of the first and second images; providing information about a set of active elements of the reference document, each active element being one element among the plurality of elements of the reference document, the reference document having at least one such active element, each active element being associated with at least one action; interpreting the extracted set of pixels representing the mark by determining whether any of the active elements of the reference document is indicated by the mark; and if an active element is indicated by the mark, facilitating the action with which such active element is associated.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
244 words
A method carried out in a data processing system, comprising: converting a first document instance into a first document image comprising digital image data including a first plurality of pixels, the first document instance being an instance of a reference document to which instance a mark has been added, the reference document having a plurality of elements, the reference document being a document other than a form; converting a second document instance into a second document image comprising digital image data including a second plurality of pixels, the second document instance being an instance of the reference document without the mark; annotating the second document image with a set of annotations comprising at least one annotation, each annotation establishing an association between an element of the reference document and at least one action, each element for which such an association is thus established being termed an "active element"; providing the first and second document images and the set of annotations: automatically extracting from the first document image a set of pixels representing the mark by performing a reference-based mark extraction technique wherein the second document image serves as a reference image; interpreting the extracted set of pixels representing the mark by determining, with reference to the set of annotations, whether any of the active elements of the reference document is indicated by the mark; and if an active element is indicated by the mark, facilitating the action with which such active element is associated.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
289 words
A method carried out in a data processing system, comprising: providing a first document image comprising digital image data including a first plurality of pixels, the first document image representing an instance of a reference document to which instance a mark has been added, the reference document including a plurality of elements, the mark indicating a selection of a preferred element of the reference document, the preferred element whose selection is thus indicated being an element other than a form element; providing a second document image comprising digital image data including a second plurality of pixels, the second document image being selected from among a plurality of document images and representing the reference document without the mark; automatically extracting from the first document image a set of pixels representing the mark by performing a reference-based mark extraction technique wherein the second document image serves as a reference image, the technique comprising at least one image-domain operation for comparing the first and second document images, the image-domain operation being an image processing operation carried out without recognition of any symbolic content in either of the first or second document images; providing information about a set of active elements of the reference document, each active element being one element among the plurality of elements of the reference document, the reference document having at least one such active element, each active element being associated with at least one action; interpreting the extracted set of pixels representing the mark, thereby determining whether the preferred element whose selection is indicated by the mark is an active element of the reference document; and if the preferred element is thus determined to be an active element, facilitating the action with which the preferred element is associated.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
223 words
A method carried out in a data processing system. comprising: scanning a hardcopy instance of a first document with a digital scanning device to produce a first document image comprising digital image data including a first plurality of pixels, the hardcopy instance being an instance of a reference document to which instance a mark has been added, the reference document having a plurality of elements, the reference document being a hypertext document having an associated set of active elements, each active element being associated with at least one action; providing a second document image comprising digital image data including a second plurality of pixels, the second document image being selected from among a plurality of document images and representing the reference document without the mark; automatically extracting from the first document image a set of pixels representing the mark by performing a reference-based mark extraction technique wherein the second document image serves as a reference image and wherein substantially the entirety of the first document image is compared with substantially the entirety of the second document image; interpreting the extracted set of pixels representing the mark by determining whether any of the active elements of the reference document is indicated by the mark; and if an active element is indicated by the mark, facilitating the action with which such active element is associated.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
28 words
A programmably data processing system when suitably programmed for carrying out the method of any of the preceding claims, the system including a processor, memory, and input/output circuitry.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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