US6002798A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus for creating, indexing and viewing abstracted documents
Assignee: Canon Inc
•
Filing: 1993-01-19
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Granted: 1999-12-14
•
Expires: 2013-01-19
Abstract
Abstract Method and apparatus for storing document images, for creating retrieval index by which the document images may be retrieved, and for displaying the retrieved document images. When a document image is obtained, the document image is subjected to rule-based block selection techniques whereby individual regions within the document region are identified, and the types of regions are also identified, such as title-type regions, text-type regions, line art-type regions, halftone-type regions and color image-type regions. The identification is used to create structural information and both the document image and the structural information is stored. A word-based retrieval index is created based on title-type regions and/or text-type regions, the retrieval index being used in conjunction with a search query so as to be able to retrieve documents which match the search query. The retrieved documents are displayed in either a full image mode or a rapid browsing mode. In the rapid browsing mode, the full image of the document is not displayed, but rather only an abstract structural view of the document image based on the stored structural information. The level of abstraction may be specified by the operator in connection with the identified structural regions of the document, whereby, for example, only a structural view is displayed, or only title-type regions are displayed mixed with remaining structure.
Inventors
- 👤 Douglas L. Palmer
- 👤 Toshiaki Yagasaki
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 22:48
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F16/00; G06F16/30; G06F16/31; G06F16/313
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 127
Claim 1
Independent Claim
209 words
A method for creating a retrieval index by which an image of an arbitrarily formatted document may be retrieved, the method comprising the steps of: processing the image of the arbitrarily formatted document to identify text regions on the document and non-text regions on the document, said processing step including, for each text region on the document, the step of automatically determining a region type using rule-based decisions automatically applied to the image of the text region without regard to a position of the text region in the document and without regard to a predetermined format for the document, the region type being one of plural different predefined region types encompassed by the rules; converting the image of the document in text regions into text; indexing the converted text so as to permit retrieval by reference to the converted text; indexing the automatically determined region types so as to permit retrieval by reference to one of the determined region types; and storing the image of the document such that the stored document image may be retrieved by reference to whether text in a text query appears in the indexed text and by reference to whether the text in the text query appears in one of the indexed region types.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
209 words
A method for creating a retrieval index by which an image of an arbitrarily formatted document may be retrieved, the method comprising the steps of: processing the image of the arbitrarily formatted document to identify text regions on the document and non-text regions on the document, said processing step including, for each text region on the document, the step of automatically determining a region type using rule-based decisions automatically applied to the image of the text region without regard to a position of the text region in the document and without regard to a predetermined format for the document, the region type being one of plural different predefined region types encompassed by the rules; converting the image of the document in text regions into text; indexing the converted text so as to permit retrieval by reference to the converted text; indexing the automatically determined region types so as to permit retrieval by reference to one of the determined region types; and storing the image of the document such that the stored document image may be retrieved by reference to whether text in a text query appears in the indexed text and by reference to whether the text in the text query appears in one of the indexed region types.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of determining a region type for both text regions and non-text regions on the document.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
37 words
A method according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of retrieving a document and displaying an abstracted view of the document in which regions of the document are identified in accordance with the corresponding region types.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of progressive replacement of regions within the abstracted view of the document with corresponding full images of the regions of the document.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method according to claim 4, wherein progressive replacement is automatic and proceeds in an order determined by priority among the plural different predefined region types.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 4, wherein progressive replacement is manual in accordance with operator designation.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
42 words
A method according to claim 3, wherein said step of retrieving assigns a score to each retrieved document in accordance with the degree of match to retrieval parameters and wherein the retrieved documents are displayed in an order determined by the score.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method according to claim 3, wherein said step of retrieving includes retrieval over modem or local area network (LAN).
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
53 words
A method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of retrieving images of regions for the document over the modem or LAN when sufficient time is available, and the step of progressive replacement of regions within the abstracted view of the document with the retrieved images of the regions of the document.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method according to claim 9, wherein progressive replacement is automatic and proceeds in an order determined by priority among the plural different predefined region types.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 9, wherein progressive replacement is manual in accordance with operator designation.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method according to claim 2, wherein the region type for non-text regions is selected from a group of predefined region types which includes line art regions, half-tone regions, and table regions.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of designating an index level which specifies which region types should be indexed, and wherein said converting step converts text regions in accordance with the designated index level.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein the region types for text regions are selected from a group of predefined region types which include title regions and main text regions.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said processing step comprises block selection processing of the image to decompose the image into a set of objects and to use rule-based decisions to identify text and non-text regions on the document.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method according to claim 15, wherein the block selection processing uses rule-based decisions to identify related regions on the document.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein the region type is automatically determined without user intervention.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method according to claim 17, wherein the arbitrarily formatted document is of a format previously unknown to the rule-based decisions.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
288 words
Apparatus for creating a retrieval index by which an image of an arbitrarily formatted document may be retrieved, said apparatus comprising: a scanner for scanning an original arbitrarily formatted document and for outputting a bit map document image corresponding to the original arbitrarily formatted document; a first memory region for storing a document image and a retrieval index; a second memory region for storing process steps; and a processor for executing the process steps stored in said second memory region; wherein said second memory region includes process steps to (a) receive the bit map document image scanned by said scanner, (b) process the bit map document image to identify text regions in the document and non-text regions in the document, said processing step including, for each text region on the document, the step of automatically determining a region type using rule-based decisions automatically applied to the image of the text region without regard to a position of the text region in the document and without regard to a predetermined format for the document, the region type being one of plural different predefined region types encompassed by the rules, (c) convert the document image in text regions into text, (d) index the converted text so as to permit retrieval by reference to the converted text, (e) index the automatically determined region types so as to permit retrieval by reference to one of the predetermined region types, and (f) store the document image in said first memory region such that the stored document image may be retrieved by reference to whether text in a text query appears in the indexed text and by reference to whether the text in the text query appears in one of the indexed region types.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
288 words
Apparatus for creating a retrieval index by which an image of an arbitrarily formatted document may be retrieved, said apparatus comprising: a scanner for scanning an original arbitrarily formatted document and for outputting a bit map document image corresponding to the original arbitrarily formatted document; a first memory region for storing a document image and a retrieval index; a second memory region for storing process steps; and a processor for executing the process steps stored in said second memory region; wherein said second memory region includes process steps to (a) receive the bit map document image scanned by said scanner, (b) process the bit map document image to identify text regions in the document and non-text regions in the document, said processing step including, for each text region on the document, the step of automatically determining a region type using rule-based decisions automatically applied to the image of the text region without regard to a position of the text region in the document and without regard to a predetermined format for the document, the region type being one of plural different predefined region types encompassed by the rules, (c) convert the document image in text regions into text, (d) index the converted text so as to permit retrieval by reference to the converted text, (e) index the automatically determined region types so as to permit retrieval by reference to one of the predetermined region types, and (f) store the document image in said first memory region such that the stored document image may be retrieved by reference to whether text in a text query appears in the indexed text and by reference to whether the text in the text query appears in one of the indexed region types.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
30 words
Apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said second memory region includes process steps to determine a region type for both text regions and non-text regions in the bit map document.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
50 words
Apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising a display interface, and wherein said second memory region includes process steps to retrieve a document and to transmit an abstracted view of retrieved documents to said display interface in which regions of the document are identified in accordance with corresponding region types.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
31 words
Apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said second memory region includes process steps to progressively replace regions within the abstracted view of retrieved documents with corresponding regions from the document image.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
25 words
Apparatus according to claim 22, wherein progressive replacement is automatic and proceeds in an order determined by priority among the plural different predefined region types.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
23 words
Apparatus according to claim 22, further including a designation means, and wherein replacement is manual in accordance with designation by said designation means.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
36 words
Apparatus according to claim 21, wherein retrieved documents are assigned a score in accordance with the degree of match to retrieval parameters, and wherein the retrieved documents are displayed in an order determined by the score.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
29 words
Apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising data transmission means comprised by a modem or a local area network (LAN), wherein documents are retrieved over said data transmission means.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
51 words
Apparatus according to claim 26, further comprising retrieving means for retrieving images of regions for the document over the modem or LAN when sufficient time is available, and replacement means for progressively replacing regions within the abstracted view of the document with the retrieved images of the regions of the document.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
25 words
Apparatus according to claim 27, wherein progressive replacement is automatic and proceeds in an order determined by priority among the plural different predefined region types.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
22 words
Apparatus according to claim 27, further including designation means, and wherein replacement is manual in accordance with designation by said designation means.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
31 words
Apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the region type for non-text regions is selected from a group of predefined region types which includes line art regions, half-tone regions, and table regions.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
41 words
Apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said process steps include steps to designate an index level which specifies which region types should be indexed, and wherein said process step to convert converts text regions in accordance with the designated index level.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
29 words
Apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the region types for text regions are selected from a group of predefined region types which include title regions and main text regions.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
46 words
A method according to claim 19, wherein the step to process the bit map document image comprises block selection processing of the image to decompose the image into a set of objects and to use rule-based decisions to identify text and non-text regions on the document.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method according to claim 33, wherein the block selection processing uses rule-based decisions to identify related regions on the document.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
16 words
An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the region type is automatically determined without user intervention.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
21 words
An apparatus according to claim 35, wherein the arbitrarily formatted document is of a format previously unknown to the rule-based decisions.
Claim 39
Independent Claim
81 words
A method for displaying documents comprising the steps of: providing an image of a document and corresponding composition information for the document, the composition information including region type information for each of up to plural regions of the document; displaying an abstracted view of the document using the composition information; replacing, within the abstracted view itself, at least one region of the abstracted view with a corresponding image of the document, so that composition information and image information are mixedly displayed.
Claim 40
Independent Claim
81 words
A method for displaying documents comprising the steps of: providing an image of a document and corresponding composition information for the document, the composition information including region type information for each of up to plural regions of the document; displaying an abstracted view of the document using the composition information; replacing, within the abstracted view itself, at least one region of the abstracted view with a corresponding image of the document, so that composition information and image information are mixedly displayed.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
55 words
A method according to claim 37, further comprising the step of designating an abstraction level based on the composition information for displaying the abstracted view of the document, and wherein in said displaying step the abstracted view is displayed with mixed regions of composition information and document image in accordance with the designated abstraction level.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
44 words
A method according to claim 37, wherein in said providing step a plurality of document images and corresponding document composition information are provided, and further comprising the step of retrieving one of the plurality of document images and corresponding document composition information for display.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method according to claim 39, wherein the retrieved documents are assigned a score in accordance with the degree of match to retrieval parameters, and wherein the retrieved documents are displayed in an order determined by the score.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method according to claim 39, wherein in said displaying step, the abstracted view is displayed mixed with retrieval parameters.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method according to claim 37, further comprising the step of labelling regions of the abstracted view in accordance with the composition information for the regions.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method according to claim 37, wherein said displaying step is a verbal enunciation of document structure through text-to-speech conversion of the composition information.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method according to claim 37, further comprising the step of identifying document type based on the composition information.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
41 words
A method according to claim 37, further comprising the step of identifying related regions in the document, and wherein in said replacing step, when a region within the abstracted view is replaced, related regions within the abstracted view are also replaced.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method according to claim 37, wherein in said replacing step, text regions on the document are replaced with text images of the document or with text equivalents in accordance with manual selection.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method according to claim 37, wherein in said providing step, the image of the document is provided from a remote source over a modem or a local area network (LAN).
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
59 words
A method according to claim 47, wherein in said providing step, images for regions of the document are retrieved over the modem or LAN when sufficient time is available, and wherein said replacing step is progressive such that regions on the abstracted view are progressively replaced within the abstracted view with the retrieved images of regions of the document.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method according to claim 48, wherein progressive replacement is automatic and proceeds in an order determined by priority among the plural different predefined region types.
Claim 53
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 48, wherein progressive replacement is manual in accordance with operator designation.
Claim 54
Dependent Claim
85 words
Apparatus for displaying a document comprising: means for providing an image of a document and corresponding composition information for the document, the composition information including region type information for each of up to plural regions of the document; means for displaying an abstracted view of the document using the composition information; and means for replacing, within the abstracted view itself, at least one region of the abstracted view with a corresponding image of the document, so that composition information and image information are mixedly displayed.
Claim 55
Dependent Claim
85 words
Apparatus for displaying a document comprising: means for providing an image of a document and corresponding composition information for the document, the composition information including region type information for each of up to plural regions of the document; means for displaying an abstracted view of the document using the composition information; and means for replacing, within the abstracted view itself, at least one region of the abstracted view with a corresponding image of the document, so that composition information and image information are mixedly displayed.
Claim 56
Dependent Claim
50 words
An apparatus according to claim 51, further comprising designating means for designating an abstraction level based on the composition information for displaying the abstracted view of the document, wherein said abstracted view is displayed with mixed regions of composition information and document image in accordance with the designated abstraction level.
Claim 57
Dependent Claim
40 words
An apparatus according to claim 51, wherein a plurality of document images and corresponding document composition information are provided, and further comprising retrieving means for retrieving one of the plurality of document images and corresponding document composition information for display.
Claim 58
Dependent Claim
38 words
An apparatus according to claim 53, wherein the retrieved documents are assigned a score in accordance with the degree of match to retrieval parameters, and wherein the retrieved documents are displayed in an order determined by the score.
Claim 59
Dependent Claim
18 words
An apparatus according to claim 53, wherein said displaying means displays the abstracted view mixed with retrieval parameters.
Claim 60
Dependent Claim
26 words
An apparatus according to claim 51, further comprising labelling means for labelling regions of the abstracted view in accordance with the composition information for the regions.
Claim 61
Dependent Claim
24 words
An apparatus according to claim 51, wherein said displaying means is a verbal enunciation of document structure through text-to-speech conversion of the composition information.
Claim 62
Dependent Claim
19 words
An apparatus according to claim 51, further comprising identifying means for identifying document type based on the composition information.
Claim 63
Dependent Claim
39 words
An apparatus according to claim 51, further comprising identifying means for identifying related regions within the document, and wherein when said replacing means replaces a region in the abstracted view, related regions within the abstracted view are also replaced.
Claim 64
Dependent Claim
30 words
An apparatus according to claim 51, wherein the regions on the document are replaced with text images of the document or with text equivalents in accordance with a manual selection.
Claim 65
Dependent Claim
26 words
Apparatus according to claim 51, wherein the image of the document is provided from a remote source over a modem or a local area network (LAN).
Claim 66
Dependent Claim
58 words
Apparatus according to claim 61, wherein images for regions of the document are retrieved over the modem or LAN when sufficient time is available, and wherein replacement of regions of the abstracted view is progressive such that regions of the abstracted view are progressively replaced within the abstracted view with the retrieved images of regions of the document.
Claim 67
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method according to claim 62, wherein progressive replacement is automatic and proceeds in an order determined by priority among the plural different predefined region types.
Claim 68
Dependent Claim
15 words
Apparatus according to claim 62, wherein progressive replacement is manual in accordance with operator designation.
Claim 69
Dependent Claim
106 words
A document display apparatus comprising: a display; a first memory region from which an image of a document and corresponding composition information for the document may be retrieved; a second memory region for storing process steps; a processor for executing the process steps stored in said second memory region; wherein said second memory region includes process steps to (a) display on said display an abstracted view of a retrieved document in accordance with the composition information, and (b) replace, within the abstracted view itself, a selected region of the abstracted view with a corresponding document image, so that composition information and image information are mixedly displayed.
Claim 70
Dependent Claim
106 words
A document display apparatus comprising: a display; a first memory region from which an image of a document and corresponding composition information for the document may be retrieved; a second memory region for storing process steps; a processor for executing the process steps stored in said second memory region; wherein said second memory region includes process steps to (a) display on said display an abstracted view of a retrieved document in accordance with the composition information, and (b) replace, within the abstracted view itself, a selected region of the abstracted view with a corresponding document image, so that composition information and image information are mixedly displayed.
Claim 71
Dependent Claim
54 words
Apparatus according to claim 65, further comprising input means for inputting operator designations, and wherein said second memory region includes process steps to permit designation of an abstraction level at which the abstracted view is displayed, wherein mixed regions of composition information and document image are displayed in accordance with the designated abstraction level.
Claim 72
Dependent Claim
45 words
Apparatus according to claim 65, wherein said first memory region includes plural document images and plural corresponding composition information, and wherein said second memory region includes process steps to retrieve one of the plurality of stored document images and corresponding document composition information for display.
Claim 73
Dependent Claim
38 words
An apparatus according to claim 67, wherein the retrieved documents are assigned a score in accordance with the degree of match to retrieval parameters, and wherein the retrieved documents are displayed in an order determined by the score.
Claim 74
Dependent Claim
15 words
Apparatus according to claim 67, wherein the abstracted view is displayed mixed with retrieval parameters.
Claim 75
Dependent Claim
25 words
Apparatus according to claim 65, wherein said processor labels the displayed abstracted view in accordance with the composition information stored in said first memory region.
Claim 76
Dependent Claim
22 words
Apparatus according to claim 65, wherein said processor enunciates the document composition information in accordance with text-to-speech conversion of the composition information.
Claim 77
Dependent Claim
17 words
Apparatus according to claim 65, wherein said processor identifies document type based on the stored composition information.
Claim 78
Dependent Claim
44 words
Apparatus according to claim 65, wherein the stored composition information correlates related regions within the document, and wherein when said processor replaces a region of the abstracted view with corresponding regions of document image, said processor also replaces related regions within the abstracted view.
Claim 79
Dependent Claim
30 words
An apparatus according to claim 65, wherein text regions on the document are replaced with text images of the document or with text equivalents in accordance with a manual selection.
Claim 80
Dependent Claim
22 words
Apparatus according to claim 65, wherein said first memory region is accessed remotely over a modem or a local area network (LAN).
Claim 81
Dependent Claim
58 words
Apparatus according to claim 75, wherein images for regions of the document are retrieved over the modem or LAN when sufficient time is available, and wherein replacement of regions of the abstracted view is progressive such that regions of the abstracted view are progressively replaced within the abstracted view with the retrieved images of regions of the document.
Claim 82
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method according to claim 76, wherein progressive replacement is automatic and proceeds in an order determined by priority among the plural different predefined region types.
Claim 83
Dependent Claim
15 words
Apparatus according to claim 76, wherein progressive replacement is manual in accordance with operator designation.
Claim 84
Independent Claim
214 words
A method for creating a retrieval index by which an image of an arbitrarily formatted document may be retrieved, the method comprising the steps of: processing the image of the arbitrarily formatted document to identify text regions on the document and non-text regions on the document, said processing step including, for each text region on the document, the step of automatically determining a region type using rule-based decisions automatically applied to the image of the text region without regard to a position of the text region in the document and without regard to a predetermined format for the document, the region type being one of plural different predefined region types encompassed by the rules; converting the image of the document in text regions into text; indexing the converted text so as to permit retrieval by reference to the converted text; indexing the automatically determined region types so as to permit retrieval by reference to one of the determined region types; and associating the image of the document with the indexed text such that the image of the document may be retrieved by reference to whether text in a text query appears in the indexed text and by reference to whether the text in the text query appears in one of the indexed region types.
Claim 85
Independent Claim
214 words
A method for creating a retrieval index by which an image of an arbitrarily formatted document may be retrieved, the method comprising the steps of: processing the image of the arbitrarily formatted document to identify text regions on the document and non-text regions on the document, said processing step including, for each text region on the document, the step of automatically determining a region type using rule-based decisions automatically applied to the image of the text region without regard to a position of the text region in the document and without regard to a predetermined format for the document, the region type being one of plural different predefined region types encompassed by the rules; converting the image of the document in text regions into text; indexing the converted text so as to permit retrieval by reference to the converted text; indexing the automatically determined region types so as to permit retrieval by reference to one of the determined region types; and associating the image of the document with the indexed text such that the image of the document may be retrieved by reference to whether text in a text query appears in the indexed text and by reference to whether the text in the text query appears in one of the indexed region types.
Claim 86
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method according to claim 79, further comprising the step of determining a region type for both text regions and non-text regions on the document.
Claim 87
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method according to claim 80, further comprising of the steps of retrieving a document and displaying an abstracted view of the document in which regions of the document are identified in accordance with the corresponding region types.
Claim 88
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method according to claim 81, further comprising the step of progressive replacement of regions within the abstracted view of the document with corresponding full images of the regions of the document.
Claim 89
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method according to claim 82, wherein progressive replacement is automatic and proceeds in an order determined by priority among the plural different predefined region types.
Claim 90
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 82, wherein progressive replacement is manual in accordance with operator designation.
Claim 91
Dependent Claim
42 words
A method according to claim 81, wherein said step of retrieving assigns a score to each retrieved document in accordance with the degree of match to retrieval parameters and wherein the retrieved documents are displayed in an order determined by the score.
Claim 92
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method according to claim 81, wherein said step of retrieving includes retrieval over modem or local area network (LAN).
Claim 93
Dependent Claim
53 words
A method according to claim 86, further comprising the step of retrieving images of regions for the document over the modem or LAN when sufficient time is available, and the step of progressive replacement of regions within the abstracted view of the document with the retrieved images of the regions of the document.
Claim 94
Independent Claim
26 words
A method according to claims 87, wherein progressive replacement is automatic and proceeds in an order determined by priority among the plural different predefined region types.
Claim 95
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 87, wherein progressive replacement is manual in accordance with operator designation.
Claim 96
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method according to claim 80, wherein the region type for non-text regions is selected from a group of predefined region types which includes line art regions, half-tone regions, and table regions.
Claim 97
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method according to claim 79, further comprising the step of designating an index level which specifies which region types should be indexed, and wherein said converting step converts text regions in accordance with the designated index level.
Claim 98
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method according to claim 79, wherein the region types for text regions are selected from a group of predefined region types which include title regions and main text regions.
Claim 99
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method according to claim 79, wherein said processing step comprises block selection processing of the image to decompose the image into a set of objects and to use rule-based decisions to identify text and non-text regions on the document.
Claim 100
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method according to claim 93, wherein the block selection processing uses rule-based decisions to identify related regions on the document.
Claim 101
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 79, wherein the region type is automatically determined without user intervention.
Claim 102
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method according to claim 95, wherein the arbitrarily formatted document is of a format previously unknown to the rule-based decisions.
Claim 103
Dependent Claim
284 words
Apparatus for creating a retrieval index by which an image of an arbitrarily formatted document may be retrieved, said apparatus comprising: a scanner for scanning an arbitrarily formatted original document and for outputting a bit map document image corresponding to the original arbitrarily formatted document; a first memory region for storing a document image and a retrieval index; a second memory region for storing process steps; and a processor for executing the process steps stored in said second memory region; wherein said second memory region includes process steps to (a) receive the bit map document image scanned by said scanner, (b) process the bit map document image to identify text regions in the document and non-text regions in the document, said processing step including, for each text region on the document, the step of automatically determining a region type using rule-based decisions applied to the image of the text region without regard to a position of the text region in the document and without regard to a predetermined format for the document, the region type being one of plural different predefined region types encompassed by the rules, (c) convert the document image in text regions into text, (d) index the converted text so as to permit retrieval by reference to the converted text, (e) index the automatically determined region types so as to permit retrieval by reference to one of the region types, and (f) associate the document image with the indexed text such that the document image may be retrieved by reference to whether text in a text query appears in the indexed text and by reference to whether the text in the text query appears in one of the indexed region types.
Claim 104
Dependent Claim
284 words
Apparatus for creating a retrieval index by which an image of an arbitrarily formatted document may be retrieved, said apparatus comprising: a scanner for scanning an arbitrarily formatted original document and for outputting a bit map document image corresponding to the original arbitrarily formatted document; a first memory region for storing a document image and a retrieval index; a second memory region for storing process steps; and a processor for executing the process steps stored in said second memory region; wherein said second memory region includes process steps to (a) receive the bit map document image scanned by said scanner, (b) process the bit map document image to identify text regions in the document and non-text regions in the document, said processing step including, for each text region on the document, the step of automatically determining a region type using rule-based decisions applied to the image of the text region without regard to a position of the text region in the document and without regard to a predetermined format for the document, the region type being one of plural different predefined region types encompassed by the rules, (c) convert the document image in text regions into text, (d) index the converted text so as to permit retrieval by reference to the converted text, (e) index the automatically determined region types so as to permit retrieval by reference to one of the region types, and (f) associate the document image with the indexed text such that the document image may be retrieved by reference to whether text in a text query appears in the indexed text and by reference to whether the text in the text query appears in one of the indexed region types.
Claim 105
Dependent Claim
30 words
Apparatus according to claim 97, wherein said second memory region includes process steps to determine a region type for both text regions and non-text regions in the bit map document.
Claim 106
Dependent Claim
50 words
Apparatus according to claim 98, further comprising a display interface, and wherein said second memory region includes process steps to retrieve a document and to transmit an abstracted view of retrieved documents to said display interface in which regions of the document are identified in accordance with corresponding region types.
Claim 107
Dependent Claim
34 words
Apparatus according to claim 99, wherein said second memory region includes process steps to progressively replace the abstracted regions within the abstracted view of retrieved documents with corresponding regions from the full document image.
Claim 108
Dependent Claim
24 words
Apparatus according to claim 100, wherein progressive replacement is automatic and proceeds in an order determined by priority among the plural different predefined types.
Claim 109
Dependent Claim
23 words
Apparatus according to claim 100, further including a designation means, and wherein replacement is manual in accordance with designation by said designation means.
Claim 110
Dependent Claim
36 words
Apparatus according to claim 99, wherein retrieved documents are assigned a score in accordance with the degree of match to retrieval parameters, and wherein the retrieved documents are displayed in an order determined by the score.
Claim 111
Dependent Claim
29 words
Apparatus according to claim 99, further comprising data transmission means comprised by a modem or a local area network (LAN), wherein documents are retrieved over said data transmission means.
Claim 112
Dependent Claim
47 words
Apparatus according to claim 104, wherein images of regions for the document are retrieved over the modem or LAN when sufficient time is available, and wherein regions within the abstracted view of the document are progressively replaced with the retrieved images of the regions of the document.
Claim 113
Dependent Claim
25 words
Apparatus according to claim 105, wherein progressive replacement is automatic and proceeds in an order determined by priority among the plural different predefined region types.
Claim 114
Dependent Claim
22 words
Apparatus according to claim 105, further including designation means, and wherein replacement is manual in accordance with designation by said designation means.
Claim 115
Dependent Claim
31 words
Apparatus according to claim 98, wherein the region type for non-text regions is selected from a group of predefined region types which includes line art regions, half-tone regions, and table regions.
Claim 116
Dependent Claim
41 words
Apparatus according to claim 97, wherein said process steps include steps to designate an index level which specifies which region types should be indexed, and wherein said process step to convert converts text regions in accordance with the designated index level.
Claim 117
Dependent Claim
29 words
Apparatus according to claim 97, wherein the region types for text regions are selected from a group of predefined region types which include title regions and main text regions.
Claim 118
Dependent Claim
46 words
A method according to claim 97, wherein the step to process the bit map document image comprises block selection processing of the image to decompose the image into a set of objects and to use rule-based decisions to identify text and non-text regions on the document.
Claim 119
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method according to claim 111, wherein the block selection processing uses rule-based decisions to identify related regions on the document.
Claim 120
Dependent Claim
16 words
An apparatus according to claim 97, wherein the region type is automatically determined without user intervention.
Claim 121
Dependent Claim
21 words
An apparatus according to claim 113, wherein the arbitrarily formatted document is of a format previously unknown to the rule-based decisions.
Claim 122
Dependent Claim
232 words
A computer-readable memory medium storing computer-executable process steps to create a retrieval index by which an image of an arbitrarily formatted document may be retrieved, comprising: a processing step to process the image of the arbitrarily formatted document to identify text regions on the document and non-text regions on the document, said processing step including, for each text region on the document, a step to determine a region type using rule-based decisions automatically applied to the image of the text region without regard to a position of the text region in the document and without regard to a predetermined format for the document, the region type being one of plural different predefined region types encompassed by the rules; a converting step to convert the image of the document in text regions into text; a text indexing step to index the converted text so as to permit retrieval by reference to the converted text; a region type indexing step to index the automatically determined region types so as to permit retrieval by reference to one of the determined region types; and a storing step to store the image of the document such that the stored document image may be retrieved by reference to whether text in a text query appears in the indexed text and by reference to whether the text in the text query appears in one of the indexed region types.
Claim 123
Dependent Claim
232 words
A computer-readable memory medium storing computer-executable process steps to create a retrieval index by which an image of an arbitrarily formatted document may be retrieved, comprising: a processing step to process the image of the arbitrarily formatted document to identify text regions on the document and non-text regions on the document, said processing step including, for each text region on the document, a step to determine a region type using rule-based decisions automatically applied to the image of the text region without regard to a position of the text region in the document and without regard to a predetermined format for the document, the region type being one of plural different predefined region types encompassed by the rules; a converting step to convert the image of the document in text regions into text; a text indexing step to index the converted text so as to permit retrieval by reference to the converted text; a region type indexing step to index the automatically determined region types so as to permit retrieval by reference to one of the determined region types; and a storing step to store the image of the document such that the stored document image may be retrieved by reference to whether text in a text query appears in the indexed text and by reference to whether the text in the text query appears in one of the indexed region types.
Claim 124
Dependent Claim
18 words
A computer-readable memory medium according to claim 115, wherein the region type is automatically determined without user intervention.
Claim 125
Dependent Claim
23 words
A computer-readable memory medium according to claim 116, wherein the arbitrarily formatted document is of a format previously unknown to the rule-based decisions.
Claim 126
Dependent Claim
96 words
A computer-readable memory medium storing computer-executable process steps to display documents comprising: a providing step to provide an image of a document and corresponding composition information for the document, the composition information including region type information for each of up to plural regions of the document; a displaying step to display an abstracted view of the document using the composition information; a replacing step to replace, within the abstracted view itself, at least one region of the abstracted view with a corresponding image of the document, so that composition information and image information are mixedly displayed.
Claim 127
Dependent Claim
96 words
A computer-readable memory medium storing computer-executable process steps to display documents comprising: a providing step to provide an image of a document and corresponding composition information for the document, the composition information including region type information for each of up to plural regions of the document; a displaying step to display an abstracted view of the document using the composition information; a replacing step to replace, within the abstracted view itself, at least one region of the abstracted view with a corresponding image of the document, so that composition information and image information are mixedly displayed.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-12-13 | 2003-06-14 | 2003-12-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-12-13 | 2007-06-14 | 2007-12-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-12-13 | 2011-06-14 | 2011-12-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |