Document scanning method, system, and device having sets of parallel lines as background

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9319547-B2
Application number	US-201414501658-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2014
Priority date	Oct 26, 2012
Publication date	Apr 19, 2016
Grant date	Apr 19, 2016

Abstract

Methods and devices are described for detecting boundaries of documents on flatbed and multi-function scanners on a first pass of a carriage assembly, and then performing a high resolution scan on a second pass. High resolution images of documents can then be obtained with little or no interaction normally necessary to identify areas of interest on the scanner bed. Patterns on the scanner cover or lid facilitate not only edge determination, but orientation of text and other objects, and straightening of images in preparation for OCR and related functions. Electronic images and files derived from paper documents may be automatically cropped, deskewed, subjected to OCR, and named consistent with content or other information derived from them.

First claim

I claim:

1. A method for scanning a document, the method comprising:
positioning a document from a feeder onto a transparent bed of a scanning device;
generating an image of the document and at least a portion of contents of a background behind the document; and
distinguishing the background from the document based on the contents of the background in the image by comparing a representation of the image to a representation of a portion of the background stored in an electronic storage component, wherein
the background comprises a first set of parallel lines and a second set of parallel lines, and
wherein the first set of parallel lines are parallel to each other and are spaced unevenly from each other and the second set of parallel lines are parallel to each other and are spaced unevenly from each other.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the contents of the background comprise a repeated shape arranged at a higher density in a first region of the background relative to another region of the background.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the background comprises a pattern of elements.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the image from the document on the bed of the scanning device is performed by a scanning component, wherein the contents of the background are oriented at an angle or position relative to a direction of movement or position of the scanning component.

5. A system comprising:
a data processing apparatus; and
a machine-readable storage device operatively coupled to the data processing apparatus and having instructions stored thereon configured to be executed by the data processing apparatus, wherein the data processing apparatus is configured to:
position a document from a feeder onto a transparent bed of a scanning device;
generate an image of the document and at least a portion of contents of a background behind the document; and
distinguish the background from the document based on the contents of the background in the image by a comparison between a representation of the image and a representation of a portion of the background stored in an electronic storage component wherein
the background comprises a first set of parallel lines and a second set of parallel lines, and
wherein the first set of parallel lines are parallel to each other and are spaced unevenly from each other and the second set of parallel lines are parallel to each other and are spaced unevenly from each other.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the contents of the background comprise a repeated shape arranged at a higher density in a first region of the background relative to another region of the background.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the background comprises a pattern of elements.

8. The system of claim 5 , wherein the image generated from the document on the bed of the scanning device is scanned by a scanning component, wherein the contents of the background are oriented at an angle or position relative to a direction of movement or position of the scanning component.

9. A non-transitory storage device having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by data processing apparatus, cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations, wherein the instructions comprise:
instructions to position a document from a feeder onto a transparent bed of a scanning device;
instructions to generate an image using the document and at least a portion of contents of a background behind the document; and
instructions to distinguish the background from the document based on the contents of the background in the image by a comparison between a representation of the image and a representation of a portion of the background stored in an electronic storage component wherein
the background comprises a first set of parallel lines and a second set of parallel lines, and
wherein the first set of parallel lines are parallel to each other and are spaced unevenly from each other and the second set of parallel lines are parallel to each other and are spaced unevenly from each other.

10. The non-transitory storage device of claim 9 , wherein the contents of the background comprise a repeated shape arranged at a higher density in a first region of the background relative to another region of the background.

11. The non-transitory storage device of claim 9 , wherein the background comprises a pattern of elements.

12. The non-transitory storage device of claim 9 , wherein the image generated from the document on the bed of the scanning device is scanned by a scanning component, wherein the contents of the background are oriented at an angle or position relative to a direction of movement or position of the scanning component.

13. The storage device of claim 9 , wherein the background comprises lines that are oriented at an angle with respect to the transparent bed.

Assignees

• Abbyy Dev Llc

Inventors

• Isaev Andrey

Classifications

• G06V10/243

  by compensating for image skew or non-uniform image deformations · CPC title

• H04N1/00748

  Detecting edges, e.g. of a stationary sheet · CPC title

• H04N1/00758

  using a prescan · CPC title

• H04N2201/0422

  Media holders, covers, supports, backgrounds; Arrangements to facilitate placing of the medium (H04N2201/0406 - H04N2201/0412, H04N2201/0434 take precedence) · CPC title

• H04N1/00774

  Adjusting or controlling · CPC title